US857482A - Water-wheel. - Google Patents

Description

No. 857,482. PATENTEDJUNE 1a, y19o?. I At Hl i WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION IILBD DBO. 29. 1905.

A TIQQM; ys

4uf'ivrr'fain STATES- PATENT Ori-non.

ALONZO HIRAM PERRY, OF KINLOOH PARK, MISSOURI.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

:Patented June 18, 190'?.

Application filed December 29, 1905. Serial No. 293,804.

A further object of the invention is to prevent choking of the power shaft by ice when the wheel is submerged.

With these and other objects in View, the. present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the'invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of awater wheel embodying the features of the present invention, one of the shaft hangers being removed and the wheel shown partially submerged. the wheel. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the relation between one end of a paddle and the adjacent pivotal supn Fig. 4 is an elevation -show` port therefor. ing one of the paddles on the opposite side of the adjacent arms of the wheel. Fig.` 5 is a side elevation of the wheel submerged, parts being broken away. to disclose `an electric heater for preventing accumulation of ice around the power shaft. Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the supplemental arms of the` wheel.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

As embraced in Figs. l and 2 of the drawing, the present wheel is mounted upon a horizontal shaft l, which is in turn supported by and between a pair of hangers 2. The wheel itself includes a pair of spaced hubs S'from each of which radiate arms 4. Each pair of corresponding arms of the two hubs is'connected by a cross bar 5 located inwardly from the outer ends of the arms, and

upon which is pivotally supported a paddle Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of k6. A supplemental arm 7 is secured toa central hub 8 carried by the shaft l and has its outer end provided with 'an eye or opening 9 through which the cross bar 5 extends. Each paddle is pivotally supported or swung upon the adjacent cross bar 5 at a point about one-third of the distance from one of its transverse edges. That portion of the paddle which is. adjacent the cross bar 5 is of a 'length to work between adjacent arms 4, while the other portion of the paddle has end extensions 10 designed to overlap the `arms andengage thelatter as supports to limit rotation of the paddle in one direction. 'Upon the outer side of each arm 4 is a swinging member l1 terminally pivoted as at k12, upon the outer side ofthe arm inwardly from the adjacent cross bar 5, said member being provided with a lateral extension or shoulder 14 to engage one of the edges of the arm and limit rotation of the member llvin one direction.

In practice, the wheel is mounted so as to be about one-half submerged, as in Fig. 1, `whereby the paddles or blades assume the various positions illustrated in this iigure of the drawing.

tion of the rotation of the wheel is indicated by the arrow 13, wherefore the paddles of the right hand side of the wheel are-ascending. `Beginning with theuppermost paddle, vit will be noted that it is supported in a sub- 'towardthe directionfrom which thestreani vis flowing until its lower shorter end dips into the stream, whereupon the lower end will be swung back toward and against the stop 13,

'whereupon the swinging prop 11 will clear the back of the paddle and drop down through the notch a formed in the adjacent edge of the paddle. As the lower shorter The direction of the current 'is indicated by the arrow A,y and the direc- IOO end of the paddle enters the stream, it willbe y y subjected to the Ypressure thereof and beheld against the' shoulder -13 until the'pivotal axis of the bladeenters the stream, and ias the paddle continues to descend, the pressurevof the water upon the greater area of the paddle above its pivotal axis will swing the upper end portion of the paddle in'wardly'against the arms until the paddle assumes a substan- IIO tially horizontal position Vat the other side of the wheel, when the current acting upon the upper side of the paddle will swing the same ldownwardly as the paddle rises from the stream. After the paddle reverses its position at the right hand side of theA wheel, the upper end portion of the paddle will be held against the "adjacent stop 13 so as to support the paddle in position to loe'y acted upon by the current. Just as soon as the paddle emerges from the water, it will drop back against the adjacent prop 11 and be supported thereby until it reaches a vertical position at the opposite left hand side of the wheel, when the operation of the paddle will continue in a manner hereinbefore described.

A very important feature of the present invention will be understood from the fact that the paddles are automatically feathered by gravity `and 'by the force of the stream, wherefore extraneous feathering means is dispensed-with and the wheel is materially simplified while its effectiveness is preserved and increased.

Power is transferred from the shaft 1 by means of a beveled gear 15 upon either end of the shaft, said gear being in mesh with another gear 16 upon an upright shaft 17, the latter being provided, as in Fig. 5, with a gear 18 in mesh with a gear 19 carried by a shaft 20, from which power is taken in any suitable manner and for any desired purpose, preferably for running an electric generator. ln lieu of shafts and gears, belts and pulleys may beemployed to transfer power from the shaft 1.

