Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Vehicles on Single-rail and other Railways and Wire-rope Conveyors, which Improve- ments are also applicable to Aerial Navigation.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd June, 1894-Accepted, 28th July,
1894
HUVIDIONAL DEMITICATION.
Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Vehicles on Single-rail
and other Railways and Wire-rope Conveyors, which Improve-
ments are also applicable to Aerial Navigation.
I, VICOMTE DECAZES, (Elie Joseph Marie Raymond) of 95, Boulevard
Beaumarchais, Paris, in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates chiefly to a new system of electric propulsion on single-rail
railways.
My apparatus comprises a vehicle having the form of a decked keel supported by
necked rollers surrounding an upper rail. These rollers are arranged in such a
manner that there is never more than one roller in contact with the rail, the other
being meanwhile as near as possible to but not altogether rolling on the said rail.
The use of this lower roller will be explained later; for the present let us only
consider the upper roller or rollers which rest on the rail and support the whole of
the apparatus.
In a suitable position on the vehicle I arrange an engine or other motor of any
suitables
le system which operates a dynamo; this dynamo actuates a certain number of
electric motors the shafts of which are provided with screw propellers; a certain
number of these screws are horizontal and are placed entirely on the sides and
outside the apparatus, they are supported by means of rigid brackets similar to
those employed on ships to suspend the boats. I preferably employ four horizontal
screws, called supporting screws; the diameter of these screws is at least twice as
great as the diameter of the directing screws which are placed only in front or in front
and behind according to the purpose for which the apparatus is designed, as will be
hereinafter mentioned.
If the dynamo be set in motion and by this means also the four electric motors
corresponding to the horizontal screws, the said screws will be rotated and the
whole apparatus will rise. It is clear that by regulating the speed of the respective
electric motors in any convenient manner, matters may be so arranged that the
contact pressure between the rail and the necked rollers or pulleys is almost
reduced to zero.
The raising of the apparatus is effected during its horizontal
displacement, the electric motors controlling the vertical screws being in motion
at the same time as the electric motors controlling the horizontal screws so long as
the speed of the apparatus has not reached a certain value; the horizontal screws
will allow the contact of the rollers with the rail to be reduced, but when the speed
has reached a certain value, the speed at which the horizontal screws rotate may be
reduced until they do very little work, so as to concentrate all the available power
in the electric motors driving the vertical screws which produce the forward
displacement.
In the above described arrangement, it is evident that instead of operating the
screws by electric motors, which are themselves actuated by a petroleum or other
suitable motor, the said screws may be operated directly by the said motor, without
the intervention of an electric generator and motors.
I have shown above that the vehicle is suspended from the upper rail by rollers
surrounding the said rail, that is to say, the supporting carriage of the apparatus
when at rest, comprises a certain number of rollers placed above the rail the axles
of which are connected to the axle of a roller placed beneath.
The function of this roller under the rail may be readily seen it is employed to

page_text: guide the apparatus during its motion if, at any time, the upward force be
sufficiently great to remove the upper rollers entirely from the rail. By using
three upper rollers connected by a rigid rod supported by a spring, the shocks and
concussion produced by spaces between the rails may be obviated.
My system of electric or other traction as above described may be evidently
applied in cases where the rail, instead of being aerial, is placed on the ground;
this method enables the ordinary iron tracks to be employed, and, in this case, I
arrange the apparatus in the following manner :-The said apparatus rests on the
rails of the iron track by two very light aluminium wheels, and when, by reason of
the speed, the apparatus is raised through such a distance as to remove the wheels
from the rails, it will only bear on an additional rail through rollers arranged
similarly to those in the previously mentioned arrangement, and operating in the
same manner to guide the apparatus. This arrangement necessitates, moreover,
the addition of two screws placed at the greatest vertical section and normal to
the direction of motion, and designed to counter-balance the action of centrifugal
force in going round curves and also the action of the wind.
