Improvements in Steam Turbines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE JOHN ALTHAM, of Swansea, in the
County of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in Steam Turbines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 motors in which the velocity of a jet of steam is expended
in such a manner as to rotate a wheel provided with buckets formed to present
surfaces upon which the steam acts in such manner as to cause the rotation of the
wheel.
The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient motor of this class
adapted to utilize all the velocity of the steam, and convert the same into rotary
motion with the minimum of waste or loss of power.
The invention consists, as a whole, of a motor comprising two rotary wheels
having buckets, one wheel enclosing the other or a greater portion thereof, the
buckets in the inner wheel being arranged in the outer periphery thereof, while those
of the outer wheel are arranged in the inner periphery, the said buckets being
arranged so that the steam will act alternately on the inner and outer wheels, and
will act successively on different buckets of each wheel, the arrangement being such
that the wheels are rotated simultaneously in opposite directions.
Each wheel is provided with a shaft, through which its rotary motion may be
imparted to any suitable mechanism to be driven by the motor, all as hereinafter
described.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification :
Fig. 1, represents an end elevation and a partial vertical section of a motor
embodying my invention.
Fig. 2, represents a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.
Fig. 3, represents a section on line 3-3, Figure 2.
Fig. 4, represents a side elevation of the motor, and a sectional view of the
casing thereof, the wheels of the motor being shown in partial section, on the
line 4-4, Figure 3.
Fig. 5, represents a sectional view of a modification, hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 6, represents another modification.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings:
a and b represent the bucketed wheels of a motor, the same being hereinafter
called by me, for convenience, turbines. The turbine a is of annular form, and
receives a considerable portion of the turbine b, the latter being of smaller diameter
than the turbine a, so that it enters the latter, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 & 4, the outer
periphery of the turbine & being in close proximity to the inner periphery of the
turbine a, as shown in Fig. 3. The turbine a has a series of buckets a opening on
its inner periphery, and the turbine 6 has a series of buckets 6' opening on its outer
periphery, the buckets of both turbines being U-shaped in the direction of their
length, as shown in Fig. 4, while the buckets of one wheel alternate with those of
the other wheel, so that the steam entering one of the buckets 6' will pass thence
into one of the buckets a', and from the latter back into another of the buckets b¹,
and then again into another of the buckets a', each wheel preferably having its
buckets arranged in rows extending across its periphery, there being two or more
buckets in each row, as shown in Figure 4.
One end of one of the buckets of each row is outside of the wheel a, and saið

page_text: end is preferably enlarged or made flaring to serve as a port to receive steam from
a pipe or tuyere c. The buckets of both wheels are tangentially arranged, as shown
in Fig. 4, the buckets a' being substantially or nearly tangential to the periphery
of the wheel b, while the buckets are tangents of a circle within the periphery of
the wheel b.
The steam delivering pipe or tuyere c is arranged so that it is substantially in
line with each bucket that is brought by the rotation of the wheel 6 into position
to receive steam from said tuyere.
It will be seen that steam emerging from the tnyere will enter the enlarged
months or ports of the buckets b' at one end of the wheel b, and passing through
said buckets, will enter the buckets a¹ in the wheel a, and will then reenter the
wheel b, and finally pass through the delivering buckets of the wheel a and escape
through the ends of said buckets, shown in Figs. 2 & 4, as arranged outside of the
portion of the wheel a that receives b, the spent steam escaping into a casing d
which encloses the motor, and emerging through a waste or outlet pipe d'in one
side of said casing.
Each charge of steam, therefore, acts alternately on the wheels and a, and acts
successively on different portions of each wheel, so that in its course its velocity is
fully expended or utilized in giving motion to the wheels. The outer periphery of
the wheel is in such close proximity to the inner periphery of the wheel a that
there can be no material leakage of steam between said peripheries, so that sub-
stantially all the steam that passes through the buckets of one wheel will pass also
through the buckets of the other wheel.
