Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1887
Complete Left, 13th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1888
I, HENRY SYKES, 66 Bankside, London, S.E., Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention is a contrivance for regulating the speed of wind-mills under variable
pressures of wind and load.
The frame of the wind-wheel consists of bars arranged to form a circumference,
from which circumference extend radial bars, which near their common centre are
each fixed in a hub placed on the main shaft of the mill.
Between the radial frame bars are the fans supported on a longitudinal bar running
up the centre of the fan or fans, or approximately so. These fau bars are pivotted in
the aforesaid hub. To each fan bar close to the hub is attached an arm which at its
other extremity communicates with a movable collar on the main shaft.
Sliding along two or more of the radial frame bars of the wind-wheel are weights,
each of which by means of a rod is jointed on to an arm of a bent lever, which bent
lever is pivotted on an extension of the main shaft of the mill. The extremity of the
other arm of the bent lever is connected with the aforesaid movable collar.
Between two flanges of the movable collar is an arm of another bent lever pivotted
on some fixed part of the mill frame. On the other arm of this bent lever is a weight
which can be fixed on any part of the arm.
The weight is adjusted in size and position to any desired speed. When the sails
are rotating too fast, by centrifugal force the weights on the radial bars slide towards
the circumference, draw their rods outwards, and, by means of the bent levers attached
to them, push back the movable collar. This movement of the collar by means of the
attachments to the arms of the fan bars, causes the fans to turn into a position less
favourable for receiving the force of the wind. When either from decrease of wind

page_text: or increase of load, the speed of the fans is diminished, the weights on the radial frame
bars no longer exert so much force on the collar, and the action of the weight fixed
on the bent lever in the mill causes the movable collar to move forward and turn the
fans into a position more favourable for receiving the force of the wind.
Instead of having the weights movable on the radial frame bars of the wheel, I
may pivot bent levers on two or more of the radial frame bars and fix the weights on
one arm of each of the said bent levers.
Suitable means can be provided for stopping the mill by moving the weight arm of
the bent lever within the mill.

page_text: I, HENRY SYKES of 66 Bankside in the County of Surrey, Engineer 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:-
The object of this invention is to construct windmills with special governing
apparatus which when once adjusted will automatically regulate the speed of the said
mills, and so keep up uniform or nearly uniform velocity under variable pressures of
wind and load.
With this object two or more of the radial arms forming the framework of the
wind-wheel are provided with brackets which can be clamped or otherwise secured
thereto in any required position. To each of the said brackets a bell crank lever is
pivotted, one end of said lever carrying a weight, whilst the other end is attached by
means of a connecting rod to a second bell crank lever pivotted on an extension of
the main shaft. Instead of using the bell crank levers and the brackets attached to the
radial arms, I may attach the connecting rods directly to the weights and arrange the
said weights so that they can slide upon the radial arms themselves.
The second bell crank lever is in connection with the flange of a collar sliding upon
the main shaft the said flange being connected by links or connecting rods with levers,
the other ends of which levers are rigidly affixed to the fan bars and the to and fro
motion of the said collar rotates the fan bars about their longitudinal axes.
A bent lever pivotted on some fixed part of the mill has one arm provided with a
weight which can be adjusted at any required distance from the fulcrum, and thus
regulate the pressure of the other arm, the said pressure being exerted against the
collar sliding on the main shaft and tending to keep the same normally close up to
the hub on which the fan bars are pivotted.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which similar letters indicate corresponding parts in both figures.
Fig. 1. is a side elevation and
Fig. 2. a front elevation.
Both views shew the mill shut out of the wind.
When it is required to put the mill in the wind the weight A is adjusted on the
arm B of the bent lever B. C until sufficient pressure is exerted at C not only to
overcome the inertia of the mass of the sliding collar D and the connecting links,
levers, and rods attached thereto, but also to press the flange E. with any required
force against the hub F.
The forward motion of the flange E presses forward the levers G. G... by means
of the connecting links S. S... and rotates the fan bars H. H. . . . about their
longitudinal axes,

page_text: By its forward motion the flange E also carries forward two or more rods K. K...
which carry with them the ends L. I... of the bell crank levers L. M... ... and by
means of the connecting rods N. N. . . . and bell crank levers O. O. . . . the
weights P. P... . are brought towards the centre of the wind-wheel.
The weights P. P. . . . can also be adjusted in any convenient position on the arms
of the bell crank levers O. O.... The mill is now in the wind. When the wind-
wheel revolves, the centrifugal force will cause the weights P. P. . . . to set themselves
as far from the axis of rotation as possible. This motion will be transmitted by the
rods and levers to the flange E, and from thence transmitted to the fan bars H. H....
and so gradually turn the fan bars and the fans attached thereto at a different angle
with the direction of the wind.
Instead of using the brackets Q Q. ... and the bell cranks O. O... . I may cause
the weights P. P.... to slide on the radial arms R. R. . . and attach the rods N. N....
to them directly.
...
It is obvious that by suitably adjusting the weight A and the brackets QQ.
and weights P. P.... the apparatus can be made to automatically regulate itself
when once set in the wind, and run the mill at any desired velocity.
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 :-
The construction of windmills provided with adjustable weights P. P... . connected
by levers and rods to the fan bars H. H... so that the centrifugal force acting on
the said weights P. P... will cause the same automatically to alter the angle of
inclination of the fans attached to the said fan bars H H. substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated thie 13th day of February 1888
CASTLE SMITH,
54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.