Improvements in Gates for Waterways.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
Improvements in Gates for Waterways.
1, JAMES EDWARD WHITING, of Poona, in the Bombay Presidency, East
Indies, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
"
I use a bottom rail or plate separate from the rest of gate, but fitting closely
to its water face along its lower margin or flange and extending below the lower
edge of it so that its own edge may bear upon the floor of the gateway, which is
to be made smooth and true. The flange of the gate itself is not to bear on the
gateway but to swing or be supported on wheels over it, leaving a small but clear
space for escape of any water that may ooze past the bottom rail. The "lower
rail" is to be retained on its general position and within safe limits of motion
laterally and vertically by metal clips or by bolts through slotholes in the margin
of the gate or by loose leather hinges, chains or other suitable means; but when in
actual use its side will be held against the smooth flange or margin of the gate by
the horizontal pressure of the water; also the bottom edge of the rail will be
pressed on the smooth floor of the gateway by the vertical pressure of the water
acting on the upper edge of the rail. The width and thickness of the sliding
bottom rail are to be arranged and proportioned, so that the horizontal pressure of
the water will keep the face of the rail so close & tight to the smooth margin of
the gate that water will not escape seriously between them; and the thickness will
be such that the vertical pressure of the water will suffice not only to overcome the
friction between the rail and gate but to cause the flat lower edge of the rail to
press sufficiently on the floor to prevent leakage there, as well as entrance of debris
under the gate; but at same time the thickness must not be so great that the
vertical pressure of the rail will increase the difficulty of opening or shutting the
gate beyond the limits of power provided.
One end of the lower rail or plate may abut against or slide into a recess in the
heel of the gate post when the gate is closed and the other end may abut against
the edge of the next gate-leaf or the "jamb" of the gateway.
The lower rail may consist of a wooden plank or of other suitable material
planed smooth and it may be faced with brass or leather or any other suitable
material. The gate itself may be of wood iron or any other material and it may
open with or against the stream or it may slide on rollers across the gateway.
Dated this 17th November 1893.
J. E. WHITING,
Poona.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gates for Waterways.
JAMES EDWARD WHITING Civil Engineer of Poona Bombay Presidency in
the East Indies, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to render gates for waterways automatically
watertight at their sills. For this purpose I use a "bottom rail" or staunching
plate, separate from the rest of the gate, but capable of limited sliding motion
while fitting closely to the water face of the gate all along its lower margin.
Pil

page_text: The staunching plate, as I shall hereinafter call it, is to extend, when in action,
beyond that margin of the gate and, if the gate be a swinging one, it is to bear
upon the smooth floor of the gateway as the gate opens or shuts. The edge of the
gate itself is not to touch the floor, but the gate is to swing at a small height above
it, leaving sufficient space for free escape of any water, that may ooze round the
staunching plate; so that, there may be no possibility of back water pressures
arising, that would tend either to lift the staunching plate off the sill, or to separate
it from the margin of the gate. Furthermore this space is intended to insure that
the edge of the gate itself may pass clear over small obstructions, over which the
staunching plate will be able to rise and then to fall again. The manner, in which
this is to be accomplished, will appear from what follows.
The staunching plate is to be retained, so that it may not be carried away by a
rush of water and yet may have freedom to move with reference to the gate both
laterally and vertically to such extent as may be desirable-this can be effected
by means of metal clips or arms, attached to the gate and loosely embracing the
staunching plate; or by bolts passing through slotholes of greater section than the
bolts, which will be fixtures through staunching plate, while the slot holes will be
in the margin of the gate and the amount of freedom will be adjusted by means of
nuts and washers on the down stream side of the gate; or the staunching plate may
be attached to the gate by means of a loose leather hinge. A combination of the
methods described above may be used, or any suitable method of making a
"semi-
free" attachment, that will give the amount of liberty desirable as the gate is
opening or shutting, but that will retain the staunching plate in such positions,
that when the gate is closed and water rises in the waterway, its vertical pressure
will automatically force the staunching plate evenly onto sill and its horizontal
pressure will hold it tightly against the margin of the gate. Some horizontal
freedom is desirable in order that one end of the staunching plate may slide into a
recess, made for the purpose in the gate post, and as the gate closes; the other end
abutting then against the jamb of the gateway; or, if the gate be made in two
leaves, hung one on each side of the gateway, against the corresponding end of the
staunching plate of the second half of the gateway.
The staunching plate may be formed of wood, rubber, metal or other suitable
materials or of a combination of materials; such for instance as of elastic metal
plates faced with wood or leather. It may have a rectangular cross section, or a
triangular one, the sides that are to move, one on the floor and the other on the
smooth margin of the gate, being planed smooth and true and the corners slightly
rounded off, so as not to catch against small obstructions. Or the cross section
may shew two planes at right angles to one another, the angle between them being
rounded off; or the planes may be in the form of a capital letter tee, inverted;
one arm being passed under the edge of the gate and then turned up and suitably
attached on the down stream side of the gate-but a portion of the plate under the
gate and adjacent to the binge would be cut away to give the requisite freedom, as
the gate closes. The form in short of the staunching plate may vary to suit the
circumstances of the case, but the dimensions of the sides facing the sill and gate
are to be chosen within such limits that the pressure of the water will keep the
staunching plate sufficiently tight against these so as to secure practically water-
tight joints with each; at the same time the friction between the plate and the
gate must not be so great that the former cannot rise and fall at small obstructions,
nor must the friction on the sill be so great that it will increase the force requisite
to open, or to shut, the gate, beyond the limits of power estimated for and
available..
In order that my said invention may be properly understood I now proceed more
particularly to set forth the modes in which the same may be carried into effect,
reference being had to the annexed two sheets of drawings and to the letters and
figures marked thereon; that is to say, on Sheet, No. 1, Figure 1. represents the
lower portions of a, watergate with staunching plates, made and arranged in
accordance with my invention, attached to its margin. The gate is shewn in

