US416613A - Canal - Google Patents

Description

'0e sshts 1;. (MM d 1') C. HOFFMANN. ees ee l CANAL.

Patented Deo. 3, 1'889.l

N. PETERS, Phalumagmpber, wnnhingmn, D c.

3 SheetsfSheet 2.4

(No Model.)

C. HOFFMANN.

CANAL.

Patented Dems, 1889.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet a.

(3.'1-10PFMANN. GANAL.

, No. 116;613. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL HOFFMANN, or MAGDEBURG, rRUssiA, GERivIANn'AssIeNoRfTo GRUsoNwERK, or SAME PLACE.

CANAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. i416,613, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed August 19, 1889. Serial No. 321,291. (No model.) Patented in Germany February 1, 1888, No. 44,915; in

Belgium September 19, 1888, No. 83,321, and in Austria-Hungary December 20, 1888, No. 31,814 and No. 54,356.

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CARL HOFFMANN, a subject of the King of Bavaria, residing at Magdeburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canals, (for whichI have obtained Letters Patent in Germany, No. 44,915, dated February 1, 1888; in Belgium, No. 83,321, dated September 19, 1888, andin Austria-Hungary, No. 31,814 and No. 54,356, dated December 20, 1888,) of which the following is a-full, clear, and exact specication.

' This invention is designed for lifting vessels in canals from one level to another Where the difference in level is so great that the `object cannot be accomplished by means of the ordinary lock or sluice at all, or only by using a great quantity of water. The object has heretofore been obtained by means of two troughs tilled with water and designed for the reception of the ship lor vessel, and which, by means of two pistons moving in hydraulic cylinders, were caused to communicate with each other, or else by means of one trough which rested upon a oat situated in a powerful cylinder and adapted to move up and down therein accordingly as the weight of the trough was increased or diminished by the increase or diminution of the water in the trough, the movement being regulated by Vmeans ofa pipe, provided with a cock, connecting the two ends of the cylinder together and affording an exit for the quantity of water displaced. It is well known that such an arrangement has many disadvantages, the most prominent ot which, probably,

is the necessity for an exceedingly large cylinder, even for the elevation ot' vessels of ordinary size, which renders a tight packing or joint in the cylinder almost impossible.

My invention has for its object to obviate these difficulties; and it consists in features of novelty which will first be described in connection, with the accompanying drawings, and then more particularly pointed out in t-he claims.`

In said drawings, Figure I is a general vertical sectional view of the apparatus and associated parts, taken on the line 1 1, Fig. II. Fig.

terminate, as usual, at the pit 3.

II is atransverse section taken on the line 11 nection with the lower level of the canal. Fig. III-is a similar view showing the trough and boat elevated to the higher' level. Fig. IV is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus, and Fig. V is a perspective View of the hydraulic cylinders and'system of pipes the upper and lower terminals of the canal,4

and it is provided at each end, in the usual manner, with any suitable sluice-gate. At both sides of the trough are arranged anumber of suitable vertical guideways 10, which serve to steady the trough when'inits upper position and contine its movement strictly to the vertical, and which are themselves suit-- ably braced and supported by the trestle-work,

11 of the structure. The pit 3 is of course lled with water, and the iioats 4 5 are of such size that their buoyancy will be as nearly as possible equal to or slightly less than the` weight of the trough 9 and its contents, so that it will be seen it will require but very little extra force in either direction to causethe trough to rise or fall. This force may be brought about in any suitable manner-for instance, by hydraulic pressure, or by the increase or diminution of the water inthe trough. In the event the latter course is pur sued, the position of the trough relative to the upper level of the canal is such that after the sluice-gates are opened a sufficient quancome the buoyancy of the iioats 4 5, whereby the boat will be-lowered `to the level `2, and when it is desired to elevate the boat` the trough, if then full, is emptied ot' a portion of -tit-y of water flows into the trough to over- 50 1l, Fig. I, showing the trough and boat in conits water through its end gate or any suitable discharge-port, whereupon the floats 4 5 will buoy it up to the higher level. g

The construction thus far described is only that which is generally known and adopted, the object of my invention being to provide improved means for locking the trough in its upper or lower position and to imparta positive movement thereto regardless of the weight of its contents.

