US796836A - Propulsion-wheel. - Google Patents

Description

No. 796,836. v PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

' A. 0. FLETCHER.

' PROPULSION WHEEL.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 11, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed May 11, 1905. Serial No. 259,989.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADDISON O. FLETCHER, acitizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Propulsion-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to propulsion-wheels.

A wheel involving my invention may be put to several advantageous uses, one of which and as represented in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification is for propelling or driving a ship or boat. In the said drawings I have illustrated two simple forms of embodiment of the invention, and I will set forth the same in detail in the following description in order to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, while the novelty of the latter will be included in'the claims succeeding said description.

In connection with each bucket or blade of the wheel I provide means for checking the flow of the water in opposite directions radially of the wheel when said bucket or blade is in its working relation, so that the complete depth of the active face of said blade can take hold of the water, the result being that I get the greatest amount of propelling efliciency from the blades. The means cooperative with the blades are of such a character that I do not impede the progress of the blades through the water, forl provide for the flow of water in reduced streams around the blades. In the present instance I arrange each blade between two devices, the latter serving tocheck the radial flow of the water either inwardly or outwardly, but being spaced from the blade between them to permit the water to pass in reduced streams through the spaces, so as not to retard the travel of the blade.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a propulsion-wheel including my invention, parts being broken away and in section to more clearly indicate the improved structure. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of a portion of said wheel. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the parts shown in -Fig. 2, the section being taken through the rings. Fig. 4 is a view corresponding-to Fig. 2 of a slightly-modified construction.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the diflferent figures of the drawings.

On a shaft are rigidly fastened in some suitable way hubs, as 2, separated a distance apart corresponding substantially to the width of the wheel. One of these hubs is illustrated in Fig. 2. From it and the companion hub arms or spokes, as 3, radiate. The arms may be of any suitable number. They are fastened to rings, as 4, in some convenient way, the arms or spokes in the present case being upon the outside of said rings.

Rigidly mounted between the two rings 4, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, are buckets or blades, as 5. These buckets or blades may be held in place in any desirable wayfor eX- ample, by means of angle brackets or plates, as 6, bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the buckets and rings, respectively. The hubs, arms, rings, and buckets may be made of any desirable material. For example, they .may be of wood or metal or of composite construction, as deemed most desirable.

Each bucket or blade 5 has its side faces angular to present a wedge-like structure or one that tapers from its inner toward its outer edge. The inclined faces, as will therefore be evident, are angular with respect to the radii of the wheel, so that when they enter the water they prevent any water from being thrown toward the center of the wheel.

On the outer side of each blade or bucket I arrange a plate, as 7 the buckets being respectively set edgewise to the plates. These plates 7 are fitted between and secured to the rings, for example, by means of angle-plates, as 8, bolted to the plates and rings, respectively. Upon reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that each plate slopes oppositely, outward from its apex, which is intersected by a radial line of the bucket, to its opposite ends. This inclination may be secured by arching or curving the inner surface of the plates outwardly-that is, the inner surface is convex. The side edges of the plates 7 are beveled in order that they can enter the water with the least possible resistance, and as their inner surfaces are curved they do not prevent the free How of the water between the plates and the outer edges of the respective blades, said blades and plates being spaced apart or separated, as will be clearly seen upon an inspection of Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

Between each bucket or blade 5 and ,the center of the wheel I arrange a plate, as 9, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) or one, as 9. (See Fig.

4.) The main function attained by the two 2 veezee forms of plates 9 and 9 is the same. The plate 9 has an intermediate outwardly arched or concaved body portion and two wings along the sides of said body portion, which are downwardly deflected and which have their outer faces curved, such wings being denoted by 9. The outer surface of the plate 9 is curved, so as to avoid the least possible resistance to the water. It will be evident, therefore, that each blade 5 is fitted between two plates 7 and 9 and is set edgewise with respect to said plates. The blades 5 have been described as being separated from the plates 7, while the same statement applies with respect to the blades and plates 9, so that as a blade travels through the water reduced streams of water can flow through the spaces between the inner and outer edges of the blade and plates 7 and 9, respectively, so as not to retard the desired motion of said blade. The plates 7 and 9 are of similar construction at opposite sides of the blade 5, so that the wheel and its adjuncts can work as well when moving in one direction as in the other.

