US533449A - Diaphragivi water-elevator - Google Patents

Description

Nd Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. ERWIN.

DIAPHRAGM WATER ELEVATOR. No. 533,449. Patented Peb.5,1895.

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J. B. ERWIN.

DIAPHRAGM WATER ELEVATOR.

No. 533,449. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

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ATTORNEYS ilNiTED STATES PATENT @rurca...

JAMES B. ERlVIN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DIAPHRAGM WATER-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 533349, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed June 16, 1894. Serial No. 514,725 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. ERWIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and-State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Diaphragm Water-Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in diaphragm water elevators.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a device for increasing the pressure of water fromcity water mains, Artesian wells, or other source, which is under too low a pressure for the elevation required, whereby at an expense of a part of the water which is used for power, an equal quantity may be raised to twice the height that it would otherwise flow; second, to provide an auxiliary attachment through which, by the use of an additional quantity of water as power in excess of one half, a less quantity of water may beraised to a proportionately greater height; third, to provide a device for automatically raising water from a cistern, or other source not under pressure, to a higher level, either by hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure, whereby water from a cistern, lake or spring at a distance may be drawn or caused to flow from such supply into said water elevator, and from thence be forced thereby through pipes to the various places of dischargein any story of a building.

My invention pertains more especially to the peculiar construction of the valve mechanism, the form of the central clamping plates of the diaphragms, the auxiliary device for increasing the power of the machine when more than double the normal pressure is required and to such other details as are more fully set forth in the claims.

The construction of my invention is further explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1. represents a front view partly in section. Fig. 2. represents a rear view, showing the power controlling valve mechanism and its connecting ducts in section. Fig. 3. represents an end view of the machine, and Fig. 4. is a detail, showing a top view of the duct communicating between the valve mechanism and the body or lower part of the machine.

Like parts are referred to by the same reference letters throughout the several views. The water elevator proper, as ordinarily constructed and used, is made substantially as shown in Figs. 2. and 3., without the sooalled third or auxiliary end chamber, which is shown attached upon the right in Fig. 1., and the invention will be first described as ordinarily constructed without such end chamber.

The waterelevator as ordinarily constructed, consists of two receivers A and B, which are respectivelysubdivided into two compartments 1) and E, by flexible diaphragms C. The diaphragms C are connected with each other by the diaphragm rod I and clamping plates J J, whereby the pressure of water exerted against one diaphragm is communicated through said diaphragm rod to the other.

The water or other power medium is admitted to the power controlling valve mechanism .1 through the inlet duct K, by the action of which valve mechanism it is caused to pass alternately toward the right and left to the power receiving compartments D D. When the valve M is thrown toward the left against the seat N in the position shown in Fig. 2., the power medium entering the chamber 0 through the duct K, is led toward the right through the valve seat P, when it passes down through the passages R and S to the duct T; thence rearward and toward the left through the duct T as shown in Fig. 4 to the duct U; and from thence to the compartment D upon the left in receiver B, whereby'the diaphragms G G and rod I are forced toward the right. As the diaphragm in receiver A is thus forced toward the right, the water in the compartment D, of said receiver, is thereby forced out through the duct V; thence through the passage XV, toward the left; thence up through the passage Y, past the open valve A, and into the double valve seat B, and thenceout through the exhaustport C. The double valve seat B is closed at its opposite end by the valve D. When by the action of the power medium thus admitted, the dia phragms have been carried to theend of their stroke toward the right, the position of the power controlling valves is instantly reversed and they are thrown toward the right, whereby the course of the power medium is also reversed and led to the power compartment upon the right, while the water in the compartment on the left, which has done its work, takes a reverse course and escapes through said exhaust port 0.

Motion is communicated to the power controlling valves M A and D from the reciprocating diaphragm rod I, through the vertical reciprocating bar H, spiral springs I I, reciprocating bar J, stops K, bracket G and valve rods E and F. The valves M, A and D close with and are held against their seats by the pressure of the power medium. The motion of the bar II is communicated to such valves through the spiral springs I I and stops K K. As the pressure of the bar II is brought to bear against said springs I I, they are partially compressed before their tension is sufficient to overcome the resistance of the water against the valves, but as soon as the tension of such springs 18 in excess of the pressure against the valves,

'they will be forced from their seats, when by the recoil of the springs, the valves will be simultaneously reversed with a quick positive movement, whereby the movement of the operating mechanism is reversed. Thus, by the reciprocal action of the diaphragms and the power controlling valve mechanism, a continuous action of the machine is maintained.

To prevent the valves from being reversed too quickly when under a less than usual pressure, and to provide for maintaining a uniform length of stroke of the diaphragms under varying pressures of water, two yielding spring supported stops L L are provided, which stops are held against the beveled ends of the rod J by the supporting springs MM.

Th'eresistance of the stops L to the movement of the rod J, is dependent upon the tension of the stop supporting springs M and the tension of the springs is increased by contact of the tension screws 0 O. The screws 0 O are supported above the springs in screw-threaded bearings formed therefor in the brackets P P. Thus, by turning down said tension screws against said springs M the resistance of said stops to the action of the reciprocating rod J is increased, and the stroke of the diaphragms will be thereby lengthened, While by a reverse movement of said tension screws, the resistance of said stops will be diminished and the stroke of the diaphragms and the connecting rod will be shortened.

The bracket G is rigidly connected at one end to one end of the reciprocating rod .I, and its respective arms I) at its opposite end, are connected with the respective valve rods E F between the lock nuts A A B B. A

space is left between said lock nuts A B, to provide fora certain amount of lost motion of the valves independent of said bracket, which lost motion permits said Valves to close with the pressure and to take up such wear as may occur between the valves and their seats.

