IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS FOR RAISING AND FORCING LIQUIDS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robbins, of Tipton, in the County of
Stafford, Moulder, and James Allbut, of Tipton, aforesaid, Iron
Boat Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS FOR
RAISING AND FORCING LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 20th August 1869, and dated the 7th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robbins and
James Allbut at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 7th April 1869.
We, JOHN ROBBINS, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Moulder,
and JAMES ALLBUT, of Tipton, aforesaid, Iron Boat Builder, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS FOR
RAISING AND FORCING LIQUIDS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the combination or arrangement herein-
after described of the parts of pumps for raising and forcing liquids, by
which arrangement or combination the column of liquid raised and forced
by the pump is balanced and thereby raised with greater facility than in
pumps of the ordinary construction.

page_text: In constructing a pump according to our Invention we use two ver-
tical pump cylinders and solid plungers working through stuffing boxes
at the tops thereof. The lower ends of these pump cylinders are con-
nected with the fore ends of two short horizontal cylinders respectively,
the axes of the said horizontal cylinders being in the same line. Pistons
in the said horizontal cylinders are connected to the opposite ends of
the same piston rod, so that when the piston in one of the said horizontal
cylinders is making its advance stroke the piston in the other horizontal
cylinder is making its return stroke. The said pistons have no valves.
The suction pipes having valves opening upwards as usual are connected
to the rear ends of the horizontal cylinders respectively. Into the rear
end of each of the horizontal cylinders the lower end of an oblique pipe
opens, the upper end of the said oblique pipe opening into the vertical
pump cylinder connected with the other horizontal cylinder. Thus each
vertical pump cylinder opens at its bottom into the fore end of one
horizontal cylinder, and is also connected by the oblique pipe described
with the rear end of the other horizontal cylinder. Each oblique pipe has
in it a valve opening upwards. The delivery pipes are situated at the
upper ends of the vertical pump cylinders immediately below the plungers.
Each delivery pipe has a valve or stop-cock, which is closed as the
plunger descends. The plungers are worked from cranks or excentrics,
or otherwise, in such a manner that while one plunger is rising the other
is descending.
The action of the pump is as follows:-When one of the plungers
descends it causes the water in its pump cylinder to force back the
piston in its horizontal cylinder, thereby forcing water up the oblique
pipe into the other or second pump cylinder. The simultaneous advanc-
ing of the piston in the second horizontal cylinder causes the water
in front of the said piston also to enter the said second pump cylinder,
and at the same time draws up water through its suction pipe. Of the
two volumes of water delivered into the second pump cylinder only one
volume passes out of the delivery pipe, as the capacity of the said
second pump cylinder is increased during the forcing of water into it
by the rising of its own piston. When the action is reversed by the
descent of the plunger in the second pump cylinder and the ascent of
that in the first the actions described take place but in the opposite
pump cylinders. As the columns of water in the two pump cylinders are
always balanced there is great economy of power in working the pump.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Robbins and James Allbut in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
ROBBINS, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Moulder, and JAMES
ALLBUT, of Tipton, aforesaid, Iron Boat Builder, send greeting.
year
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Robbins and James Allbut, Her
special license that we, the said John Robbins and James Allbut, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
John Robbins and James Allbut, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS FOR RAISING
AND FORCING LIQUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said John Robbins and James Allbut, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, shall particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Allbut, on behalf of myself
and the said John Robbins, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists of the combination or arrangement herein-
after described of the parts of pumps for raising and forcing liquids, by
5 which arrangement or combination the column of liquid raised and
forced by the pump is balanced and thereby raised with greater facility
than in pumps of the ordinary construction.

page_text: In constructing a pump according to our Invention we use two
vertical pump cylinders and solid plungers working through stuffing
boxes at the tops thereof. The lower ends of these pump cylinders are
connected with the fore ends of two short horizontal cylinders respec-
tively, the axes of the said horizontal cylinders being in the same line.
Pistons in the said horizontal cylinders are connected to the opposite
ends of the same piston rod, so that when the piston in one of the said
horizontal cylinders is making its advance stroke the piston in the other
horizontal cylinder is making its return stroke. The said pistons have
no valves. The suction pipes having valves opening upwards as usual
are connected to the rear ends of the horizontal cylinders respectively.
Into the rear end of each of the horizontal cylinders the lower end of
an oblique pipe opens, the upper end of the said oblique pipe opening
into the vertical pump cylinder connected with the other horizontal
cylinder. Thus each vertical pump cylinder opens at its bottom into
the fore end of one horizontal cylinder, and is also connected by the
oblique pipe described with the rear end of the other horizontal cylinder.
Each oblique pipe has in it a valve opening upwards. The delivery
pipes are situated at the upper ends of the vertical pump cylinders
immediately below the plungers. Each delivery pipe has a valve or
stop-cock which is closed as the plunger descends. The plungers are
worked from cranks or excentrics, or otherwise, in such a manner that
while one plunger is rising the other is descending.
The action of the pump is as follows:-When one of the plungers
descends it causes the water in its pump cylinder to force back the
piston in its horizontal cylinder, thereby forcing water up the oblique
pipe into the other or second pump cylinder. The simultaneous
advancing of the piston in the second horizontal cylinder causes the
water in front of the said piston also to enter the said second pump
cylinder, and at the same time draws up water through its suction pipe.
Of the two volumes of water delivered into the second pump cylinder
only one volume passes out of the delivery pipe, as the capacity of the
said second pump cylinder is increased during the forcing of water into
it by the rising of its own piston. When the action is reversed by the
descent of the plunger in the second pump cylinder and the ascent of
that in the first the actions described take place but in the opposite
pump cylinders. As the columns of water in the two pump cylinders
are always balanced there is great economy of power in working the
Dump.

