US603905A - Windmill - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2v Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. 'K. HUMPHREY.

WINDMILL.

No. 603,905. Patented May 10,1898.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' S. K. HUMPHREY. WINDMILL.

No. 603,905. Patented May 10,1898.

WITNESSES SETH K. HUMPHREY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WINDMILL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 603,905, dated. May 10, 1898.

Application filed August 28, 1897. Serial No. 649,880. (No model.)

I To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH K. HUMPHREY, of

Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of I windmills of that kind which comprise a series of feathering vanes rotating about a horizontal shaft and rotating upon horizontal journals fixed to the vanes.

This invention is an improvement upon the device shown in Letters Patent No. 531,038, granted to me December 18, 1894..

The invention consists in mounting the vanes upon a rotating frame and connecting them by means of crank-arms attached to the vane-shafts with an eccentric which is rotated about the main shaft in such a manner that the vanes will be rotated upon their shafts at one-half the speed of the rotation about the main shaft.

The invention also comprises certain means by which the angular position of the eccentric maybe changed so as to throw the vanes into an inoperative position, th us stopping the mill.

The invention further consistsof certain constructions which will be hereinafter particularly pointed out and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the windmill with one of the vanes removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation on the line 33 in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, O represents the supporting-framework carrying the windmill. This framework may be of'any suitable construction and is fixed so that it may not be turned upon an axis to face the mill in difierent directions. It is built so that the windmill will face in the direction of the most prevalent winds and is not thereafter shifted. Amill constructed on the principle of the present mill will run advantageously with the wind varying considerably from the direction to- Ward which the mill faces.

Upon the upper part of the frame 0 is journaled a horizontal shaft A. This shaft is journaled at each end thereof in bearings in the frame 0, and outside its journals said shaft is provided with a pulley A or any other suitable connection by which power may be communicated to the point desired. Upon the shaft A and within the frame 0 are placed spiders B, which are secured to rotate with the shaft and are provided with sockets to receive the arms B, carrying the vanes. I have herein shown onlyfour such arms, which ordinarily will be found sufficient. may be used if at any time desired. The mill will, however, work satisfactorily with a less number of arms, two being the least which will give satisfactory results.

Upon the outer ends of the arms B are pivoted the shafts b of the vanes I). These shafts and the vanes are pivoted in such a manner that the vanes may rotate within the frame formed by the arms B and spiders B. Upon one end of the shafts b are fixed crank-arms f, which are so fixed with reference to the position of the vane that they are all at different angles, the arms upon the consecutive vanes varying forty-five degrees from each other. As a result of this the crank-arms f are parallel at all times, as will be seen by examining Fig. 2. As a greater or less number of vanes are used the variation in the position of the arms f will correspondingly differ, being less if there are more arms and greater if there are less arms. The body of the vanes may be made of canvas, wood, metal, or any suitable material.

One of the spiders B is formed with a bevel-gear D upon the outer surface thereof. This spider and gear are preferably made in one piece, although they may be made separate, if desired. The frame O is provided with a gear-wheel D of the same size as and placed exactly opposite the gear-wheel D. The gear-Wheel D,which is fixed to the frame, is mounted upon a center, so that it may be rotated through an angle of ninety degrees. In the drawings this center is shown as provided with lugs 01, hooking over the inner edge of the ring which constitutes the wheel. This holds the wheel in place and permits its oscillation. To limit the oscillation of the wheel, it is provided with a stop or lug 9, adapted to engage two of the adjacent lugs d.

More arms The ring forming the wheel D is provided with oppositely-extending arms G, which at either end are provided with cords G and G or other suitable connecting means by which the wheel may be oscillated from a distance.

Mounted upon the shaft A between the gears D and D is a casting E. As shown in the drawings, this casting is in skeleton form and consists of a triangular-shaped frame having a pivoting-journal surrounding the shaft A. This forms, in effect, an eccentric of large throw. At the corners of the triangle are mounted rollers e, which are flanged or grooved, so that the ring F, which surrounds the same, will be held in place thereon, this ring F constituting an eccentric-strap. Said ring is connected by means of the bars Fwith the crank-pins) upon the outer ends of the cranks f. The frame E carries a bevelpinion D which meshes with both of the gears D and D. As the frame B, carrying the windmill-vanes, rotates upon its axis the gear D, mounted thereon,will rotate the bevelpinion D and the frame E, carrying this pinion, will travel about the shaft A at a speed equal to one-half the speed of the windmill. In consequence of this the vanes will be turned upon their axes once while they make two revolutions about the central shaft A. The eccentricity of the frame should be equal to the throw of the cranks f.

