Water-current Motor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1898-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Water-current Motor.
We, WILLIAM WOODROE DOUGLASS, of the City of Kansas City, County of
Jackson, and State of Missouri, U.S.A., Carpenter, and LEWIS HENRY WEBB, of
the City of Des Moines, County of Polk and State of Iowa, U.S.A., President
Advertising Company, 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 current-motors, and our object is to produce a current
motor for use in generating electricity at a minimum cost, which is positive and
reliable in operation, strong and durable in construction, and which may be
thrown from operative to inoperative position or vice versa with ease and dispatch,
In order that the invention may be fully understood we will proceed to describe
it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of a current-motor embodying our invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line II-II of Figure 1,
and shows the motor in operative position.
Figure 3 is a similar view taken on the line III-III of Figure 1, with the
motor occupying its inoperative position.
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the preferred manner of
securing the motor in the stream.
Figure 5 is a side view of one of the inner track-rails for engagement with the
rollers 19.
In said drawings, 1 designates a scow or float, or a pair of them, provided
with a longitudinal opening bordered at its sides by brackets or chairs 1ª, in
which are seated uprights 2, connected at their upper ends by longitudinal
timbers 3, and braced by cross-bars 4 and inclined braces 5, or in any other
suitable manner. This frame or superstructure forms the support for the
mechanical part, or motor.
7-7 designate transverse shafts, located near opposite ends of the well or
opening of the float, and journaled in any suitable manner to said frame and in
the bearings 7º.
Upon each shaft are mounted sprocket-wheels 8-8 inside the frame, and one
of said shafts is extended to receive the large wheel 9 by which power is trans-
mitted. Chains 10 engage said wheels, and at regular intervals are provided with
outwardly projecting lugs 11, forming bearings for the transverse shafts 12,
extending from one chain to the other."
13-14 designate small flanged rollers, journaled upon the shafts 12 outward
of said chains, and 15 a triangular bracket secured upon the shaft just inward
of each chain. Said brackets are provided at their front or free ends and inner
sides with flanged rollers 16, and secured to and between the brackets of said
shaft is a paddle 17, normally depending vertically from the shaft.
18 designates a pair of arnis secured upon the extreme ends of each shaft, and

page_text: of the same length and parallel with the upper arms of brackets 15, and carried
at the free ends and outer sides of said arms are flanged rollers 19.
20 designates track-rails extending in a horizontal plane at right-angles to
and above shafts 12, and said tracks are secured to the I-beams 21, secured to
the inner side of alternate uprights 2, by preference.
22 designates plates, secured to the inner sides of the uprights 2, alternately
with the uprights carrying the I-beams, and said plates flange outwardly of said
uprights and are slidingly engaged by the angle-brackets 23, which brackets are
formed with inverted U-shaped portions 24, which permit them to be lowered to
operative position without interference with the stationary tracks 20.
25 designates endless elliptical track-rails, which at their ends extend concen-
trically of shafts 7, and engage the flanged rollers 14 continuously, the rollers 13
being adapted for engagement only with the stationary track-rails 20. The track-
rails 25 are secured to the brackets or chairs 1", and are adapted to be also secured
to the upper part of the superstructure in any suitable manner.
26 designates the inner or companion track-rails. These rails 26 occupy the
same vertical plane as, and extend parallel with the rails 25 (see Figures 1 and 3).
Said rails 26, however, are not endless, but terminate at points near the ends of
the stationary rails 20, (herein before described) which rails 20 are arranged
slightly inward of, (see Figure 1) and in the same horizontal plane as rails 26.
The stationary horizontal rails 20 are employed as and form practically a con-
tinuation of rails 26, because at the instant rollers 14 become disengaged from
the rails 26, the adjacent rollers 13 engage rails 20, and thus prevent the pres-
Bure of the water throwing rollers 14 off the lower tracks 25, and at the instant
rollers 13 clear the opposite ends of rails 20, rollers 14 reengage the inner track-
rails 26, as will he understood by reference particularly to Figure 3. The said
rails serve to prevent any sag in the chains between the sprocket-wheels, and form
continuous ways for guiding the chains. The rails 26 are supported by
timbers 26 secured to the inner sides of uprights 2. 27 designates an endless
track-rail of precisely the same configuration and size, and occupying the same
horizontal plane as rails 25, but having its curved ends extending excentrically
of rails 25; the forward ends being a distance inward of rails 25 equal to the
length of shaft-arms 18, and their rear ends an equal distance rearward of
rail 25.
This endless rail constitutes the outer track of rollers 19, and is carried by
brackets 1 and the longitudinal bars 27, secured to the inner sides of uprights 2,
and is engaged, as long as the machine is in operative position, by the flanged
rollers 19, and the latter also engage, for about the upper or inoperative half of
its travel, the inner or companion rails 28, which terminate, preferably, in the
plane of the shafts 7, and serve to maintain the paddles in a vertically pendent
position, as shown clearly in Figure 3. Said rails are secured between timbers 26°
and bars 28, secured to uprights 2.
At their forward ends these tracks are provided with pivoted segmental or
quadrant shaped continuations 29, having pin-and-slot connections as at 30 with
longitudinal timbers 31, carried by brackets 23, and said timbers are provided
with depending tracks 32, which engage the upper sides of the rollers 19, and
when depressed, as shown in Figure 2, hold the paddles in a vertically pendent
position, to the end that they may present the greatest possible resistance to the
current of the stream.
The opposite or rear ends of said tracks 32 are by preference not connected
to the rear ends of tracks 28, as shown in Figure 3.
33 designates a pair of brackets, which are mounted upon the forward shaft 7
inward of the sprocket-wheels, and at their rear ends are supported by a cross-
bar 34, secured to opposite uprights 2. Segmental plates 35, secured to said
brackets in advance of said shaft, carry the pivoted quadrant-shaped tracks 36,
and said tracks have a pin-and-slot connection 37 with the horizontal track-tails 38,

