US22965A - Improvement in windmills - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. MAY, OF JANESVILL, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDMHILLS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,965, dated February 15, 1859.

ATo all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN M. MAY, of Janesville, in the county of Rock and State of WVisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Constructing Windmills and in Regulating and Controlling the Same; and I do hereby declare that the following isafull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, the same letters of reference indicating the same parts in each figure.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiarlyconstructed stationary central vertical shaft, in combination with lthe peculiarly-constructed hollow tubular shaft or col umn placed over and revolving freely around it.' This central column is so formed that it serves as axes for the axle of the wind-Wheel and the tubular column to revolve upon in the path of horizontal circles and serving also as a support and guide for the entire structure, while the tubular column serves for receiving power from the Wind-wheel and transmitting it to machinery, whereby is obviated the necessity of any frame-work Whatever to support the wind-wheel.

It consists, second, in forming the axle of the wind-wheel with a shoulder in the form of a hub or pipe box to receive the upper end of the vertical shaft as an axis and bearing for the horizontal revolutions of the windwheel, the center of the axes of the shaft and axle intersectingand furnishing in themselves central axes and bearings inside of the angle of the gear-wheels on the vertical shaft and horizontal axle, the shaft and axle also serving as axes and bearings for the gear-wheel,

enabling them to operate freely with each each other as the wind-wheel is revolved to different points of the compass as the wind changes, and thezuse of a turn-table outside of the gear-wheels lwholly obviated.

It consists, third, in providing a governingrod (steadied by a guide-bar) forked at its upper end to Iit the horizontal groove in a sliding thimble on the vertical column and the lower end jointed to aphorizontal lever (that may be Weighted) for controlling and regulating the wind-wheel.

It consists, fourth, in providing a conical covering for the mechanism in the wind-Wheel head to protect it from the elements and divide the Wind-current and guide it onto the sails, and to protect the governors from the countervailing influence of the wind-current in regulating the velocity of the wind-wheel.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure l is a perspective drawing of a mill ready for use, but withoutthe covering or roofing to protect the mechanism, and for other purposes, as seen in Figs. 2 and 6. a vertical section on a plane through the axes of the vertical shaft and horizontal axle. Fig. 3 is a detail drawing of the groove-thimble, showing their connection with the doubleforked elbow-lever. Figs. -t and 5 are sections of parts of the vertical shaft and horizontal axle that take the place of or serve instead of a turn-table and furnish bearings for the gear-wheels, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the conical covering detached from the machine. l

A in Figs. l and 2 is the center part or column, the Alower end of which is made firm to a beam, timber, or pedestal U, and has a shoulder b at or near its base, which serves as a vertical and horizontal bearing for the tubular shaft or column to rest and revolve upon. Toward the upper end of the shaft A and a short distance above the top of the tubular column is another shoulder-bearing A et, formed on the shaft A, above which the shaft still extends and serves as a vertical axis for the horizontal axle for the Windwheel, and on which shoulder and axis the axle of the wind-wheel rests and revolves.

B is a tubular or hollowr column fitting easily over the "center shaftA and has its lower bearing at b. The vertical position of this bearing` on the center shaft extends up-' ward a short distance, sufficient to meet the lateral pressure and friction of a drum bandwheel or gear-wheels in attaching to other machinery. Thence upward there is a space between the shaft A and tubular column B unt-il near and at the top of the column a bevel cog gear-wheel is fastened to the tubular column, where there is a vertical bearing i on the shaft A to meet the friction caused by the gear-wheels. Thus the tubular column is caused to run lightly as it revolves around the center shaft A. This tubular column receives motion from the wind-wheel by gearwheels at or near its kupper end and communicates it by band or gear wheels near its lower end or at any point along its length.

C is a horizontal axle formed with a tubebox c and fits easily the vertical axis cl, formed of the upper part of the shaft A, and rests and revolves on the shoulder -bearing a. The front part of this axle forms the arm or axis on which the wind-wheel revolves, and the rear part of this axle is formed into a stem f of the vane -W, which guides the wind-wheel to the wind-current as the wind changes to different points of the compass. This axle also has a projection H, which serves as a fulcrum and support for the doubleforked elbowlever I, the uses of which will presently appear.