To provide for supporting as large an area of the flexible diaphragms as possible with the clamping plates, without diminishing the freedom of their movement by contact with such plates, I have limited the contact surfaces of said clamping plates to but a small area at their centers, while at the same time the bearing and supporting surfaces of said clamping plates are extended outwardly in close proximity to said diaphragms to near their peripheries, whereby, it is obvious that, owing to the large area'of the diaphragms extending outside of the contact surfaces of the clamping plates, they will be free to'bend and move as may be required without strain upon them; while, owing to the large area of the clamping plates extending outwardly beyond their contact surfaces upon the respective sides of the diaphragms, the pressure brought to bear against said diaphragms, will be resisted and sustained by said clamping plates, thus relieving said diaphragms of the greater part of the strain that would otherwise be brought to bear upon them, whereby the liability of their being broken by a high pressure of the power medium, is avoided. I do not, however, in this present application, present a claim for this peculiar form of construction of the clamping-plates, or for their combination and arrangement with the diaphragms and connecting-rod, but I do hereby reserve my right thereto as the subject matter of a subsequent application for a paten When more than twice the normal pressure of the city water is required to raise it to the required height, an additional auxiliary receiver 0 is provided, by means of which, when it is of the same diameteras the others, the pressure is increased one third. The re ceiver C is subdivided into two compartments D E by a flexible diaphragm F, and each of said compartments communicates with the respective power compartment D D of the chambers A and B, through the hollow diaphragm rod I, in the manner following. When the power medium is in the compartment D upon the left in receiver B, it flows through the passages G and H into the compartment D, where it exerts a pressure upon the left side of the diaphragm F, which diaphragm is connected to the diaphragm rod I through the clamping plates cl d, whereby the pressure exerted in compartment D cooperates to force the water from the compartment E of the receiver B. \Vhen by a reverse movement of the valve, the power me dinm is led to the compartment D of the chamber A, the water from such compartment is led to the compartment E of the receiver 0, through the central duct 1, when the water thus admitted into said compartment E, co-operates as described, through the diaphragm and diaphragm rod with the water in compartment D in the receiver A.

Thus with each reciprocating movement of the valves, the water or other power medium is alternately thrown upon the respective sides of the diaphragm F in said receiver 0, and as it enters one of said compartments in the receiver 0, it exhausts from the other through the same duct by which it entered.

The chamber 0 is supported from the chamber A, byaright and left screw-threaded coupling sleeve J, or other equivalent mechanism. I

ater enters the two central compartments E E alternately from the city water mains or other supply, through the three-way duct K, and check valves M M", and it escapes from such compartments through the threeway duct L and check valves N N". To facilitate the construction of the machine, the check valves M M and N N, instead of being located in the body of the receiving compartments, are preferably located in the respective ends of the three-way ducts K" and L. Thus said ducts K" and L serve the two-fold purpose of conducting the water to and from the respective receivers A and B, and as chambers or supports for the check valves.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a diaphragm water elevator, substantially as described, a valve mechanism consisting in the combination of the opposing valve seats N and P; double faced valve M adapted to alternately close the respective valve seats N and P; valves A and D both screwed to the single stern F and adapted to alternately close the respective ends of the double faced valve seat B; valve seat B; valve stems E and F; valve actuating bracket G communicating between and adapted to simultaneously operate all of said valves, and means for communicating a quick positive movement to said bracket and valves at the end of each reciprocating movement of the diaphragms, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A device for converting the continuous slow reciprocating movement of an actuating rod into a quick, positive, intermittent movement at each end of the reciprocating movement of such rod, and transmitting such intermittent movement to the valve mechanism, consisting in the combination of the spring actuated rod J, rod supported springs I 1, spring supported stops L, stop supporting springs M M, said stops L being adapted to resist and retard the movement of said rod J against the recoil of said actuating springs I 1, until the tension of said springs is in excess of the resistance of said stops, said actuating springs I I having stationary bearings at one of their ends on said reciprocating rod, and moving freely thereon at their other ends; an actuating arm interposed between the free ends of said actuating springs and adapted to be alternately moved toward the right and left against said springs, and means substantially as described for communicating motion from said reciprocating rod J to the power controlling valves, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a device substantially as described, for converting a continuous reciprocating movement of an actuating rod into a quick intermittent motion at each end of said reciprocating movement, the combination of the spring actuated rod J, stop supporting springsl stops L, screw supporting bracket P, and tension screw 0, said screw being adjustably supported by said brackets in contact with said tension springs and adapted by such adjustment to regulate the resistance of the stops,-and stop supporting springs to conform to the action of the spring actuated rod, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a water elevator, substantially as described, the device for additionally increasing the power of the machine, consisting in the combination with the receivers A and B and the diaphragms and clamping plates therein of an auxiliary receiver 0 a hollow diaphragm rod I communicating between said receivers A, B, and 0, said receiver 0" being supported from said receiver A; diaphragm F subdividingsaid receiver 0 into two compartments D and E; tubular duct 1 centrally located in one end of said hollow diaphragm rod and communicating from the power receiving compartment of said receiver A to the compartment E, said hollow diaphragm rod being provided with an aperture H communicating with the other power receiving compartment of the receiver 13, through said hollow diaphragm rod, whereby, as the water is alternately led to and from the power compartments of the receivers A and B, it will be simultaneously conducted through said hollow piston rod and said tubular passage to and from the respective compartments D and E, all substantially as and for the purpose specified. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. ERWIN.

Witnesses:

W. E. S ronv, CLARA L. RoEsoH.

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