Tire Pump Made of Gas Piping
A tire pump actuated by the explosions in the cylinder of an automobile engine, and made of materials easily obtainable, is shown in detail in the illustration. A section of iron pipe of a diameter to fit one of the ports, and about 4 in. long, as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a reducer, a tee, and two caps. The inside of the pipe is turned up true in a lathe and fitted with a piston, the head for which is shown in Fig. 1. The head is built up of a wooden drum, washers, and leather packing disks. The washers should be slightly smaller in diameter than the chamber, and the leather disks make it air-tight.
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Automobile Tires may be Inflated Quickly by the Use of This Homemade Pump
The tee is provided with two valves, as shown in the detail sectional view, Fig. 3, the upper ball valve retaining the pressure in the pipe line, and the other valve admitting air above the piston. The ball valve has a seat of lead, and a ribbed fitting is fixed to the pipe cap above it, to provide a fastening for the hose. The cap of the other valve is fitted with a spring, adjustable on a threaded pin.
A light spring fixed to the upper side of the piston, as shown in Fig. 2, forces the piston back to its lower position after the force of the explosion in the cylinder has acted upon it. The cylinder of the pump should be oiled, and a reinforced rubber hose should be used to conduct the air under pressure to the tire.
The operation is simple: The initial stroke of the engine cylinder draws the piston down, bringing in a charge of air from the valve ports at the side of the tee; the following compression and explosion strokes drive it back, forcing the air out of the ball valve, as the other valve closes on the upstroke of the piston. A large tire may be pumped up with this device in from five to ten minutes.