US61077A - Improvement in windmills - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STAT-ns" I13.4.'1 1a1\rr OFFICE.

ROBERT O. LOWREY, OF TABOR, IOVA, ASSIGNOR 'IO HIMSELF AND E. N. KELLOGG.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDMILLS.

' Specification' forming part of Letters Patent No. 61,077, dated January S, 1867.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT O. LOWREY, of Tabor, Fremont county, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vfindmills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the improved windmill. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one side of the same. Fig. 3 is a section taken through the mill in the vertical plane indicated by red line x a, Fig. 1.- Fig. 4 is a top view in detail of the hinged arms which carry the stops for checking the win gs.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in the several figures.`

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on the windmill which were secured to me by Letters Patent bearing date on the 29th day of April, 1862, the main object of which improvements is to so construct the mill that the wings are stopped at such angles with respect to the direction of the wind-currents as to secure the greatest amount of power from the wind. At the same time the said wings are each allowed to feather properly as they successively come around against the wind, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanyingdrawings, A represents a frame, which is adapted for supporting the vertical shaft B of the mill. This frame may be constructed as I have shown din the drawings, or in any other suitable` manner. The vertical shaft B is stepped in a suitable box npon the central base beam of frame A, and sustained in position at its upper end by a trussed beam of frame A.

In order to avoid much friction at the lower bearing of shaft B, I mount this shaft upon small anti-friction rollers a (indicated in dotted lines, Figs. 2 and 3) by applying a circular flange, a', to the shaft B, which flange also serves as a driving-drum, by which power can be transmitted from the shaft B for driving machinery.

U C are a nnmberof radial arms, which project yfrom the shaft B nearits upper end, which arms are arranged in a horizontal plane and braced rigidly. Beneath arms C C another set of radial arms, C' C', project from and are secured rigidly to the shaft B. The arms C of the upper series correspond in length and are arranged in vertical planes with the arms of the lower series, and the space between the two series of arms C C is equal to the vertical length of the wings D D, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The rectangular wings D may be constructedI of thin boards, secured to crosspieces at the upper and lower ends; and, if desirable, in the center of the wings cross-pieces may be secured, so as to afford stiffness to the wings. The win gs D are pivoted by vertical pins between their respective upper and lower arms, so that the wings will feather properly as they successively move around.

At the outer end of each radial arm of both the upper and lower series a cross-piece, d, is secured at right angles to its arm and to the ends of these cross -pieces d arms e c are pivoted, the outer ends of the lower series of which rest upon Yrods j, which project outward and downward, and the outer ends of the upper series of which are suspended from rods f', which curve upward.

The outer ends of the hinged arms c are connected by rods g to the outer ends of the arms c', so that these arms c c move in pairs outward andinward. To these arms e e', I apply pendent stops h, against which the wings D are pressed by the force of the wind, as will be further described. The arms e' are all connected, by ropes or cha-ins passing over pulleys t, with a sliding ring, G, which is applied upon the shaft B below the lower series of radial arms.

The ring G is constructed with a circular cup-shaped vessel for receiving weights, by means of which the pressure of wind against the wings D, bearing upon the stop-blocks h, can be resisted, so as to have these wings presented to the wind at any desired angle. It' the force of the wind acting upon the wings D exceeds the power represented by the weights which are put upon the sliding ring G, then this ring will be raised and the wings are allowed to swing out of the wind, so as to present a less resistance thereto, thereby regulating the power and speed of the mill.

The ring Gis constructedV with an annular groove for receiving the yoke on the end of a lever, J, which lever has its fulcrum upon a standard, J and can be secured at its rear or outer end in any desired position by means of a pin passed through one of a number of holes through a forked standard, K, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

By means of the leverJ the wings D can bel direction of the wind.

When the sliding loaded ring Gr is elevated to a certain height, and the arms e e', to which the stops h are applied, are allowed to be forced outward by the wings D, the arms or rods f f' will cause a separation of the upper and lower series of stops, so as to allow the wingsI D to swing clear of these stops.

The stops h are hung from staples that are secured to arms e e' in'such a manner that the lower ends of the stops preponderate. This keeps them in vertical positions, and causes them to assume the proper position for stopping the wings when pressed against in one direction, at the same time to allow the wings to trip thernwhen on the wrong side, and to assumev the proper position for receiving the wind-currents.

In Fig. 5 I have represented a mode of attaching the arms e e to the radial arms by metal loops, which will allow these arms e e to play freely inward and outward, as well as upward and downward, and at the same time prevents these arms from twisting when the wings D act against the stops h.

Havingdescribed my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isu

1. The application of stops h to hinged arms 0 e', which are connected together in pairs, and

.acted upon by a loaded sliding ring, G, upon the shaft B, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the stops h, arms e e', and wings D, in such a manner that the stops when tripped will again assume vertical positions, substantially as described.

3. Providing adjustable stops h on each side ofthe radial arms, to which the wings D are pivoted, for supporting the latter in the two positionswhich theyassume in each revolution, substantially as described.

4. Providing for allowing the stop-arms e e of the upper and lower series to separate vertically when forced outward, employing the curved rods f f for effecting this object, substantially as described.

R; O. LOWREY. Witnesses:

H. R. IVORY, G. C. ADAMS.

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