Improved Form of Wind Motor for Electric Lighting and other Purposes and Mode of Regulating and Controlling the Machinery Driven thereby.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 10th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 21st Oct., 1887.
Improved Form of Wind Motor for Electric Lighting and other
Purposes and Mode of Regulating and Controlling the Machinery
Driven thereby.
I, JOSEPH GRIFFITHS Tool Maker Caergurle Wrexham do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My Invention relates to a novel form of Wind Motor for Electric Lighting and
other purposes whereby the Motor is allowed to work under any pressure of wind,
while the machinery driven thereby is made to run at one uniform speed whatever
variations may take place in the speed of the motor.
The Motor consists of a circular case, fixed in an upright position, with lateral
openings all around to admit the wind inside, between upright plates called deflectors,
which are curved laterally so as to deflect the wind in a certain direction, to act on a
wheel which is placed inside the case.
The wheel is fixed on a vertical shaft, and is set in motion by the action of the wind.
The shaft passes downwards through the case, and communicates its motion to the
machinery by means of cogs, or, of friction wheels.
The case consists of a base plate, and a crown plate, in the form of discs, or wide
rings, and a number of upright plates or deflectors curved laterally.
The upright plates are arranged at certain distances apart all around, and are
fastened to the base plate, and crown plate, by means of either bolts, or rivets and
angle-irons.
The upright plates are in two parts, divided vertically, the outer half extending
about half way through or across the rings, or plates, being fixed, and the inner half,
extending nearly to the wheel inside the case, revolve on their axes between stops;
the axes being in the middle of the rings, against the inner edge of the outer upright

page_text: plates or deflectors, and working in bearings, or sockets, fixed in the crown and base
plates; the deflectors may also be made of one piece, to be fixed and not to revolve,
or a certain number of them to be of one piece, and the remainder to be divided as
described.
The wind enters the case between the deflectors, which deflect it, so that it acts on
the wheel to the best advantage, and the wind, after forcing the wheel around, escapes
out on the opposite side, the inner half of the deflectors on the opposite side, reversing
themselves to allow the wind to escape.
The wheel is formed by fixing two discs, with triangular projections, or arms, on a
shaft at a certain distance apart; then pass rods, or stays, from one disc to the other,
arranged in the form of a triangle, one stay at the extreme end of the projection, and
the other at the lowest point between the projections, and so all around. I, then take
canvass of the same width as the distance between the discs. I fasten one end of the
canvass to one of the stays, and wind it alternately under and over the stays, until it
is brought back to the starting-point, where it is fastened.
The case has a roof slightly raised, with valves, or doors opening outwards, to allow
the wind to escape when the pressure is very heavy.
I regulate the speed of the machinery, by means of a governor and tapered cones.
On a shaft which receives its motion from the motor, I have a tapered cone, with belt
running from it on another tapered cone, on a counter-shaft; by altering the position
of the belt on the cones, the counter-shaft can be regulated to run at one uniformn
speed, whatever changes may take place, in the speed of the motor, one end of each
cone is flat, for about one-fourth of its length.
1 provide a governor, which is driven by means of gearing from the counter
shaft.
On the slide, or runner, of the governor, are two wheels either flat like discs, or
bevelled; and between these wheels, on a spindle at right angles, is another wheel of
the form usually given to conical, or speed pulleys, having one or more speeds. The
form of this must be to match the wheels on the slide, that is flat or bevelled, as the
case may be.
This wheel will slide on the spindle, but it is held in its place by means of a spring,
it can be drawn out of gear by means of a lever which is provided.
On the spindle is a worm, which works a worm wheel, on the axis of which is a
pinion, which is geared into a toothed rack, called the bobby. This rack or bobby is
a straight bar or rod, attached to one end are two arms or forks, through which the
belt on the tapered cones works.
The motion of the slide when the governor balls rise above, or fall below, the position
for which they are set, brings one or other of the wheels on the slide, in contact with
the wheel between them, and drives this wheel one way or other. This motion is
communicated through the worm wheel to the bobby, and this alters the position of
the belt on the cones, and the machinery is brought to its normal speed again.
The belt driving the dynamo is worked from a pulley on the counter shaft, or some
shaft driven thereby, on which is a loose and a fast pulley.
The belt is kept on the fast pulley by means of a spring lever and fork, and is
shifted on to the loose pulley by means of a lever. This lever, and the lever of the
conical wheel on worm spindle, and the lever of a switch for making and breaking
contact between the dynamo and accumulators, lie in the track of the bobby, or of rods
or levers moved thereby.
When the speed of the motor continues to decrease, the bobby moves backwards,
and comes, against the lever of conical wheel, forcing it back, and the wheel is brought
one speed away from contact with the wheels on the slide, and the slide may lower
without contact.
If the speed still continues to decrease, the wheel on the slide will come in contact
with the second speed on the conical wheel, this causes the bobby to move further
back, bringing it against the lever of the dynamo belt, pushing it back, and the belt
is moved on to the loose pulley, and the dynamo stops. It at the same time comes
against the lever of the switch, and the contact between the dynamo and accumulators

page_text: is broken. The conical wheel is drawn altogether out of gear, and the governor
is free.
When the motor attains a sufficient speed again to drive the dynamo, the governor
balls will rise, and the lower wheel on the slide, which is of a larger diameter than the
top one, comes in contact with the conical wheel, the bobby is made to move forward;
the pressure being taken off the levers, they spring back to their places; the dynamo
belt being moved on to the fast pulley, the dynamo is started, and the contact is made
between it and the accumulators, the conical wheel having been forced back into its
place, between the wheels on the slide, is ready to do its work of regulating the speed
again.
Dated this 9th day of December 1886.

