Year: 1889

page_text: We NELS PAULSON HESS and CHRISTEN WESTERGARD, both of the town of
Belgrade in the County of Stearns and State of Minnesota, United States of
America Carpenters, 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in wind wheels and it consists in certain
novel features hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings which fully illustrate our invention
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved windmill.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a front view of the wheel,
and Fig. 4 is a detail view of a portion of the upper end of the tower.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of the entire windmill.
Referring to the drawings by letter A designates the tower composed of the usual
converging posts or standards B and braces as shown.
At the upper ends of the posts we secure the circular plate, ring or platform D
having a central circular opening through which the turn-table E passes.
This
turn-table is composed of a series of vertical posts F connected at their ends and
centers by the horizontal circular plates G thereby forming substantially an open
cylindrical column. The central circular plate G is provided with rollers H at various
points around its periphery which rest upon an internal annular shoulder [
of the platform D) and support the turn-table so as to permit the free rotation of
the same.
The rudder or vane J is hinged to one side of the turn-table and projects outward
therefrom. It is braced by means of the rods or arms K. as shown and to said arms
is secured a cord L the central portion of which is passed tightly around a wheel M
suitably supported within the turn-table and meshing with a vertical rack bar M' as
shown. This rack bar is secured to the upper end of a link or connecting rod O
which extends downward through the turn-table to a point below the same where it
is secured to a collar P sliding on the main shaft of the gearing the said collar being
further secured to the upper end of a vertical pitman Q. The lower end of this
pitman is pivoted to the inner end of the operating-lever R which is fulcrumed upon
the tower near the base of the same and has its outer end moving.over and engaging a
vertical curved notched bar S as shown.
The wheel shaft T is journaled in suitable bearings U on the upper end of the turn
table and a vertical bevel gear-wheel V is 'mounted rigidly on said shaft between its

page_text: bearings and meshes with a horizontal bevel wheel W on the upper end of the main
shaft X. The wheel Y is mounted on one end of the shaft Tas shown. The said
wheel consists of a series of arms Z radiating from the shaft and forming the base of
the wheel, and a series of forwardly converging bars a extending from near the outer
ends of the radial arms Z to a small circular disk on the front end of the wheel
shaft. The sails or blades cof the wheel are secured to and upon the radiating arms
and converging bars and consists of semicircular or crescent shaped plates of sheet
metal or other suitable material having their front ends secured to the front ends of
the converging bars and their rear ends secured to the outer ends of the radiating
The rear ends of the blades are secured to the radial arm next to the arm
directly behind the front end of the blade thereby giving the blade a spiral twist or
turn so as to utilize the full strength of the wind.
arms.
The lower end of the main shaft X is provided with a gear wheel & meshing with
a similar wheel e on the end of a shaft by means of which the power and motion of
the wind-wheel are communicated to the driven machinery.
In operation the wheel is turned so as to present its face to the wind and the wind
striking against the blades of the wheel, will cause it to revolve, the motion thus
imparted to the wheel being communicated directly to the shaft and by means of it
and the gearing described to the machinery to be driven.
When it is desired to stop the wheel, the rack bar N is raised vertically thereby
rotating the wheel M and causing the same to draw upon the vane or rudder through
the cord L.
The vane will thus be caused to present its side to the wind which will act on the
same and cause it to swing around thereby rotating the turn-table so as to present the
edge of the wheel and of the vane to the wind.
Upon lowering the rack-bar the vane will be again turned with its side to the
wind and the wheel will be brought into the wind thereby again putting the machinery
in motion. It will thus be seen that the wheel can be held in or out of the wind for
any desired length of time and also that it can be held at a greater or less
angle to the wind, the notched bar serving to lock the operating lever in its
adjusted position.
It will be seen from the foregoing that we have provided a very strong and durable
wind-wheel which is very simple in construction and efficient in operation and its
advantages are thought to be obvious.
In order to guide and protect the main driving shaft and the vertical connecting-
rod we provide the turn-table with the central vertical sleeve or tube g through which
the said rod and shaft pass as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. The combination of the turn table E the wheel M mounted thereon the vane J
hinged to the turn-table the cord Land the vertically movable rack bar M² as and for
the purposes specified.
2. The wheel Y consisting of a series of radiating arms Z, a series of converging
bars a combined with the shaft T the disk band the sails or blades e shaped substan-
tially as shown.