US2751888A

US2751888A - Fluid turbine

Info

Publication number: US2751888A
Application number: US345158A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr John H Bonner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-03-27
Filing date: 1953-03-27
Publication date: 1956-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 1973-06-26

Description

June 26, 1956 .1. H. BONNER, JR 2,751,883

FLUID TURBINE Filed March 27, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 L- INVENTOR.

Jab/N 50MB Jie.

June 26, 1956 J. H. BONNER, JR 2,753,888

FLUID TURBINE Filed March 27, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

June 2%,1956 J, H. BONNER, JR

FLUID TURBINE .3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 2'7, 1953 INVENTOR. Jay/v A flan/ans? United States Patent Ofice 2,751,888 Patented June 26, 1956 FLUID TURBINE John H. Bonner, Jr., Wetumpka, Ala. Application March 27, 1953, Serial No. 345,158

2 Claims. (Cl. 121-95) This invention relates to fluid turbines and more particularly to a vane type turbine having angularly spaced apart fluid chambers.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved fluid turbine which has no valves and has a minimum number of moving parts consisting of a rotor and one or more vanes carried by the rotor; which has a fixed housing or stator of simple construction which may be liquid cooled, if desired; which has angularly spaced apart fluid chambers in which the pressure of the operating fluid is applied to the rotor-carried vanes; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, and positive and effective in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a fluid turbine illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view on a somewhat enlarged scale on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale on. the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the rotor device; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 8-8 of Figure 6.

With continued reference to the drawings, the turbine comprises a stator, generally indicated at 10, a rotor, generally indicated at 11, and vanes, as generally indicated at 12, pivotally mounted in the rotor and carried thereby.

The stator 10 includes a wear plate 14 which is illustrated as of truncated conical shape and this wear plate has a bore 15 extending coaxially therethrough and a flat, base surface 16 of circular shape. The stator further includes a hollow housing 18 of hemispherical shape having its open side disposed against the base surface 16 of the wear plate and marginally secured to the wear plate by suitable means, such as the bolts 19 extending through registering apertures in marginal

annular flanges

20 and 21 on the wear plate 14 and the housing 18 respectively. The housing 18 is provided at its side directly opposite the wear plate 14 with a hollow boss 22 of cylindrical shape the interior 23 of which is in axial alignment with the bore 15 extending through the wear plate 14.

An anti-friction roller bearing 24 is mounted in a counterbore at the end of the bore 15 remote from the housing 18 and is secured in the counterbore by an annular plate 25 secured to the corresponding end of the wear plate by suitable means, such as the stud bolts 26, and

of the overlying the outer end of the bearing 24. An anti-friction ball bearing 28 is disposed in a counterbore at the end of the bore 15 adjacent the housing 18 and is secured in this counterbore by a flat locking ring 29 secured in the counterbore at the outer side of the ball bearing. An antifriction roller bearing 30 is mounted in the boss 22 and is secured in the boss by an annular plate 31 secured to the outer end of the boss 22 by the stud bolts 32 and overlying the outer end of the bearing 30.

The rotor 11 includes

shaft portions

34 and 35 disposed in longitudinal alignment with each other with the shaft portion 34 journaled in the

bearings

24 and 28 carried by the Wear plate 14 and the shaft portion 35 journaled in the bearing 30 carried by the boss 22 of the housing 18. The shaft portion 34 is reduced in diameter intermediate its length to provide an annular shoulder 36 which bears against the inner end of the inner race of the roller bearing 24 and the shaft portion 35 has adjacent its inner end an annular shoulder 37 which bears against the inner end of the inner race of the bearing 30. The engagement of the

shoulders

36 and 37 with the inner ends of the corresponding roller bearings holds the rotor 11 against longitudinal movement relative to the stator 10 while permitting free rotation of the rotor in the stator.

The rotor 11 also includes a solid body 38 of hemispherical shape disposed within the hemispherical b01187 ing 18 and between the

shaft portions

34 and 35 to which i it is integrally joined. The body 38 fits closely in the interior of the housing 18 and is provided with radially disposed slots, as indicated at 40, of substantially triangular or sector shape extending from locations adjacent the axis of the rotor to the hemispherical surface of the body 38 and opening to the flat surface of this body.

