USRE1530E - Improvement in water-wheels - Google Patents

Description

UNITED ,STATES PATENTl OFFICE.

NATHAN r. BURNI'IAM, or YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,011, dated February 22, 1859; Reissue No. 15530. dated i September 1, 1863.v

To all whom 4it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN F. BURNHAM, formerly of Laurel Factory, Maryland, now of 'the borough and county of York, in the. State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbine Water-Wheels 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a I'ull and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part ot' this specitication, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation ofthe wheel and casing in position for use. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the wheel alone. Fig. 3 is a vertical section at m ai, Figs. 1 and 4. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section at y y, Figs. 1 and 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

'lhis invention relates lto certain improvements in what is known as the Jonval Turbine Wheel 7 and the said improvements consist, first, in a construct-ion of hub adapted by its peculiar form to be acted on with a lifting tendency by the entrance ofthe water, and employed in combination with a peculiar form of bucket adapted to receive successively the percussive and the gravitating force of the water; second, in a peculiar-construction and arrangement of parts, by which the wheel is made to operate to the best possible advantage with either a large or small quantity of water, or with any proportionate quantity of the whole bodyof water.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my .invention appertains may be enabled to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a cross of cast-iron, secured to the chutes by four large screw-bolts, so that it may be raised or lowered as needful.

.is turned out to fit upon and over the step D.

The bottom chute-plate, F, may be cast in one piece, with a curb, f, turned out at bottom,

so that the wheel may lit closely to it, as shown in Fig. 3.

The sides G G of the chutes are curved so as to form converging s'crollsl M M, Fig. 4,

by which the water is forced in toward the center of the wheel under the concavity Q of the hub.

The peculiar form of the periphery of thev of their length are curved inspiral form pro- Y portioned to the velocity of water under which the wheel is to run.

The distance of the inner ends of the chutes G from the wheel is so proportionedl to the width of the discharge-spaces between the lower; ends of .the buckets as to permit the water to leave freely without choking.

H is a square iron frame, to which the gates .I J are bolted. A

L L are wroughtiron rods, which connect the gate-frame to wooden levers in the forebay, having a wooden stem reaching up into the mill, and provided with a rack and pinion to raise and lower the gates. 'I is a cap covering the top of the wheel, and turned out to fit the wheel-shaft E, which passes up through it. The said cap is bolted fast to the upper plate, F, of the chutes.

The action of water, when admitted to this wheel, is as follows: As the water leaves the forebay, it follows the curvature of the chutes until it reaches the periphery of theowheel, where it is deiected inward and downward by the combined forms of the chutes andof the hub. The eiect of this is to exert a lifting tendency on the wheel, and to cause the water to act with its percussive force directly upon the upper parts of the buckets, and being deiected easily downward to act by gravitation upon the lower curved or spiral parts of the'buckets.

The inclination of the lower parts ot' the buckets being adapted to correspond with the velocity of the water, the latter will act thereon to the best possible advantage and leave with the greatest freedom. It will thus be seen that the water has two actions-first,

direct at the eXtreme-periphery of the Wheel;Y and, second, by Weighton-:tii'einelineof the buckets. n

Having thus described niyi'nveniion, what I claim as new therein, endldesire toY secure by Letters Patent, is-f- 1. A hub formed with a concave "exterior in any manner, substantially as described, so as to derive a, lifting tendency from the entrance of the WzL/ter and deflect itdoWnWa-rd, in the described combination Within bucket formed With e face Vertical, or nearly so, at

top, to receive the direct force of `Jthe water, and inclined at bottoni to receive its gravitat- /ing force.

2'. The combination of the chutes or scrolls M M and wheel Q R, constructed as herein described, to adept the Wheel to operate with good e'ect with any proportionate quantity of Water. K

` NATHAN F. BURNHAM.

Witnesses:

JosiAI-I E. MEYERs, GEORGE M. SHELTER.

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