IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Wightman, of Elksley, in the County of Notting-
ham, and Stephen Alley, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Engineers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Wightman and
Stephen Alley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd
February 1877
GEORGE WIGHTMAN, of Elksley, in the County of Nottingham, and STEPHEN
ALLEY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanaik, Engineers "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER METERS"
This Invention has for its object the construction of a simple, accurate, and
reliable water meter, and one which does not diminish the pressure of the water to
an appreciable extent, and is not liable to get out of order, whilst the discharge
from it is continuous
It is a distinguishing feature of the improved meter that the water or a definite
proportion of the water that passes though the meter is weighed, notwithstanding
whatever pressure may be in the inlet pipe and maintuned through the meter and
discharge pipe, as accurately as it weighed in the external atmosphere The
measuring details are contained in a casing of a strength sufficient to withstand the
pressure of the water, which is admitted to the upper end of the casing, but which
passes off from the bottom end Air is retained in the casing and is compressed by
the water into the upper end at which part the measuring details are situated
In one modification the measuring details comprise a dium mounted so as to turn
easily about a horizontal axis and connected to counting and indicating gear of any
suitable kind in use in existing meters
The counting gear and indicating dials are within the casing, but are rendered
Visible externally by a glass window plate which is fitted so as to have all round its
edge a channel or space that is accessible to the water only, so that if there is any
leakage it will be of water and will be at once seen
The drum is in the modification being described divided into four compartments
by radial partitions, and the water enters one of these compartments through a slit
or holes in a central pipe projecting into one end of the cylinder The drum has on
CDC33

page_text: it for each compartment a catch, which, encountering the end of a weighted lever,
keeps the drum at rest until a certain weight of water has accumulated in the com-
partinent, whereupon the catch overcoming the weighted lever, the drum tuins a
quarter round and brings another compartment into operation Each compartment
has an outlet so placed as to cause the emptying of the water when it turns down 5
after receiving its supply, and in each compartment there is by preference a
baffling plate which prevents the jet or jets of water from prematurely reaching the
outlet, and a perforated diaphragm may be used to prevent splashing
To provide against the diminution of the quantity of an, there may be arranged
beneath the water level a small hollow cylinder, resting horizontally in a concave 1
seat and turned slowly by the counting gear or measuring drum In the cylinder
there are a hole and a tube, and in the seat there are two ports communicated one
with the atmosphere and the other with a waste pipe When the hole and tube
in the cylinder aio lowermost, air enters by the tube and water passes off by the
hole, and when the cylinder turns 1ound the au in it passes by the hole into the 1
casing, and water fills the cylinder by the tube
In another modification a small chamber formed with top and bottom aperturos
is fitted with two valves on one rod which is raised and lowered by a tumbling
lever moved from the measuring dium or counting gear When the upper valve is
closed the lower one is open and admits air to the chamber, and on the valves being s
reversed the an passes into the casing
The an renewer may be worked by the water falling from the measuring dium
or by the portion of water which does not act on the dium The water passing out
by the an icnewer being proportional to the entire quantity passing through the
meter, may be used to give indications of that quantity outside the main casing.
