Purpose.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Dec., 1888
RESERVE
чити али гог быст Purpose.
We, WILLIAM WILLIS, of Bromley, in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, and JOHN
SMITH and WILLIAM SMITH, both of Upton Villa, Beckenham Road, Penge, in the
County of Surrey, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The main object of our invention is to provide simple and efficient means for .
measuring water and other liquids. Our improved apparatus is, however, applicable
for other purposes.
Liquid-meters as hitherto constructed to be worked by means of vanes rotating
around a common axis and so arranged that the water will impinge thereon on one
side of the said axis, are liable to give incorrect indications.
By our invention we obviate this defect and provide a liquid-meter wherein the
number of revolutions of the vanes will be accurately proportionate to the quantity of
liquid passed through the meter.
To accomplish this result we arrange the vanes in a suitable chamber or casing
around a common axis upon or about which they can freely rotate, and we provide
means whereby the said vanes will be automatically adjusted upon or about other
axes intersecting the said common axis, so that each vane, as it moves away from
the inlet, will present a much larger surface to the action of the fluid than when it is
approaching the said inlet. For instance, assuming that the said common axis is
vertical, each vane will be vertical as it moves in the direction in which the fluid
passes through the apparatus, and horizontal as it moves in opposition to the fluid.
We usually so construct the apparatus that the vanes diametrically opposite each other
are at right angles to each other, and while one vane moves in a contracted part of
the chamber or casing with its side subjected to the pressure of the fluid, the opposite
vane will move in a still more contracted part of the chamber or casing with its edge
presented to the fluid.
Our said invention is conveniently and advantageously carried into practice as
hereinafter described, that is to say: We provide a chamber or casing, which is
closed by a suitable cover and is provided with inlet and outlet apertures. In this

page_text: chamber or casing we arrange vanes formed of vulcanite or other suitable material.
The vanes diametrically opposite each other are rigidly connected by means of a
spindle so that the vanes of each pair are at right angles to each other. The said
spindles are fitted to turn in a hub formed with a spindle whereby the said hub
and the vanes are supported in bearings in the said casing and cover. One of the
said spindles is formed with a slotted enlargement through which the other spindle
is passed, and the axes of these two spindles intersect the axis of rotation of the set
or series of vanes Any suitable number of vanes may be used; for the sake of
simplicity of construction, however, we prefer to employ four vanes each of which is
arranged as hereinafter described to turn with its spindle through an angle of 90 degrees
upon or about the axis of the said spindle.
The inlet and outlet are situated on opposite sides of the said hub. Between the
said inlet and outlet, the chamber or casing is slightly contracted on both sides of the
hub by means of projecting surfaces on the said chamber or casing and on the cover,
one contracted part or passage being much smaller in transverse sectional area than
the other passage. The said surfaces are so formed that each vane, when passing
through the contracted portion of large area, with its larger surface or side subjected
to the action of the fluid, will accurately fit this contracted portion of the said chamber
or casing, and the vanes can only pass edgewise through the contracted part of smaller
area and will fit the same with sufficient accuracy to prevent leakage.
In some instances we make the chamber with only one contracted part, and we
round the edges of the vanes so that they can turn freely in the other part of the said
chamber.
The aforesaid hub is made circular at the ends and with a square part in the centre
which will fit the smaller contracted part of the chamber and prevent leakage.
In the said chamber or casing we provide one or more striking pieces so arranged
that each vane, as it rotates with the hub will, after it has passed through the contracted
part of the casing, strike against the said piece, or one of the said pieces, and be
turned through an angle of 90° or thereabouts, to enable it to enter the other con-
tracted part of the said casing. A projecting piece having an inclined or curved
surface is, moreover, provided on the cover to facilitate the entrance of the vanes into
the smaller contracted part.
The spindle of the hub is connected in any convenient manner with indicating or
registering mechanism of any well-known or suitable construction.
We arrange the flanges to which the feed and delivery pipes are attached, so that,
when the meter is fixed horizontally, the surfaces of these flanges shall be horizontal
and facing downwards. By this means we greatly facilitate the making of the
joints between the said flanges and the flanges of the said pipes. Moreover the
meter can be very readily removed from its place for repairs or otherwise and then
replaced.
By our improvements hereinbefore described we are enabled to construct a liquid-
meter which can be operated by very low pressures or by a very small head or flow of
liquid.
It is evident that we can, if desired, somewhat modify the construction of our
apparatus without departing from the nature of our invention. For instance we some-
times employ other means than those above described for effecting the automatic
adjustment of the vanes for the purpose specified.
