198 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Mat, 



The inventor considors that his new meter or Aerometer has the following 

 advantages over the old meter: — That the heat or cold cannot possibly inter- 

 fere with, nor ilisorganize the mechanical arrangements connected with the 

 action, that the wear and tear will be found to be inconsiderable, that the 

 lower part is not liable to decay, it being made of cast iron, and that the in- 

 dex will enable the consumer to ascertain with ease and certainly the quantity 

 of gas tliat has actually passed through the meter, the correct registration of 

 which is insured by the absence of any liquid which in wet meters not only 

 often prevents it, but causes a very considerably loss to the companies sup- 

 plying the gas, equal to one-sixtli the quantity manufactured. 



PAPIER MACHEE. 



John Cope Houdan, of No. 29, Liverpool-street, King's Cross, Middlesex, 

 Civil Engineer, for *' Improvements hi the mode of manufacturing papier ntachet-j 

 and other articles made of vegetable pulp." — Granted Nov. 21, 1843 ; Enrolled 

 May 21, 1844. 



This invention consists in a mode of combining successive layers of wet 

 pulp, by causing the same to be wound round a cylinder until it has acquired 

 a ihickness sulKcient for the purpose it is intended, alter which it is to be cut 

 from ihe cylinder «ith any convenient instrument. Tlie machine first de- 

 scribed consists of a vat or back conlaining a quantity of pulp, which the in- 

 ventor prefers to be made Irom tine coloured rajjs ; on the edge of this back 

 there are two plummer blocks or steps suiiporting a cylinder covered willi 

 wire gauze, which cylinder is partly immersed in the pulp contained in the 

 back; above this cylinder, anil a little to one side thereof, there is another 

 cylinder ot wood or other suitable material supported by two levers, moving 

 upon an axis at their lower ends ; this latter cylinder is brought into close 

 but light contact with the gauze cylinder, by means of cords and weights 

 being attached to the levers. Motion being given to the two cylinders, the 

 pulp will be raised from the "back'' by ilie gauze cylinder, and will be al- 

 lowed to pass between the two cylinders and round the wood cylinder in suc- 

 cessive layers, until it has become of a thickness required for the purpose in- 

 tended, alter which it is cut across, or from end to end of the cylinder, and the 

 substance opened out and pressed slightly so as to flatten it. The material 

 may afterwards be immersed in linseed oil, as the manufacturer may think 

 fit, and pressed in dies suitable for the article intended to be made. The 

 second machine consists of an iron frame supporting a wood cylinder, and 

 also a small roller, which is below the cylinder and so arranged, by means 

 ot levers as to be raised and pressed against the cylinder. Between the cylin- 

 der and roller an endless telt passes, which felt receives the pulp from an 

 ordinary paper machine, and the same passes with the felt between the roller 

 and cylinder, and is wound round the wood cylinder in successive layers 

 whilst in a wet state, and tor the purpose belore described. The inventor 

 claims the mode of combining successive layers of wet pulp together by winding 

 the same round a cylinder and afterwards cutting it oft' with any convenient 

 instrument. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS. 



John Withers, ol Smittiwick, Staffordshire, Manufacturing Manager, for 

 ** An improvement or ijnprovements in the vianifacture of glass," — Granted Nov. 

 16, 1843 ; Enrolled May Ifi, 1844. 



