IMPROVED ROTARY APPARATUS FOR GIVING MOTION TO OR RECEIVING MOTION FROM FLUIDS, APPLICABLE AS A PROPELLER, PUMP, FAN, WATER WHEEL, WINDMILL, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th November 1877. A
communication from Karl Krebs, of Vogelsdorff, in the German Empire.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, of the Firm of J. Brandt and G. W. von
Nawrocki, Civil Engineers and Patent Agents, of No. 2; Koch Strasse, Berlin, in the
German Empire.
IMPROVED ROTARY APPARATUS FOR GIVING MOTION TO OR
RECEIVING MOTION FROM FLUIDS, APPLICABLE AS A PROPELLER, PUMP, FAN, WATER
WHEEL, WINDMILL, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES." [A communication from Karl
Krebs, of Vogelsdorff, in the German Empire.]
"
This Invention is based upon the fact that when a plane is made to revolve upon an
axis lying therein at half the speed at which the axis itself revolves round a fixed
centre in a contrary direction to that in which the plane revolves, such plane will
in every position be directed towards one and the same point of the circle described
by the axis on which it rotates.
For the purposes of this Invention I mount a series of blades or vanes, corre-
sponding to the aforesaid planes, upon axes carried in bearings in a plate or frame
itself, mounted upon an axis situated centrally between the said axes of the blades.
In the case of a propeller, pump, or fan, rotary motion is imparted to the central
axis by means of a crank or other suitable mechanism from a motor engine, so as to
cause the frame and with it the axes and blades to revolve round it. The axes of the
blades are connected by gearing to a stationary toothed wheel or ring surrounding
the central axis; the said gearing being so arranged that as the blade axes revolve
round the central axis they are at the same time made to rotate with the blades in
a direction contrary to that in which they revolve round the central axis, and at a
speed equal to half of that of such rotation. By this means the blades in revolving
round the central axis will during one half of their revolution lie in planes
approximating. to a position at right angles to the direction of their motion, while
during the other half they will approximate to positious parallel or in line with such
direction, and they will thus act effectively as propellers either of a vessel moving
through water, or of fluid which requires to be, propelled or exhausted.

page_text: The transmission of the said motion from the central axis to the axes of the blades
may be effected in various ways; thus according to one arrangement the fixed
wheel is geared by an idle wheel to another wheel having double the diameter of
the fixed wheel, both this and the idle wheel being carried by the revolving frame.
The said wheel of double diameter imparts its motion by a crank pin and connecting
rod to a crank on one of the blade shafts, so that this revolves in equal time there-
with, and this blade shaft is connected either by rods to similar cranks on the other
blade shafts, or all the blade shafts are connected by means of pitch wheels and
chains so as all to revolve at the same speed in the same direction.
Or, according to another arrangement, the wheel of double diameter is fixed
directly on the one blade shaft, and is geared to the fixed wheel either by a train of
intermediate wheels or by a shaft having bevil pinions in gear with the said wheels,
which in this case are bevil wheels.
In applying the said apparatus as a ship's propeller, there are by preference provided
two thereof, one projecting on each side of the ship near the stern, the blades with
their axis being mounted in vertical positions, revolving horizontally round a
vertical central axis, which is continued up to a suitable height into the vessel, and
is provided with a crank rotated by the steam engine, there being by preference a
separate engine to each propeller.
In applying the said mechanism to the receiving of motion from fluids, precisely
the same construction as that described is employed, the only difference being that
the blades by the impact of the fluid against them are made to turn the central
shaft or axis instead of being turned thereby.
In the application to a windmill the position of the blades requires to be adjusted
to suit the change of direction of the wind, so that the latter shall always cause the
central shaft to revolve in the same direction; this is effected by making the wheel
on the central shaft capable of being shifted round by any suitable gearing, such as
a worm and worm wheel, and to be held stationary by means of a brake, strap, or
other contrivance, so that on a change of wind occurring by partially rotating the
central wheel the angular positions of blades relative to the central shaft are
altered to suit such change of wind, after which the central wheel is held stationary
by the brake.