page_text: oblique elevation and as seen in the direction of the flow of water; it is marked
GG and depicted as hanging about three eighths of an inch above the level of the
floor of the waterway, which is marked FF and, on which the staunching plates,
marked S S, are shown resting. The gate has two leaves, but only a portion of the
one hung on the left hand side is shewn. Figure 2. shews the gate in section, but
the staunching plates are seen in plan and meeting each other at the junction of the
leaves, marked J J-the gate being shewn closed and consequently the other ends
of the staunching plates forced into recesses, one of which, marked R, is shewn cut
in the gate post, marked P, on the right side of the gateway. The hinge of the
gate is represented as formed of an iron plate with one edge of it rolled into
the form of a bulb, which fits into a hollow in the gate post it projects above the
gate and is there held by a collar, but this is not shewn on the drawing as the
gate may be of any suitable construction. The bulb part of the hinge, which is
marked H in Figures 1 and 2, projects below the gate to form a heel, on which the
gate rests and turns-a notch being cut in the bulb at the part marked Y⚫in
Figure 2, so that the staunching plate S may lie flat against the margin of the
gate. The junction of the two leaves of the gate shewn in Figure 2 at the line
marked J J and here the staunching plates pass across two wooden packing pieces,
which are marked XX; these are bolted to the gate and move with it about three
eighths of an inch above the level of the floor marked Fon Figure 1. The
staunching plates are represented on Sheet 1 as being held to the gate by two
methods in conjunction: these are the metal arms, marked A A in Figures 1. and 2.
and the bolts and nuts, marked B B. The details of these and of other available
methods of semifree attachments are shewn on a larger scale on Sheet No. 2, which
I will now proceed to describe ;-
Figures 3. and 4. of Sheet No. 2. represent a portion of one of the leaves of the
gate in elevation and as seen from the downstream side of the gateway. The
letter T indicates the position of a slot hole, cut in the gate, marked G. It will be
seen that the dimensions of the hole are such as to allow movement of the bolt,
marked B, to the limits already described in the general description above. The
bolt is shewn as being retained by a nut and washer plate, marked W on Figure 4.
This is again shewn in Figure 6, which represents a section of the staunching plate,
made of wood planking and measuring three inches by two, in Figure 6 the
staunching plate is shewn as held also by a loose leather hinge marked L. . The
amount of freedom at right angles to the face of the gate is shewn between
the washer plate W and G the gate, as being about one eighth of an inch.
A similar amount of freedom is shewn in Figure 5 between the staunching plate
and the metal arm A, both seen in section. Figure 7. gives a section of a
staunching plate formed of thin metal, bent into a right angle and faced with
rubber, marked C, and held to the gate, also shewn in section and marked G, by
the system of bolts washers and nuts, as in the case of the wooden staunching
plates, described above. Figure 8. gives the section of a staunching plate rolled in
form of an inverted capital letter T, one arm being passed under the gate marked G
and turned up so as to form a free attachment, but it is further secured from
being washed away by the rush of water when the gate opens by a ring passed
through its edge and attached by a chain and eyebolt to the gate-this attachment
marked being on the down stream side of the gate. A third method of
attachment is shewn on Figure 8. namely a metal clip marked U, holding the
vertical limb of the plate this clip may be elastic and may extend along the
whole length of the gate, if thought desirable. A small portion of the horizontal
arm of the plate that passes under the gate must be cut off at the end adjacent
to the hinge to allow the requisite movement as the remainder of the staunching
plate then slips into the recess in the gate post, as described above for the case of a
wooden staunching plate. Furthermore the ends of all forms of staunching plates
that meet at the centre of the gateway must be cut obliquely as shewn ou
Sheet No. 1 Figure 2, so as to make a close joint with one another along the
line J J when the gate is closed. Of course in the case of a gate with a single

page_text: leaf the line J J would represent the line of contact of the staunching plate
of that leaf with the jamb of the gateway, which would take the place of
the portion of the left hand leaf, depicted on Figures 1 and 2 of Sheet No. 1.
The arrangements shewn are intended for depths of four feet of water to eight feet,
or even more.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
First. Staunching plates for gates of waterways formed and arranged sub-
stantially as herein before described and shewn on the annexed two sheets of
drawings; so as to stop leakage under the gates, when closed.
Secondly. Methods of attaching the staunching plates to the gates substantially
such as those herein before described and shewn on the sheets of drawings annexed;
in order, that as the gates close, the staunching plates will sweep debris before
them and so prevent them from getting under and hampering the gates; but, at
the same time, will allow the staunching plates to rise and fall over slight
obstructions that will not touch the gate.
Dated this 29th day of August 1894