US1353285A

US1353285A - of zubich

Info

Publication number: US1353285A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1920-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 1937-09-21

Description

0. son/ ERE REVERSIBLE WEIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1918.

1,853,285. PatenteQSept. 21,1920.

Flal Fig-2- more srarss PATENT-am OTTO SOMMER, or ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, Assienoza To 7 SWITZERLAND.

REVERSIBLE WEIR.

Application filed May 4-.,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1,} OTTO SoMMER, a

citizen of the Republic 'of Switzerland, re-

I clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to storage welrs having a dam of the automatically operated pivoted type, said dam being turned on 1ts pivot to lower the level of the up-stream water or dominant pool by the counterpressure of a head ofwater on the downstream side of the pivoted dam at a point below the pivot line thereof.

The lowering and the righting of the dam is done in a purely automatic manner wlthout the manual operation of any valves, gates or pumps whatever, and is solely controlled by the difierences in hydraulic head due to the changes of the dominant pool or l p-stream water. 7 I r In some present constructions when the pivoted dam is lowered the pressure 1n a pressure chamber on the up-stream side of the dam below its pivot is lowered by pumping or siphoning the water from 1t so that the pressure on the lower part of the pivoted dam becomes less than that onthe upper part. The ceiling or top wall of such a pressure chamber must have a proportion corresponding to the depth of the upstream water to sustain the load, and for large dams this creates difiiculties in construction which are sometimes unsurmountable.

' parts are similarly designated- Figure l is a cross-sectional view of one form of dam embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of thesame, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a section, and

1918. Serial No. 232,494.

,STA'UWERKE' A.-G,, or ZURICH,

Specification of Letters Patent; -Pafgnted Se t 21 4:

Fig. 4 is elevation showing amodification, and l Figs; 5 and 6 are, respectively, a section and elevation of a further modification.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the'damha's an upper wing Z) and a lower wing. f, and 1s pivoted at Z on the down-stream side. The lower wing moves, when the dam crest is loweredas in'the dotted line position,-

in a pressure chamber a that has free communication with the upstream water.

On the down-stream side of the dam is a counter-pressure chamber 0 the pressure in Y which acts in oppositionto" the pressure in pressure chamber a on the lower leaf 7 of g the dam.

' The 7 pressure in the counter-pressure chamber '6 is assisted in turning the crest down by pressure of the up-stream water in the opposite direction on the upper wingv b above the pivotline 1 The chamber ecommunicates by a fiume 71 with the up-streamwater, the entrance to which is controlled by a vertically slid able gate or shutter 2'. When the water in the ClOIIllIlZLIlt .pool rises above the upper edge of the shutteri it overflows into fiume h and chamber 6. Usually theupper edge of the gate 1' is adjusted at a level somewhat above the crest of the dam, to allow a normal flow over the crest. Y

If the up-stream water makes only; a

slight rise over the top offthe shutter i a small amount of water only will enter cham her 6 through flume hand pass off through the trickle slots 9, but at flood stage an abnormal rise will take place, flume h and chamber 0 will be filled with water and the supply of water will be greater than that passing through the trickle slots 9 sure on upper wing .b will turn the dam on its pivots Z and lower its crest-to allow a maximum flow to pass overthe dam. At

the same time the lower' leaf f of the dam moves through chamber a and forms a ceiling or top to this chamber so that the increased inertia of the water nowalso mov ing over the leaf 7 onto the leaf 6 will not produce pressure on the lower leaf 7" that will overcome the pressure in chamber 6.

On the other hand, if for any reason the dam crest is to be lowered when the upstream water is at normal level, then the gate 2' is lowered suliicient to fill flume h and counter-pressure chamber e.'

' WVhen the level of the up-stream water has receded and the quantity of water passing the overflow 70 becomes equal to that passing the trickle slots, the dam remains motionless, and, when the water level of the up-stream Water has reached its normal level again, the dam automatically rights itself.

The pressure chamber a maybe built with a top or ceiling (Z, Fig. :3, provided that com munication of the water in chamber a 'be maintained through suitable openings with the up-stream water. i

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a siphon m connected with the flume h for supplying the counter-pressure chamber 6. This al lows greater latitude between the low water level at the crest of the dam and the level at which thesiphon begins to operate.

For example, when the mouth of the siphon is slightly below the crest of the dam,

the dam will remain down until the siphon is broken by theadmission of air thereto.

he water may be admitted to the siphon over a shutter 11 as-in Figs. 1 and 2. It

will thus be seen that in all the structures shown the pressure in the counter-chamber 6 will counterbalance water pressure on the lower leaf f of the gate and permit the gate to tilt on pivot Z.

Upon a slight variation of level over the crest of the dam, water enters the siphon and overflows therethrough without filling the siphon and causing it to operate as such.

By raising the .gate-t' the level of overflow through the siphon will also be regulated as well as the depth on the dam crest. Such water will be carried oil through the trickle slots 9. The gate i can be raised to such a height that the overflow level over the top of the gate will be above the top of I the siphonand yet the. siphon will not fill.

On the other hand, if the top of the gate be positioned at any point below the top of fthe siphon, then upon a rise of water sufficient to fill the siphon, the siphon will continue to discharge water to the counterpressure chamber should the dam open, un-

When the r til the level of the lip-stream water has diminished suflicient to vent air into the siphon and break it. The dam will then be righted, and any continued flow overthe gated into the siphon will simply be overflow therethrough, wi'thout "filling the siphon, as before. ,II" the gate 2' is raised above the top of thesiphon then the gate 6 acts as a valve to cut oil the supply of water thereto at'the higher level.

I claim: '1. A storage dam comprising a pivoted damming element having a crest portion above the pivot line and a pressure portion below the pivot line, a pressure chamber on the up-stream side of said pressure portion at all times under the pressure of the head on the upstream side of said element, a counter pressure chamber on the downstream side of'said pressure portion and means to automatically supply water, under the head of the upstream Water, to said counter pressure chamber at the high water level of the upstream water at which the dam is intended to operate.

2. A storage dam. comprising a pivoted damming element having a crest portion above the pivot line and a pressure portion below the pivot line, a pressure chamber on the Lip-stream side of said pressure portion at all times under the pressure of the head on the up-stream-side of said element, a counter pressure chamber on the down-stream side of said pressure portion and means to automatically supply water under-the head of the upstream water to said counter pressure chamber at the high water level of the upstream Water at which the dam is intended to operate, and additional means to admit up-stream water to said counter pressure chamber at any level of the up-stream water to operate the dam when desired.

3. A storage weir comprising a pivoted damming element having crest and pressure portionsextending in substantially the same plane, a pressure chamber to receive said pressure portion on the up-stream side of on the upstream side of the damming element communicating with the counter-pressure chamber. I p r In testimony that I claim the foregoing. as my invention, I have signed my name.

i OTTO SOMMER.