US631982A - Windmill. - Google Patents

Description

No. 63|-,982. Patented Aug. 29, I899.

J. N. BRUCE.

WINDMILL.

(Application filed Apr. 18, 18984) 3 SheetsSheet (No Model.)

Invamur Wizn E5555 J. N. BRUCE.

Patented Aug. 29, I899.

W l N D M l L L.

(Application filed Apr. 18, 1898.1

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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. Patented Aug. 29, I899. J. u. sauna.

No. 63l,982.

WI N D M l L L.

(Application filed Apr. 18, 1898.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

JAMES N. BRUCE, OF LONDON, CANADA.

WINDMILL..

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,982, dated August 29, 1899.

Application filed April 18, 1898. Serial No. 678,096. (No model.)

by the action of the wind on a series of sails.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, strong, and durable device for this purpose, one which will be inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in practical use;

and it consists of a shaft and means securedv to the tower-post by which said shaft is sup-. ported and in which it revolves perfectly free,

of a hub secured to said shaft, of horizontal arms radiating from said hub, of weights secured to the outer ends of said horizontal arms and of frames secured near the outer end of each of the horizontal arms in which the sails are pivoted 0E their center, of a standard socketed in or otherwise secured to and extending upward above the hub and a lever pivoted on said standard, to one end of which lever a strand of wire or other suitable material is secured, which extends to the ground within convenient reach, and to the other end of said lever a strand is secured which is connected to other strands, which operate sail-locks to engage them with or disengage them from the sails, so that the mill may be adjusted in or out of operation, as desired; and it also consists of the improved construction and combination of parts of the same, as will be hereinafter first fully set forth and described and then pointed out in. the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a windmill embodying my invention. In this view a number of the stay or brace wires are partially cut away in order to more clearly illustrate the prominent parts of my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of thehorizontal arms and connections which carry the sails. In this view the sails are shown exposed to the full force of the wind. Fig. 3 is another enlarged detail perspective view of same, showing the sails locked with their edges to the wind. Fig. 4. is a detail side elevation of one of the sails, showing a wire frame. In this view the edge of the can vas, which is folded over on the wire frame, is'removed in order to more clearly illustrate the construction of said frame. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a portion of a sail, illustrating a truss and pivotal brace which is advantageously used in connection with large sails.

A designates a tower-post, which may be rigidly held in an upright position by being sunk in the ground or by means of stay, cable, or brace wires, or both, or in any manner or by any means found most suitable or convenient.

In the annexed drawings a single towerpost A is shown; but two posts may be used having rungs bridging the space between them, which may be used as a convenient means of ascending and descending the towerpost, or, if preferred, the ordinary or any other form of tower may be used.

B designates a vertical shaft, which may be formed solid or hollow, as found most suitable or convenient, which shaft extends through openings in one or more brackets A, secured to the tower-post A, by which brackets A said shaft B is held in place, supported by, and revolves perfectly free, and the lower end of said shaft B is supported on a bearing A secured to the tower-post or on the ground, as found most suitable or convenient.

C designates an axle which is held in place, supported by, and which revolves perfectly free in bearings in the tower-post A.

O designates a beveled gear-wheel secured to one end of the axle O, which engages with a beveled gear-wheel B, secured to the shaft B. To the other end of the axle O a crank arm or wheel C is secured, and to this crankwheel a wrist-pin O is secured, to which a jointed connecting-rod C is pivoted, which is held in line vertically by the guides 0 and to the lower end of this connecting-rod C the mechanism for pumping, grinding grain, or any other purpose is connected.

D-designatesa hub consisting of the plates (Z d and the collar (Z the latter secured to or formed with the lower one of said plates d, and said collar 0?, by means of a set-screw d or by any means or in any manner, is rigidly secured to the shaft 13.

E designates a standard socketed in or otherwise rigidly secured to and extending upward above the hub D, or this standard E may be an extension of the shaft B, if found suitable or convenient.

F F designate a series of horizontal sailarms, the inner ends of which are inserted between the plates d, and said arms and hubplates are clamped and bolted or otherwise rigidly secured together, thus rigidly securing the inner ends of the horizontal arms F to the hub D.

G Gdesignate stays,cables,or braces formed of wire or other suitable material,which connect the upper end of the standard E with the arms F F for the purpose of rigidly bracing and holding said standard in place and.

said arms in a horizontal position.

G G designate stays, braces, or cables which extend across from one horizontal arm to the other in order to further stiffen and rigidly hold in place said arms F F.

H H designate frames which are rigidly secured about midway between their ends to the horizontal arms F F and near the outer ends of the latter.

I I designate stays or braces formed of wire or other suitable material, which connect the outer ends of the side bars 71. of the frame H with the horizontal arms F F for the purpose of further stiffening and strengthening said frames H and to further rigidly secure said frames H to said horizontal arms F.

J and K designate cross frame-wires which extend across between and are secured to the side bars 72. h of the frame H, the wires J near the outer ends of the side bars 7t and the wires K about midway between the outer ends of the side bars h and the horizontal arms F F.

