Year: 1887

page_text: I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, practising as Phillips & Leigh, at No. 22, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of this invention as the same has been communicated to me from abroad by Jean
Louis Clerc, residing at Paris in the French Republic, Engineer, to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to effect the utilisation of currents of a high potential,
and to change them into currents of strong intensity and low tension.
The desired result is obtained by winding a core of soft iron with two insulated
copper wires arranged side by side. Sometimes instead of two wires, alternative layers
of wires double circuited may be used.
These transformators may also be constructed by using magnetic cores of insulated
iron wire.
The construction, which has been found preferable is the connection of a pair of
hollow iron cylinders at their ends by soft iron-cross pieces as in the Fuller coil.
These cylinders are preferably vertical to facilitate cooling.
The wires wound upon the said cores are generally of the same section.
To ensure regularity of current, my transformators are furnished with automatic
regulators. These regulators consists of a coil within which is a small light iron
cylinder A rod, which serves as a guide, is connected to this cylinder, and also
communicates current to the right and left hand coils. The rod carries at its upper
extremity a cup containing a small quantity of mercury. A screw connected to the
left hand coil can close the circuit if the cylinder is raised and excite the coil. The
lower extremity of the rod terminates in a fork, the extremities of which dip into cups
of mercury. One is larger than the other, the shorter one leaving the mercury when
the rod rises. In a normal state, the rod contacts neither with the said screw nor with
the bottom mercury cup into which the short end of the fork dips. When, in consequence
of the movement of the cylinder, either right or left hand coil is excited, a horizontal
soft iron bar is attracted to the right or left, taking with it a cylinder of metal, rolling
with one end-edge on a copper bar, and the other on a series of copper plates
communicating with resistances.
When the regulator-coil is in the circuit it is to control, it undergoes all the
fluctuations thereof. Its armature is more or less attracted and closes the circuit with
D

page_text: cither the left or right hand coil, or remains in a condition of indifference when the
current is regular. If the current is feeble the armature closes the circuit upon the
the right hand coil which attracts the horizontal bar above mentioned, for the purpose
of diminishing the resistance. If the armature be raised by an excess of current, the
left hand coil alone is excited, the horizontal bar is drawn to the left, and by its move-
ment, resistances are introduced into the current. The screw above mentioned is
useful for regulating the sensitiveness of the apparatus. The coils may be actuated
by a local current or by one taken from the principal current. The type of resistance
made use of may be varied.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Electric Transformator.
1, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, F. Inst. P.A., practising as Phillips & Leigh, at
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineers and Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, as the
same has been communicated to me from abroad, by Jean Louis Clerc, residing at
Paris, in the French Republic, Engineer, 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 effect the utilisation of currents of a high potential,
and to convert them into currents of strong intensity and low tension.
The transformator which is the subject of this invention is of an exceedingly
economical construction, and, at the same time, very effective. Practice has shewn
that the maximum effect is produced when the two circuits are as near as may be
practicable to the soft iron core.
The desired result is obtained by winding a core of soft iron once with two insulated
copper wires, arranged side by side. These coils are wound round the core more than
once when efficiency has to be sacrificed to economy in cost of manufacture, When
this is the case, instead of a pair of wires wound parallelly, alternative layers of wires
double-circuited may be used. With only one layer, the magnetic action on the iron
core will be feeble, and it will then be practicable to, without inconvenience, increase
the mass of the latter considerably as compared with that of the copper. The tendency
to heating being almost nil, the cross section of the wire may be conveniently reduced,
and this reduction will be attended with a real economy.

