IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Edward Newton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd January 1878. A communi-
cation from abroad by Harriet G. Hosmer, of Rome, in the Kingdom of
Italy.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER." [A communication from abroad by Harriet G. Hosmer, of Rome,
in the Kingdom of Italy.]
The object of this Invention is to obtain a motive power suitable for driving
various kinds of machinery by means of a novel arrangement of permanent magnets
and armatures.
The improved apparatus consists of a large heavy highly polished and perfectly
balanced wheel made of steel or other metal, the outer rim of which is made
hollow, and is filled with lead in order to obtain weight and centrifugal power.
This wheel is placed horizontally, and is balanced on a jewelled or hard metal
centre. The boss of this wheel is made hollow, and inside are arranged a number
of permanent horse-shoe magnets which are secured to the fixed framing, and are
therefore stationary; but attached to the inside of the boss are a number of
armatures which are carried round in front of the magnets as the wheel rotates on
its centre. To the other side of each of the magnets is secured by a spring lever or a
hinged lever another and heavier armature than those on the outside. These heavy
armatures are kept in contact with the magnets by means of springs, but they are
capable of being withdrawn when required. For this purpose the hub or boss of
the wheel is provided internally with tappet or antifriction rollers, which as the
wheel rotates act on the tails of the inner armatures, and by depressing them
force them back from contact with the magnets; but immediately the armatures
are freed from this pressure, their springs force them back into contact with the
magnets.
It will now be understood that the stationary magnets by exerting an attractive
force on the armatures attached to the hub or boss of the wheel draw the latter
round on its centre of motion so long as there is no counteracting force, but that in

page_text: order that the apparatus should act properly, the armatures attached to the magnets
must be drawn back so that the latter shall exert all their power on the rotating
armatures. When these latter have arrived at a certain point they require to be
relieved from the attraction of the magnets, otherwise they would be held in contact
therewith. This release of the rotating armatures is done by counteracting or
destroying their attractive force by allowing the other armatures to come into
contact with the opposite sides of the magnets. On so doing, the magnetic current
or the greater portion thereof will be diverted from the moveable armatures, which
may then be carried forward by the wheel to the next magnet, and so on in
succession.
The rotation of the wheel may be imparted by gearing to any shaft or machine to
be driven; and if desired, two, three, or more series of permanent magnets may be
arranged to act on and operate the same driving shaft.