page_text: Improved Form of Wind Motor for Electric Lighting and other
Purposes and Mode of Regulating and Controlling the Machinery
Driven thereby.
I, JOSEPH GRIFFITHS of Caergurle, Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement —
This invention is designed mainly for that form of wind motors where the wheel or
vanes revolve on a vertical shaft. The invention can, however be used with a horizontal
or oblique shaft; in the specification hereafter and in the drawings I shall however
only refer to the vertical shaft arrangement, it being obvious that other positions can
be arranged with slight modifications.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1, is a general arrangement in elevation.
Figure 2, side elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 3, plan of Figure 1.
Figure 4, horizontal section of wind wheel.
In these A is a foundation plate fixed on any suitable supports, B, vertical shaft
carried in suitable stationary bearings, not shown. CC and DD, two ranges of
vertical rods fixed to discs at each end, said discs being firmly keyed to shaft B. E is
a fabric of canvas or any suitable material stretched round rods C and D alternately,
and preferably attached to two discs also, or else the two discs have projecting flanges
against which the fabric rests. It forms thus a series of radial and approximately
tangential sides for catching the wind. F, F, are a series of fixed curved vanes
attached to foundation plate A, and to a fixed plate at top also. GG, are another
series of vanes rotating on pivots H H, and capable of rotating on said pivots through
a limited arc, but stopped from further motion by stops I, I, JJ, so that they can
either stand as continuations of vanes F, or can be partially folded up as shown on the
lee side of the wind wheel. The windward and lee sides are distinguished in the
drawing by the direction of the arrows, which are here supposed to travel with the
wind. The mode of action of this part of the apparatus is as follows:-
The wind blowing in the direction of the arrows is guided by the stationary vanes F,
and movable vanes G, till it strikes the radial portion of cloth E nearly at right angles,
and causes the inner drum to revolve. The wind escapes as it reaches the opposite
side of the wheel, blowing the vanes C temporarily back against pins I. When,
however, the wind changes to the other side, vanes G are blown back against pins J
at that side, and thus again act as guides, while the vanes G on the other side take
the reverse position, and so do not interfere materially with the exit wind.
Bevel wheels K, K, connect shaft L (carrying cone pulley M) to shaft B. In some
cases cone pulley M is put direct on shaft B. This cone pulley is connected to another
cone pulley N on the driving shaft of the machinery, and from this shaft the
governor P is run by bevel gear Q or other connector.
The sleeve R of the governor carries two discs S and S¹; as these rise or fall
beyond given limits, they come into gear with friction wheel T, which, by means of

page_text: worm U, wheel V, pinion W, and rack X, or equivalent mechanism, shifts the belt Y
on pulleys M and N, and thus regulates the speed of the driving shaft. Thus no
matter at what speed the wind drives the wind wheel, the driving shaft O goes at a
nearly uniform speed. By this means that regular driving is obtained, which is so
desirable for dynamos. When, however, the apparatus is used for driving dynamos,
one end of each cone is preferably made cylindrical for about one-fourth of its length.
The wheel T slides on a feather on its spindle, and is held in its place by means of a
spring 3, but can be drawn out of gear by a lever Z pivoted at 1, and having a
continuation 2 beyond the pivot standing in the path of rack X. The belt driving
the dynamo is worked from a pulley on the counter-shaft or other shaft driven thereby,
and is provided with a fast and loose pulley and belt guide. This belt guide is worked
by a lever, which, together with the lever Z, and a lever of a switch for making and
breaking contact between the dynamo and the accumulators, lie in the track of rack X,
or its equivalent, so that, whenever rack X, owing to want of power in the wind,
travels so far as to push the belt on the cylindrical parts of the conical pulleys (the
ends nearest to it in the drawing) the racks shall operate these levers, and cut off the
dynamo from further work, and disconnect it from the accumulators. The governor
is also disconnected from acting on the mechanism by the rack pushing the lever Z
and thus drawing wheel T out of gear. When, however, the motor attains sufficient
speed to again drive the dynamo, the governor balls will rise and draw up the
wheels S, S', with them. The lower wheel S¹ being of larger diameter than S will
come in contact with T, and draw the rack back, taking off the pressure and causing
the levers to spring back, the dynamo belt to return to the fast pulley, and the dynamo
to be again set in action, and its current switched on to the accumulators, or to its
other work, as required. The wheel T is at the same time propelled forward by spring 3,
till it can be again acted upon when required, by the disc S.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1st. A wind wheel or wind turbine formed with outer stationary vanes F, having
movable continuations G, formed with stop devices, substantially as described.
2nd. A wind wheel or turbine arranged with outer guides and inner revolving
wheel, having buckets with preferably flexible radial faces, arranged so as to face the
incurrent of wind approximately at right angles, substantially as described.
3rd. The wind motor, constructed and arranged as a whole, substantially as
described.
4th. The method and apparatus as a whole for regulating or governing the speed of
machinery driven by a wind vane, substantially as described, and as illustrated in
figures 1, 2, and 3, no claim being made for any individual part taken separately, but
only when combined with others of them to make a complete governing apparatus, for
the purposes described.
5th. In a wind motor driving a dynamo or other mechanism requiring a very uniform
speed, in combination with a governing mechanism for making the speed uniform,
automatic appliances so placed in connection with the governing mechanism, that if
the wind falls so much as to be unable to do the work at the speed required, the
connections with the dynamo or other such work shall be instantly cut off, and shall
again be automatically put in gear as soon as there is sufficient power in the motor to
drive the work at the speed required.
Dated this 0th day of Santamber 1887