Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-03-04
Making Practical Water Motors.

Making Practical Water Motors.
The following article which explains
itself, was written on the above subject
by + H. Weston and appeared in the
February number of Domestic Ell
gineering, journal published monthly
! in Chicago:
I'm the 1891 Christmas edition of Dom
este Engineering, an article by Geo. ID
Rice, under the above titl,, attracted
nv attention, because of little practical
experience with water motors. While
Mr. Rices detailed description of three
different types of motors in certain points
of design are superior to anything ever
presented TO the public, yet, by slight
change they might be vastly improved
His motor with glass journal bearing
is a novel idea. Glass has such hard,
smooth surface, it ought TO make good
bearing if it does not chip. The ball
hearing shown is certainly commend
able as it comes the nearest to being
| frictionless of any bearing known, and
a motor thus constructed and properly
adjusted must develop the greatest
power from given supply of water.
From the description of motor. Fig /,
we are led TO believe that the buckets
are nearly two feet long, because the
motor box or body is two and quarter
feet wide, and there beng only eight
buckets and the speed rated at nine
turns minute, one would judge that
this motor would depend wholly upon
the weight of the water in the buckets
for power, were it not that the sketch
shows the jet striking the bucket at the
it retains no water, but depends wholly
upon the force of the water for power.
This motor must naturally run very
slow and with a great loss of power,
because the buckets are so far apart that
the force Of the water is wholly spent on
bucket No. /, and the bucket runs on
momentum until bucket No : comes
into range of the jet. Then again, the
power of this motor is lessened 10 some
extent by the introduction of the bevel
gears and an extra shaft, which increases
friction. In some instances the location
of the motor and the IN achinery run by
it might make it more convenient to
have the pully on a shaft at right angles
TO the motor axle, but in the majority OF
cases this extra shaft and the bevel gears
can be dispensed with and the efficiency
of the motor increased.
In motor, Fig. ?, the increased mum
Der of buckets is great improvement
as is also the placing of the pulley OF
the axle and dispensing with the beve
gears. The introduction of second je
is practical where the water supply il
unlimited, because two jets, each al
a bucket can carry, will exert twice thu
power of one jet, but if the supply O
water is limited and one jet will no
overlap a bucket, then one is better thar
two, because certain volume of watei
concentrated in one solid stream vii
exert more force than if the same volum,
be divided into two jets.
Motor No. can hardly be called {
motor, but is half brother to the old
fashioned ove1shot water wheel, and i
very crude.
The fat bottom motor box does no
give the waste water as good chance u
get away as a sloping bottom does, anC
the Jet ought to be directed as straigh
for the outlet as possible, so that tn
waste water will have ready access o
escape and meet with no resistance
The nozzles shown by Mr.. Rice are o
too long a taper, and create undue fric
ton TO the water, thus lessening it
force and decreasing the power, and
later on, will describe more practica
nozzel.
Here is a sketch of home made moto
which the writer built a year ago, ant
it has been giving excellent service eve
since. Although il contains som
practical features, yet there is ampl
room for improvement.
This motor box is built of pine lumber
the sides being half an inch thick
while the frame OF edge is ] sx3 inc
stuff, thus making the box three inche
thick inside. The bottom or leg upo
which it rests is fourteen inches wild
by three feet long, and extends beyon
the motor box i'll all directions far enoug
to catch any leak, and is two inche
deep, with a one.inch hole going int
, the outlet of the motor. 1t is thor oughl
saturated with paint inside and ou'