My apparatus may be very easily applied to aerial navigation without any
modification, excepting the removal of the roller under the rail, mentioned above;
the apparatus rests on a horizonal rail by the upper rollers or slightly inclined
lengthwise which serves as a point of support during the start or ascent; the
electric motors are started, and the apparatus moves along the rail, the length of
which has been so calculated that the ascensional force acquired by apparatus by
the time it reaches the end of the rail may be sufficient to enable the carriage to
continue its gradually ascending motion into the air along a line whose inclination
to the ground depends upon the speed of motion. As is well-known, the greatest
difficulty encountered by constructors of apparatus for aerial navigation consists in
the ascent or raising of the apparatus at the start; the method I employ for over-
coming this difficulty is the following:-Whilst admitting that the power developed
by the dynamo is insufficient for raising the apparatus, I arrange an auxiliary fixed
dynamo, which I call a raising or starting dynamo, and 1 provide the electric
motors on the apparatus with insulated connecting wires of a suitable length, coiled
in a suitable box. By means of suitable arrangements, such as spring clips or the
like, through which the current from the auxiliary or starting dynamos passes, I
transmit the current to the electric motors on my apparatus; as the latter moves
away, the wires coiled in the box unroll and slide out, the current from the
auxiliary or starting dynamo being transmitted to the apparatus until the wires are
entirely unrolled, by this time, the apparatus is well under weigh (if the wires are
long enough) and it is only necessary to pull the wires up again and coil them
again in another box, so as to be ready for raising the apparatus at the next
station.
The raising or starting of my apparatus can evidently be effected under the same
conditions in cases where the apparatus, instead of being suspended on an aerial rail,
rests on the ground, the screw propeller being set in motion as above mentioned,
and the apparatus, in moving, at first slides on the ground or on the rails by means
of rollers arranged for this purpose, the raising or starting being effected as above
mentioned.
It must be understood, that I may modify the position of the screws and mount
them on movable supports so as to allow the screws or propellers to take up any
desired positions.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Vehicles on Single-rail
and other Railways and Wire-rope Conveyors, which Improve-
ments are also applicable to Aerial Navigation.
I, VICOMTE DECAZES (Elie Joseph Marie Raymond) of 95, Boulevard
Beaumarchais, Paris, in the Republic of France, 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 a new system of propelling vehicles by means of
screw-propellers and in order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will
describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of an apparatus arranged to be propelled by screw-propellers
according to my invention :
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same:
Figure 3 is a longitudinal elevation of the apparatus with a guiding rail placed
upon the ground:
Figure 4 is a transverse section of the apparatus with a guiding rail arranged
above it:
Figure 5 is a longitudinal elevation of the apparatus arranged to run upon the
ground:
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation shewing the details of the guiding rollers.
My apparatus consists of a car A of the form shewn. In a suitable position in
the car I arrange an electrical accumulator or a motor adapted to directly drive a
primary dynamo. This accumulator or primary dynamo actuates a certain
uumber of secondary receiving dynamos the prolonged shafts of which are
provided with screw-propellers. The dynamos may be dispensed with if the
secondary dynamos be replaced by rotary motors of suitable construction the
shafts of which will then consist of prolongations of the shafts of the screw-
propellers themselves. Of these screw-propellers, those marked B are arranged
in pairs on either side of the car and the others are arranged at the fore and rear
end respectively of the car. All these screw-propellers are arranged outside the
horizontal projection of the apparatus and they are, besides, placed in the plane
of the largest horizontal section. They are all mounted on shafts movable in
vertical planes; moreover the shaft of the propelling-screw C (Figure 3) is
movable in a horizontal plane which allows of directing the apparatus horizontally.
The shafts of the screws B are movable in a vertical direction by reason of the
rotation on their ends of horizontal shafts on which are fixed the motors (Figure 2
and Figure 3). M. M are the rotary motors for actuating the screws.
For aerial traction upon rails, the car or vehicle is provided with rollers which
are arranged above or below according to whether the rail is to be elevated or
placed upon the ground (Figures 3 and 4). In the case of an elevated rail
(Figure 4) the car is suspended from this rail by rollers D arranged above and
below it; these rollers are carried upon one support on the car in the following
manner. Two or three upper rollers have their axles connected to the axle of a
single roller arranged below. The employment of two or three rollers D above
the rail has for object to prevent the shocks which would be produced at the
passage of a single roller over the joints of each two contiguous rails. The lower
roller has for object to guide the apparatus during its motion if, at a given moment,
the ascensional force should become sufficiently great to cause the upper rollers to
completely leave the rail; it has besides for object to prevent the car from
running off the rails when travelling over curves.
In Figure 6 I have shewn, by way of example, the rollers which I employ and

page_text: which are characterized by the groove formed of two lateral converging inclined
surfaces d, d connected by a convex surface e so as to produce a minimum amount
of friction; moreover their position with relation to the rail and the form of the
latter like that of its support allow a certain inclination of the car from the two
sides of the vertical plane passing through the axis of the central rail. When
the car bears upon the upper rollers the lower rollers are not quite in contact
with the rail and vice versa.