In some cases it may be sufhcient to renew the air in the casing at long intervals, as
when the meter inspector takes note of the counter indications, for which purpose
the meter may be provided with a stop-cock for admitting an when the inlet pipe
15 closed To prevent fiaud by letting out the air, or to stop the meter when the
water level 11ses too high, a float is provided which is connected to a valve at the
discharge port, and to insure this valve being opened again on the au being
renewed, a cup is fitted below the float which helps to open the valve by the weight
of water it contains without that weight affecting the buoyancy of the float when
the cup is submerged
In many cases it will be most convenient for the measuring details to deal with
only a small definite proportion of the whole water passing though the meter, and
this can be managed more accurately and conveniently than with most existing
water meters
In cases in which the rate of passage of the water through the meter will
generally not be less than a certain rate, it will be sufficient to cause one portion of
the water to enter the casing by one port or set of ports, without passing though
the dium or other measuring detail, whilst the other portion is led to the drum
through a port or ports earing a certain proportion to the other port or ports
Thus the whole water Las
for example be passed through twenty-five ports of
equal size, and the portion passing through one of the ports be led to the dium oi
measuring detail, whilst that passing through the twenty-four other ports passes
into the casing apart from the dum It may however in some cases be preferable
to employ a movable duplex valve, which will be adjusted by the action of the
water passing through, so that the ports will be opened only to an extent conc-
sponding to the rate of flow, and so as to be all of them always equally filled
In one modification such duplex valve is cylindrical and the inlet is in communi-
cation with its interior whilst it is formed with a part of larger diameter movable
through a close but easy fitting opening into a passage loading into the casing and
with a smaller part which works though a similar opening into a passage leading to
the cum on measuring details The large and smaller parts of the valve ae made
with slots oi poits, and the valve being loaded with a sinall weight, it moves so as
to open or close the respective ports in the same proportion as the rate of flow of

page_text: the water varies
Pins may be fixed so as to project into the slots or ports, which
will, with the motion of the valve be kept clear by the action of the pins
Instead of the measuring detail being a drum constructed as described it may be
a dium formed with compartments manged so as to receive the water at the top or
at some other point instead of the centre Or the measuring detail may be an
oscillating vessel made with two compartments which alternately fill, the weight of
the water filling one compartment tilting the vessel so as to move the empty
compartment into a position to be filled and so as to empty the filled compaitinent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Wightman and Stephen Alley in the Cheat Seal Patent Office
on the 1st August 1877
GEORGE WIGHTMAN, of Elksley, in the County of Nottingham, and STEPHEN
ALLEY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER METERS"
Our said Invention has for its object the construction of a simple, accurate, and
reliable water meter, and one which is not liable to get out of order, whilst the
discharge from it is continuous
Some modifications of our improved meters are arranged so as not to diminish to'
an appreciable extent the pressure of the water that passes through them
It is a distinguishing feature of the improved meter that the water or a definite
proportion of the water that passes through the meter is accurately weighed even
when the pressure in the inlet pipe is maintained through the meter and discharge
pipe
In modifications arranged not to diminish the pressure the measuring details are
contained in a casing of a strength sufficient to withstand the pressure of the wate
which is admitted to the upper end of the casing, but which passes off from the
bottom end All is retained in the casing, and is compressed by the water into the
upper end, at which part the measuring details are situated The measuring details
compuse a drum mounted so as to turn easily about a horizontal axis, and con-
nected to counting and indicating gear of any suitable kind in use in existing
meteis
The counting gear and indicating dials are within the casing, but aro iendered
Visible externally by a glass window plate The dium is divided into compartments,
and has on it for cach compartment a catch, which encountering the end of a
weighted levei keeps the dium at rest until a certain weight of water has accumu-
lated in the compartment, whereupon the catch overcoming the weighted lever the
dium turns round and bungs another compartiment into operation
Each compart
inent has an outlet so placed as to cause the emptying of the water when it turns
down after receiving its supply
In many cases it will be most convenient for the measuring details to deal with
only a small definite proportion of the whole water passing through the meter, and
this can be managed more accurately and conveniently than with most existing
water meters
In cases in which the rate of passage of the water though the meter will
generally not be less than a certain rate, it will be sufficient to cause one portion of
the water to enter the casing by one port or set of ports without passing through
the drum or other measuring detail whilst the other portion is led to the dium
through a port or poits bearing a certain proportion to the other port or ports
Thus the whole water may for example be passed through twenty-five ports of
equal size, and the portion passing through one of the ports be led to the dium or
measuring detail, whilst that passing through the twenty-four other ports passes
into the casing apart from the dium It may however in some cases be preferable
