US618959A - Air-compressing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

No. 618,959. Patentd Feh. 7', I899.

c; A.. LOWELL -& E. R. BROWN.

AIR COMPRESSING APPARATUS.

(Application filed se n 1897.

(No Model.)

v11w: Noams ravens co mmoumou WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLESSON A. LOWELL AND EDWARD R. BROWN OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-COMPRESSING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,959, dated February '7, 1899.

Application filed September 17,1897. Serial No. 652,031. on model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, OLnssoN A. LOWELL and EDWARD R. BROWN, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massa ohusetts, have invented certain new und useful Improvements in Air-Compressing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

One object of this invention is to obtain automatically an unlimited number of successive charges of compressed air by means of water admitted to a closed receptacle or tank under pressure.

Another object is to control automatically the admission of water under pressure to said receptacle or tank in order to prevent excessive waste of water.

These and other objects are accomplished by mechanism hereinafter described.

Our invention consists of certain novel features hereinafter described, and particular] pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a construction embodying o'n'r invention, Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the device for controlling the admission of Water under pressure to the closed tank.

Like letters of reference refer to like part throughout both views.

The metal tank A, which is preferably cylindrical in shape, is supported by suitable feet A and has a bottom plate A and is provided with a cap or cover B, which provides room for some of the working parts and is of reduced transverse section to avoid too much idle air-space within the tank. At the top of the cap B is the outlet 0 for the compressed air and to which .is secured the cap 0, and'leading from said cap 0 is a suitable pipe O. This air-outlet is preferably controlled by means of a check-valve C above which is located the ball 0 supported by the lugs O on the inner side of the cap 0. The water-inlet pipe D enters through the bottom plate A of the tank and is provided with a suitable water-regulator D. Also connected to said bottom plate A is a water-outlet pipe E of considerably greater diameter'than the water-inlet pipe D. This water-outlet pipe E is controlled by the valve E, attached to a rod F and adapted to be guided in its movements by the guides E and E On the rod F there is mounted the float G, which is adapted to slide vertically on said rod, and its downward movement is limited by the contact of the boss G with the top of the valve E, and its upward movement is limited by the contact of the boss G with the shoulder F of the enlarged portion F of the rod F. The upper portion of the rod F terminates in the curved finger F thus forming a seat for the fioat H in its lowest position. The transverse supporting-piece I extends across the tank A near the top, and by means of a downwardly-depending hanger 1 supports the lever J, which is pivoted to said hanger at K and is also pivotally connected at one end to the upper portion F of the rod F, as shown at K, and is pivotally connected at the other end at K to the rod L, hereinafter described.

Within the cap B is located the pipe H, communicating with the air and leading upward to the top of said cap B. This pipe serves alternately as a temporary dischargepassage for the compressed air and as an in- Y let-pipe for another charge of air and will be designated as the air inlet and exhaust pipe. At its upper end this pipe carries the bracket H and the bifurcated guide-piece H To the bracket H there is pivotally connected at H the rod H which carries the float H, and said rod is guided by the bifurcated guide-piece H The upper end of the pipe H is controlled by the valve H carried by the rod H When the outlet-valve E is closed and the rod F and curved finger F are in their lowest positions, the fioat H is in its lowest position and rests in the curved finger F and the valve H is closed. WVith the parts in their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1, the water, entering through the pipe D, gradually fills the tank A until the float G is raised until the boss G2 strikes the shoulder F; but the buoyancy of the float G is not suflicient to lift the rod F against the internal pressure of the compressed air, the tendency of whioh'is to hold the valve E upon its seat and close the water-outlet pipe E. When, however, the water rises sufficiently in the tank A to partially submerge and raise the float H, the air-pressure is relieved by the opening of the valve H, and the float G is sufliciently buoyant to lift the rod F and open the valve E to allow the discharge of the water from the tank A.

One end of the lever J is bifurcated at J, and within the bifurcations is located one end J of the bell-crank lever J which is journaled at J in the support J secured to the side of the tank A, and the upper end of said bell-crank lever is provided with the weight J the oflice of which is to hold the valve E down upon its seat and the outletpipe E closed until the float H rises, as hereinbefore described, in which case the rod F, being lifted by the float G, will, through the bifurcated end J, throw the weight J 6 to the right beyond its center of support J and thus hold the valves E and 11 open. As the water escapes from the tank A through the outlet-pipe E the float G gradually falls until there is only sufflcient water to submerge about one-third of said float G, in which case the weight of said float bearing on the valve E will force said valve E to its seat and close the outlet-pipe E, and in said movement the rod F, descending,will,through the forked end 1 J of the lever J, move the weight J to the;

left of its center of support J and the finger F and the float H will descend, thereby closing the valve H and preventing further inlet of air which has been passing into the tank during the time that the valve E was open to allow the discharge of water.