In providing a structure of the kind described with my improvements, I arrange atY remembered that the buoyancy of the floatsA and the weight of the trough are nearly equal, it will be readily seen that a slight pressure of Wat'er in the cylinders to one side of the pistons will impart a positive movement to th'e floats, and also that the confinement of water in the cylinders to one side of the pistons after they have reached the ends of the cylinders will prevent their movement in the opposite direction, and consequently lock the trough in position. These results are accomplished by means of the apparatus which is more clearly shown at Fig. V, from which it will be seen that the upper -,ends of all the cylinders are connected together by means of two pipes 16 17, the one 16 extending downward and underthe bed of the upper level of the canal, as shown in Fig. I, so as to connect with the cylinder on the opposite side, While the one 17 extends under the bed of the lower level 2 for the same purpose, and the two pipes are connected with each other by means of a lU-coupling 23, while the lower ends of the cylinders are connected together by means of two pipes 18 19, one of which extends through the wall of the pit while the other goes under the level 2 of the canal, and which connect, respectively, with two upright l pipes 2O 21, the two latter being crowned by a U-coupling 22. Each of these U-couplings 22 23 has an upwardly-projecting neck 24, which necks are connected together by means of a pipe 25, extending across the canal under the bridge 26, upon which latter is supported a tank or reservoir 27, connected to the pipe 25 by means of a pipe 28. Thus ycommunication between the upper as well as size to contain such quantity ofvfater. In order, however, that the cylinders may not give up their water before the proper moment arrives, and thus permit the premature rise or fall of the trough, I provide the necks .24 with cocks 29 30, whereby communication with the tank 27 maybe shutoff aud the discharge from the desired ends of the cylinders thus prevented, the cock 29 being for the regulation of the tlow from the upper while the one 30 regulates the flow from the lower ends of the cylinders.

In the operation of the apparatus it is found that the weight contained in the trough is not always uniform throughout its ent-ire extent, which non-uniformity has a tendency to cause the trough to rise or settle unevenly. To obviate this ditliculty, I provide each leg of the U-coupling. 23 with a cock 3l, whereby when the trough is rising the discharge from the upper ends of the cylinders may be decreased by the turning' of one of these cocks accordingly as the weight is on the right or let't hand of the trough, the legs of the U-coupling 22 being of course provided with similar cocks 32, for similarly regulating the flow from the lower ends of the cylinders. The lower ends of the legs of the U-coupling 23 are connected together by means of. a crosspipe 33, which has connected to it a downwardly-extending pipe 34, that leads ott to any suitable pu mp 34 or other source of hydraulic pressure for imparting the requisite pressure to the pistons. The pipes 20 21 are also connected together below the cocks 32 by means of a cross-pipe 35, from which extends a pipe 36, which runs upward and extends across to the other side,preferably under the bridge 26 and tank 27, and connects with the pressurepipe 34 just below the regulating-cock 37 in the'latter, whereby the lower ends of the cylinders also may be supplied with pressure by opening the cock 38 in the pipe 36.

The operation of the apparatus may be brieiy stated, as follows: The lock keeper or operator stands upon the platform 39 or 40, within convenient reach of the stop-cocks in and about the U -coupling 22 or 23. The boat enters the trough 9 from the level 2, for instance, and the cock 29 being closed to prevent the premature rise ot' the trough the op- TOO IIO

erator opens this said cock, which permits the water to be forced out of the upper ends of the cylinders into the tank 27, and Water already in said tank to be at the same time drawn into the lower ends of the cylinders by the upward movement of the piston 13, caused by the buoyancy of the iioats 4 5, sufcient water of course having been let out of the trough 9 to make the weight of the latter less than the upward pressure of the floats. When the trough reaches the upper level, the cock 30 is closed, to prevent the exhaust from the lower ends of the cylinders and the consequent downward movement of the trough when the sluicegates are opened, and the boat is towed from the trough into the upper level 1. As soon as the sluicegates are opened waterfills the trough to its utmost capacity, whereupon itsy weight becomes greater than the floats can bear, and therefore as soon as the cock 30 is opened to permit the exhaust from the lower ends of the cylinders the trough and its contents again descend to the lower level, the cock 29 closes, and the quantity of water in the trough diminishes.` If desired, however, the device may be operated Vwithout the decrease and increase of the quantity of water in the trough by simply opening the cocks 37 38, accordingly as the boat is to go up. or down, to'let in pressure from the pump or other source of pressure. lVhen this isdone, however, it is of course necessary to close either the cock 29 or 80, according to the end of the cylinder to be filled. The cocks 3l 32 are then given the additional f unctionof regulating the pressure admitted to the cylinders, thus enabling a uniform rise of both ends of the trough, as Well as regulating the exhaust, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent: A

l.` The combination, with'the floats, hydraulic cylinders, and pistons'in said cylinders connected to said floats, of pipes connecting the ends of said cylinders together at'one side and pipes connecting thetends of said cylinders together at the other side of said draulic cylinders, and pistons in said cylinv ders connected to said floats, of a tank, pipes connecting the upper and lower ends of said cylinders with said tank, and cocks arranged `in said pipes between the cylinders and between the cylinders and tank, whereby the flow to or from said cylinders may be regnlated according to the pressure required in the cylinders at either end of the floats, substantially as set forth.

et. The combination, with a source ol"` pressure, the floats, the hydraulic cylinders, and pistons in said cylinders connected to `said floats, of a tank, pipes connecting the upper and lower ends of said cylinders with said tank and a pipe connecting said source of pressure with the aforesaid pipes, and

cocks guarding a'll of said pipes, substantially as set forth.

4 C. HOFFMANN. lvitnesses: t

JULIUs VON SCHTZ, -EMIL KALLNECKER.

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