IMPROVEMENTS IN DYNAMO-ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO DYNAMIC MACHINES AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRIC POWER 12
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Siemens formerly known as Charles William
Siemens of No 12 Queen Anne's Gate Westminster in the county of Middlesex,
Knight for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYNAMO-ELECTRIC AND
ELECTRO DYNAMIC MACHINES AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
FOR MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRIC POWER
12
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Siemens at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1883.
WILLIAM SIEMENS formerly known as Charles William Siemens of N° 12 Queen
Anne's Gate Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Knight "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DYNAMO-ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO-DYNAMIC MACHINES AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH FOR MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRIC POWER
"
In constructing, according to my present invention, a machine applicable either
as a dynamo-electric or electro-dynamic machine, I employ a coiled armature of
any known construction, having a non-magnetic core, and I surround this by a
stationary coil of wire arranged as a meridian to the armature, that is to say, in a
plane passing through the axis of revolution. I provide a commutator of ordinary
construction, with brushes or their equivalents, for collecting or distributing the
electric currents to the rotating or to both sets of coils, either seriatim or in parallel
circuit. When the machine is used as a dynamo-electric machine for generating
electricity, the induction of currents may be started either by transmission of a
current from an extraneous source, or by the presence of a permanent magnet.
When the machine is used as an electro-dynamic machine for producing motive
power, no provision for starting induction of currents is necessary. Instead of
employing a single stationary meridian coil, two or more such coils may be used,
the commutator and its brushes being arranged for the effective working of the
multiple meridian coils.
In order to lubricate the commutator rubbers, I make them as flattened tubes
charged with paraffin, or other lubricant fusible at a moderate temperature, and I
perforate the tube with holes at or near its contact with the commutator, so that

page_text: when that part of the tube becomes heated by friction, a portion of the lubricant
flows out and causes the friction to become reduced. This kind of rubber is
obviously applicable to the commutators of electric machines generally. A machine
of the kind described provided with a resistance, such as that of a flyer, or of vanes
revolving in a liquid, and geared to a counter, may be employed as an electric
power meter, its coils being connected in the circuit of which the electricity has to
be measured, or in a by-pass circuit, taking a known fraction of the total current.
By properly adjusting the electrical and mechanical resistances, the velocity of
rotation of the armature, in virtue of the mutual action of the two sets of coils,
may, within moderate limits, be proportioned to the dynamical energy of the
electricity circulating through the coils, and consequently, the number of revolutions
registered by the counter would nearly indicate the amount of the dynamical
energy of the electricity that has passed through the apparatus. The counter may
be so graduated that the divisions will represent units and multiples of units such
as Ampère Volts or Watts.
Instead of using for the purpose of an electrical meter a dynamo-motor without
iron in its acting parts as above described, such a motor may have for its field
magnets, electro-magnets such as are commonly employed, with iron cores, so
coiled that the currents acting on them are not sufficiently powerful to excite the
electro-magnets to a degree near that of saturation. A convenient arrangement
of such an apparatus, providing for the lubrication of its bearings and commutator
and also for resistance to its flyer is as follows. Within a cylindrical vessel
containing paraffin oil or other non-conducting liquid I place the electro-dynamic
machine with its axis vertical. The field magnets consist of two upright iron bars,
having fixed on them, near their middles, segment pieces of iron forming the two
polar fields. The lower parts of the bars are wound with a few convolutions of
insulated wire of large size, presenting small resistance. On the upper ends of the
bars, are fitted, free to turn, blocks of insulating material such as ebonite, each
block carrying a commutator brush and strained by a spring so as to press the
brush against the commutator. The two bars act as stay bolts connecting a
bottom plate or frame and a top plate or frame in which are formed central
bearings for the axis of the revolving armature. On this axis is fixed a core or
barrel of non-magnetic material on which are wound lengthwise numerous coils
of insulated wire of small size, presenting great resistance, these coils being
connected to plates or segments of a commutator fixed on the axis above the
barrel. There are also fixed on the axis below the barrel, blades for retarding the
armature, the vessel containing the machine being filled with non-conducting
liquid, such as paraffin oil. The axis of the armature is extended up above the
upper bearing plate or frame and works the gearing of a counter having dials and
indices visible through a glass which forms the cover of the vessel. Through the
sides of the vessel are holes fitted with plugs of non-conducting material such as
ebonite through which pass conducting wires leading to the coils of the field
magnets and to the commutator brushes. These wires being connected in the
main circuit for the field magnet coils and in a by-pass circuit for the high
resistance armature coils, or both in by-pass circuits, taking known fractions of the
main current, the armature is caused to revolve, and the number of revolutions in
a given time, as registered by the indices of the counter, are approximately
proportional to the number of Watts, or products of Ampères by Volts of electrical
energy which pass through the machine in that time.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Siemens in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st October
1883.
