IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Randal Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th April
1859.
I, JAMES RANDAL SMITH, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," to be as follows, that is to
say:-
This Invention relates to various mechanical arrangements and combinations
for the purpose of obtaining motive power in an efficient and very economical
manner. Under one modification, by which this Invention may be judiciously
carried out in practice, the apparatus or machinery consists of a wheel with a
tubular or hollow rim capable of revolving in a vertical plane upon a horizontal
axis or centre of motion. To the periphery of this wheel there are attached
at equal distances asunder and all round it a series of open cages or chambers,
each containing a flexible diaphragm of a tubular or bag form. The two ends
of each chamber or flexible bag-holder are solid discs, to one of which one
end of the flexible bag is attached so as to be fluid-tight, and a water thorough-
fare or tube passes from this end disc to the wheel rim, so that there is a free
passage from the hollow rim into the interior of each flexible bag. The
opposite end disc has attached to it a spring of any convenient kind, and
between this spring and the end of the flexible bag on that side there is
interposed a heavy disc weight. This weight fits loosely to the interior of the
bag chamber, and it is attached to the free end of the flexible bag so as to be
fluid-tight. The tubular or chamber space in the main wheel is filled with
water, mercury, oil, or other liquid, and its operation is this:-Supposing there
are eight flexible bag chambers, and that the position of the wheel is such that

page_text: there are two diametrically opposed chambers in an accurate vertical line o
plane, whilst of course there are other two in an accurate horizontal line, the
remaining four chambers holding relatively of course positions in lines of
45 degrees with the horizon, and supposing the wheel to be intended to revolve
to the right or in the same direction as the hands of timekeepers, then one of
the flexible bags in the two chambers in the horizontal plane, the one to the
left, or the ascending one, is empty of water, the disc weight being on the top
of it so as entirely to collapse it, the opposite bag of this pair, or that on the
descending side, is full of water, the disc weight having distended it by falling
down upon the spring on the end of the chamber, so that water or other liquid
matter in the wheel has flowed from the wheel into the interior of the bag.
The next bag beneath the full one on the descending side, or following the
direction of the revolution of the wheel, is also full of liquid, but its weight is
of course acting upon the wheel with a reduced leverage as compared with
the one above it. The bottom bag is also full of liquid, but of course inert as
regards its operation upon the revolving action of the wheel. The next bag
on the ascending side is half full of liquid, the weight and spring being above
it. The next to this, as already described, is empty, as also is the following
one, and the top one of all, whilst the first or uppermost one on the descending
side is half full. This description shows that there is a preponderating weight
upon the descending side of the wheel, causing the latter to revolve, and this
preponderance is kept up throughout the whole revolution, as each bag comes
into and goes out of action. Each disc weight is heavy enough to counter-
balance the highest columnar pressure of the water, and hence as rotation
occurs, the full bags on the descending side retain their contents until the
commencement of their ascent on the other side. At this time the disc
weight in each case being above the bag, its weight begins to act upon
the bag to compress it and force its contents into the wheel rim again. As
each bag rises, the weight acts up to the horizontal line with increasing
effect, so as to collapse the bag completely. The bag then remains empty
until it commences to descend again, when the weight gradually falls down to
distend the bag to refill it from the wheel. Each bag operates in a precisely
similar way, and rotation goes on continuously from the constantly prepon-
derating influence of the bags upon the descending side of the wheel.
According to another arrangement or combination of mechanical parts or
apparatus, motive power is obtained by a peculiar system of toothed wheel
gearing. The principle involved in this arrangement may be carried out in
working practice in many ways. According to one arrangement this combi-
nation involves twelve wheels; of these eight are bevil wheels, disposed in four

page_text: pairs, the individual wheels of each pair being set at an angle or inclination
one with the other, each wheel being set loose upon the end of an inclined or
angularly disposed lateral stud, the whole being carried upon a pair of parallel
horizontal shafts, so as to form a parallelogram in plan. The two contiguous
sides of these angularly disposed bevil wheels work quite clear of each other,
but the other or sundered sides each gear with a duplex toothed wheel running
upon a separate centre. In this way the arrangement of each pair of inclined
bevil wheels and their corresponding duplex wheel represents a triangle in end
view. The duplex wheels, in addition to the teeth upon their faces for gearing
with the expanded or diverging sides of the bevil wheels, are also formed with
spur teeth upon a portion of their periphery, the teeth on one side being
opposite a blank space on the other. These spur teeth are capable of gearing
with a central pair of complete spur wheels running parallel to each other in
the centre of the arrangement. The inclined bevil wheels are all fitted with
immoveable weights upon their upper faces, so that when these weights are in
their highest position, owing to the revolution of the wheels being in a plane
at an angle with the horizon, their tendency to descend will cause the wheels
to revolve and thus turn the duplex wheels interposed between them, and
through them the central spur wheels on central horizontal shafts which drive
the machinery to be actuated by this movement, and which shafts are in the
same axial line, and form the main centre on which the whole gearing revolves,
independently of the individual axial movements of the wheels. When the
set of weights on one side have descended to their lowest positions in virtue of
the half revolution of two of the pairs of bevil wheels, their action upon the
interposed wheel on that side has also caused the other half of the train of
four bevil wheels to turn round or swing over upon the main centre, as before
referred to, and thus their weights are brought at once to their highest positions,
and just past the centre, for the purpose of again giving motion to the arrange-
ment for the succeeding half revolution, and in this way the revolution is kept
up continuously as each set of two pairs of bevil wheels turns alternately upon
the main centre. These arrangements may be carried out under various
forins. The essence of this portion of the Invention being the obtainment of
continuous revolution from weights disposed upon inclined wheels or discs, in
combination with the reversing action of these wheels for again bringing the
operating weights to their highest positions of work.