US823665A - Current-motor. - Google Patents

Description

PATBNTED JUNE 19, 1906.

- 0. R. BUFFINGTON.

CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY13. 1906.

2 BHEETB-SHEET 1.

Witnesses Inventor ("Z/r V b I 8 w Rttomegs PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906. O. R. BUFFINGTON.

CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 1905.

2 SHEETS-$322111 2.

, Inventor.

Httomegs H \Nltnesses summ t-moron";

Speeificationof Iiet't'ers Patent;

Patented Jane 19; race;

To I all whom it" may concern;-

Beit known that I; CHAnLEsRu Brianne TON; a citizen of: the United States; 'residingz atFort Benton, in the county of Oh'o't'eau and State of Montana, haveinventedi a new and: useful Current-Motor, oi which "thGZfOllOWlIIQI is a-specification.

Thisinvention-relates to that classf hy draulicmotors whichrare known-as current motors? and which are principally utilizedin comparatively shallow streams andirivers:

The present invention'relates -to thata'particular class of current-motors inwhich suitably-supported endless chains are provided with blades or paddles which'aresuccessively exposed to the action of the current; the power thus derived being transmitted from: one? of the chaimsuppo'rtingshaits to the machinery or a paratus which-is to be drivenand which int e' pr'esent' instanceconsists of a water= elevating device. I

The object of the invention is to simplify andiimprove thercon'struct'ion'vandi operation of"- this class-of devices; and' w'ith theseand otherendsin view, which will/readily appear as the natureoi: the. in'ventionds better un derstood, the same consists inthe improved construction and novel arrangement: and combination": of parts, whichwill be: hereinafter fully described, andparticularly pointed out inthe claims? ln the accompanying." drawings has been illustrated a simple and preierredlform of embodiment ofltheinvention; itzbeing; however; understood that no. limitation is necessarily made to the precise structuralidetailstherein exhibited; but-thatthe right is reserved to any changesalterations; and modifications towhich r'ecourse may be had within the scope of the inventioniand without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing theieificiencyof the same." g

Insaiddrawings; Figure lis a topplan view of a hydraulic motor 'constru'cted'in' accordance with the principles ofthe invention: Fig. 2 is a side elevation-of the same. is anendwiew. Fig; lisa-sectional detail view taken onthe plane indicated by the line 44tin-Fig. 1. f

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout'.by similar charac: ters of reference.

The motor properis-supported'by andbe- Fig: 3

. tween-'apair oi fioat's fi andi2r, both of which are provided with sloping'ends3 3 to concentrate the currentbetween said: floats The latter: are securely" connected by means of cross-beams or braces i 4 and'vertical bolts? 501* other: suitable. connectingvmeans The inner float 1 which is the one that-in practice is nearest the shore, .iswwider thanthe outer float and of greater capacity, thus mahingrit more buoyant to enable it to support the'ma'vchinery' to 1 be driven, ;a's: will be 'hereinaften described: Said inner fioatis to loe-anchored to the shore. in position. for operation by meansiofbraces; cables; anchors; and'the like;

but these maybe of any well known-and aiproved construction and have' not been :in

catedzin the" drawings, with the exception of" portions ofibracesb. (Shownin Fig. 11), The motor proper is providedxwith a frame.

beams 83 and diagonal brac'eebeams: 9; but

the structural details- 0f said ira'me may be modified within the: scop e of the inventions Said: framepr carriage as :itis 1 preferably called is provided at the ends: thereof with bearings :10 ior shafts 1 1, carrying:sproeketwheels 1 2 supporting .a pair of endless chains 13 which are so disposed as to pass:-'entirely around: the carriage: from end to end oh the latter. Hingedly connected'withisaid'chains are blades on'paddles- 14:, at the outer ed'ges of which are: attached brace-chains 15'; the

including; longitudinal beams 7 n transverse free ends of which are connected with the.

endless" chains 13 by means such as sna hooks16; whereby saidzbrace chains may e shifted from one side of said blades to "the other; the adjustment ofthe brace chains-be= ing: such as; to permit the blades to *swing to an angle' oi approximately ninety degrees to the lowerlleads of the-chainsl3i It-isim portant that the brace-chains or stay-chains shall be capable of: being shifted from one side to the otherin order' that the movement may be reversed when the device is removed gen}; one bank of astream to the opposite Gross-bars 810i the motor-carriage are pro I vided at the ends thereof with annularlygrooved wheels or rollers 18, traveling in curved grlooves 19 formed between uprights 20 '21:, w 'ch are securedto and supported by theinnen sides of the ho ats: The grooves -1 9' arexiaced with track ironsorr'ail'sZZ, having and they are equipped with ratchet-teeth 29,

engaged by locking-pawls 30, whereby they may be retained against backward rotation. It will be seen that by rotating these windlass-shafts the motor-carriage may be raised or lowered and that it may be supported above the water-level, if desired.