WILLIAM SIEMENS, formerly known as Charles William Siemens, of N° 12 Queen
Anne's Gate Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Knight "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DYNAMO-ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO-DYNAMIC MACHINES AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH FOR MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRIC POWER
"
In constructing, according to my present invention, a machine applicable either
as a dynamo electric or electro-dynamic machine, I employ a coiled armature of
any known construction, having a non-magnetic core, and I surround this by a
stationary coil of wire arranged as a meridian to the armature, that is to say, in
a plane passing through the axis of revolution. I provide a commutator of
ordinary construction, with brushes or their equivalents, for collecting or
distributing the electric currents to the rotating or to both sets of coils, either
seriatim or in parallel circuit. When the machine is used as a dynamo-electric
machine for generating electricity, the induction of currents may be started
either by transmission of a current from an extraneous source, or by the presence
of a permanent magnet. When the machine is used as an electro-dynamic
machine for producing motive power, no provision for starting induction of
currents is necessary. Instead of employing a single stationary meridian coil, two
or more such coils may be used, the commutator and its brushes being arranged
for the effective working of the multiple meridian coils.
A machine of the kind described provided with a resistance, such as that of a
flyer, or of vanes, preferably of thin steel or other elastic material, revolving in a
liquid, and geared to a counter, may be employed as an electric power meter, its
coils being connected in the circuit of which the electricity has to be measured, or
in a by-pass circuit, taking a known fraction of the total current. By properly
adjusting the electrical and mechanical resistances, the velocity of rotation of the
armature, in virtue of the mutual action of the two sets of coils, may, within
moderate limits, be proportioned to the dynamical energy of the electricity
circulating through the coils, and consequently, the number of revolutions
registered by the counter would nearly indicate the amount of the dynamical
energy of the electricity that has passed through the apparatus. The counter may
be so graduated that the divisions will represent units and multiples of units, such
as Ampère Volt,-Seconds or Joules.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 is a sectional
plan of a machine of the kind above described applied for measurement of electric
power, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the frames for holding the meridian coils.
A is the revolving armature of cylindrical form consisting of a non-magnetic core
wound lengthwise with coils of insulated wire, as in the Siemens' Dynamo electric
machines; B B are two frames which are secured to the pillars C C and which present
trough like hollows to receive two meridian coils of insulated wire, each of these coils
being wound in the hollow of B in convolutions parallel to the axis of A. The
pillars C Care attached at the bottom to a cross bar or plate D which has a bearing for
the lower end of the armature spindle, and at the top they are attached to the bottom
of a casing which contains the gearing and dials of a counter E, the dials being visible
through a glass F. In the bottom of the casing of E is formed the upper bearing
of the armature spindle which passes through it, and by means of a worm or other
suitable gear gives motion to the counter. On the armature spindle below its
upper bearing is fixed the commutator G against which bear two spring rubbers
mounted on a plate of insulating material H. On the lower part of the armature
spindle are fixed elastic vanes K of thin sheet metal. The whole machine is
contained in a vessel L which is charged with paraffin oil or other non-conducting
liquid. The meridian coils in B B are of wire of large size and moderate length
offering small electrical resistance, and the coils of the armature are of small wire
.CC

page_text: of considerable length offering great. resistance. When electrical connections are
made to the coils in B B from the main circuit, the electricity of which is to be
measured; or from a by-pass taking a known fraction of the main current, and to
the rubbers of the commutator G from a by-pass circuit, the armature A is caused
to revolve, its speed being moderated by the resistance of the liquid to the vanes K,
and the number of revolutions made in a given time, as indicated by the counter E,
is approximately proportional to the dynamical energy of the electricity which
acts on the machine. When a machine having meridian coils as described is
employed as an electro dynamic machine for converting electricity into mechanical
motion, in which case there should be no fluid resistance to its movement, it is not
placed in a vessel containing liquid, and the meridian and armature coils are not
necessarily such as to have the resistances which are best suited for the action of
the machine as an energy meter. The machine may also be employed as a
dynamo electric machine for converting mechanical power into electricity, but
in this case, as there is little or no magnetic material employed in its
construction, it is necessary to start the electrical production by transmission
of à current from an extraneous source, or by the temporary presence of a
magnet.
Instead of using for the purpose of an electrical meter a dynamo-motor without
iron in its acting parts as above described, such a motor may have for its field
magnets, electro magnets such as are commonly employed, with iron cores so coiled
that the currents acting on them are not sufficiently powerful to excite the
electro-magnets to a degree near that of saturation. A convenient arrangement of
such an apparatus, providing for the lubrication of its bearings and commutator,
and also for resistance to its flyer, is shewn in vertical section partly in elevation
at Fig. 4 and in plan partly sectional at Fig. 5, a vertical section through the field
magnets being shewn at Fig. 6. In these Figures the parts corresponding with
those of the machine previously described are marked by similar letters. The
main difference between the two machines is in the substitution of the field
magnets M for the meridian coils above described. These magnets M consist of a
number of annular plates of soft iron placed upon one another with insulating
material between them, the whole bolted to brackets projecting from the pillars
CC, and wound lengthwise with coils of insulated wire. The vanes K may be
loaded at their edges with rounded strips k as shewn in Fig. 7 which is a plan of
the elastic flyer vanes. These, whether applied to the machine last described, or
to the form of machine having meridian field coils, should have their size, stiffness
and load so proportioned to the machine and to the range of electrical power
to which it is subjected, as to give the best results, as may be determined by careful
experiments.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim :—
First. The construction of dynamo-electric or electro-dynamic machine with
meridian field coils arranged substantially as herein described with reference to
Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Second. For measurement of electric power, the use, in combination with a
counter, of an electro-dynamic machine immersed in suitable liquid with elastic
resisting vanes on its revolving axis, substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said William Siemens have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twenty Fourth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three.