In the illustrated arrangement there are four of the slots 40 disposed at angular intervals of ninety degrees around the rotor body 38 but it is to be understood that this num-' ber may be increased or decreased without in any affect ing the scope of the invention. 7 p p The vanes 12 are disposed one in each of the slots 40 and these sector-shaped vanes are pivotally connected to the rotor body 38 at the inner ends of the corresponding slots 40 by pivot pins, as indicated at 41, extending through registering apertures provided in the rotor body 38 and in the corresponding vanes. In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 6 and 8 the rotor body 38 is provided in the flat surface 38' thereof with grooves 42 disposed substantially tangentially of the circumference of the shaft portion 34 each of which extends from a location adjacent one side of a corresponding slot to the outer edge of the; flat surface 38 to admit a drill bit for drilling correspond-" ing pin-receiving holes from the inner end of the grooves through the portions of the body 38 at the opposite sides of the inner portion of each slot 40. In inserting the pins,-

until they are disposed in the corresponding pin holes and vane apertures. After the pins have been properly located,

elongated keys 43 are placed one in each of the grooves 42. Each of the keys has a length substantially equal to the length of the corresponding groove 42 and bears at its inner end against the adjacent end of the corresponding pin and has its outer surface flush with the flat surface of the body 38. A shouldered screw 43' extends through an aperture in each key 43 and is threaded into a tapped hole in the body 38 in the inner surface of the corresponding groove 42 to retain the associated key in place in the corresponding groove.

Recesses, as indicated at 44, are provided in the rotor 1 body 38 one adjacent each slot 40 at the outer end of the slot and at the side thereof adjacent the shaft portion 35- and compression springs, as indicated at 45, are disposed" pressions aresof sector shape and'extend from the counterborein which the bearing retaining ring 29 is received to a location on the surface 16 .in alignment with the inner, "hemispherical surface of the housing 13. These depressions increase uniformly in depth from the outer edge of the retaining ring 2? to the inner surface of the housing -18 and=eacli depression is provided at its opposite, -radial side with inclined portions .or ramps, as indicated at 50 and 51. In the-arrangernent illustrated there are two depressions 48 of quadrant shape diametrically-opposed in thecircular base'surface 16 of the wear plate and the quadrant shaped portions 52 of the wear plate base surface between the depression 48 are flat and in aplane perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor 11. The flat surface of the hemispherical rotor body 38 is also in a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor and this flat surface of the body 38 bears on.

thefiat portions 52 of the base surface ofthe wear plate.

As the rotor 11 rotates in the'stator the edges of the vanes 12 sweep around the base surface 16 of the wear plates and the portions of the vanes adjacent the base surface .of the wear plate move into and out of the depressions '48. Since surfaces of the depressions 48 are spaced from the fiat surface of the rotor body 38, these depressions provide fluid chambers across which the corresponding portions of the vanes extend so that when the portions of these chambers between the corresponding 'vanejs and corresponding sides of the depressions are filled with fluid under pressure, the vanes will be forced to.move across the depressions in a circumferential direction and turn the rotor 11 in the stator 10. As there,

are two depressions providing chambers each of which extends over an angle of approximately ninety degrees, and 'fourvanes which move successively across these .de pressions, the torque applied .by the fluid under pressure to the rotor 11 will be substantially constant resulting in a substantially constant turning force rather than successive torque impulses. The torque will also be delivered entirely by the pressure of the fluid and will beproportional. to the fluid pressure times the areas of the portions of the vanes exposed in the chambers provided by the sector-shaped depressions48.

The wear plate 14 ,is provided with inlet passages 54 and 55V extending therethrough and terminating in inlet ports-5.6 and .57 disposed at corresponding sides of the sector-shaped depressions 48 and inlet conduits 58 .and 59 are connected to the wear plate in communication withathepassages 54and 55. The wear plate ,is .also pro- 'vided with exhaust passages terminating at their inner endsinexhaust ports, as indicated at 60 and61, disposed at the .oppositesides ofthe SCCtOPShaPed depressions and exhaust iconduits 62 and Y63 are connected to the .wear

plateincommunication respectively with theexhaust passages leadingfrom the

exhaust ports

60 and 61.