U on the inner float 1 is erected a suitable sca olding or tower structure 31, near the upper and lower ends of which are bearings for transverse shafts 32 and 33, each carrying a pair of sprocket-wheels 34, over which ass a pair of endless chains 35, between w 'ch buckets 36 are suitably mounted, thus constituting a Water-elevator. The lower shaft 33 carries an additional sprocket-wheel 37, which is connected by a chain 38 with a s rocket-wheel 39 upon one of the motors afts 11, from which motion is thus transmitted to the Water-elevating device. The buckets of the latter are made to discharge into a trough or flume 40, one end of which is supported, as upon a bracket 41, at the upper end of the scaffolding or structure 31.

The lower cross-braces 4,whereby the floats are connected with each other, are preferably beveled upon their outer sides, as shown at 42 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, for the purpose of offering the least possible resistance to the incoming current.

As has been already stated, the grooves 19, in which the guide-wheels 18 of the motorcarriage are made to travel, are curved or arcuate. This is in order that the chain 38, connecting the sprocket 39 of the motorshaft 1 1 with the sprocket 37 upon the driven shaft 33, may be preserved in a taut condition' at any degree of vertical adjustment of the motor carriage, and the said guidegrooves will be curved accordingly.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto anneared, the operation and advantages of this invention Wlll be readily understood. The device is anchored in position for operation as near the shore of a stream as may be convenient. When the motor-carriage is lowered, the current entering between the floats will operate against the exposed faces of such of the blades or paddles as are connected with the lower leads of the chains 13, which latter are thereby set in motion, it being understood that the lower edges of the blades which are in action are to be connected with the suporting-chains at points in front of said iilades. When the blades reach the rear end of the carriage, they will fold down flat upon the latter and will remain in this position while traversing the upper lead. At the front end of the carriage the blades, when their centers of gravity pass beyond the sprocket-wheels 12, will drop in an outward direction until checked by the stay-chains 15, thus presenting their faces to the incoming current. The operation continues until the 'motor-carriage 1S elevated above the influence of the current. When the device is shifted from one bank to the opposite bank, the stay-chains 15 are shifted to the opposite sides of the blades or paddles in order that the motion may be reversed, as will be readily understood. It will also then be necessary to reverse the position of the buckets upon the water-elevator; but these changes may be easily accomplished and are not frequently called for.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a current-motor, a pair of floats spaced and connected to form a sluiceway, pairs of guides supported upon said floats opposite to each other and having correspondmgly-curved arcuate grooves, a rectangular frame or carriage having cross-bars provided with rollers guided in said grooves, frames supported upon the floats adjacent to the guides, a pair of shafts or drums journaled upon said frames and extending transversely across the sluiceway, flexible members con- 'necting said drums with the cross-bars of the frame or carriage, means for operating the drums to eflect vertical adjustment of the frame or carriage, shafts journaled in the frame or carriage, sprocket-wheels upon said shafts, paddle-carrying chains guided over said sprocket-wheels, a shaft supported for rotation concentric with the arcuate grooves in one pair of guides, and means for transmitting motion to said shaft from one of the motor-shafts journaled in the frame or carriage.

2. In a current-motor, a pair of floats spaced and connected to form a sluiceway, pairs of guides su ported upon said floats opposite to each ot er and having correspond mgly-curved arcuate grooves, ribbed rails secured upon the faces of said grooves, a rectangular frame or carriage having cross-bars provided with annularly grooved rollers guided in the arcuate grooves and engaging the ribbed rails with Which said grooves are faced, frames supported upon the floats ad j acent to the guides, a pair of shafts or drums journaled upon said frames and extending transversely across the sluiceway, flexible members connecting said drums with the cross-bars of the frame or carriage, means for operating the drums to effect vertical adj ustment of the frame or carriage in the arc of a circle, motor-shafts journaled in the carriage,

endless chains guided over said shafts and my own I have hereto aflixed'my signature parrying blades or paddles, a ihafltl supported in the presence of two Witnesses.

or rotation concentric Wit t e arcuate grooves in one pair of guides, and means for CHAS BUFFINGTON' 5 transmitting motion to said shaft from one of Witnesses:

the motor-shafts upon the carriage. D. L. BLAQKSTONE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as EMIEL MUNDT.

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