Improvements in Water-wheels.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1891
Complete Specific tion Left, 29th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water-wheels.
I, HORTENSIUS COATES SIMPSON, of Granville Street, Copthorne Road,
Shrewsbury, Salop, General Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
It is well known that the efficiency of water-wheels as usually constructed, and
particularly of undershot and breast water wheels, is often very considerably
diminished in flood times through the water of the stream rising up the wheel and
thereby retarding it.
This defect it is the chief object of my invention to overcome, as far as practicable,
which I accomplish by constructing and arranging the floats as hereinafter described
so that those floats on the ascending side of the wheel will not retard the wheel
although they may be very considerably immersed in the water.
According to this invention the floats are not rigidly fixed as is usual but they
are each carried by, and free to turn about, a pivot or cross shaft running across
the face of the wheel from one shroud to the other. The outer part of the float,
that is the part beyond the pivot, is made heavier or longer than the inner part
thereof, or the part which is nearer to the centre of the wheel, so that the floats
have a tendency to hang vertically about their pivots. Stops arranged on the
shrouds or otherwise maintain the floats on the lower part of the descending side of
the wheel in a radial or other pre-arranged position, but these stops do not prevent
the floats turning on their pivots and hanging perpendicularly or nearly so, as they
have a tendency to do, directly they have passed the vertical centre line and
commence to rise. By these floats which have passed the vertical centre line being
free to hang perpendicularly or nearly so, as above described, they accommodate
themselves to the speed of the tail water or stream and leave the tail water or
stream about vertically and thus do not retard the rotation of the wheel as fixed
floats do.
I prefer to make the floats much. deeper than is usual so as to utilize the
increasing volume of water of the stream as it rises up the water wheel and avoid
any extensive loss of power.
As the floats rise they come into contact with other stops arranged on the shrouds
or otherwise which prevent the floats turning any further about their pivots until
they arrive at the descending side of the wheel where (when they have descended a
certain distance) they turn over one after the other to the said radial or other
pre-arranged position above mentioned ready for the water to act upon them.
Dated this 26th day of June 1891.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water-wheels.
I, HORTENSIUS COATES SIMPSON, of Granville Street, Copthorne Road,
Shrewsbury, Salop, General Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
It is well known that the efficiency of water wheels as usually constructed, and
particularly of undershot and breast water wheels, is often very considerably

page_text: diminished in flood times through the water of the stream rising up the wheel and
thereby retarding it.
-
This defect it is the chief object of my invention to overcome as far as practicable
which I accomplish by constructing and arranging the floats or paddles as herein-
after described so that those floats or paddles on the ascending side of the wheel
will not retard the wheel although they may be very considerably immersed in the
water.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which
Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation; Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation; Fig. 3 is
a side elevation and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a water wheel having its floats or
paddles constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention;
Fig. 5 shews separately one of the floats or paddles of the same in front elevation
and side sectional elevation and in plan.
According to this invention the floats or paddles A are not rigidly fixed to the
wheel as is usual but they are each carried by, and free to turn about, a pivot or
cross shaft running across the face of the wheel from one shroud or side c¹ to the
other shroud or side c². These pivots or cross shafts may either be fixed to the
floats or paddles and turn in bearings in the shrouds or sides, or the floats or
paddles may be free to turn upon the shafts. The outer part of the float or paddle,
that is, the part al beyond the pivot b, is made heavier or longer or wider than the
inner part thereof, or the part 2 which is nearer to the centre of the wheel, so that,
as will be seen on the drawing, the floats A have a tendency to hang vertically
about their pivots. Stops.d arranged on the shrouds or sides or other part of
the wheel maintain the Hoats A on the lower part of the descending side of the
wheel (that is the left hand side in Figs. 1 and 3) in a radial or other pre-arranged
position as may be required "but these stops d do not prevent the floats A turning
on their pivots and hanging perpendicularly or nearly so, as they have a tendency
to do, directly they have passed the vertical centre line and commence to rise (as
shewn on the right hand side of the wheel in Figs. 1 and 3 and in Fig. 4). By
these floats A which have passed the vertical centre line being free to hang
perpendicularly or nearly so, as above described and shewn in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, they
accommodate themselves to the speed of the tail water or stream and leave the tail
water or stream about vertically and thus do not retard the rotation of the wheel as
fixed floats do.
I prefer to make the floats A much deeper than is usual so as to utilise the
increasing volume of water of the stream as it rises up the water wheel and thus
avoid any extensive loss of power through the water rising up the wheel which is a
defect in undershot and breast water wheels as usually made.
As the floats A rise (as shewn at the upper right hand side of Figs. 1, 3 and 4)
they come into contact with other stops d (which as shewn may also form the first
said stops for keeping the next floats in position on the descending side of the
wheel) arranged on the shrouds or sides or otherwise which prevent the floats A
turning any further about their pivots until they arrive at the descending side of
the wheel (that is the left hand side in Figs. 1 and 3) where (when they have
descended a certain distance) they turn over on their pivots one after the other to
the aforesaid radial or other pre-arranged position ready for the water to act
upon them.
These last said stops d which prevent the rising floats A from turning too far
about their pivots may, as shewn on my drawing, form the first said stops for
keeping the next floats in position on the descending side of the wheel; or when
the floats are too far apart for this then separate stops may be used; or various
other means may be employed to prevent the floats turning too far in either
direction, as for instance each float may have a projecting piece or pieces e at each
side (see Fig. 1) which projecting pieces come into contact with the sides or shrouds
of the wheel when the Hoat is ascending; or the floats may as shewn in Figs. 1, 2
and 5 be arranged to project at a over the rims of the wheel at each side and come

page_text: into contact with the wheel rims when ascending and thus form stops to prevent
the floats turning too far.
Water wheels constructed as above described are applicable for use as breast
wheels or as undershot wheels (either fixed current or tidal wheels) or as overshot.
In Fig. 1 the wheel is shewn as an undershot wheel and in Figs. 3 and 4 it is shewn
as a breast wheel the wheel race being curved to suit the wheel so as to enclose the
water as is common with breast wheels.
The inner circumference of the wheel may either be enclosed by a ring-
extending from one side to the other so as to prevent the water running through
the floats as in the breast wheel shewn by Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 or this part may be
open, as is preferable when the wheel is used as an undershot wheel.
I do not confine myself to any particular form of float; when made in the form
shewn on my drawing with turned up sides a³ a¹ they act very well but any other.
form (such for instance as spoon or ladle shaped floats) may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
In a water wheel the use of floats or paddles so arranged that as the wheel
revolves they turn on side pivots and hang perpendicularly or nearly so on the
lower part of the ascending side of the wheel and turn over into a radial or other-
pre-arranged position on the descending side of the wheel ready for the water to-
act upon them for the purpose and substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 28th day of March 1892.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.