page_text: Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a pump for raising and forcing
liquids constructed according to our Invention, and Figure 2 is a plan
of the same; Figure 3 is a vertical section of the lower part of the pump.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2,
and 3.
a, b, are the two vertical cylinders of the pump; the lower ends of which.
are respectively connected to the fore ends of the two short horizontal
pump cylinders c, d. The rear end of the horizontal cylinder c is con-
nected by the oblique pipe e with the vertical pump cylinder b, and the
rear end of the horizontal cylinder d is. connected by the oblique pipe f
with the vertical pump cylinder a. In the pump cylinders a, b, are solid
plungers a, b, the said plungers working through stuffing boxes in the
ordinary manner, and in the horizontal cylinders c, d, are pistons c, d,.
without valves (see Figure 3), the said pistons being connected to the
opposite ends of the piston rod g. These pistons c, d,, are moved back-
wards and forwards in their respective cylinders in the manner herein-
after explained. By an examination of Figure 3 it will be understood
that while the piston is making its advance stroke the piston dis
making its return stroke, and the reverse. Opening into the rear end of
the horizontal cylinder c is a suction pipe h provided with a valve
opening upwards, and opening into the rear end of the horizontal
cylinder d is a suction pipe i provided with a valve opening upwards.
These valves are not shown in the Drawing. Each of the oblique con-
necting pipes e, f, has also a valve opening upwards. These valves are
marked respectively e³, f. l, m, are the delivery pipes opening into the
upper ends of the vertical pump cylinder a, b. In the delivery pipes l, m,
are sliding valves n, p, the said valves being alternately raised and
allowed to fall in the manner herein-after explained. The solid
plungers a, b, are worked from the excentrics a, b, on the horizontal
shaft 9, the straps a, b, of the excentrics being jointed in the manner
represented to the said plungers. The said excentrics a³, b³, are
arranged on the shaft q, and while one plunger is rising the other is
descending, as represented in Figure 1. The valves n, p, of the delivery
pipes l, m, are worked by the excentrics s, t, on the shaft q, the bottom
SO

page_text: of the excentric straps 8, 3, of the said excentrics being provided with
loops,, to which the valves n, p, are hooked. The excentrics 8, t,
are so arranged on the shaft q that they alternately raise the valves n, p,
and thereby alternately open the delivery pipes l, m. The said valves
are also very rapidly raised to open the delivery pipes and at the proper
time are allowed rapidly to fall by their weight or by the aid of springs
to close the delivery pipes. By the arrangement described of the
valves n, p, of the delivery pipes it will be seen that when the plunger a
of the pump cylinder a is descending the valve n is depressed and the
delivery pipe is closed, and that when the plunger 6 of the pump
cylinder 6 is rising the valve p is raised and the delivery pipe m is open.
The excentric shaft q may be worked by hand or by steam or other
power. In connection with each of the pump cylinders a, b, is a safety
valve loaded with a weight slightly in excess of the pressure at which
the pump is required to raise liquid, so that in case of derangement of
the parts water may escape at the said valves and prevent injury to the
pump.
The action of the pump is as follows:-When the plunger a* descends
it forces the water in its pump cylinder a into the horizontal cylinder e.
The piston in the said cylinder c is thereby caused to advance in the
direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 3, and the water in front of
it is forced up the oblique pipe e through the valve e³ into the pump
cylinder b. The simultaneous motion of the piston d in the cylinder d
in the direction indicated by the arrow causes the water in front of it
also to be forced into the pump cylinder b. The advance of the piston
ďat the same time draws up water through its suction pipe into the
cylinder d. A portion only of the water which has been thus forced
up the pump cylinder 6 escapes by the open delivery pipe m, that is,
of the two volumes of water delivered into the pump cylinder b
only one volume passes out at the delivery pipe m, as by the rising
of the plunger b³ in the cylinder 6 the capacity of the said cylinder
is increased during the forcing of water into it in the manner
before explained. As soon as the plunger a³ has descended to its
full extent the valve n is rapidly raised and the delivery pipe 1
thereby opened, and the valve p is allowed to fall and close the delivery
pipe m. The plunger now commences to descend in its cylinder b
and the plunger a³ to ascend in its cylinder a, and the action of the