The wheel a is attached to a shaft e, and the wheel b to a shaft, said shafts
being journalled in suitable fixed bearings 9 g within the casing d. The wheels a b
being rotated simultaneously in opposite directions, suitable means may be provided
to enable the shafts e f to coöperate in imparting rotary motion to a driven shaft h,
said means being here shown as two bevel gears or pinions ii affixed to the outer
ends of said shafts, and a bevel gear j arranged to mesh with both of said pinions,
said gear being affixed to the shaft h, as shown in Figures 1 & 2, the arrangement
being such that the pinions i i mesh with the gear at diametrically opposite points
on the latter, so that each pinion imparts rotation to the shaft h in the same direction
as the other.
My invention is not limited to the arrangement of the buckets in rows extending
across the wheels, as each wheel may have but one series of buckets extending
around it, so that each charge or subdivision of steam will pass through only one
bucket of each wheel, as shown in Fig. 5.
The form of the buckets may also be varied, my invention not being limited to
the particular form shown in the drawings, although I consider it important to give
each bucket a reverse curve or bend, so that steam will enter the bucket in one
direction, and leave it in substantially the opposite direction.
In Fig. 6, I have shown the buckets a' and 'made without the internal partitions
which give the U-shape to the buckets shown in Figures 4 & 5, the general form
and arrangement of the buckets being otherwise the same as in the preceding
figures.
It will be seen that in all cases the buckets of each wheel have receiving and
delivering ends, and that the buckets of the outer wheel are offset 'from the buckets
of the inner wheel in a line parallel with the axes of the wheels, so that the receiving
ends of the buckets of the outer wheel register with the delivering ends of the
buckets of the inner wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, 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 :
1st. A motor comprising two independently revoluble wheels, one within the
other, said wheels having tangential buckets, each having a receiving and a delivering
end, the buckets of one wheel being offset from the buckets of the other wheel in a

page_text: line parallel with the axes of the wheels whereby the receiving ends of the buckets:
of one wheel will register with the delivering ends of the other, as set forth.
2nd. A motor comprising two independently revoluble wheels, one within the
other, the inner wheel having tangential buckets, the receiving ends of which are at
one side of the outer wheel, while the outer wheel has tangential reversely extending
buckets whose delivering ends are at one side of the inner wheel, the delivering ends
of all the buckets in the inner wheel registering with the receiving ends of all the
buckets in the outer wheel, as set forth.
3rd. In a motor, the combination of the inner wheel, having tangential buckets in
its outer periphery, the hollow outer wheel receiving the inner wheel and having
tangential buckets in its inner periphery offset from the buckets of the inner wheel
in a line parallel with the axes of the wheels whereby they will register at their
receiving ends with the delivering ends of the buckets of the inner wheel, and a
pipe or tuyere arranged to deliver a jet of steam or other fluid under pressure to the
receiving ends of the buckets at one side of one of said wheels, as set forth.
4th. In a motor, the combination of the inner and outer turbines, one having
internal and the other external buckets U-shaped in the direction of the axes of the
wheels, and having the delivery ends of the buckets of one wheel registering with
the receiving ends of the buckets of the other wheel, means for supplying steam or
other fluid to said buckets, the shafts supporting said wheels and mounted in fixed
bearings, a power-transmitting shaft, and connections between said wheel-supporting
shafts and the power-transmitting shaft, whereby the latter is driven by the rotation
of the turbines, as set forth.
5th. In a motor, the combination of the inner and outer turbines, one having
external, and the other internal buckets U-shaped in the direction of the axes of
the wheels and having the delivery ends of the buckets of one wheel registering
with the receiving ends of the buckets of the other wheel, means for supplying steam
or other fluid to said buckets, the shafts supporting said wheels and mounted in fixed
bearings, bevel gears or pinions on said shafts, a larger bevel gear meshing with
both of said pinions, and a power-transmitting shaft affixed to said larger gear, as.
set forth.
3113
LM 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.