Nhen the wheel is entirely submerged, as in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the pivotal props 11v and stationary stops 13 are removed, and the blades are automatically featheredby the force of the current. When the wheel is submerged, the upright shaft 17 is liable to become 'choked when the surface of the stream becomes frozen over, and therefore l propose to provide for reventing freezing of the water around the s aft, one embodiment of my idea being disclosed' in Fig. 5. In carrying out this feature of the invention, a tubular shell or case 21 is laced upon the shaft so as to extend a suitab e distance above and below the surface of the water, the ends of the case being equipped with suitable paclring boxes 22 to prevent leakage of the water into the case. The interior of the case is lined with asbestos or other suitable material 23, and an electric conductor 241 is loosely coiled around the shaft within the case, from ing of the water around the shaft.

which its terminals 25 and 26 extend to a suitable source of electrical energy, whereby the coil24 is maintained in a charged and heated condition su'l'licient to prevent freez- When the water wheel is `employed for driving Van electric generator, the heating coil 24:` is of course connected with such generator, otherwise it may tric service. l

In each application of the wheel, whether entirely submerged or only partially submerged, it will be noted that the form and mounting of the paddles are the same. Each paddle has a short portion which is pivoted upon the cross-bar 5 and works between the arms 4,while the long portion which carries the extensions 10 exceeds the length of the space between opposite arms Il, so as to lap and lie against the arms in certain positions so as to receive the force of the current and thereby rotate the wheel. l/Vhen partially submerged as in Figs. 1 and 2, each paddle is active to impart rotary movement to the wheel during its entire path through the stream. Whereas, when the wheel is entirely submerged the paddles are active to produce rotation of the wheel only during the lower half of the path of movement. l/Vhen the paddles of the submerged wheel are passing through the u )per half of the path of the wheel, they trail fromtheir pivotal supports 5 and do not tend to rotate the wheel. In other words, with the wheel rotating in the connect with any available elecdirection of the arrow, shown in Fig. 5, each paddle begins to become active just after it passes downwardly beyond the horizontal at the left hand side of the wheel, its activity increasing until it assumes a vertical position, and then decreases until it passes above the horizontal, whereupon the paddle will be in- 'verted by the force of the current on account of the tendency of the paddle to trail, due to the fact that it is pivotally supported nearer one end than the other.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A water wheel including radial arms, paddles pivotally mounted on the arms each on an axis located intermediate the middle and one side of the paddle, gravity actuated vdevices mounted on the arms for permitting the paddles to move to and from a feathering position during the period they are out of the water, and stops on the arms which are a1'-l ranged to be engaged by the paddles as the latter enter the water and to be disengaged as soon as the paddles become completely submerged.

2. A water wheel including radial arms, paddles pi votally supported thereon between l the arms and each on an axis intermediate IOO IIO

dles when the props disengage therefrom and only during the time required to completely submerge each paddle.

3. A water wheel having feathering paddles adapted to become radial by folding inward, each paddle being pivotally supported intermediate of its ends, means to prevent the paddle from folding when out of the wa ter and capable of releasing the paddles when the latter enter the water, and means to hold the paddles against folding when they first enter the water until they become submerged below their pivotal axes.

1L. A water wheel including radial arms, paddles pivotally supported thereon and capable of folding inwardly, means to prevent the paddles folding when out of the water, each paddle being pivotally supported intermediate of its ends and adapted to enter the water in an upright position, and stops carried' by the under sides of the arms for engagement with the lower end portions of the paddles when entering the water to prevent rotation of the paddles until after their pivotal axes becomes submerged. p

5. Awater wheel having radial arms, a series of paddles adapted to fold radially inward and pivotally supported at one side of their middles, means to prevent the paddles folding when out of the water, said means capable of disengaging the paddles to free the same when entering the water, stops carried by the arms for engagement by the rear sides of the lower shorter end portions of the paddles when entering the water to prevent folding thereof, said paddles being free to fold radially inward after their axes have become submerged.

6. A water wheel comprising two sets of radial arms, a series of paddles, each paddle working between and pivotally supported by corresponding arms, the pivotal support being located. at one side of the middle of the paddle and the other side of the paddle having end extensions to overlap and lie against the arms as a support, pivotal props carried by the arms for engagement with the extended portions ofthe paddles to prevent folding of the paddles when out of the water and capable of gravitating out of engagement with the paddles when the latter enter the water, each paddle being disposed to have its short end enter the water first, and stops carried by the arms for engagement by the short ends of the paddles when entering the water to prevent folding of the paddles by the pressure of the water until the paddles become submerged below their pivotal aXes.

7. A water wheel having an upright suby merged shaft, a closure around the shaft at the water level, and a thermal device within the closure to prevent accumulation of ice around the shaft.

8. A water wheel having an upright submerged shaft, and an electric heater to prevent accumulation of ice around the shaft.

9. A water wheel having an upright submerged shaft, a Acase embracing the submerged portion of the shaft, and' an electric heating coil contained withinv the case.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aHiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALONZO HIRAM PERRY.

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