US872082A - Method of working ship-locks. - Google Patents

Description

No. 872,082. *PATENTED NOV. 26. 1907'.

G. PUMBERGER. METHOD OF WORKING SHIP LOOKS.

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PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907.

G. PUMBERGER. METHOD OF WORKING SHIP LOOKS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 30, 1908.

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APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 30, 1906.

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G. PUMBERGBR. METHOD OF WORKING SHIP LOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1906.

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GEORG PUMBERGER, OF EBERSCHWANG, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

METHOD OF WORKING SHIP-LOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Application fil d June 30. 1906. Serial No. 3%,109.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEoRG PUMBERGER, landowner, subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Eberschwang, Austria-Hungary, have invented a new and useful Method of Working Ship-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, 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 to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide for operating canal looks much more guickly and with much less commotion or isturbance in the water than is now possible; a further object is to effect a material saving in the quantity of water which passes through the lock on each operation thereof in order to convey a vessel from the lower to the higher level, or vice versa. 1 In the operation of the ordinary lock,it is necessary on each occasion thereof to lose so much water as re resents the ca acity of the look from the leve of the body of ivaterin the lower canal to that of the body of water in the upper canal. In order to avoid this loss, it has been proposed to provide, adjacent the lock, reservoirs into which the Water of the filled lock, on the successive emptyings thereof, may be, in part at least, disposed. That is to say, a series of superposed chambers or reservoirs being arranged near the lock, and the highest of said reservoirs being lower than the extreme elevation of the water in the look, by providing each of such reservoirs with valves controlling the flow from the look into said reservoir, a saving of the water necessary to operate the lock may be effected in the following manner: The valves of all the reservoirs being closed, that of the uppermost one is opened. The communication being thus established between the uppermost reservoir and the lock, the level in the latter falls to an extent commensurate with the capacity of said reservoir. The valve of the uppermost reservoir is then closed, and that of the next highest opened and commucation thus being now established between the second reservoir and the lock, the level in the latter again drops to an extent commensurate with the capacity of the second reservoir. These operations continue until all of the reservoirs have been filled, eachbeing opened, then filled, and then closed before the next subjacent reservoir is opened. Thus: given a series of superposed reservoirs whose combined capacity is equal to two thirds of the capacity of the lock, and as suming that the extreme elevation of the uppermost reservoir is at least so much lower than the extreme elevation of the water in the lock as is equal to the vertical dimension of each reservoir, two thirds of the contents of the lock may be taken up by and stored in the reservoirs to be used on a subsequent operation of the lock towards filling the latter.

The reason for this is of course the fact that the level of the entire body of water is maintained at all times lower in the next available reservoir than what it is in the lock itself. Of course, there is a waste of the ultimate one third of the water in the lock, which is allowed to flow off in the lower water of the canal on the opening of the lower lock gates.

In view of the foregoing my present invention will be understood on reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a semi diagrammatical view in vertical section of a lock constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar View showing a horizontal section of the improved lock taken in a plane above the conduits c; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail view of the upper portion of the lock; and, Fig. 4 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 3 centrally of thelock proper.

In said drawing A designates the upper canal, B the lower canal, C the lock basin or look proper and D, D the gates of the lock ro er.

Parallel with the lock and above the level of its base is a longitudinal conduit (Z which may communicate with the lock (1 by means of the ports 0. At one side of the lock are arranged the reservoirs 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, S and Q, the same being separated by a vertical conduit c which may communicate with the conduit (Z by the ports (1. The reservoirs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are arranged in staggered disposition; that is to say, reservoirs 2, 4, 6 and 8 are disposed the depth of reservoir 8. As will be explained later, each reservoir is provided with a valve or door whereby it may be entirely closed 0H from the conduit 6.

In practice, if the reservoirs were arranged only in one superposed series, the combined capacity of the reservoirs would be limited owing to the masonry which would be necessary between. them the arrangement above described, whereby the reservoirs are staggered, permits a larger quantity of water to be accumulated in the series of reservoirs for the same vertical dimension of the whole reservoir series. Furthermore, it will be obvious that to fill each reservoir completely before filling the next subjacent reservoir is objectionable, partly because the consequent intermittent exit of the water from the lock would be irregular and thus cause more or less disturbance in the lock and partly because time would be lost. I therefore propose to admit the water to the reservoirs as follows: Reservoir 1 is first opened, and then when the level therein has reached a point corresponding to the lower half of its capacity (it having about two thirds of the capacity of reservoir 1) reservoir 1 is opened; while reservoir 1 is filling to one third o'fits capacity the remaining half of the capacity of reservoir 1 is filled reservoir 1 is then closed and reservoir 2 opened, and while reservoir 2 is filling to one third of its capacity, reservoir 1 is filling to two thirds of its capac ity; reservoir 3 is then opened and while it is filling to one third of its capacity reservoir 2 is filling to two thirds of its capacity and reservoir 1 to its full capacity. This operation is continued downwardly throughout the reservoirs, one after the other, and as each reservoir is filled it is of course at once closed.

By these operations the water in the lock is quickly and gradually taken therefrom and stored in the reservoirs with a considerable saving of time Assuming that while the water is being thus stored in the reservoirs, a vessel is being lowered in the look, by the time the reservoirs are filled, the new level assumed by the vessel will be that of the water remaining in the lock. The gates D are then operated to permit the level in the lock to completely assume the level of the lower canal, whereupon the vessel may pass out of the lock into the lower canal. Of course, should the next vessel passing through the lock pass in the same direction there will be a loss of the full contents of the lock, because the reservoirs are filled at this time to their full capacity.

But should a vessel enter the lock goingin the opposite direction, 6. e., toward the upper canal level, then. the lock does not need to be filled completely from the upper canal, since the water in the reservoirs 1s available for partly filling the lock. Therefore, since in most canals the trafiic is about equally d1- vided between the two directions, the reserve water in the reservoirs means a considerable saving of water for operating the lock.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown in detail the means for operating the several valves for the reservoirs. is is a conduit arranged over each of the reservoirs 1, 1-8, 8 and communicating therewith at the inner end thereof, where a valve Z is provided which, belng in the form of a float, shuts 0H communication between said conduit and the corresponding reservoir when the level of the water rises to the float andfalls, to open the valve, when the level in the reservoir falls. as denotes gates controlling the communication between the reservoirs and the lock C, the same moving in grooves m in the masonry y of which the lock is constructed; n denotes rollers for easing the movement of the gates, the same moving on rails 0 in said grooves. Each gate is formed with a rack p with which meshes a pinion g journaled in the masonry and in turn engaging with another rack 1" moving vertically in guides r and engaging each at its upper end with a gear 8 in mesh with the hand wheel if having a controlling hand gear attached thereto. By working the hand wheel a the gates can be opened and shut.

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

The method of operating ship locks having annexed reservoirs disposed at difiierent elevations which consists in causing the water to flow into the uppermost reservoir from the lock and closing said reservoir when full,

causing the water to flow into the next subjacent reservoir and closing it when full, and

so on, downwardly, throughout the series of reservoirs, each subjacent reservoir being opened upon the partial filling of the reservoir next relatively above it, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of June, 1906.

GEORG PUMBERGER. Witnesses:

RUD ZIPSERP, E. WOLFSTEINMER.

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