L L designate sails, two of which are shown on each horizontal arm F; but one or more may be used, according to the circumstances or power required. In the case where one sail only is used on each horizontal arm the former may be pivoted on the latter, or the power of the mill constructed as shown in the accompanying drawings may be increased by making the frames H H larger or longer, or by providing additional frames andlengthening the horizontal arms F F and supplying additional sails above and below or at one or both sides of those shown in the drawings, and said sails may be formed wholly of wood or other suitable material, or they may be formed of a frame of wire or other suitable material and covered with canvas or other suitable material.

In the case of small mills it is preferable to use a wire framework for the sails, but other suitable material may be used.

When a wire framework for the sail is used,

it may consist of one or more wires extending one or more times partially or wholly around the sail. If a single wire Z were used, it would extend first wholly around the margin of the sail. It would then be doubled along one of the unsupported sides or ends and partially down on both of the pivotal sides or ends of the sail about equal distances on each side of the loop Z as shown in Fig. 4. In the case'of a single wire the loops Z would be formed in the Wire Z but in the case where two wires are used the loops Z would be preferably formed in the second orsupplemental wire Z but loops may be formed in either or both wires, as preferred. The cross framewire K also serves as a pivot on which the sail L is pivoted, and this wire K extends through the loops Z and the ends of said wire may extend through and be looped around or otherwise secured to the side bars h h of the frames H to prevent the strain of the sail from drawing the wire K out of said side bars, or the ends of the pivotal wire K may extend through said side bars and either or both ends provided with a thu mb-screw to take up any slack or sagging of said wire and to adjust said wire K longitudinally, if it should wear unevenly.

It will be noticed that the sail L is pivoted off the center or that there is a greater area Z of sail-surface on one side of the pivotal wire K than on the other side Z for the purpose which will be hereinafter set forth.

As shown in Fig. 4, the wire Z is folded or doubled upon itself one or more times on the end or side Z of the sail of the smallest'area. The object of this is to cause it to balance the end or side Z of the sail of largest area, or sup plemental weights may be secured to the corners of the portion Z of the sail in order that the portions of the sail of large and small area may balance one another.

If wood sails are used, the narrow portion Z of the sail may be supplied with a metal edge strip Z to weight the narrow portion of the sail in order to make it balance the wide portion Z of the sai1,and to stiffen and strengthen said wooden sail all of the sides may be provided with light metal strips, if necessary.

In the case of large mills the sails may be formed wholly of wood or other suitable material or of a framework of wood covered with canvas, or the free side or end of the sail may be provided with a truss Z and pivotal braces Z as shown in Fig. 5, for the purpose of holding the sail flat and to prevent it from warping. By forming the braces Z pivotal they, as well as the truss Z may be adjusted out of the way and held against the frame of the sail when desired. Again, in the case oflarge sails the pivoted sides or ends may be provided with supplemental strips Z which may extend on each side of the pivotal support of said sail for the purpose of stiifening and strengthening the latter.

Z designates a pocket or opening formed near the on ter edge of the portion Z of the sail IIO lVhen the wide portions Z and the narrow' portions Z of the sails are balanced and when the sails are free to be acted upon by the wind, the latter acts on the wider portions Z of the sails and automatically adjusts the outerends of these wide portions against the outer frame-wires J, which act as stops to hold the sails vertically, as shown in Fig. 2 and on the left-hand side of Fig. 1, and exposed to the full power of the wind, which rotates the horizontal arms F, hub D, and shaft B, secured thereto, and operates the pumping or other mechanism connected therewith. This is the result when the wide portions Z of the sails are between the stop-wires J and the wind, which is the case during one-half of the revolution of the radial arms H; but as the radial arms H make the other half of the revolution the stop-wires J will be between the wind and the portion Z of the sails of largest area, the result of which is that the wind acting on the wide portions Z of the sails automatically adjusts them in a horizontal position, so that their edges will be presented to the wind, as shown in Fig. 3 and on the right-hand side of Fig. 1, and consequently permit the free passage of the wind. As a result they will not in any way counteract or reduce the action of the wind on the vertical sails. The result is that during one half of the revolution the sails are exposed to and receive the full power and force of the wind, while during the other half the edge of the sail is presented to the wind to permit the free passage of the latter, and the sails are automatically adjusted to these different positions as they are carried around by the wind, so that no attendance on the mill is necessary when in operation.

M M designate weights (shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3) which are secured by screws or in any manner or by any means to the outer ends of the horizontal arms F, the inertia of which weights will oppose any sudden acceleration of speed, and the momentum of which weights will prevent any sudden diminution of speed. As a result the speed of the mill will be practically equalized. 1

N designates a lever pivoted on the upper end of the standard E, and to one end of this lever N a strand of wire or other suitable materialN is secured, and this wire N is provided with a ring or loop N, which may encircle said standard or not, as preferred.