The rail instead of being elevated can be placed on the ground; this arrange-
ment allows of utilizing existing rails, and, in this case I arrange the apparatus in
the following manner. It is provided with two very light wheels E which run on
the rails of the track F, and if, in consequence of the speed, the apparatus should
rise to a sufficient degree to cause the wheels E to rise from the rails, it will only
bear on a central rail G through the medium of rollers D arranged as already
'explained. This latter arrangement is that which I have adopted for the con-
struction of a very light trial machine, but when the apparatus is not intended
for aerial navigation and, consequently, is not required to leave the rail I arrange
at the front as well as at the rear a lower roller connected to the upper rollers.
My apparatus may be very easily applied to aerial navigation without any
modification, excepting the removal of the roller (Figure 4) above described as
being placed under the rail, the apparatus rests by meaus of the upper rollers on
a short horizontal rail which serves as a support during the start; the screws are
set in motion and the apparatus moves along the rail, the length of which has been
so calculated that the speed acquired by the apparatus by the time it reaches the
end of the rail may be sufficient to enable the support of the rail to be dispensed
with by reason of the raising force due to the resistance offered by the air to the
screws beating thereon; the apparatus will ascend with a gradually increasing rate
of speed.
As is well known, the greatest difficulty encountered by constructors of apparatus
for aerial navigation is the starting of the apparatus. So long as the apparatus
has not attained sufficient speed to rise from the ground it is necessary to overcome
the secondary resistances due to the friction of the wheels and rollers upon the
rails and of the axles on the hubs.
If electricity be employed for the propulsion of my apparatus supposing the
power developed by the accumulator or the primary dynamo which may be arranged
in the car to be insufficient for starting the apparatus, I arrange upon the ground
a fixed auxiliary dynamo, which I call a starting dynamo, and I connect the
secondary dynamos of the apparatus to a wire of a certain length coiled in a suit-
able box of insulating material. By means of a suitable friction arrangement,
such as spring clips, rollers or the like, I transmit the current generated by the
starting dynamo to the receiving dynamos of my apparatus; as the latter moves
away the wire coiled in the box unrolls and slides through the clip and the current
of the starting dynamo is transmitted to the apparatus until the wire is entirely
uncoiled by this time the apparatus will have been completely started (if the
wire be long enough) and it is only necessary to pull the wire in and coil it up
again ready for use when descending to earth by throwing it out like a mooring
line and which being secured by a person on the ground could be placed in com-
munication with an electric station and facilitate the descent by increasing the
sustaining power of the side screws while the apparatus describes circles gradually
approaching the earth.
When the apparatus is placed on a flat surface which is sufficiently smooth the
starting can be effected without the aid of a rail, the only requirement being to
provide the axles with ball-bearings, Figure 5.
In cases where the apparatus is not required for aerial navigation the car may
be modified in shape and even replaced by a simple platform upon wheels. The
electric force from a fixed station can then be transmitted to the secondary dynamos
placed upon the car.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for the propulsion of a car or vehicle (applicable also to aerial
navigation) having screw-propellers actuated directly by rotary electric or non-
electric motors and placed outside the horizontal projection of the apparatus, in
pairs on either side and one at the front and rear of the car respectively the said
screws being placed in the plane of the largest horizontal section of the car,
substantially as herein before described.
2. Mounting the screw-propellers arranged as claimed in Claim 1 upon shafts
movable in vertical planes, substantially as described.
3. A vehicle or car provided with screw-propellers arranged as claimed in the
preceding claims and with rollers arranged above and beneath a single rail as
described on a single support on the car in order to diminish or obviate the shock
caused when passing over the joints of contiguous rails, the said rollers each having
a groove formed by two lateral converging inclined surfaces connected together
by a convex surface so as to allow a certain inclination of the car with relation to
the rail and to reduce the friction to a minimum, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
4. The combination with a vehicle or car capable of being started horizontally
of screw-propellers arranged as described of wheels arranged as shewn or of
rollers carried upon rails and formed as shewn in Figure 6 and of a body such as A
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the drawing.
5. A starting arrangement allowing of utilizing at the moment of inertia a
secondary electric force and characterized by a wire or conductor fixed to the car
by one of its ends and coiled in au insulated box whence it is uncoiled progressively
when the car is set in motion and rubs against a brush designed to communicate
the electric force from the electric station to the secondary dynamos of the
apparatus so long as the wire is not completely uncoiled and communication is
maintained substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 2nd dar of Lun 100$
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.