It is obvious, moreover, that our improved apparatus, although chiefly designed
to serve as a liquid-meter, can be used for other purposes; for example as a motor
or as a fan or blower or pump, the spindle of the hub being connected with the
mechanism to be driven or with any suitable driving mechanism.
,1
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Rotary Apparatus for Measuring
Liquids and for other Purposes.
We, WILLIAM WILLIS, of Bromley, in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, and
JOHN SMITH and WILLIAM SMITH, both of Upton Villa, Beckenham Road, Penge, in
the County of Surrey, Engineers, 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 main object of our invention is to provide simple and efficient means for
measuring water and other liquids. Our improved apparatus is, however, applicable
for other purposes.
Liquid-meters as hitherto constructed to be worked by means of vanes rotating
around a common axis and so arranged that the liquid will impinge upon them on one
side of the said axis, are liable to give incorrect indications.
By our invention we obviate this defect and provide a liquid-neter wherein the
number of revolutions of the vanes will be accurately proportionate to the quantity of
liquid passed through the meter.
To accomplish this result we arrange the vanes to revolve in a suitable chamber or
casing around a common axis, and we provide means whereby the said vanes, in their
rotation, will be automatically adjusted upon or about other axes intersecting the said
common axis, so that each vane, as it moves away from the inlet or admission aperture,
will present a much larger surface to the action of the fluid than when it is approaching
the said inlet or aperture. For instance, assuming that the said common axis is
vertical, each vane will be vertical while moving from the inlet towards the outlet or
or in the direction in which the fluid passes through the apparatus, and horizontal
while moving from the outlet towards the inlet or in opposition to the fluid. We
usually arrange the vanes in pairs, that is to say, we provide transverse spindles each
of which has fixed thereon two vanes at right angles to each other, and we so construct
the apparatus that, while one vane moves through a contracted part of the chamber or
casing with its side or larger surface subjected to the pressure of the fluid, the opposite
vane will move through a still more contracted part of the said chamber or casing with
its edge presented to the fluid. The series of vanes will, therefore, be rotated upon or
about the common axis by the pressure of the fluid.
Our said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan of one form of our improved apparatus, the cover of the chamber
or casing being removed.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing one pair of vanes in the course of adjustment
for the purpose hereinafter specified, some of the parts being removed.

page_text: chamber or casing, the vanes being shown in side elevation.
Figure 4 is a section on the line y, y Figure 2, the vanes being shown in side
elevation.
Figure 5 is an underside view, and
Figure 6 a side elevation of the said cover.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, and
Figure 8 a plan, partly in horizontal section on the line y', y¹ Figure 7, showing the
vanes and a central piece or hub to which they are attached.
Figure 9 is a side elevation illustrating a modified construction of the said vanes and
hub, and
Figure 10 is a plan illustrating another modification of our invention hereinafter
described.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
The
A is the chamber or casing which is closed by the cover A¹; B is the inlet; C the
outlet. D, D1, D2, D³ are vanes formed of vulcanite or other suitable material. The
vanes D, D² are fixed on a spindle E and the vanes D1, D³ on a spindle E¹, so that the
vanes of each pair are rigidly connected at right angles to each other.
spindles E, E are fitted to turn in a central piece or hub F formed with a spindle F¹
whereby the said hub and the vanes are supported in bearings A2, A3 in the casing A
and cover A. The spindle E is formed with a slotted enlargement E2 through which
the spindle E¹ is passed, and the said spindles are so arranged that their axes are in
the same plane and intersect the axis of rotation of the set or series of vanes.
The hub F is made of cylindrical form with a square portion or collar F2 for the
purpose hereinafter specified. The hub and its spindle are formed in one piece of
vulcanite or other suitable material, and the said hub is bored out to receive the
enlargement E2 of the spindle E and is provided with a bush or plug F³ which fits
upon the said spindle and is securely fixed in the said hub. The spindles E, E¹ are
tapered at each end and the vanes are fitted thereon and secured by means of pins E³
as shown in Figure 8.
We prefer that the hub and vanes should be made of vulcanite or ebonite or other
material of the same or approximately the same specific gravity as the liquid, so as to
diminish the resistance to rotation of the said hub and vanes due to friction. It is;
moreover, advantageous to provide a stuffing-box of vulcanite or ebonite or other
suitable material around the upper part of the spindle F¹.
Any suitable number of vanes may be used. We prefer, however, for the sake of sim-
plicity of construction, to employ four vanes as shown, each pair being arranged to turn
with its spindle through an angle of 90 degrees upon or about the axis of the said
spindle, as hereinafter described.
