336 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



QNoVEMBEB, 



rotary hollow-tlireaded stem, the spindle of the disc-valve is moved 

 up or down; — it beiiifj guided by feathers sliding' in the socket. 

 The face of the disc, when raised and brouiiht into contact with 

 the mouth of tlie aperture, closes it, and stops the flow of tlie fluid; 

 Init when it is lowered the way is opened, and the fluid flows 

 til rough the cock freely. 



In the accompanying engraving, the way a, a, for the passage of 

 steam or other fluid, is shown as closed by the disc-valve A, which 

 is brought up into close contact with the lip or edge c, c, of the 

 aperture. The disc h, is fixed upon a spindle rf, having a sci'ew or 

 worm at its upper part, acting in a hollow screw in the lower 

 part of the stem of the handle /; and from the lower part of 

 the spindle rf, wings or feathers g, extend, and slide in vertical 

 ji^rooves in the socket or plug A, which closes the bottom of the 

 cock. The flange or ring i, fixed upon the rotary stem of the 



winch, should be ground very accurately on all its surfaces, in 



order that it may fit 

 tightly in its sock- 

 et; and when it is 

 so covered by the 

 winch-cap /c, it may 

 form a perfectly 

 steam-tight joint. 

 The flange i, may 

 be packed with a 

 collar of India rub- 

 ber, leather, or any 

 fit material, to ren- 

 der it air or water- 

 tight. 



GAS AND WATER METERS. 



William Parkinson, of Cottage-lane, City- road, gas-meter ma- 

 nufacturer, for '■^improvements in gas and water meters." — Granted 

 March 20; Enrolled September 20, 18i9. 



We gave last month an abstract of a paper on this patent meter, 

 read at the British Association; we now have an opportunity of 

 giving additional details from the specification, with tlie engrav- 

 ings, for which we are indebted to the Mechanics' Magazine. 



Figure 1 represents a meter of this descrip- 

 tion attached to the top of a water cistern, and 

 capable of registering a flow of 90 gallons per 

 hour. Fig. 2 is a section of the same, through 

 the centre from front to back. Fig. 3 is a sec- 

 tion through the box L; and fig, 4 a section 

 through the centre of the meter at right angles 

 with fig. 2. The wheel, or drum, W, is inclosed 

 in a case M, as in the gas-meter, but it revolves 

 at bottom in a trough of water T, which is 

 freely suspended from the top of the case M, by 

 a semicircular handle V, and adj usting-screw X. 

 The height of water in the trough determines, 

 of course, the measuring capacity of the com- 

 partments of the drum; but that height maybe 

 varied as may be required, by raising or lower- 

 ing the trough by means of the adjusting-screw 

 X. The water passes from the trough into the 

 case, and thence into the cistern beneath; and 

 it must never be allowed to rise in the case 

 above the edge of the trough. The apparatus 

 for regulating the inflow of the water into the 

 trough is inclosed in a separate box L, similar 

 to the box which contains the inlet valve in the 

 gas-meter. A view of this apparatus, in two 

 different positions, is given separately in figs. 5, 

 6, and 6^, A is a vertical pipe, which is con- 

 nected at top by a pipe, hose, or otherwise with 

 a head of water, and terminates at bottom in a 

 segmental flange M, in which there is a dia- 

 gonal slit or opening n, for each passage of the 

 water. To the outer sides of this pipe A, there 

 is gimballed a valve D, the top surface of the 

 bottom part d, of which is twrned truly to cor- 

 respond with the under face of the flange M. 

 As long as this valve is in the same vertical 

 plane with the pipe A, it completely closes 

 the opening n, but on being drawn to one side, 

 as represented in fig. 6, it passes more or less 

 from under the diagonal opening n, and allows 

 a proportional outflow of water. It will be ob- 

 vious, therefore, that by attaching a float to this 

 gimballed valve, as shown in fig, 3, there will 

 be always just as much water supplied as may 

 be wanted. The instrument is in efl'ect very 

 similar to a ball-cock, only that it is much 

 better adapted for accomplishing the end in 

 view, because it is attended with extremely 

 little friction, and the water, however great the head pressure may 

 be, has no tendency either to open or shut it; the only thing 

 affecting it being the actual rise or fall of the float. To obtain a 

 smooth surface for the float to work in, a shield A", is inserted 

 athwart the box L, in a direction inclined downwards from a point, 

 immediately above the bottom opening n, of the pipe A. But 

 ijistead of the regulating apparatus just described, another may, 



if necessary, be adopted, such as is represented in figs. 7, and 8, 

 which will' answer eciually well. A, is an inlet pipe, as before, 

 which is soldered (sidewise) to, and communicates at bottom with, 

 another pipe 1). E, is a conical valve fitted to the bottom of the 

 pipe D, the spindle of which is connected at top to a small piston 

 of equal area with the valve, by which piston any tendency which 

 the pressure of the water might have to open or shut the valve is 

 completely counteracted or neutralised. N, O, are apertures to 

 admit a free ingress or egress of air from the box L, and case M. 



Fig. 4. 



Fig. X 



Should it be necessary to provide a compensation for any variation 

 in the level of the water in the trough, this may be readily done 

 by suspending the trough from the short end of a rod or lever (to 

 which the adjusting-screw X, might be attached), and attaching 

 the other or long end by a connecting-rod to the spindle of the 

 float in the regulating-box L. 



