US1280573A - Dam and tunnel. - Google Patents

Description

3 SHEETS SHEET 1.

Patented Oct. 1, l9l8.

W. H. STANDISH. DAM AND TUNNEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. 1911.

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W. H. STANDISH.

DAM AND TUNNEL.

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1028 0573 Patented 0m" 1, 1918.

W. H. STANDISH.

DAM AND TUNNEL.

APPLIATION FILED DEC-8, I911 Patented Oct. 1, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' lwwemm WILLIAM HENRY sTAND sH, or REE Js SPRING, MIsso Rn DAM, Ann TUNNEL. j

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. STANDISH,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Reeds Spring, in the county of Stone and State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dams and Tunnels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dams and particularly to means to permit the most efficient utilization of the water held by the dam during dry periods and to lessen the liability of damage being done to the dam foundations at flood times.

Another object is to reduce the liability of washouts at the dam foundations.

Another object is to provide means for utilizing the water for power purposes in a most eflicient manner and to dischz r'ge the used water down stream with a sufficient drop to provide the-requisite nozzle pressure at the inlet ports of the power machines, as, for example, turbines.

Other, objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, it be ing clear that changes in form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In carrying out my'invention I preferably arrange a dam acrossthe stream consisting of a solid wall, the base of which may be approximately twice its height with 'the sides of the wall sloping inwardly toward the top. The dam may be formed with a tunnel'or tunnels at the. time ofits construction and in actual practice I prefer to construct the dam with two tunnels, one at each end, the openings for the tunnels pe'netrat.

ing through the wall and the 'tunnels continuing' down stream preferably with a gradual drop until they discharge into water chambers which maybe arranged transversely of the tunnels and which may have outlet openings discharging into the requisite number of turbines or other hydraulic motors whereby the pressure energy may be converted into kineti' nergy. Water chambers are also providec with valueddischarge openings at their ends whereby the water may be discharged around the turbines and into the stream when desired.

The upstream ends of the tunnels may be closed by suitable wa ter-gates controlled Specification of Letters Patent;

Pas-tad Oct. 1.191s.

Application filed December 8, 1917. Serial No. 206,219.

from above the water level and the open ingsof the. tunnels may be protected by screens to prevent the introduction of obstructing matterinto the. tunnels, the purpose of the screens being to maintain the tunnels cleanat all times.

In the drawings: I

Figure l isa view-partly inplan and partly in sectionofadam: and its'appurtenances constructed-inaccordance with my invention. 1 e

Fig. 2 is a fragmentarygsectional view through the dam, the tunnelbeing fragmentaril y shown in elevation;

Fig. 3, is an enlarged front View of one of the tunnels showing the gates and part .of the lattice of screen for protecting the tunnel;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentaryside elevational view of one of the tunnels;

Fig. 5 is a view partlyin plan and partly in section of a tunnel;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view through the water discharging chamber; and

Fig. 7 is an end view of one of the water discharging chambers. 4

Referring now to the drawings by numer-- als of reference, 10 designates a dam wall made solidof concrete or some other suitable material and preferably resting upon bed rock. Extending through the dam and formed integrally therewith are tunnels 11 and 12, in the present instance shown as being positioned, one at each end ofthe dam and as both tunnels are substantially alike,

I will describe but one of them. The inlet for each tunnel is on the upstream side of the dam wall, the-tunnel beingpositioned at the base thereof and having inlet 13 reinforced with a gate frame consisting of the uprights 15, 16, 17 and 18 to constitute guides for the gates 19, 20 andQl. The