Ihe stator housing 18 is shown as provided with fluid passages 64 therein through which cooling .fluid' can be forced \if.it:is found necessary or desirable to cool the turbine by .thismeans.

a constantflowof pressure fluid under pressure into the fluid chambers'through the fluid inlet conduits 58 and59 and the fluid passages .54 and-55 in .the wear plate, and a constant exhaust of fluid from these tfluid chambers through'the

exhaust ports

60 and 61,-thetc.orresponding exhaust passages and-the exhaust conduits-62 and 63, a substantially constant rotationwill :be imparted tothe-turbine'rotor 1 1.

. 4 shaft portions 34 or outside of the turbine stator 10.

The inventionmaybe embodied'in other specific zforms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which \come within the meaning The stator 10 of the turbine may be mounted-on any suitable gfixed support and .a turbine-driven element of and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fluid turbine, astator comprising a solid wear plate of "truncated conical shape and having *a bore extending coaxially therethrough, .there tbeing a counterbore extending inwardly from the smaller end of said wear plate and terminating at a point spaced from said smaller end, the terminating point of said counterbore forming a shoulder, a hollow housing in the form .of a half sphere arranged so that its open side is disposed against the larger end of said wear'plate, means detachably securing the open side of said housing to the larger end of said wear plate, a hollow cylindrical boss projecting from the closed side of said housing and in axial alignment with said bore, a rotor including a pairof shaft portions arranged'in longitudinal alignment with a hemispherical solid body between said shaft portions posi tioned so that the hemispherical body is wholly within said housing with one of the shaft portions extending through said boss and the other of said shaft portions abutting said shoulder, said other shaft portion havinga part of lesser diameter than that of said shaft, said part extending through said counterbore, means in said counterbore rotatably supporting said reduced ,part .of said other shaft portion, means in said boss rotatahly sup porting said one shaft portion, the solid hemispherical body of said rotor having longitudinal slots, longitudinal vanes in said slots, said vanes having .arcuate edges conforming to and running close to the closed side of .the

housing and flat edges .slidably bearingagainst the larger end of the wear plate, and means pivotally securing the vanes in place in the slots for movement toward. and away from said larger end of the wear plate.

2. In a fluid turbine, .a stator comprising a solid wear plate of truncated conical shape and having a bore extending coaxially therethrough, .there being .a counterbore extending inwardly from the smaller end of said wear plate and terminating ata pointspaced from said smaller end, the terminating point of said counterbore forming a shoulder, a hollow housing in the form of a'half-sphere arranged so that its :open .side is disposed zagainst the largerend of said wear plate, means detachably securing theopen side of said housing to the larger end of said wear plate, a hollow cylindrical boss projectingfrom the closed .side .of said housing and "in axial alignment with said bore, a rotor including a pair of shaft portions..arranged in longitudinal alignment with a hemispherical solid body :between said shaft portions positioned so that the hemispherical body is wholly within said housing with one of the shaft portions extending through-saidhossand the other of said shaft portions abutting said shoulder,

saidothershaft portion having a part of :lesser diameter than that of said shaft, said part aextendingrthrough said counterbore, means in said counterbore rotatably sup--v porting said reduced part of said other Ishaft portion, l

of the wear plate, and means :pivotally securing the vanes in place in the slots for movement toward and away from said larger :end of the wear plate, said vanes being triangular and said arcuate' and :flat edges "being in intersecting relation to 'each other, said vanes iihav ing 5 third edges facing the longitudinal axis of the rotor, and spring means compressed between said third edges and portions of the rotor serving to yieldably urge said flat edges into engagement with the larger end of the wear plate. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 167,146 Winkler Aug. 24, 1875 10 6 Shafer Jan. 29, 1901 Rathjen et a1 Feb. 14, 1905 Sadorus May 9, 1905 Kelly June 25, 1907 White Aug. 30, 1921 Raugstad May 9, 1922 Hamren Apr. 20, 1943 Thomas Apr. 17 1951 Bridenbaugh Sept. 11, 1951