The normal position of the vanes when at work will be that shown by full lines in Fig. 2. In this view the upper vane is vertical, while the two vanes on a level with the shaft A are at an angle of forty-five degrees, and the lower vane is horizontal. The mill will thus be able to work with the wind blowing in either direction. The two middle vanes will be acted upon by the deflection of the air, so as to rotate the wheel in the same direction as that caused by the wind-pressure upon the upper vanes. The vanes will also be operated even if the wind varies considerably from adirect front wind. This variation may be as much as sixty degrees to either side of the center. The mill will also be rotated equally well with the wind from the front or rear, but in opposite direction, so that the mill is capable of operation by a wind coming from any point within. one hundred and twenty degrees on either side of the mill. A wind which comes from a quartering direction will act upon the vanes by deflection, so as to rotate it,'although with not quite as much force as it would were it from a front or rear direction. In view of this fact it is thought desirable to make the supports stationary, and thus avoid the complications due to rotating the mill, so as to face in the direction of the wind.

In order to throw the mill out of operation, the gear D is rotated upon its bearings through an arc of ninety degrees. This is done by means of the cords G and G If the gear D be rotated upon its center, it will act upon the pinion D to carry it along with the gear-D. This will result in shifting the eccentric through an angle of forty-five de grees, which will throw the vanes into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. In this position one of the middle vanes is horizontal and the other vertical, while the top and bottom vanes are at an angle of fortyfive degrees, extendin gin opposite directions. As a consequence the wind will have no turning effect upon the wheel. In case it is desired to place all of the vanes horizontal this may be accomplished by releasing the cranks f from the rods f, connecting them with the eccentric and lockin g the vanes to some fixed point of support.

The frame of the eccentric shown herewith is one which is cheap in construction, cannot easily get out of order, and causes very little friction. The method of operating the vanes herein shown is much simpler, and the vanes are stronger and less liable to get out of order than described and shown in my previous patent. Experience has shown that the winds in any locality, through at least eighty-five per cent. of the time, are within the working range of a windmill of this sort. It is therefore thought unnecessary to provide any means of shifting the windmill so as to face the wind.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A windmill having a main horizontal shaft, fixed bearings for said shaft, arms carried on said shaft, vanes carried by said arms on horizontal journals, crank-arms fixed to the vane-journals, an eccentric mounted to rotate about the main shaft at one-half the speed thereof, a strap surrounding said eccentric, and connections from said strap to the crank-arms upon the main journals, substantially as described.

2. A windmill having a main horizontal shaft, fixed bearings for said shaft, arms carried on said shaft, vanes carried by said arms on horizontal journals, crank-arms fixed to the vane-journals, an eccentric mounted to rotate about the main shaft at one-half the speed thereof, a strap surrounding said eccentric, connections from said strap to the crank arms upon the vane journals, and means for shifting the angular position of the said eccentric to throw the vanes into an inoperative position substantially as described.

3. A feathering device for windmills of the class herein described, comprising a frame pivoted concentric with the windmill-shaft and carrying three or more rollers, said rollers being tangent to a circumscribed eccentric circle, a ring surrounding said rollers, connections from said ring to the vanes for oscillating them, a bevel -gear attached to the wheel-shaft, and a similar wheel fixed to the mill-supports and facing the first-named wheel, and a bevel-pinion carried by the eccentric-frame and engaging both gears, substantially as described.

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4. Afeathering device for Windmills of the ing adapted to have a limited oscillation, class herein described, comprising a frame arms connected thereto, cords or similar conpivoted eccentric to the Windmill-shaft and nections from said arms for operating them carrying three or more rollers, said rollers befrom a distance, and a bevel-pinion carried 5 ing tangent to a circumscribed eccentric cirby the eecentric frame and engaging both 15 cle, a ring surrounding said rollers, conneegears, substantially as described.

t-ions from said ring to the vanes for oscillat- SETH K. HUMPHREY. ing them, a bevel-gear attached to the wheel- Witnesses: shaft and a similar gear fixed to the supports FRANCIS LEEDS,

10 and facing the first gear, said latter gear be- GRACE A. DAMON.

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