gates are connected toelevating rods 22, 23v

and 24 respectively eachof which is provided with an elevatinghandleor wheel 25 whereby the gates may be raised and lowered in their frame. Across the entrance to the tunnel I provide a baflie in the form of slats 26 which constitute a screen to eliminate the liability of extraneous matter such asbrush, bows, logs and the like from entering the tunnel and clogging it. This screen, however, in no wise interferes with the discharge of the water through the tunnel. Each tunnel continues through the solid wall down stream preferably with a gentle slope until it empties into a turbine water-distributing chamber 27. This chamber extends transversely of the tunnel and has a valved end 28 adapted to be closedby a valve 29 on the stem 30 andoperated by the handle 31 in a well known manner whereby the water may be discharged at the end of chamber 27, instead of escaping through the outlets 32 of which there may be a number equal to the number of turbine discharge nozzles and may be controlled by the valves 011 the rods 33 there preferably being a valve for each nozzle sothat the desired number of turbines may be put in operation or cut out if desired. On the sides of the stream between the dam and the power house I prefer to arrange bank retaining walls 34 and. 35 the length of which 'are coextensive with the lengths of the tunnels so as to provide a zone within which workmen may readily repair the dam and its appurtenances.

lVhile I have shown'two tunnels arranged one at each end of the dam wall, I do not desire to be limited to this construction as under certain conditions, I may employ only one tunnel, or, multiply this number to conform to the conditions present. It will be apparent that inasmuch as tunnels are formed substantially as integral parts of the dam wall constructed at the time that the dam is put. up, that the advantages accruing from this invention may be provided in a most inexpensive manner and it will be further apparent that the impounded water may be efiiciently used for industrial purposes even at low levels because the tunnels are preferably at the bottom of the dam wall. Attention is also called to the fact that the water may be utilized for in- 40 dustrial purposes or to augment the level down stream without the liability of the tunnel. becoming clogged by debris or damaging the power machinery. In actual practice the tunnel may be reinforced by uprights, rafters or the like or by any other suitable means and it is to be understood that I prefer to arrange the uprights of the gate frame in sockets below the floor of the tunnel so that the water behind it and the debris will be held back from entering the tunnel' I In constructing the wall 10 I prefer to follow the engineering practice of providing the wall at the bottom with a width approximately twice that of its height so that the material in the solid dam for each lineal foot across the stream will be equal to the square of its height.

Mountain rivers sometimes rise many feet.

above then? normal stage and if obstructed by a dam will cut back into the bank over the dam to a point beyond its end and then downward until a new channel is formed around the end of the dam that makes the dam useless when the river returns to normal stage, By having the tunnels next to the banks of the river and locating concrete barriers over the peak and lower side of the dam and extendingupwardly above the high water limit, and placin say, ten feet of concrete facing on top of tlie tunnels and against the banks below the dam as far as the power house,'flowage will be carried so far down the river as to prevent the water cutting around the end of the dam or undermining it on the lower side,*and this will be done with about one-third of the expense that would be involved in walling the banks.

These tunnel discharges leave empty lakes of a capacity suflicient to arrest the excess water of sudden rises until every dam pondage is refilled. During normalflowage of the river, the bed will be dry, and during flood stages, the general slope'of the dam will carry over rafts between the tunnels and enable fish to ascend and descend the river.

Vith the construction herein described, the main dam and the outside of the side walls and tunnels can be reconcreted without the expense for cribbing and without stopping power of machinery while repairs are going on.

I claim 1. A dam having a wall, a down stream water delivery chamber for power mechanism below the dam. a tunnel extending through the dam with its inlet at the upstream side of said wall and discharging into the water delivering chan'iber, said chamber being disposed transversely of the tunnel and having a discharge outlet at one end and turbine water delivering nozzles and valves for said discharge outlet and said nozzles.

2. A dam, a downstream water delivery chamber for power mechanism below the dam, a tunnel extending through the dam. with its inlet at the upstream side of said dam and discharging into the water delivery chamber, said water delivery chan'iber having a by-pass outlet at one end. and water delivery nozzles and valves for said bypass outlet and said nozzles.

The foregoing specification signed this 28th day of November, 1917.

\VILLIAM HENRY STANDISH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. O.

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