Orifice-in-series control for automatic float-operated gates

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS TO CONTROL THE OPERATIVE POSITION OF A RADIAL TYPE FLOOD GATE MEANS IN A SPILLWAY FROM A RESERVOIR, SAID GATE MEANS INCLUDING A GATE BEING HELD BY ITS OWN WEIGHT IN CLOSED POSITION TO RESTRAIN THE FLOW OF WATER FROM THE RESERVOIR INTO THE SPILLWAY, A CONTROL APPARATUS OPERATIVE TO POSITION THE GATE INCLUDING COUNTERWEIGHT ELEMENTS ATTACHED TO THE GATE OVER A PULLEY SUSPENSION WHEREBY THE WEIGHT OF THE ELEMENTS EFFECT A FORCE TENDING TO OPEN THE GATE, FLOAT ELEMENTS ATTACHED TO THE COUNTERWEIGHT ELEMENTS OVER A PULLEY SUSPENSION, THE EFFECTIVE WEIGHT OF THE FLOAT ELEMENTS BEING OPERABLE TO COUNTERBALANCE THE WEIGHT OF THE COUNTERWEIGHT ELEMENTS AND DIMINISH THE EFFECT OF SAID FORCE, WHEREBY THE GATE IS NOT MOVED, COMPARTMENTED STRUCTURES ALIGNED IN PARALLEL AND HAVING MEANS TO SUPPORT THE GATE FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT, TWO OF THE STRUCTURES HAVING AT LEAST THREE COMPARTMENTS. IN EACH OF SAID TWO COMPARTMENTED STRUCTURES A FIRST COMPARTMENT HOUSING ONE OF THE COUNTERWEIGHT ELEMENTS SUSPENDED THEREIN, A SECOND COMPARTMENT HOUSING ONE OF THE FLOAT ELEMENTS SUSPENDED THEREIN, AND A THIRD COMPARTMENT HAVING PARTITION MEANS FORMINGG AN UPPER AND A LOWER PORTION WHICH THROUGH A PASSAGE OPENING AT ITS BOTTOM COMMUNICATES WITH THE SECOND COMPARTMENT, A HOLLOW WEIR ELEMENT SUPPORTED THROUGH THE PARTITION MEANS AND HAVING OPENINGS INTO BOTH PORTIONS OF THE THIRD COMPARTMENT WHEREIN SAID OPENINGS COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH A HOLLOW PART OF SAID WEIR ELEMENT, AN INLET PIPE HAVING AN OPENING AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID UPPER PORTION AND CONNECTING SAID RESERVOIR WITH SAID UPPER PORTION, AN OUTLET PIPE HAVING AN OPENING WHICH IS SMALL RELATIVE TO SAID INLET PIPE OPENING, BEING CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SECOND COMPARTMENT TO PROVIDE A DRAIN THEREFOR, THE CONTROL APPARATUS BEING OPERATIVE TO GRADUALLY OPEN THE GATE WHEN AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN A FLOOD IN THE RESERVOIR WATER ENTERS INTO EACH OF THE TWO COMPARTMENTED STRUCTURES AND PASSES THERETHROUGH IN THE INLET PIPE, THE WEIR ELEMENT AND ITS OPENINGS, THE SAID PASSAGE, AND INTO THE SECOND COMPARTMENT TO BUOY UP THE SAID ONE FLOAT ELEMENT, AND DIMINISH THE COUNTERBALANCING EFECT THEREOF UPON THE SAID ONE COUNTERWEIGHT ELEMENT, WHEREBY THE WEIGHT OF THE LATTER IS EFFECTIVE TO OPEN THE GATE BY OVERCOMING THE WEIGHT OF THE GATE AND THE FRICTION RESTRAINING THE MOVEMENT THEREOF.