Improvements in or relating to Fluid-pressure Turbines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Fluid-pressure Turbines.
A communication by JOHN FRANKLIN BRADY, of Chicago, in the County of Cook
and State of Illinois, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., Agent for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 relates to steam turbines, but the same may be actuated by
any gas under pressure.
Its object is to provide a construction adapted to withstand, and to utilise for
power, either steam or gas under very high pressure, and in which the several
revolving parts are not subjected to undue frictional contact on account of such
high pressures.
Another object is to so arrange the operative parts that a turbine may be
altered to several different sizes, without increasing the diameter of the largest
revolving parts upon which the steam operates by simply adding additional
similar parts of the same diameter, and increasing the length of the central
shaft, as is hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is an axial vertical section of the operative parts, together with the
exhaust steam case broken away to an axial section in parts to illustrate manner
of mounting the axial portion of the turbine centrally within the case, which
latter serves also as a frame. Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respectively, outside, edge
and inside elevations of one of the turbine discs, and also illustrate the form of
both of the outside turbine discs, as is shown hereinafter.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of an inside turbine disc, looking in the direction
indicated by arrow 9, in Figure 6, which latter is an edge elevation of the inside
turbine disc, together with a side elevation of the central shaft upon which it
is mounted. Figure 7 is a cross section. down through two series of vanes,
formed
between two discs, to illustrate the oppositely inclined steam passageways
by the vanes of the opposing discs when in proper operative position. Figure 8
is a vertical axial section of a modification of the turbine, illustrated in Figure 1,
to show method of increasing the size in order to develop more power by adding
more vane discs, as is herein more fully explained.
Figure 9 is a frontal elevation of a peripheral portion of one of the vane discs
showing four vane discs projecting therefrom near the peripheral margin of the
disc, and the faces of these vanes are all inclined at about the same angle to a
radial line of the discs.
Figure 9 also shows cross sections of four vanes which in practice project from
the opposite disc and whose faces subtend an angle the opposite to the faces of
is drawn to a scale
the vanes near the peripheral margin of the disc. Figure

page_text: substantially the size preferred in practice to give good results and also to clearly
illustrate the trapezoidal cross section thereof.
Similar letters. indicate like parts throughout the several views.
The exhaust steam case A is a circular shell, similar to what is used in an
ordinary rotary blower, and at the axial portion thereof are bosses B and C in
which are mounted laterally projecting journals D and E, of the sides of the
principal vane discs I and G. In this instance, vane discs F and. G are flanged at
the peripheral edges, and being concave in shape, are bolted together around the
margin so as to leave a hollow chamber between them.
All around the sides, near the peripheral margins, are exhaust holes, as shown
in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 7, at H, which lead out of the chamber into the interior
of the case A.
Mounted through the journals D and E, is a shaft I, which may be hollow
throughout its entire length, as shown in Figure 8, or through only a portion of
its length as shown in Figure 1.
At the central portion, and between vane discs F and G is a chamber in which
shaft I is enlarged, and through this enlarged portion are a number of holes J,
which serve as passageways for steam between the hollow portion of the shaft
and the space between the vane discs F and G. Mounted upon shaft I and securely
affixed thereto is a vane disc K.
Projecting inwardly from each of the vane discs F and G are circular rows
of vanes such as L and M, and projecting outwardly from each side face of vane
disc K are circular rows of vanes N and 0, the rows of vanes in disc K being
adapted to rotate between and in the same plane of the rows of vanes in discs F
and G, and the vanes in disc K are disposed so that the steam passageways
between them subtend an angle to a radial line the opposite to that of the
opposing vanes in discs F and G.
At the outer end of journal E of vane disc. G is a bevel cog wheel P, Figure 1,
and at the outer end of shaft I is a bevel cog wheel Q, and at R is a larger bevel
cog wheel mounted upon shaft S, and is engaged with cog wheels P and Q.
In the drawings, Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are shown on the same scale, and
are intended to more clearly illustrate the trapezoidal form of the vanes, than is
shown in Figure 1; and the number of rows of vanes and the size of the vanes
are not the same as is shown in Figure 1, since, in these figures, the vanes shown
are to illustrate their relative arrangement and manner of action.