These improvements relate to the cooling or annealing process, and have 

 reference to a patent granted in 1842, to James Timmins Chance, part of whose 

 improvements consisted in the construction of a long gallery, and in the ap- 

 phcation of a carriage running within the gallery upon a railway ; at each 

 end of this gallery was built the flattening and annealing kilns, a communi- 

 cation being formed with the flattening kiln and the gallery by an opening 

 sufficiently large to allow the workmen to remove the plates of glass from 

 the flattening stones, and place them upon an open carriage which were after- 

 wards removed from the flatting kiln through the long gallery to the anneal- 

 ing kiln. Now the object ot Mr. Wither's invention is to dispense with the 

 long gallery or arch, which he does by constructing carriages of sheet iron 

 or other suitable material, closed on all sides with the exception of one, which 

 is constructed with an air-light door, or at least sufficiently so for practical 

 purposes, the object being to prevent the adniissiun of atmospheric air as 

 much as possible. By ihe application of carriages of this description, the 

 working of the flatting kiln need not be interrupted, tor so soon as one 

 carriage is filled with plates or sheets of glass, it can be removed and another 

 brought in its place, ihe carriages after being filled with plates of glass, the 

 door of the carriage is closed, and ihe same can then be removed to the an- 

 nealing arch (the temperature of which can be regulated at pleasure), without 

 the least risk of being exposed to the action of cold air. 



ROTARY ENGINE AND ROTARY PUMP. 



Matthew Leach, of Manchester, Mechanic, for " Improvements in rotary 



steam engines, which improvements are applicable to pumps for lifting and forcing 

 watec."— Granted November 2, 1843 ; Enrolled May 2, 1844. 



Fig. I. 



Fig. 3. 



The principal novelty in this engine consists in the application of a triangular 

 tappet or cam placed between the sliding pistons, by means of which the 

 outer edge of each of the sliding pistons is simultaneously kept in contact 

 with the surface of the inside of the cylinder. Fig. 1, shows an elevation of 

 this rotary engine, with one side removed ; a, a, is the external case or cylin- 

 der provided with two openings b,b ; c, c, is the inner cylinder placed eccen- 

 tric with the case, and mounted upon an axis which passes through stuffing 

 boxes in the ordinary manner, this cylinder is provided with three sliding 

 pistons d, d, d, one end of each of the sliding pistons resting against the one 

 edge of the triangular cam or tappet e, whilst the other bears against the in- 

 terior surface of the external cylinder or case, and forms a steam-tight junc- 

 tion therewith, which is effected by means of a metallic packing, the peculiar 

 construction of which Will be seen on reference being had to fig. 2, which 

 shows a longitudinal section of one of the pistons. In this figure a, a, and b, 

 ate three pieces of brass, and c, a steel spring, the force of this spring acting 

 against the piece of metal b, which is of a dovetail or wedge-like form, drives 

 the two side pieces a, a, against the interior side of the cylindrical case, and 

 so forms a steam-tight junction, or at least sufficiently so for practical pur- 

 poses ; this view show s a portion of the lower edge of the piston removed as 

 at rf, which is intended to receive the edge of the triangular cam or tappet 

 Fig. 2 By this arrangement it will be seen that the spring*, be- 



sides forcing. out the pieces of metal a, a, and b, against the 

 inside of the cylinder or case, presses the end of the piston 

 against the triangular cam, which pressure is transmitted to 

 the other pistons, so that there is a reaction of pressure 

 which is equallydistributed throughout the three pistons. 



It will be evident that this apparatus may be used either as a rotary engine 

 or a rotary pump, and that the ports b, b, may be used either as induction or 

 eduction ports. Fig. 3, shows another modification of this engine, in which 

 the steam or water entering the engine is divided into two parts or streams, 

 which impinge upon two separate pistons at the same time. Suppose the 

 steam to be passing through the passage in the direction shown by the arrows 

 one portion of such steam would be admitted through the opening a, and 

 would act upon the piston ft, the other portion after passing along the pass- 

 age c, would impinge on the piston d ; that portion of steam which acted on 

 the piston b, escaping through the eduction port shown in dotted lines at e, 

 and that portion which acted on the piston d, would escape through the 

 eduction port/. 



AXLES FOR WHEELS. 

 Wii-LiAM Rowan, of the firm of John Rowan and Sons, Dougli Foundry, 

 Antrim, Engineer, for "certain Improvements in axles,' — Granted November 

 7, 1843; Enrolled May 7, 1844. 



Fig.l. 



Pig. 2. 



The object of this invention is to reduce as much as possible the friction 

 caused by the journal or neck of the shaft, and its bearing, by the introduc- 

 tion of anti-friction rollers, the mode of applying which will be seen by the 



