US1922512A - Balancing mechanism for automatic fluid control systems - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1933. A. E. WEINGARTNER BALANCING IECHANISI FOR AUTOMATIC FLUID CONTROL SYSTEMS Filed Dec. 27, 1929 VIII Ill [III/II VIII/Ill 7 III/III) IIIII Patented Aug. 15, 1933 PATENT: OFFICE BALANCING MECHANISM FOR, AUTOMATIC FLUID CONTROL SYSTEMS Anthony E. Weingartner, Philadelphia, Pa., as-

signor to American Engineering Company,

Philadelphia, Pa., a Corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 27, 1929 Serial No. 416,881

' 7 Claims. (Cl. lav-1'44) This invention relates to control apparatus for fluid control systems and more particularly to a control apparatus for-fluid control systems such as illustrated in the patent of Maxwell Alpern,

No. 1,745,238, dated January 28, 1930, for automatic fluid control system. ll

- The fluid control system of such application comprises a series of ducts each having arranged therein a throttle which is controlled by a motor having one or more movable vanes. In operation of this system it is necessary that the movements of the various motors be interconnected; that'is to say, as one motor operates to open the associated throttle a second motor must operate reversely so that the quantity of air delivered through the entire system of ducts will be substantially uniform. The application above identified illustrates the mechanical means for accomplishing this end.

An important object of the present invention is to provide hydrostatic means for accomplishing the interconnection which is of such character that it may be very readily installed and will require but little attention in operation embodying the minimum number of bearings and mechanical connections requiring attention on the part of the operator.

These and other objects I attain by. the construction shown in the accompanying drawing wherein, for the purpose of illustration, I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein:

' Fig. 1 is a semi-diagrammatic view illustrating one form of hydrostatic interconnection between the various motors; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views, certain of the fluid control system elements being omitted from the showing.

Referring now more particularly to the drawhaving throttling means 11 arranged therein and a motor for operating such throttling means. These throttling means are more particularly illustrated in the co-pending application above identified and in the diagrammatic illustration here employed include a pair of vanes 12 connected to the throttle elements to operate the same and interconnected with one another as at 13 so that they will have similar but reversed movements.

In accordance with the present invention, I associate with each of the ducts a chamber 14 each adapted to contain a fluid F and each connected as at 15 with a source of such fluid generally designated in the present instance by a ing, the numeral 10 generally designates a duct conduit 16. The valve 17 serves as a means for maintaining the fluid F at a given level in chambers 14. Chambers 14 are interconnected by a conduit 18 having branches 19 extending upwardly through the center of each chamber and having their upper ends open. Inverted over each branch 19 is a bell 20 which, through link and lever connections indicated generally at 21, is connected to one of the vanes 12 of the motor.

It will be obvious that if a given motor opero5 ates and in such operation moves the vanes thereof so that the associated bell 20 is forced downwardly into theliquid the air trapped in the bell will be compressed and the pressure thus generated will be transmitted through conduit 18 and its branches 19 to each of the remaining bells 20. Pressure will thus be brought to bear in each of these bells to elevate the same and to cause the vanes of the associated motor to move toward one another. The vanes 12 are actuated through differences in pressure in the ducts 10 with which they are associated and it will, of course, be obvious that these pressures will serve to maintain the vanes in a given position. If, therefore, the pressure in a given duct is such that these vanes may approach one another the bell of this duct will be most readily affected by the pressure and will have the greatest movement. As a matter of fact, in practical operation each duct,wherein the pressure is such that the vanes have agreater tendency to approach one another than they have in the duct where the vanes are separating, will be affected and the apparatus will maintain a uniform combined effective opening of the ducts at the throttles 11.

In the structure of Fig. 2 instead of employing air pressure produced by the head to effect the change in position of the vanes, the hydrostatic head is entirely relied upon for obtaining this end. The bodies 22 disposed in the liquid chambers 9 14a may be solid bodies of any character and the transmission of the hydrostatic head resulting from raising or lowering of these bodies will increase or decrease the buoyant factor of the remaining bodies so that the vanes thereof are more or less easily moved. Bodies 22 may be solid bodies, or as illustrated in Fig. 3, may be in the form of floats 23. In each of the structures of Figs. 2 and 3, the chambers are, of course, interconnected as at 24 so that there may be no permanent differences between the actual fluid levels of these chambers although the hydrostatic head of all the chambers may vary.

As the constructions illustrated are obviously capable of a considerable range and modification cluding a plurality of ducts and throttling means for each duct of an operating means including a movable element for the throttling means of each.

duct and hydrostatic means operatively interconnecting said movable elements whereby upon 3 a predetermined movement of the movable element or one duct in a given direction a corre sponding movement of the movable element of results.

2. In a control of the character described: a plurality of motors each embodyinga movable vane, a body connectedwith each movable vane, a fluid-containing chamber associated with each static head produced by movement of the body in any of said chambers to the bodies of the remaining chambers.

3. In a control of the type described, a series of motors each including a movable vane, a fluid containing-chamber associated with each motor, a body connected with the vane to be moved thereby and extending into the fluid of the chamber and means interconnecting the chambers whereby the static head in all of said chambers is varied by movement of any of said bodies in its individual chamber. a

4. In control means of the character described, a series of movable elements, liquid-containing means, a series of inverted bells immersed in said liquid and respectively connected with said elements, and a duct interconnecting the interiors of said bells whereby movement of one of said elements may be transmitted tothe others'by pressure of a fluid trapped in said bells. I

5. In control means of the character described, a-series of movable, elements, liquid containing means, a series of inverted bells immersed in said bells whereby movement of one of saideleme'nts maybe transmitted to the others by pressure of a fluid trapped in said bells, and means for regulating the level oithe liquid in, said containing means. 7 7

another duct or ducts in the opposite direction;

including a plurality or ducts and throttling Jj means-{or each duct, of operating means including a. movable element for the throttling means of ,eachduct, a liquid-containing vessel, a series of -;inverted bells immersed in said liquid and respecmovable vane and into which the body extends and an operative interconnection between the; chambers for transmitting variations in hydro 6.,The combination in a fluid control system tively connected with said elements, and a duct interconnectingthe interiors of said bells whereby movement of one or said elements may be transmittedtothe others by pressure of a fluid trapped in said bells.

ANTHONY E. WEINGARTNER. I

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