The inlet B and outlet C are situated on opposite sides of the casing A. Between
the said inlet and outlet, the chamber or casing is slightly contracted on one side of
the hub F by means of projecting surfaces G, G¹, on the said chamber or casing and
a projection G2 on the cover A¹. The surfaces G, G2 are made truly parallel and the
surface G¹ is made accurately concentric with the axis of rotation of the vanes, so that
each vane, when passing through this contracted portion of the chamber with its
larger surface or side subjected to the action of the fluid, will accurately fit the said
contracted portion. The said chamber or casing is in a similar manner still further
contracted on the opposite side of the hub F by means of projecting pieces H, H2 on
the casing A and cover A¹ and a projecting surface H' on the said casing, so that the
vanes can only pass edgewise through this contracted part.
The cylindrical surface His made of larger radius than that of the cylindrical
surface G¹ so that, as each vane passes edgewise through the contracted part or
slot H, H1, H2, its corners will touch or nearly touch the said surface H' as shown in
Figure 2, that is to say, the vane will fit the slot with sufficient accuracy to prevent
leakage of the fluid between the same and the surfaces H, H', H².
It will be seen that the sides and the edges D* of the vanes D, D1, D2 D³ are
parallel to each other and to the axis of the spindle, and the surfaces G, G2 and H, H2

page_text: are also parallel to each other. This formation greatly simplifies the manufacture of
the meter, as the said surfaces can be easily formed and finished by turning in a lathe
or otherwise and the vanes can without difficulty be made to fit accurately between
the said surfaces.
The square part or collar F2 of the hub F has bearing surfaces for the vanes equal
in width to the said vanes, and fills up the space which, if the said hub were circular
in transverse section throughout its lengh, would be left void between the said hub
and adjacent vanes when the latter are in the position occupied by the vanes D2, D3
in Figure 1, leakage between the narrow parts H³ of the surfaces H H² when the
vanes are in the position shown in Figure 1 is thus prevented.
Although we prefer, when the hub F is made with a square collar as shown, that
the vanes should be square or rectangular, it is obvious that their outer, edges may be
curved or of other suitable form.
.
In the bottom of the chamber or casing A and near the outlet C, we provide
a projection or striking piece K which has an inclined or helical surface and which is
so arranged that each vane, as it rotates with the hub F, will, immediately after it has
emerged from the contracted part G, G1, G2 of the casing, strike against the said
inclined or helical surface and be thereby turned through an angle of 90° to enable it
to enter the contracted part or slot H, H',
H2.
To obviate liability to injury of the vanes or their spindles by concussion or torsion
when the vanes are rotated at a high speed upon or about the common vertical axis,
it is important that the said vanes should be turned upon or about their horizontal
axes as slowly as practicable relatively to the speed of their rotation about the common
axis. For this purpose, the chamber or casing is so constructed that there is ample
space between the contracted portions thereof to permit the turning of the said vanes
slowly; and the surface of the striking piece K is so formed that its action upon
the vanes will be very gradual. To further diminish the liability to concussion, the
projection or striking piece K is so arranged that it will act first upon the lower
edge of the vane, that is to say, upon the part thereof furthest from the horizontal
axis; and the part of the said striking piece K which first acts upon the vane is made
as wide as practicable.
A projecting piece or guide L having an inclined or curved surface is, moreover,
provided on the cover A above the projection or striking piece K and at the edge of
the surface H2, so that it will formi an inclined or curved continuation of the said
surface and will facilitate the entrance of the vanes into the contracted part or
slot H, H', H.
The upper end of the spindle F1 of the hub F is connected in any convenient
manner with indicating or registering mechanism of well-known or other suitable
construction.
The operation of our improved apparatus, when used as a liquid-meter, is as
follows, viz. Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Figure 1, the liquid
under pressure entering through the inlet B will exert its pressure upon the
vanes D, D³, and the vane D being vertical while the vane D³ is horizontal, such
pressure will cause the set or series of vanes to rotate in the direction indicated by
the arrow in Figures 1 and 2. After the vane D¹ emerges from the contracted part G,
G1, G2 of the casing, it comes in contact with the inclined piece or projection K,
whereby this vane and the vane D³ are turned through an angle of 90° so that the
vane D will enter the contracted part G, G1, G2 of the casing and will present its
side to the action of the liquid, whilst the vane D' will enter the contracted part or
slot H, H', H2 and will present its edge to the liquid while moving in opposition
thereto. The vanes are thus in turn automatically adjusted so that they will present
to the action of the liquid a larger surface when moving therewith on one side of
the common axis than when moving in opposition thereto on the other side of the
said axis.