•

page_text: to employ a movable duplex valve which will be adjusted by the action of the
water passing though, so that the ports will be opened only to an extent cone-
sponding to the rate of flow, and so as to be all of them always equally filled
Instead of the measuing detail being a dium, constructed as described, it may be
a dium formed with compartments arranged so as to receive the water at the top or
at some other point instead of the centie O the measuring detail may be an
Oscillating vessel made with two compartments which alternately fill, the weight of
the water filling one compartment tilting the vessel so as to move the empty com-
partment into a position to be filled/and so as to empty the filled compartment
In a great many cases in which it is desuable to employ water meters, it is
unnecessary to provide for retaining the pressure of the water passed through the
meter, and in many other cases where the pressure of the water is employed for
lifting or other motive power purposes the meter can be easily ananged to measure
the water after its pressure has been utilized, and when it is leaving the motive
power apparatus In all these cases our improved meter may be advantageously
employed without those peculiarities which are needed when the pressure is to be
retained
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the saine
may be properly understood, we hereunto append two Sheets of explanatory
Diawings to be herein-after referred to and representing modifications of our
improved water meters and details In these Drawings the sune reference numcials
arc used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Diawings are vertical sections
as at right angles to each other of a modification of our improved water meter
suitable for retaining the pressure The meter casing consists of three castings 1,
2, 3, the uppermost 1 of which contains the measuring details, whilst the two lower
form the receptacle for water and a portion of the air, the whole being made of n
strength sufficient to withstand the pressure of the water that is to be measured
The measuring drum 4 is a hollow cylinder of thin sheet brass or other suitable
metal, and 15 in this modification shown as divided by partitions into four compait-
ments It is supported by a spindle fixed to it at one side and passing through a
bearing into a compartment 5 contuning the counting gear, and it has another
support in the end of a fixed central tube 6 which projects from the other side about
half across the drum, and serves for introducing the water into the drum, being
formed with a slit or holes along its under side The dium has on it for each com-
partment a catch 7, which encountering the end of a weighted lever S keeps the
dium at rest until a certain weight of water has accumulated in the compartment
with which the central tube 6 is at the time in communication, whereupon the
catch 7 overcoming the weighted level 8 the drum tuins a quarter round and
brings another compartment into operation Each compartment has an outlet 9 10
placed as to cause the emptying of the water from it as it turns down after receiving
its supply The water which has acted on the dium overflows from the top part 1
of the casing by a passage 10 into the lower part 2, 3, and finally passes from the
bottom thereof by a passage 1l
The modification now being described compuses details of the kind herein-before
referred to for causing the dium 4 to be acted on by a small definite proportion
only of the water passing through the apparatus. The water entering by the
anlet 12 after passing a check valve 13 acts on the under side of a piston 14 con-
tained in a cylinder 15 This cylinder 15 is perforated with a number of holes,
most of which communicate with an annular space 16 encneling it, and leading by
a passage 17 into the lower part 2, 3, of the casing A small number however of
the holes in the cylinder 15 communicate with the tube 6, supplying the water to
the dium 4, and the proportion of the water acting on the diuin is the same as that
of the holes communicating with the tube 6 relatively to all the holes in the
cylinder 15 The piston 14 insures the equal filling of all the horizontal rows of
holes through which the water passes as it rises in proportion to the late at which
the water flows through the meter,

page_text: Other modifications of this proportional valve apparatus are shown on Sheet 2 of
the accompanying Diawings, and herein-after described
To provide against the diminution of tho quantity of air thero is arranged in
the upper part 1 of the casing, but below the top of the passage 10 so as to be
covered with water, a small hollow cylinder 18, shown enlarged in end view and
vertical section in Figures 3 and 4 This cylinder 18 rests horizontally ma
concave seat 19, and is turned slowly by means of a stai wheel 20 formed or fixed
on it, and acted on by teeth 21 fixed at suitable intervals round the drum 4 In
the cylinder 18 there are a hole 22 and a tube 23, and in the,seat 19 there are two
ports 24, 25, communicating one with the atmosphere and the other with a waste
pipe When the hole 22 and tube 23 are lower most ur enters by the tube, and
water passes off by the hole, and when the position of the cylinder 18 is reversed
the au m it passes by the hole 22 to the meter casing 1, and water fills the
cylinder by the tube 23 To prevent fiaud by letting out the au or to stop the
meter when the water level rises too high a float 26 is provided, which is connected
by a rod 27 to a valve 28 closing the outlet passage 11, and to insure this valve 28
being opened again a cup 29 is fixed on the od 27 below the float 26, which helps
to open the valve by the weight of water it contains without that weight affecting
the buoyancy of the float when the cup is submerged
Figures 5 and 6, on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings, are vertical sections
as at night angles to each other of a modification of our improved water moter,
which is applicable in cases wherein little or no pressure is to be retained Tho