page_text: secured in any suitable manner to the brackets 23, and engaging the upper sides
of rollers 16, and thereby cooperating with the track-rails 32, engaging rollers 19,
in holding the paddles 17 vertically pendent in the stream. In order to prevent
the enormous power of the current, when acting upon the paddles, from swinging
them to their inoperative positions, as shown in dotted lines, Figure 3, except
when it is desired that the devices shall cease to operate, we provide the follow-
ing mechanism;
39 and 40 designate brackets, secured to timbers 26-28°, and 31, respectively,
and 41 a series of grooved segmental guides, extending rearwardly and upwardly.
42 designates longitudinal draw-bars, connected by toggle-levers 43 to brackets 39
and 40, and having their connecting pins 43 engaging the grooved guides 41,
to insure a synchronous movement on the part of said levers.
The draw-bars may be operated by any suitable mechanism, but we prefer to
employ movable brackets 44, operated by screws 45, and connected to said draw-
bars by links 46, as shown in Figure 3.
Supposing the motor to be anchored across the channel of a stream in about
the position indicated in Figure 4, it will be seen that the current acts directly
upon each and every paddle, in order to obtain the maximum result in the shape
of power, and it will be also
seen that the proper manipulation of
the screw-jacks (one only of which is shown) will, by the depres-
sion of the movable tracks 32 and the supplemental movable tracks 38, swing the
paddles associated therewith to operative position, as indicated in Figure 2, and
that a reverse manipulation of the screws will reelevate said brackets and permit
the power of the current to swing the paddles to their inoperative position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. In a current motor, the combination, as hereinbefore described, of a float,
provided with a superstructure, transverse shafts journaled therein, sprocket-
wheels upon said shafts, chains connecting said wheels, transverse shafts carried
by said chains and provided with paddles and roller-carrying arms, elliptical
tracks for said rollers, and elliptic tracks within the first-named tracks; the lower
longitudinally extending portion of said inner tracks being adjustable vertically
in order to permit pressure of the water upon the paddles below the same to
throw the paddles to their inoperative or inclined position.
2. In a current motor, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore
described, of a float provided with a superstructure, transverse shafts journaled
therein, sprocket-wheels upon said shafts, chains connecting said wheels, trans-
verse shafts carried by said chains and provided with paddles, rollers, and roller-
carrying arms, elliptic tracks for engagement with the inner and outer sides of
the shaft-rollers, elliptic tracks for engagement with the outer sides of the rollers
of said roller-carrying arms, and elliptic tracks for engagement with the inner
sides of the rollers of said arms and having their lower longitudinally extending
portions vertically adjustable.
3. In a current motor, the combination, as herein before described, of a float
having a super-structure, transverse shafts journaled therein, sprocket-wheels
upon said shafts, chains connecting said wheels, transverse shafts carried by said
chains and provided with paddles, rollers, and a pair of roller-carrying arms near
each end, elliptic tracks engaging the inner and outer sides of the shaft-rollers,
elliptic tracks engaging the inner and outer sides of the rollers of the endmost
roller-carrying arms, the lower longitudinally extending portions of the inner
tracks being adjustable vertically, and supplemental vertically movable tracks,
engaging the inner sides of the rollers of the inner roller-carrying arms.
4. In a current motor, the combination, substantially as herein before described,
of a float provided with a superstructure, transverse shafts journaled therein

page_text: carrying sprocket-wheels, chains connecting said wheels, transverse shafts carried
by said chains and provided with paddles, rollers, and a pair of roller-carrying
arms near each end, elliptic tracks for engagement with the inner and outer sides
of the shaft-rollers, elliptic tracks engaging the outer sides of the rollers of the
endmost roller-carrying Arms, elliptic tracks engaging the inner sides of said
rollers and consisting of two sections, sliding brackets carrying timbers provided
with tracks forming the lower longitudinal sections of the last-named elliptic
tracks, a supplemental track carried by said tracks and engaging the inner sides
of the rollers of the inner roller-carrying arms, longitudinal draw-bars connected
by toggle-levers to said timbers, segmental guides for said draw-bars, and means
to adjust and secure said draw-bars and consequently the paddles at any desired
point of adjustment.
5. In a current motor, the combination, substantially as herein before described,
of a float, provided with a superstructure, transverse shafts journaled therein,
sprocket-wheels upon said shafts connected by chains, shafts carried by and cou-
necting said chains, paddles and rollers upon said shafts, elliptic tracks engaging
the inner and outer sides of said rollers, having their end-portions concentric of
the first-named shafts, a pair of roller-carrying arms projecting forwardly from the
ends of the shaft, an elliptic track engaging the outer sides of the rollers of said
arms, with its end or curved portions extending excentrically of the first-named
shafts, a companion or inner track, the latter embodying a vertically movable
lower section, an upper stationary section, having grooved ends, and a segmental
pivoted section uniting the upper and lower sections, sliding brackets carrying
said vertically movable section, a supplemental vertically movable track carried
by said brackets, and auxiliary arms projecting from the paddle-shafts and pro-
vided with rollers engaging the lower edge of said supplemental tracks.
Dated this 29th day of August 1898.
WILLIAM WOODROE DOUGLASS.
LEWIS HENRY WEBB.