There are many forms of vanes adapted to do duty in this steam turbine, but
there is one form which is shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 and illustrated in
Figure 9 full size which gives very satisfactory results, and is easily made and
of great strength to resist centrifugal force incident to the high speed obtained
by motors of this class.
Figure 9 shows four vanes 10 which project from disc K, and four vanes 11
in cross section which project from disc G, all these vanes being of substantially
a trapezoidal cross section.
One of the long faces 14 of these vanes subtends an angle to a radial line from
the centre of the disc to which they are attached and the next longest face 17
forms the outer or peripheral surface of the vane and the shorter faces 15 and 16
form the back of the vane.
As seen in Figure 9, by disposing the vanes 11 apart, and the broad faces 14
subtending an angle to a radial line from the centre of the disc, there is formed
a space 12 and a passageway 13 leading outwardly between the vanes at the same
angle as the faces 14.
Steam being admitted into the turbine through the hollow shaft I and the
holes J therein, the faces 14, Figures 1 and 9, of the first row of vanes T, Fig. 7
directs it substantially squarely against the faces of the second circle of vanes U,
and the passageways 12, 13, Figure 9, between the vanes in circle U, direct the
steam against the vanes in circle V, and so on, centrifugally, through the passage-

page_text: ways of all the outwardly succeeding circles of vanes, until the steam passes out
into the exhaust case through the peripheral holes H, such action of the steam
causing the attached discs F and G to revolve in one direction, and the inner
vane disc K to revolve in the opposite direction, the cog wheels P and Q
transmitting the motion to shaft S in one direction through cog wheel R.
In Figure 8 is shown a turbine which is substantially the same as in Figure 1,
but an additional inner vane disc attached to shaft I is shown at W, and a vane
disc is shown at X which is attached at its peripheral edge to the outer discs F
and G through the medium of the holes Y, and the filling or band Z between
the peripheral portions of outer discs F and G, through, or under which the
bolts pass.
It is obvious that a greater number of additional vane dises may be utilised
than is shown in Figure 8 by lengthening the shaft I between the shoulders of
the enlarged portion, and by separating the outer discs farther apart, and by
increasing the width of the case A.
The interspace between the outer vane discs F and G may be increased to
several times the width shown in Figure 8 in order to use a large volume of
steam under pressure with a series of discs and vanes of comparatively small
diameter, but adapted to revolve at a very high rate of speed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
-
1. In a steam turbine, two revoluble vane discs peripherally connected, and
each mounted apart upon a separate hollow journal so as to form an interspace,
a revoluble shaft mounted axially through the journals of the discs, and a vane
disc firmly mounted on the shaft within the interspace, and passageways leading
into the interspace from a source of steam supply, a series of circles of vanes, and
each vane disposed at the angle substantially as stated, and projecting from
the walls of the interspace, and a series of circles of vanes, each disposed at an
angle to the first named vanes and projecting from the sides of the shaft disc,
and adapted to revolve between and in a similar plane to the series of circles of
vanes of the walls of the interspace, and in an opposite direction, by virtue of the
action of steam, substantially as stated.
2. In a steam turbine, two revoluble vane discs peripherally connected, and
each mounted apart upon a separate hollow journal so as to form an interspace,
a revoluble shaft mounted axially through the journals of the discs, and a vane
shaft firmly mounted on the shaft within the interspace, an axial passageway it
the shaft in communication with a steam supply, and passageways through the
sides of the shaft leading into the interspace, a series of circles of vanes. each
disposed at the angle substantially as described and projecting from the walls
of the interspace, and a series of circles of vanes each disposed at an angle to the
first named vanes, and projecting from the sides of the shaft disc, and adapted
to revolve by the action of steam between and in a similar plane to the series of
circles of vanes of the walls of the interspace, and in an opposite direction
thereto, as stated.
3. In a steam turbine the vanes thereof having a substantially trapezoidal
cross section with one of the faces thereof disposed at an angle to a radial line
from the centre of the disc upon which the vanes are attached, each vane separated
from the one adjacent thereto, whereby passageways for steam are formed between
the vanes substantially as and for the purpose stated.