page_text: A transformator may also be made, according to my invention, by using magnetic
cores of insulated iron wire, and winding them with copper wire, or with pliant wire
cables adapted to receive any desirable form, care, however, being taken that the two
ends be approached, in order that they may be held in contact or separated by a greater
or less distance, as may be desired. Such a cable may also be covered with a coating
of plaited or woven iron wire.
In order that the invention, and the means by which it may be carried into practical
effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will describe the same in detail, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of this
specification.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a transformator.
Fig. 2, a plan thereof.
Fig. 3, a part sectional elevation, to an enlarged scale, of a cylinder and the two
wires wound thereon.
Fig. 4, a plan of the governor.
Fig. 5, a longitudinal sectional elevation taken on the line Y-Z of Fig. 4; and
Fig. 6, a longitudinal sectional elevation taken on the line W-X of Fig. 4.
The magnetic action produced upon the iron being feeble, there arises no difficulty
in the way of using iron coils split after the manner of the Alliance coils. These coils
may also be covered with a tube upon which are wound other wires, the result heing
a series of concentric coils, the respective wires of which may be coupled up singly or
in series.
The construction which is found to be preferable is that of two parallel hollow iron
cylinders A, A, embraced at their ends by soft iron couplers B, B, as in Fuller coils.
These cylinders stand vertically for the purpose of facilitating their being cooled by
the circulation of currents of air within and without them.
The wires C, D, wound upon the cores, are generally of equal section, for it is by
the varied grouping of the armature and magnet wires of several cylinders or
apparatus that the necessary transformations of current for the machines to be supplied
are obtained.
The principle advantage of a transformation of current being the economy in
canalisation, it must be possible to transform currents of very high tension, which
only require leads of small diameter, into currents of low tension, such as are necessary
for safety. This result is obtained by two successive transformations.
The first transformators made according to my invention, worked direct from the
central installation, use currents of say 3,000 volts. Their power gives them the
importance of a secondary installation having a potential of less than 400 volts, while
some more feeble transformators yield only 100 volts.
The above consideration allows of there being used a main circuit, the leads of which
are duly insulated and out of reach; consequently, there is secured complete security
in use of said high tension currents.
One of the conditions of satisfactory working being regularity of current, trans-
forinators inade according to this invention are furnished with an automatic governor
consisting of the coil of a governing solenoid, A. To the inside of this coil is a very
light iron cylinder, B. A guide rod is attached to this cylinder, and serves to send
current from a local battery, C, alternately to the magnets, D and E, on the right and
left hand, respectively.
For this purpose, the top of the rod terminates in a cup, G, which contains a drop
of mercury. A screw, H, in connection with the coil, E, can, if the cylinder be drawn
upwards, close the circuit with said coil, and excite it. The lower end of the rod
terminates in a fork the two prongs of which I, J, dip into mercury cups. The
prong, I, is long enough to keep in the mercury, whilst the prong J leaves the mercury,
when the cylinder B rises.
When everything is in a normal condition, the rod is not in contact with either the
screw, H, or the cup under the prong, J. When, in consequence of the movement
of the cylinder, either coil is excited, a movable soft iron rod, M, is attracted to either
the right or the left, taking with it a metallic cylinder, N, one end of which rolls upon

page_text: a copper bar, O, and the other upon a series of copper plates, P, connected to the
resistances.
The operation of the regulator is as follows.
The coil, A, is in the circuit to be governed, and partakes of all its fluctuations, the
armature, B, is more or less attracted, and closes the circuit with either of the coils,
D or E, or rests in equilibrum when the current is regular. If the current is feeble,
the rod B closes circuit with the coil, D, which attracts the rod, M, to diminish the
resistance until equilibrum is established in the core of the coil, A. If the armature, B,
is raised by an excess of current, the coil, E, only is excited, the rod M is attracted
to the left hand and its displacement introduces resistances into the circuit to be
governed.
The screw, H, serves in virtue of its position, to regulate the sensitiveness of the
apparatus. The absolutely automatic action of this apparatus, consequently, constitutes
it a simple and very certain governor. The magnets, D and E, may be excited by a
current from a local source, or from a branch of the main circuit.
The resistances above mentioned may be replaced by battery elements, or by divisions
of the armature of the dynamo.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as it has been communicated to
me from abroad, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore described construction of transformator, having a long core
of plaited or woven iron wire or a tube upon which two parallel wires are wound.
2. The use of transformators, constructed as herein before described, in the
distribution of electric currents varying within two limits.
3. The hereinbefore described method of governing by the use of a very sensitive
solenoid index actuating by means of two powerful coils a cylinder adapted to roll
upon two divisions between which are the governing devices operating until the index
regains a condition of equilibrum.
Dated this 13th day of October 1887