page_text: pump is reversed, that is to say, the water in the cylinder b is forced by
the plunger 6 into the horizontal cylinder d; its piston d³ is thereby
advanced towards the bottom of its cylinder or in a direction contrary to
that indicated by the arrow in Figure 3. The motion of the piston d³
causes the water in front of it to be forced up the oblique pipef and
through the valve f into the vertical pump cylinder a, and the water
in front of the piston is at the same time also forced up the said
cylinder a. The advance of the piston at the same time draws water
through the suction pipe h into the cylinder c. Only about one half of
the water thus forced into the pump cylinder a is delivered at the
delivery pipe l, as herein-before explained with respect to the pump
cylinder b. By the arrangement described the two columns of water
in the pump cylinders are always balanced, and hence the working of the
pump is attended with little expenditure of power. Instead of working
the two pistons c, d, in the cylinders c, d, by the action of the water
forced from the vertical pump cylinders a, b, the said pistons may be
worked directly by steam or other power, and the plungers a², b³, be
dispensed with, that is to say, the piston rod g may be prolonged and made
to pass through the end of one of the cylinders c or d, and a reciprocating
motion be given to the said rod from a shaft worked by steam or other
power. In this case the vertical pump cylinders a, b, serve only as
conducting pipes for the water forced into them alternately by the action
of the pistons c³, d³.
When we work the pistons c, d, directly in the manner last
explained, we prefer to place their pump cylinders vertically, and also
to arrange the other parts of the pump in the manner illustrated in
Figures 4 and 5 of the Drawings; Figure 4 representing a vertical
section of the pump, and Figure 5 a side elevation of the same. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 4 and 5.
a, b, are the two pump cylinders, and a³, b³, are the pistons working
respectively therein. The said pistons are connected to the same
piston rod c, which rod is worked by a crank or excentric in the ordinary
way. On either side the pump cylinders a, b, are two cylinders d, e,
which in this arrangement constitute delivery pipes. The pump is
supported on the stand formed by a continuation of the pipes d, e.
The pump cylinder a opens at top into the pipe d by the passage g and
at bottom into the pipe e by the passage g³. In the passage 92 is a
valve opening outwards. The pump cylinder 6 opens at bottom into
the pipe e by the passage 1, and at top into the pipe d by the passage ².

page_text: In the passage is a valve k opening outwards; is the suction pipe.
The said suction pipe communicates by means of the pipes m, n, with
the upper end of the lower pump cylinder b, and the said suction pipe
also communicates by means of the pipe p, q, with the lower end of
the pump cylinder a. In the pipe m is a valve r opening upwards
and in the pipe p is a valve s opening upwards.
In the Drawing the pistons a³, 63, are represented at the end of their
down stroke, and it must be understood that water is pressing on both
sides of each of the said pistons, and the two columns of water in the
cylinders a, b, made to balance one another. On the piston rod e
making its ascending stroke the piston 63 rising in the cylinder 6 forces
the water above it through the valve k into the pipe d; the piston a
at the same time rising in its cylinder also forces the water above it
through the passage g into the pipe d. As the piston a³ rises it draws
water through the suction pipes and pipes p, q, in the cylinder a below
the said piston. On the piston rod c making its descending stroke the
water below the piston a³ is forced by the said piston through the
valve h into the pipe e; the motion of the piston at the same time
forces the water below it also into the pipe e. By the descent of the
piston bin its cylinder 6 water is drawn through the suction pipe
and pipes m, n, into the cylinder 6 and above the piston 6. As the
piston a descends in its cylinder, or the piston 6' ascends in its cylinder,
a portion of the water which had been forced by the last stroke into one
or other of the pipes dore follows the rising piston into the cylinder,
the water above the piston a³ and below the piston 6' travelling
backwards and forwards into and out of the cylinders a and b during
the working of the pump. A portion only of the water pumped into
the pipes dor e at each stroke is thereby delivered from the said pipe.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention, the improve-
ments in pumps for raising and forcing liquids herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, the
construction and combination of the two pistons c, d, (Figures 1, 2,
and 3) or a, b, (Figures 4 and 5) connected to the same piston rod, the
said pistons and parts connected therewith being arranged and operating

page_text: substantially as described and illustrated, whereby the columns of liquid
raised and forced by the pump balance one another and great economy
thereby secured in working the pump.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Allbut, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JAMES ALLBUT. (L.S.)