The apparatus is preferably provided with flanges M, M', Figure 1, whereby it is
connected to the feed and delivery pipes N, O. It will be seen that these flanges are
so arranged that the joints, instead of being in planes parallel to the common axis of

page_text: rotation of the vanes, are in planes extending through the casing and intersecting the
said axis, so that, when the meter is fixed horizontally, the surfaces of the flanges M, M¹
will be horizontal and facing downwards, and the meter can be dropped into its place
and lifted therefrom without disturbing the said feed and delivery pipes. By this
means we greatly facilitate the making of the joints between the said flanges and
those of the said pipes. Moreover, the meter can be very readily removed from its
place for repairs or otherwise and replaced.
Instead of providing the hub F with a square collar as above described, we in
some instances make the said hub spherical or in the form of a truncated sphere,
as shown in Figure 9, and we make the edges of the vanes next the said hub of
corresponding form, so that the said vanes will closely fit the spherical surface of
the hub in any position into which they may be turned upon or about their horizontal
axes, and will thus prevent leakage without other provision being made for this
purpose. In other instances, we use a hub which is cylindrical throughout its length
and we make the parts H³ of the surfaces, H, H2 of the peculiar form shown at H4, H
in Figure 10, so that, when the vanes are in the position shown in this Figure, no
leakage can take place between the cylindrical hub and the adjacent edges of the
vanes; moreover ample space will be left for the turning of the vanes upon or about
their horizontal axes after they emerge from the contracted part or slot H, H¹, H²,
that is to say, the peculiar formation of the surfaces H, H² will not interfere with or
obstruct the turning of the vanes as hereinbefore described.
In cases where a large flow of liquid has to be measured, we prefer, instead of
enlarging the vanes, to employ two or more sets or series of vanes arranged one
above another to rotate upon or about the same vertical axis in a chamber or casing
formed with a corresponding number of contracted parts or slots through which the
vanes can only pass edgewise, and with separate devices for automatically effecting the
adjustment of the vanes of each set or series. The said vanes may be so arranged
that the upper edges of those of one set will touch the lower edges of those of the set
next above it, when the vanes are vertical.
By our improvements herein described, we are enabled to construct a liquid-meter
which will work with very low pressures or with a very small head or flow of
liquid, the resistance to the rotation of the vanes due to friction or other causes being
very slight.
It is evident that we can, if desired, somewhat further modify the construction of
our apparatus without departing from the nature of our invention. In some instances,
we make the chamber or casing with only one contracted part and we round the
edges of the vanes so that they can turn freely in the other part of the said
chamber.
It is obvious, moreover, that our improved apparatus, although chiefly designed
to serve as a liquid-meter, can be used for other purposes; for example, as a
motor, pump or fan-blower, the spindle of the hub being connected with
the mechanism to be driven or with any suitable driving mechanism, as the
cas may be.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood that we
claim
First An apparatus, such as that herein described, wherein rotative vanes are
enclosed, and work around a central axis, within a chamber or casing provided with
means for automatically adjusting them, so that the said vanes will pass alternately
through larger and smaller parts of the said chamber or casing, as, and for the
purposes, above specified..
Second-The combination, with the vanes fixed in pairs upon spindles extending
through a central hub, and arranged to rotate through the wide and narrow parts of
a chamber or casing, of one or more inclined, helical or curved projections or
striking pieces (with or without the inclined or curved guide), all substantially as,
and for the purposes, set forth.

page_text: Third-The combination, with the chamber or casing and the vanes, of the hub
provided with the square part or collar which has bearing surfaces equal in width to
the vanes, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fourth-The combination the hollow hub formed of one piece of suitable
material, the taper spindles extending through the said hub so that their axes intersect
each other, the bush or plug fitting upon one of the said spindles and fixed in the
said hub, and the vanes fixed upon the said spindles, substantially as, and for the
purposes, set forth.
Fifth The improved apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to Figures to 8 of the accompanying
drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Sixth The modification of our invention wherein we employ a spherical hub, and
vanes having correspondingly shaped edges, substantially as described with reference
to Figure 9 of the drawings for the purpose specified.
Seventh-The modification of our invention wherein we provide for preventing
leakage between the vanes and the hub by the peculiar formation of the.
surfaces H, H2 substantially as described with reference to Figure 10 of the
drawings.
Eighth The modification of our invention wherein we employ two or more sets
of vanes arranged to rotate around or about a common axis in a chamber
or casing provided with a corresponding number of contracted parts or slots and
with means for adjusting the said vanes, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
Dated this 16th day of Ontahan 1888
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants.