US637144A - Hydraulic air-compressor. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. |4, 1899.

no. 637,|44. L. E. MITCHELL.

HYDRAULIC AIR COMPRESSOR. (Application filed Har. 80, 1899.) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE EDWARD MITOHELL'OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HYDRAULIC AIR-COMPRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,144, dated November 14, 1899. Application filed March 30, 1899. Serial No. 711,117. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE EDWARD MITCHELL, of Boston,in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Hydraulic Air-Compressor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for compressing air by the use of water and comprises novel features, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figures 1 and 2 are sectional elevations of my device, -showing the parts in different positions, and Fig. 3 is a plan View of my device with the I'ioat and tank removed and with the central pipe and its surrounding sleeve in section.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which shall be operated by a iiow of water to compress air and which shall also be simple in construction and not likely to get out of order and refuse to work. The mechanism of the device is included within a tank A, which acts as the cylinder within which the air is compressed. This cylinder is provided with a base C, to which the body of the tank is secured by means of iianges and bolts or by any other suitable means. This base is preferably provided with legs C3, which will raise it a short-distance above the ioor and provide room for the passage of the water-pipes. f The tank is also provided with a dome A of such size as to receive the float D3 and connected at its top with a pipe B, which contains a check-valve B to prevent backflow of the air and to which pipe the airdelivery pipe is to be attached.

The base C is provided with a central aperture, and a tube D extends upwardly into the dome, through which tube the air is introduced to the tank. The upper end of said tube is coned or otherwise formed to constitute a valve-seat. Surrounding the upper end of the tube is a sleeve E, which is provided with side openings e for the passage of air and has its upper end covered by a cap E', between which cap and the end of the tube is held a washer e', of rubber or similar material, which will form a valve. When the sleeve is down in the positiony shown in Fig. 1, the opening at the upper end of the tube is closed, while when the sleeve is raised to the position shown in Fig. 2 air is free to enter the tank.

Surrounding the tube D is a second sleeve D', which at its lower end supports a pan D2. This sleeve is also provided with two collars ol and d', located one near the middle of the tube and the other at its upper end. Between these two collars is placed the oat D3, which is held in place by the collars, but is free to slide upon the sleeve within the limits of the collars.

Placed eccentrically of the center of the base are two openings, through which the water enters the tank and escapes therefrom. The water enters through a passage C2, which is preferably formed within a boss extending downward from the base C, and escapes through a passage C', formed similarly in a downward extension of the base. The opening C4, which communicates with the passage C', opens directly into the tank and is the outflow or discharge opening.

The passage C2 communicates with a pipe H', which extends upwardly within the tank and is connected at its upper end with ahorizontal passage or pipe H. Within the pipe H, at its upper end, is placed a check-valve h, which prevents backiow of water.v Supported on the outer end of the horizontal pipe H is a pipe F, within which is placed a valve controlling the admission of Water to the tank. This valve consists of the two disks G2 and G3, which closely fit the pipe and are slightly separated from each other, both being mounted upon a valve stem or rod G. This rod projects from both ends of the pipe F and is supported in suitable bearings at each end thereof. The lower end of the pipe F is at some distance above the bottom of the tank and has free communication with lthe interior of of rubber or similar packing material, which assures a tight joint where the water is admitted and forms a seat for the valve G.

The pipe IVI is provided with an upward extension, which, as herein shown, consists of a plug H3, screwed into the upper end of the pipe. This extension has a horizontal arm H3, within the end of which is formed a bearing receiving one end of a rock-shaft J. The other end of this rock-shaft is supported in the upper end of a standard I. Mounted upon this rock-shaft is a sleeve K, from which projects an arm K3, upon the outer end of which is a counterweight K. This sleeve K also has two arms L, projecting oppositely, one at each side of the sleeve D'. These arms are connected by means of links L with the collar d upon the sleeve D.

The shaft .I has secured thereto two collars O3, each of which is provided with an arm havinga lateral extension engaging one of the arms L. The arm O, which extends from one of the collars, passes beneath thearm L, while the arm O passes above the arm L. These two arms O and O occupy different angular positions, so that they will not be engaged by the arms L except at the ends of their swing. Secured to one end of the rockshaft .I is an arm J3, which is connected with the upper end of the valve-rod G, so that when the shaft J is rocked the valve consistingr of the disks G2 G3 will be raised or lowered.

The operation of my device is as follows: The valve G2 G3 is supposed to be in its lowermost position, as shown in Fig. l. The device is connected, through the passage C2, with a suitable source of water-supply. The water flowing through this passage passes the check-valve 7L and the valve G2 G3, flowing upwardly through the pipe F and out into the tank. In this position of the valve G2 G3 the discharge-valve G/ is closed. The tank will thus lill with water, which will rise above the pan D2, filling the same. As the water rises and nears the upper end of the tank it of course compresses the air with which the tank is filled and forces it by the check-valve B' as soon as the pressure becomes greater than that on the other side of the check-valve. As the water rises the i'loat D3 is raised, engaging the collar d' and carrying the sleeve D with it until it engages and raises the valvesleeve E. This lifts the valve e' and permits the air-pressure to blow off, thus relieving the water-discharge valve G of some of its pressure, so that the counterweight K is enabled to lift this valve and at the same time close the water-inlet valve G2 G3, thus cutting off the inilo Yvof water and opening the dischargevalve. In order to balance the disk G3 aud cause it to move without having to overcome the pressure of the water, the second disk G3 has been provided. By this means the pressure of the water acts in both directions equally and does not cause any resistance to the motion of the valve. As the water is discharged through the opening C4 the float D3 will drop until it rests upon the collar d. The

weight of this float is, however, not suiiicient to overcome the counterweight K when in its lowermost position. As the water continues to fall it finally uncovers the pan D3, which is filled with water and is water-tight, so that the water cannot escape. This brings into effect an added weight, which is finally su'- cient to overcome the resistance of the counterweight and to cause the sleeve D to drop. IVhen thisv is done, the counterweight is thrown upward and the valve-rod, with its attached valves, downward, thus closing the discharge-opening and opening the inflowopening.

The device is thus entirely automatic in its action and will continue as long as the water is supplied.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A hydraulic air-compressor, comprising a tank having an air-discharge valve, an airinlet pipe extending upward within the tank and terminating in a valve-seat, a valve adapted to rest upon said seat and guided in vertical movement by said pipe, a sleeve surrounding said pipe and carrying at its upper end a float and at its lower end a water-pan, water inlet and discharge valves for the tank, connections for securing opposite action of said val ves, a rock-shaft having a counterbalanceweight, and connections from the rock-shaft to the water-controlling valves and the sleeve surrounding the air-inlet pipe, substantially as described.

2. A hydraulic air-compressor, comprising a tank having air discharge and inlet valves and a water-discharge opening in its bottom, a cylinder within the tank in line with said water-discharge opening and connected with a water-supply, a rod extending through said cylinder, and having a water-inlet valve and a water-exit valve thereon, a float connected with the air-inlet valve to control it, and a counterbalanced rock-shaft connected with the rod carrying the water-controlling valves and the air-inlet valve, substantially as described.

3. A hydraulic air-compressor, comprising a tank having air inlet and discharge valves and water inlet and discharge valves, a rod connected with both water inlet and outlet valves to operate them, a rock-shaft having an arm connected with said rod, a sleeve journaled upon the rockshaft and having a counterweight and lever-arms connected therewith, bent arms carried .by the sleeve and eX- tending on opposite sides of the arm upon the rock-shaft, said bent arms being separated so as to engage the rock-shaft arms at the eX- tremities of their swing, and a float connected with the lever-arms and adapted to overcome the coun terweigh t, su bstantially as described.

LEE EDWARD MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

JAMES MCQUILLAN, R. H. BRADFORD.

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