The rod L, which is pivotally connected at K to one end of the lever J, extends downwardly within the tank A and is pivotally secured at L to the plunger L and is provided with the stem L which is guided in its movements by the guide L. This plunger L controls the admission of water under pressure into said tank A from the pipe D. The water-controlling device M consists of the upper and lower parts M and M screwed together, as shown, with a suitable packing I. between the parts. The upper part M is. provided with a vertical passage M which terminates in two passages M in the lower part M and opening within the tank A. In the upper part M is a chamber M surrounding the passage M and said chamber M communicates with said passage M by the circular slot M formed in the pipe L and communicating with the chamber M With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1'

this compressed air is let off through the outlet-pipe O and used for any desired purposefor instance, forcing liquids through pipes. As the water rises within the tank A the float G rises, as hereinbefore described. The further rising of the water completely submerges the float H, and when the water has submerged the float to the proper extent the buoyancy of the float H is sufficient to open the valve II against the internal air-pressure, and upon the opening of said valve H the residue of the compressed air escapes through the pipe H, and owing to the reduction of air-pressure a sudden rising of the water occurs. The internal air-pressure being thus relieved, the float G immediately lifts and opens the valve E against the weight J which normally tends to hold said valve E closed. When the float G lifts the rod F and opens the valve E, as described, and throws the weight J 6 to the right of its center of support, the forked end J of the lever J, moving upwardly with the rod F, causes the opposite end K of said lever J to move the rod L downwardly and the plunger L to close the slot M and therebyprevents the passage of water through the pipe D into the tank A.

From the above it will be seen that when the valve E is lifted and the outlet-pipe E open for the passage of water from the tank A no inlet of water to the tank A can take place, owing to the plunger L closing the slot M in the pipe L, so that only the water within the tank escapes by the outlet-pipe E, because no additional water can enter the tank A through the pipe D, owing to the plunger L preventing the entrance of water to the tank. By thus preventing any entrance of additional water to the tank it is obvious that considerable water is saved from waste, and, further, the water is discharged much quicker than if additional water were being poured into the tank through the inlet-pipe, even though the area of the inlet-pipe may be considerably less than the area of the outlet-pipe. When the valve E closes, as described, by reason of the weight of the float G, the rod F in descending moves downwardly the forked end J of the lever J and moves the weight J to the left of its center of support, as shown in Fig. 1, and in the descent of the forkediend J of the lever J the opposite end K of said lever is caused to rise and move upwardly the rod L, and the plunger L which, moving upwardly, opens the slot M and permits the passage of water from the pipe D into the tank A through the passage M chamber M slot M passages M and M and the water, rising in the tank A, compresses the air, which passes off through the pipe 0 and the operation of the apparatus is repeated, as previously described.

The ball 0, which rests on the lugs C, does not interfere with the passage of the air to the pipe 0 as the air passes around said ball and lugs; but the object of said ball is for the purpose of closing the pipe C in the event too of the water, owing to the escape of the air through the pipe H, rising too suddenly by the relief of the pressure and filling the cap B.

In this case the water would lift the ball 0 and close the pipe 0 whereby no water could pass from the apparatus, and upon the descent of the water the ball 0 would fall to its normal position on the lugs 0 Although the float H in its lowest position is shown as resting in the finger F yet it will be understood that it is not necessary for it to rest in said finger, as said float would be supported in its lowest position by reason of the valve I-I, secured to the rod H closing the pipe H, and also by reason of the pivotalconnection H of said rod H By the above apparatus there is economically produced successive charges of compressed air by means of water admitted under pressure toa closed receptacle, and the amount of water used for such purpose is controlled as hereinbefore set forth.

We do not limit ourselves to the arrangement and construction shown, as the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of our invention. 4

Having thus ascertained the nature of our invention and set forth a construction embodying the same, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an air-compressin g apparatus,a closed tank, a water-inlet, a valve controlling said water-inlet,a water-outlet, a valve controlling said water-outlet, an air-inlet, a valve controlling said air-inlet, an air-outlet, a valve controlling said air-outlet, a lever pivoted intermediate of its ends, a rod connecting one end of said lever with said valve controlling the water-inlet, a rod connecting the other end of said lever with said valve controlling the water-outlet, a float adapted to slide on said rod connected with the valve controlling the water-outlet,and a mechanism connected with an end of said lever to normally hold said end in either an elevated or a depressed position.

2. In an air-compressin g apparatus,a closed trolling said air-inlet, an air-outlet, a valve 7 controlling said air-outlet, a lever pivoted inv termediate of its ends and having one of its ends bifurcated, a rod connecting one end of said lever with said valve controlling the water-inlet, a rod connecting the other end of said lever with said valve controlling the water-outlet, a float adapted to slide on said rod connected with the valve controlling the water-outlet, and a bell-crank pivoted at its angle and having one of its legs projecting upwardly from the pivotal point and having the other leg engaging with the bifurcation in said lever, and a weight carried by said upwardlyprojecting leg of the bell-crank.

3. In an air-compressing apparatus,a closed tank, a water-inlet, a valve controlling said water-inlet,a water-outlet, avalve controlling said water-outlet, an air-inlet, a valve con trolling said air-inlet, an air-outlet, a valve controlling said air-outlet, a lever pivoted in* termediate of its ends, a rod connecting one end of said lever with said valve controlling the water-inlet, a rod connecting the other end of said lever with said valve controlling the water-outlet, a float adapted to slide on said rod connected with the valve controlling the water-outlet, a rest carried by said rod on which the float is mounted, a pivoted lever connected with said valve controlling the airinlet, a float carried by said lever connected with the air-inlet and adapted to register with said rest, and means for normally holding an end of said lever in either an elevated or a ,depressed position.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 11th day of September, A. D. 1897.

CLESSON A. LOWELL. EDWARD R. BROWN,

Witnesses:

A. L. MESSER, E. L. HARLOW.

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