Improvements in Wind Motors and Regulating and Adjusting Mechanism therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wind Motors and Regulating and Adjusting
Mechanism therefor.
CHARLES HAWKINS 53 Duncombe Road Hornsey Rise London, N. Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to make the sails of a Windmill better adjust
themselves to receive the force of the wind, this I do by placing a number of arms in
pairs radially round a shaft or axle (which axle may be either horizontal or vertical)
Across the ends of each pair of arms I place a rod tieing them together. Upon each
of these rods I pivot a rectangular sail at its middle so that it can revolve. Attached
to one end of the sails I fix a bevil cog wheel gearing with a pinion on a small shaft
carried along the side of the radial armis nearly to the main axle where another pinion
gears into a wheel concentric with the axle which I call the adjusting wheel fixed to
the framing of the mill in the case of the horizontal axle mill, and in the vertical one
is arranged to adjust by hand or by a wind vane. The sizes & dispositions of the
toothed gearing I arrange so as to cause the sails to revolve half a turn and in a
contrary direction to one turn of the main axle of the mill. Each sail I fit with
louvre boards to open or close by a rod passing through or along the main axle, this
rod may be moved by hand or by a sail exposed to the force of the wind which is
balanced by a weight or spring allowing the sail to move back until the force of the
wind is balanced thereby the louvre boards are adjusted according to the force of the
wind and the speed required in the mill.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wind Motors and Regulating and Adjusting
Mechanism therefor.
CHARLES HAWKINS 53 Duncombe Road Hornsey Rise London, N. 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 my Invention is to make the sails of a Wind Motor better adjust
themselves to receive the force of the wind. This I do by using rectangular sails;
and while they move round with either a vertical or horizontal axle causing them to
present their surfaces in the most favourable way for giving rotation to the axle-
namely when a sail is moving directly towards the wind the edge only is presented,
when moving directly with the wind then the surface of the sail is at
right angles, square, or perpendicular to the winds direction and so receives
the maximum force the wind is capable of giving off; between these two extreme
positions the sails gradually change from the former to the latter which is
accomplished during half a revolution of the Motor; and during this time the angles
the sails make with the direction of the wind gradually increases from zero to
90 degrees, then decreasing during the other half revolution in a similar manner
until zero is again reached and the edge of the sail only is presented. To make this
more clearly understood I shall proceed to refer to the several figures on the sheet of
drawings annexed, observing that similar letters on the different figures refer to
similar or corresponding parts. Fig. 1. shows an elevation and Fig. 2. a plan of my
improved Wind Motor as arranged on a vertical axle. A is a hollow axle supported in
the bearings B. B. and having the arms C. C. attached to it in pairs-one pair being
required for each sail the Motor is constructed to carry, two only being here shown.
Across the ends of each pair of arms I fix a rod D (shown dotted) which ties the arms
firmly together and upon each of these rods I pivot a rectangular sail E at its middle
so that it can revolve. Attached to each sail so as to turn with it is a toothed bevil
wheel gearing with a pinion G on the horizontal shaft. H which runs along the side
of the arms C nearly to the axle A where another pinion I gears into a wheel J
concentric with but loose upon the main axle. This wheel J is my adjusting wheel
and according to the position it is set in so will the sails set themselves relatively to
the wind therefore I cast upon the lower part of J some spur teeth which gear with a
pinion K upon the shaft L. This shaft may be led to any position where hand power
can be applied to set and lock it, or it may be acted upon by a wind vane.
The relative sizes of the wheels I arrange so as to cause the sails to revolve on the
rods D half a turn and in a contrary direction (see arrows in plan) to one turn of the
main axle or revolution of the Motor. In this case-where the pinions are shown
equal in size the wheel F is twice the diameter of J, this causes the sails to assume
the different positions or angles with the wind shown by the dotted lines in the plan,
Fig. 2. The dotted arrows indicate the direction of the wind.
Each sail carries hinged louvre boards M to open or close by the levers O. O. and
the rod N passing down through the main axle where it may be actuated by hand, or
by the force of the wind acting upon a sail which can be balanced by a weight

page_text: or spring, so that when the sail is forced back by the increased force of the wind the
louvre boards open and the speed regulated to what is required.
Fig. 3. shows another arrangement of my Motor upon a vertical axle'; from which
it will be seen that the main part of the Motor is similar to Fig. 1. except that the
gear wheels are above and the regulating apparatus for the louvre boards is below the
sails; but a main feature of difference consists in the axle A being cranked, instead
of being straight in one piece; this is for the purpose of making the Motor self
adjusting. Just above the upper bearing B the hollow axle A is fixed into a crank
piece P-shown also in plan Fig. 4-and at the other or smaller end of the crank is
fixed the other or second part of the axle A around which the Motor revolves-for in
this case the axle does not revolve with the Motor. Through the lower and hollow
part of A passes the driving shaft Q having a wheel R on its upper end gearing by
means of a chain (or cog wheels may be substituted) with a similar wheel R' attached
to the lower part of the Motor. When the Motor revolves, the chain drives R and the
shaft and consequently any machinery attached to the latter; but Q is allowed to be
raised or lowered through the axle A by means of the appliance S (or other suitable
device) and so by the lever O actuate the louvre boards M precisely as in Fig. 1. The
wheel J is fixed to the top of the axle A for when once set in this arrangement it does
not require any further moving. Owing to the setting back of the upper part of the
axle A by the crank piece P the force of the wind against the Motor will cause the
small end of the crank always to lay away on the side opposite from where the wind
is blowing and when the wind veers, the crank P will also turn accordingly, carrying
the Motor and keeping it automatically adjusted to properly receive the wind on the
sails, as explained and shown in Fig. 2.
Figs. 5 and 6 show my Motor as arranged to work on a horizontal axle, and suitable
for pumping purposes. Fig. 5 is a side view and Fig. 6 a front view. The horizontal
axle A is carried in the bearings B. B. on the framing which is pivotted at T. This
framing is supported on rollers so that it may turn readily round the pivot T.; and
owing to the distance the axic A is set to one side of the pivot away from the wind,
the whole turns or swings round the pivot automatically as the wind veers. The
axle A carries a Motor on each side of the framing and the adjusting wheels J and J
are bolted to the framing; for when once set to properly adjust the sails no change is
necessary, the conditions in this horizontal arrangement, not altering. The bell crank
levers O. O. are attached to rods actuating the louvre boards similarly to what has
been previously described, and the movements also may be accomplished by hand or
automatically by a sail as already described for the other arrangements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :
1. Wind Motors constructed so as to continuously adjust their sails, changing
gradually from a position when edge on to the wind till square or broad face to the
same and then back to the former position during one complete revolution of the Motor :
substantially as shown and described Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 and 6.
2. The use in combination with the improved Wind Motors of a cranked axle,
whereby they automatically veer and assume the working position by the pressure and
changing direction of the wind; substantially as shown and described Figs. 3 and 4.
3. The use in combination with the improved Wind Motors of a pivotted framing,
whereby they automatically veer and assuine the working position by the pressure and
changing direction of the wind; substantially as shown and described Figs. 5 and 6.
Dated this 21st day of November 1887.
CHARLES HAWKINS