N N designate wires which connect the strand N of each arm directly with the loop or ring N and the ends of the strands N are secured at their ends to the inner and outer ends of the arms F.

O O O O designate stay or brace wires secured to the side bars h of the frames H and to the supporting-bar P for the purpose of firmly holding the latter in a vertical position and in line with the center of the sails L and with an equal portion of said bars P above and below the horizontal arms F. The wires 0 and 0 also prevent the excessive movement of the sails beyond their horizontal po* sition on the side of the arm F, adjacent to the bar P.

R R designate spring-catches, each of which is provided with the hook or shoulder R and with the inclined face R and each of said catches is secured to and supported by a supporting-bar P in such relation to the sailsL that when all the latter are properly adjusted in a horizontal position the hooks or shoulders R of said catches R will engage with the pockets or openings Z of said sails, when desired, to hold the latter in a horizontal position to permit the free passage of the wind and to stop the operation of the mill.

S S designate wires which connect the wire N with the spring-catches R.

T designates a wire, one end of which is secured to one end of the lever N. This wire T extends into and down through the hollow shaft B within convenient reach of a person on the ground, and in the case where the shaft B is formed solid the wire T extends through grooves formed insaid shaft B at the point or points where it extends through the brackets A.

W" designates a notched bar which is pivotally secured to the tower-post, the notches of which bar engage with the rungs of a ladder W for the purpose of holding the ladder in an upright position to enable a person to readily and safely gain access to any part of the mill.

To stop the mill, all that is necessary to do is to draw down on the wire T. This adjusts the lever N, wire N, loop N wires N N and S until the catches R are adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 3, and these parts may be held in this position by the loop T of the wire T binding on the shaft B, or said wireT may be held as adjusted by engaging its lower end with a hook, boss, or projection on the shaft B, or in any manner or by any means found most suitable or convenient. When the catches R are adjusted as described, as the sails Lmove around to the right-hand side of the mill (shown in Fig. 1) the force of the wind adjusts the sails L in a horizontal position, which causes them to move down the inclined face R and snap under the shoulder R of the catches R, which shoulder R engages with the pocket or opening Z of the sail L to firmly hold and lock the sail in this horizontal position. This drawing downward on the wire T to adjust the catches R to the position shown in Fig. 3 makes said catches R resilient, so that when wishing to start the mill again all that is necessary to do is to release the lower end of the wire T, when the. resilience of the catches R will adjust them from in contact with the sails L, and this action will adjust the wires S, N and N loop N wire N, and lever N to the position shown in Fig. 2 and leave the sails to be freely acted upon by the wind, as hereinbefore described, in order to operate the mill.

The construction herein shown and described I have found by experiment to give the best results. At the same time while I prefer the same I do not Wish to limit myself to the details thereof, as they may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The shaft, B, the hub, D, standard, E, lever,N,wire, T, horizontal arms, F, F,frames, H, and sails, L, pivoted off their center in combination With the catches, R, and bar, P, and means for supporting said bar, P, and for connecting the catches, R, with the lever, N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The shaft, B, the hub, D, standard, E, lever, N, Wire, T, horizontal arms, F, F, weights, M, frames, H, pivotal wires, K, stop- Wires, J, and sails, L, pivoted off their center in combination with the catches, R, and bar, P, and means for supporting said bar, P, and for connecting the catches, R, with the lever, N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The shaft, 13, the hub, D, standard, E, lever,N,wire,T,h0rizontal arms, F, F, frames, H, and sails, L, pivoted off their center in combination with the catches, R, and bar, P, stay or brace wires, 0, 0', O and, O and means for connecting the catches, R, with the lever, N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The shaft, B, the hub, D, the standard,

E, lever, N, wire, T, horizontal arms, F, F,

frames, H, and sails, L, pivoted off their center in combination with the catches, R, the wires, S, N N and, N, and ring, N the bar, P, and means for supporting the latter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The shaft, 13, the hub, D, the standard, E, lever, N, wire, T, horizontal arms, F, F, frames, H, and sails, L, pivoted off their center and in which the pocket or opening, 1 is formed in combination with catches, R, provided with the shoulder, R, and the bar, P, and means for supporting the latter and for connecting the catches, R, with the lever, N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The shaft, B, the hub, D, the standard, E, lever, N, wire, T, horizontal arms, F, F, frames, H, and sails, L, pivoted off their center in combination with the catches, R, wires, S, S, N N and, N, and ring, N the bar, P, and the brace-wires, O, 0, O 0 substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The shaft, B, tower, A, bracket, A, bearing, A hub, D, standard, E, lever, N, wire, T, horizontal arms, F, F, frames, I-I, braces, G, G, and, I, and the sails, L, pivoted off their center, in combination with the bar, P, and the brace-wires, O, O, 0 0 the catches, R, and the connecting-wires, S, S, N N and, N, and ring, N substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the two undersigned witnesses.

JAMES N. BRUCE.

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