AND PRESSURE WIND VANES
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Dampin Seabrook Vernon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th April 1879.
DAMPIN SEABROOK VERNON, of Wellington, Somersetshire.
ELECTRIC DIRECTION AND PRESSURE WIND VANES."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This apparatus consists of three parts, viz., the vane, the indicator, and the
battery; and the object of it is to dispense with shafting.
The vane is made of two light thin boards of suitable material, fixed by screws
or otherwise to a solid piece of wood, through which is a hole of sufficient size to
allow a steel spindle to be placed loosely in it. At the top of the block and in a
vertical line with the centre of the spindle a brass plug is firmly screwed on, which
the vane freely and easily revolves when acted upon by the wind. At the lower
end of the block is a washer, fitting to the spindle for the purpose of steadying the
vane. The vane boards are placed in such a position that they incline from each
other and form an angle of 36 degrees with the end of the block. The width of the
boards to be suitable to the length of the vane and general construction.
Fixed on the upright support is a stout frame, constructed with a view of bringing
a wire to clear the vane and to form a contact with the top of it.
Projecting from the vane boss is an arrangement for carrying a weight to act as
a counter weight to the vane, and capable of being adjusted.
In a centre line with the spindle is a small light spring, pressed by a nut to the
contact piece for the purpose of making an electric contact with the top of vane.
In a suitable position is another spring for making a contact with the lower
portion.
At the top of the vane an insulated contact is formed for the purpose of con-
ducting the electric fluid. It is in two separate pieces of copper, so constructed
that notwithstanding contact being always formed the vane can revolve freely.
The under piece is projected to form the second contact or pass for the electric
fluid. A non-conductor is placed under this for complete insulation.
The vane carries under the boss a circular piece of ebonite, fixed to the spindle;
this is coated on it rim with copper, which copper rim is divided into 4, 8, 16, or
32 segments, insulation being complete between each segment.
These copper
segments are drawn into wire at their lower end and are attached to terminals.
I now describe the pressure arrangements.
Between the vane board is an arrangement for indicating the wind pressure or
intensity. A properly adjusted spring is attached to the vane boss, one end, and to

page_text: a pressure board the other, the pressure board by the wind pressure acting on its
surface making a contact with pieces of insulated copper, and so conducting a
current to the wires connected with the indicators. The spring is tempered and
adjusted for pressures upon one square foot, varying from 0 to 10.
The pressure board slides on friction rollers along grooves attached to the side of
the vane boards. The outside or exposed area of this board is one square foot, viz.,
one half a square foot exposed each side of the vane.
The pressure board is attached to the upper contact maker of vane by a flexible
conducting wire ending in a contact arrangement.
The contact is formed by an arm at the end of the contact board carrying a
small wheel conductor, and passing it over a series of 10 pieces of insulated copper,
these copper pieces being drawn off to wire and carried to contact makers resting
on ebonite circle.
The pressure lever is jointed at one end, thus allowing the weight of the lever to
rest upon the copper conductor, the wheel at the end of lever to be of such a size to
insure it never losing contact with one or the other of the insulated copper pieces.
The conductors over which the lever passes are drawn to wires, and each wire is
insulated with gutta percha covering. These pass through the boss of vane and
separate, being worked at the ends into a copper fork carrying a copper wheel that
turns in a slit in the fork, and thus by its weight forms a contact with a grooved
bottom circle or series of circles cut in the ebonite circle, lined with copper at
the bottom, and each copper circle to be drawn to a wire attached to series of
terminals.
The whole of the exposed wires and contact makers are covered with a suitable
cover as protection from the weather.
The electric current being directed by the vane and pressure contact makers the
wires from these are brought to terminals on the indicator, which is a suitable box
or case enclosing in proper positions 4, 8, or 16 electro magnets or galvanometers,
the current passing through which causes a lever to be attracted, to which the point
of the wind is attached by a letter, or by the deflection of the galvanometer needle,
or a hand moved by the electric current. The indicator is designed for 8, 16, or
32 points of the compass, and from 0 to 10 for wind pressure. The indicator is
designed to carry a battery at its base.
Explanation of the working of the arrangement:-
The electric current being completed by the negative wire being carried over top
of vane from thence the electricity passes to the contact makers, and so is conveyed
through electro magnets or galvanometers, after which the wires are joined and are
again connected with the positive pole of the battery.
The course of the electricity is directed by the lower contact maker, causing the
electro magnet to become a magnet on the current passing it, and cease becoming
magnetised when the current ceases or the galvanometer to deflect its needle by
same cause,