The should a being a little distance above `the column B, both the axle C and-column B revolve around the shaftA with perfect freedom and independently of each other.

rlhe wind-wheel itself is composed mainly of the pipe-box N, hub K, and head J, which are built firmly together. On the end of the pipe-box opposite the head J the gear cogwheel E is fastened. The other parts of the wind-wheel are'the elbows L, with one arm O bearing the governor-balls P and the other arm forming the stems of the sails M, and also serve as radial axes in revolving' the sails in their bearings in the hub K and head J, the elbows being-connected to the sliding thimble F by the bars V, which are vjointed to each. This thimble fits the pipe-box N easily, and, as it is moved back and forth, revolves the sails on their respective stems; also, on the end next to the cog-wheel this thimble has a groove around its circumference to receive the curved points of the vertical arm of the elbow-lever I.

G is another thimble fitting easily around the tubular shaft B, on which it is moved vertically, having two grooves around its circumference, one to receive the curved points ofthe horizontal arm of the elbow-lever and the other to receive the forks on the upper end of governing-rod Q, which rod is jointed at its lower end to the horizontal lever S and steadied by the guide-bar R.

I is an angularor elbow lever forked at each extremity, the forks fitting the grooves easily in the respective thimbles F and G, and is hinged and supported at its angle by the projection H, extending from the axle C. It will now appear that the means of communicating governing power freely without binding or oblique bearing between the horizontal and vertical shafts is by the thimbles F and .G and this two-forked lever, the thimble `F being connected with the sails and the thimble G with the horizontal lever S, by which lever S the sails can be revolved on .their stems, so as to present any desired degree of Obliquity to the wind-current, or held in any desired position independently of the centrifugal governing power of the balls P; or, if the lever S is left free, the balls P furnish a selfregulating power, which may be aided by weighting the lever S.

The power of the wind-wheel is communicated to the tubular column B by the cog gear-wheels E on the pipe-box N operating the cog-wheel D on the tubular column.

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of the center shaft A and axle C, showing the compact and simple device that takes the place of the broadsurfaced turn-tables in use for revolving the axes or shafts of wind-wheels in horizontal circles.

The enlargement of the axle C at its shoulder into the form of a hub or pipe-box c is so that the axis d of the shaft A may pass up directly through it, whereby the center of the axes of the shaft A and axle C intersect and in themselves form vertical and horizontal center bearings inside of the angle of the coggear wheels D and E at the same time that the shaft A serves as a vertical bearing for the upper end of the tubular column B, to which is fastened the gear-wheel D, and the axle C is so formed that it serves as the axis e for the pipe-box N of the wind-wheel to revolve upon, to which pipe-box the gear-wheel Eis fastened, the gear-wheels operating together freely as the wind-wheel is revolved horizontally in different directions. Thus two pieces, compact and durable, fitted together inside of or within the angle formed by the gear-wheels, and requiring no frame-work whatever to support them, entirely supersede the turn-tables composed of many parts supported by a frame-work and liable to be out of repair and out of true.

Whatl claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*- vl. The peculiarly constructed stationary central vertical shaft A, in combination with the peculiarly-constructed revolving tubular shaft or hollow column B, the shaft A providing axes for the wind-wheel and the tubular column B to revolve upon in the paths of horizontal circles and serving as a support and guide of the structure of the wind-wheel, and the tubular column B serving for receiving the power of the wind-wheel and transmitting it to machinery, substantially as .set forth.

2. Enlarging the axle C at its shoulder in the form of a hub or pipe-box c, that the axis cl of the shaft A may pass up directly through it, so that the center of the axes of the shaft A and axle C intersect and in themselves form vertical and horizontal center bearings within the angle formed by the gear-wheels D and E, and the shaft A and axle C also serve as bearings for the gear-wheels, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the horizontal lever S, the vertical governing rod or bar Q, guidebar R, and thimble Gon the tubularcolumn, substantially as and forthe Ipurposes set forth.

4. The employment of a revolving conical cover for the purposes of protecting the mechanism of the wind-Wheel and dividing the Wind-current at the front and center of the Wind-Wheel head and guiding it upon the sails and relieving the Weighted elbow-levers used for revolving the sails on their radial `axes of the countervailng influence of the wind-current, so as to enable them to act by centrifugal force with certainty in governing the velocity of the Wind-Wheel, substantially as set forth.

JOHN M. MAY.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. BIRCH, ROBT. W. FENWICK.

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