casing 30 is represented as in the form of a cylindrical drum, but may be of any
other convenient shape
The measuring drum 4 is constructed and arranged as in the modification shown
on Sheet 1, and herein-before described The inlet 12 communicates with a
chamber 31, in which there is a diaphragm 32 of wire gauze or perforated sheet
metal to prevent sand or other solid impurities from entering the meter, and the
water passes next into the meter through a stop valve 33, which is opened and
shut by a lever 34, having attached to it a float 35 The water entering by tho
float valve 33 next passes by a pipe 36 to a modification of our proportional valve,
the cylindrical shell 15 of which is formed with vertical slits, one or more of these
communicating with the tube 6 which supplies the dium 4, and the remainder
discharging directly into the casing 30 The piston 14 is formed with projections,
which enter the slits of the cylinder 15, and which in moving up and down with
the varying pressure acting on the piston 14 insure the slits being kept clean
conical shell 37 18 by preference fixed outside of the cylinder 15 to assist in
equalizing the discharge through the several slits
A
The
Figure 7 is a vertical section of a thud modification of our proportional valvo
apparatus, in which accuracy is more perfectly secured than it would be in the
other modifications if the holes or slits were not made perfectly equal in size
piston 14 is made with a cylindrical part 38 projecting down from it, and this part
is formed with slits like those in the cylinder 15 The piston 14 is shown in its
lowest or closing position, the slits in the part 38 being below the slits or openings
in the cylinder 15 The piston 14 is formed with a spindle 39, which by means of
a groove and feather gears with a star wheel 40 held in the cover of the cylinder 15
Teeth 41 fixed at suitable intervals upon the drum 4 by means of the star wheel 40
turn the piston 14 step by step, and thus cause the several slits of the part 38 to
communicate in succession with those slits or openings in the cylinder 15, which
lead to the tube 6, so that the average proportion of water entering the tube 6 will
be independent of possible differences in the sizes of the several slits
An air
hole 42 is made in the top of that part of the shell 37 which communicates with
the tube 6 to make sure of the water running ficely from it
A
Figure 8 is a vertical section of a fourth modification of our proportional valve
apparatus, in which the vertical movement of a piston (14) is dispensed with
hollow cylindrical box 43 is substituted for the piston 14, and is fitted to turn
easily, but without appreciable leakage in the cylinder 15 by means of a star

page_text: wheel 40, as in the third modification The bottom of the cylinder 15 is closed,
the water having access by lateral holes in the lower part of the cylinder 15 and in
the cylinder 43, and passing out by similar holes in the upper pait, all pressure on
the cylinder 43 being thereby balanced
Amongst modifications of separate parts of our improved apparatus, one for
renewing the air when the meter is arranged for retaining pressure comprises a
small chamber formed with top and bottom apertures and fitted with two valves
on one rod, which is raised and lowered by a tumbling lever moved from the
measuring drum or counting gear When the upper valve is closed the lower one
18 open and admits air to the chamber, and on the valves being reversed the air
passes into the casing The air ienewer may be worked by the water falling from
the measuring drum, or by the portion of water which does not act on the drum,
and in this case it may consist of a small air pump When water passes out by the
an renewer it is necessarily proportional to the entire quantity passing through
the meter, and may be used to give indications of that quantity outside of the main
casing In some cases it may be sufficient to renew the an in the casing at long
intervals, as when the meter inspector takes note of the counter indications, for
which purpose the meter may be provided with a stop-cock for admitting an when
the inlet pipe is closed
Any suitable kind of float valve may be substituted for the one 33 shown in
Figure 6 herein-before desuibed, and a float valve may be applied also in modi-
fications of our improved meter in which the pressure is retained
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but that what we believe to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the heiein-before in pait
recited Lotters Patent 18,-
1. The combination of an intermittently rotating drum with a weighted catch
lever, and placed in the upper part of a casing or vessel filled paitly with an and
partly with water, the parts being arranged and operating substantially as herein-
before described.
2 The placing of a combined drum and weighted catch lever or equivalent
detuls, which measure by weighing separate portions of the water in the uppel
part of a casing in which air is confined under pressure, and fiom which the water
is discharged under pressure, substantially as heiein-before described
3 The herein-before described appliances for renewing the au in the meter when
it is confined under
piessure
4 The constructions or modifications of proportional valve apparatus herein-before
described with references severally and respectively to Figure 1, to Figure 5, to
Figure 7, and to Figure 8 of the accompanying Diawings
5 The imparting of 1otation to the movable part (14 or 43) of the proportional
valve apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
The system or mode of proportionally dividing the water passing through the
meter by passing it, under equal conditions, through a number of equal holes or
slits, one of a small number of which communicate with a passage leading to the
measuring details, substantially as herein-before described
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Alley, on behalf of the said George
Wightman and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thuty-
first day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-seven