As a blade enters the water and travels in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 the plates 7 and 9 cooperative therewith serve to check the upward and outward flow of the water immediately behind said blade or trap it in a measure, so that the entire depth of said blade can take hold of the water thus checked, by reason of which I am enabled to secure a working effect from the entire active face of the blade.

The mergence of the convex surface of the body of each plate 9 with the outer curved surfaces of the wings 9 present pockets to aid in checking the inward flow of the water back of the cooperating blade, while after said blade passes the vertical the wing 9 to the left of it (assuming that the blade follows the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1) will exert a propelling influence, for it can take hold of the water. The cross-sectional area of the lower plates is less than that of the upper ones, as they travel deeper into the water than said upper plates, and as the water is of greater density below its surface than at its surface I prevent by this variation in cross-sectional area of the two plates the impedance of the lower plates through the water. During the time each blade 5 is doing its work and is taking a hold upon a considerable body of water I provide for the relief of the trapped water around the upper and lower edges of the blade by the spaces between said edges and the plates 7 and 9.

It will be remembered that the blades 5 and plates 7 and 9 are fitted between the rings 4 of the wheel. These rings are imperforate and perform an important oflice, for they check flow of the water behind the blades laterally of thewheel or longitudinally of the blades, so that not only do I get the checking effect of the plates 7 and 9 to limit the flow of the water either inward or outward radially of the wheel, but I also prevent flow of the water sidewise of the wheel while being acted upon by each blade.

The blade 5 and plate 7 in Fig. 4 are the same in construction as the parts bearing similar characters hereinbefore described. The plate 9, however, constituting a hood for said blade, is of slightly different construction in that its outer surface is concaved instead of convex. When the water as the blade 5 travels on its working movement is thrown against this concaved face, a part thereof is deflected by such concaved face backwardly against the blade, so that a less amount of water will pass through the space between the blade and the plate and naturally a less propulsive speed will take place with a construction such as that shown in Fig. 4. This particular construction is well adapted to canal-boats. The concaved face of the body of the plate 9 is intersected centrally by a radial line of the wheel passing centrally through the blade 5, so that said plate will present symmetrically-curved surfaces at each side .of said blade, each of which will perform the deflecting operation referred to, depending, of

course, upon the direction in which the wheel is turning. The body of the plate 9 has upwardly-d eflected wings or flanges, which alternately serve as propulsive mediums to aid the blade 5.

I adopted the title propulsion-wheel asa convenient one for my invention and described in full the action of the wheel when used in connection with a boat or ship. The wheel can be adapted without change in its construction to other uses.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A propulsion-wheel having a bucket, and devices between which the bucket is disposed edgewise, serving to check the opposite flow of the water substantially radially of the wheel, behind said bucket, said devices being separated from the bucket to permit streams of water in a limited volume to pass between the bucket and said devices.

2. A propulsion-wheel havingabucket, and devices between which the bucket is disposed edgewise, serving to check the opposite flow of the water substantially radially of the wheel, behind said bucket, said devices being separated from the bucket to permit streams of'water in a limited volume to pass between the bucket and said devices, one of the latter having propelling means.

3. A propulsion-wheel havingabucket, and devices between which the bucket is disposed edgewise, serving to check the opposite flow of the water substantially radially of the wheel, behind said bucket, said devices being separated from the bucket to permit streams of water in a limited volume to pass between the bucket and said devices, said bucket haV recess 3 ing its side faces angular to present a wedgelike structure of least width along its outer edge.

4:. A prop ulsion-wheel having abucket, and devices between Which the bucket is disposed edgewise, serving to check opposite flow of the water substantially radially of the wheel, behind the bucket, said devices being separated from the bucket to permit streams of water in a limited volume to pass between the bucket and said devices, and means for preventing flow of the water behind the bucket, laterally of the wheel.

5. A propulsion-wheel having two laterallyseparated rings, buckets fitted between the rings, and plates at opposite sides of each bucket, the plates serving to check opposite flow of the water radially of a bucket, behind said bucket, and the rings serving to prevent DGSSGS.

ADDISON O. FLETCHER. Witnesses:

HEATH SUTHERLAND, MARY S. HANDY.

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