IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATORS, FANS, AND BLOWING APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Nelson, of Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATORS,
FANS, AND BLOWING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 12th March 1875, and dated the 14th September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Nelson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1874.
I, JAMES NELSON, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VENTILATORS, FANS, AND BLOWING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference, firstly, to those ventilators, fans, or
blowing apparatus which consist of a cylindrical casing having a
vertically discharging outlet or chimney of evasé form, that is to say,
gradually increasing in size from base to. top; the said outlet being
provided with a regulating shutter which slides in accordance with the
curve of the casing, and the fan blades being fixed to a series of

page_text: been made of large dimensions with the casing and chimney of
brickwork.
Now one part of my Invention has for object to make these
ventilators, fans, or blowers in portable form. For this purpose I make
the casing and the evasé chimney entirely of iron or other suitable
material. I fit the chimney so as to discharge horizontally instead of
vertically as heretofore. I fix the engine for driving the fan (which
may be worked by steam, compressed air, water, or other available
power) to one or both sides of the casing, the casing in fact forming the
bed plate, and I drive the fan from the engine by spur or frictional
gearing, the casing, chimney, and engine are thus so to speak self-
contained. I mount the whole on wheels or otherwise so as to be
transportable from place to place. Further, I make the inlet or inlets
to the fan of funnel-shape or conical, the wider end being outermost.
The fan can thus be made either to blow or to exhaust.
Another part of my Invention consists of a novel arrangement and
disposition of fans or blowers for blowing forge or smiths' fires.
According to the present system a blowing machine for producing the
blast is placed at any convenient part of the shop or works, and a pipe
is led therefrom to the vicinity of the fires, from which pipe there is a
series of branch pipes for insertion into the tuyeres of the several fires.
Now it is found that from friction and leakage in the transmission pipe
and from other causes there is an enormous waste of power, in addition
to which when the belt by which the fan is driven from the engine
breaks, as is not unfrequently the case, the whole of the fires are thrown
out of work until it has been made good; again, when one or more of the
fires are from any cause not in work, nearly the same power is still
required to drive the fan as for all the fires. Now in order to avoid
these drawbacks and effect a great economy in power and belts, I employ
a small separate fan for every fire, and I insert the blast or outlet pipe
of the fan directly into the tuyere. I drive these fans by means of small
straps from pulleys on a shaft which is driven by any suitable power,
and runs as close as convenient to the fires. There is thus no waste
from leakage or otherwise, the breaking of one strap does not throw
more than one fire out of work, and when one or more fans are

page_text: out of work the power required for driving the shaft is diminished in
proportion.
I find it advantageous to construct these fans or blowers as follows :—
Upon a short horizontal axle which carries the driving pulley, and is free
to turn in suitable bearings or between centres, I fix a plate of brass or
other suitable metal or material. To the sides of this plate I rivet or
otherwise attach fan blades made, by preference, of wood. The length
of these is about one-third of the diameter of the fan reckoning from the
outer edge of the plate. The fan is enclosed in a cylindrical casing
which is provided at one or both sides with an inlet or inlets which may
with advantage be conical, while from some part of the periphery is
carried an outlet or blast pipe of evasé form. The casing is provided
with a bracket, lug, or flange to enable it to be fastened to any suitable
place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said James Nelson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
NELSON, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Nelson, Her special licence that I,
the said James Nelson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Nelson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATORS,
FANS, AND BLOWING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Nelson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and

page_text: seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Nelson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention has reference, firstly, to those ventilators, fans, or
blowing apparatus which consist of a cylindrical casing having a
vertically discharging outlet or chimney of evasé form, that is to say,
gradually increasing in size from base to top, the said outlet being provided
with a regulating shutter which slides in accordance with the curve of the
casing, and the fan blades being fixed to a series of reciprocally crossing
arms. Ventilators or fans of this construction are well known as
Guibal's ventilators are now extensively adopted for ventilating coal
mines, and have hitherto been made of large dimensions with the casing
and chimney of brickwork.
Now one part of my Invention has for object to make these ventilators,
fans, or blowers in portable form. For this purpose I make the casing
and the evasé chimney entirely of iron or other suitable material. I fit
the chimney so as to discharge horizontally instead of vertically as here-
tofore. I fix the engine for driving the fan (which may be worked by
steam, compressed air, water, or other available power) to one or both
sides of the casing, the casing in fact forming the bed plate, and I drive
the fan from the engine by spur or frictional gearing, the casing,
chimney, and engine are thus, so to speak, self-contained. I mount the
whole on wheels or otherwise so as to be transportable from place to
place. Further, I make the inlet or inlets to the fan of funnel-shape or
conical, the wider end being outermost. The fan can thus be made
either to blow or to exhaust.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a side elevation, and Figure 2.
an end elevation of a portable or self-contained Guibal ventilator
constructed according to this part of my Invention.
A is the casing,
and B is the evasé outlet or chimney which discharges horizontally

page_text: instead of vertically as heretofore; C is the framing or bracket upon
which the casing A is supported; D is the engine for driving the fan. It
is fixed to the framing or bracket O; E is the connecting rod which
drives the crank F on the axle G. The axle turns in bearings H, H,
and at its opposite end is a wheel I which drives by friction a pinion K
on the fan shaft L; or the driving may be effected by toothed gearing or
otherwise; M is the inlet to the fan, which, as before stated, I make of
funnel-shape or conical.
Another part of my Invention consists of a novel arrangement and
disposition of fans or blowers for blowing smiths' or forge fires.
According to the present system a blowing machine for producing the
blast is placed at any convenient part of the shop or works, and a pipe is
led therefrom to the vicinity of the fires, from which pipe there is a
series of branch pipes for insertion into the tuyeres of the several fires.
Now it is found that from friction and leakage in the transmission pipe,
and from other causes, there is an enormous waste of power, in addition
to which when the belt by which the fan is driven from the engine
breaks, as is not unfrequently the case, the whole of the fires are thrown
out of work until it has been made good; again, when one or more of
the fires are from any cause not in work, nearly the same power is still
required to drive the fan as for all the fires. Now in order to avoid
these drawbacks and effect a great economy in power and belts, I
employ a small separate fan for every fire, and I insert the blast or
outlet pipe of the fan directly into the tuyere. I drive these fans by
means of small straps from pulleys on a shaft which is driven by any
suitable power and runs as close as convenient to the fires. There is thus
no waste from leakage or otherwise; the breaking of one strap does not
throw more than the one fire out of work, and when one or more fires
are out of work the power required for driving the shaft is diminished
in proportion.
I find it advantageous to construct these fans or blowers, as represented
in Figures 3, 4, and 5, and as about to be described. Upon a short
horizontal axle & which carries the driving pulley b, and is free to turn
in suitable bearings or between centres c I fix a plate d of brass or other
suitable metal or material. To the sides of this plate I rivet or otherwise
attach fan blades e, e, made, by preference, of wood. The length of
these, reckoning from the outer edge of the plate 6 is about one-third of
the diameter of the fan. The fan is enclosed in a cylindrical casing ƒ

page_text: which is provided at one or both sides with an inlet or inlets g
which
may, if desired, although not shewn in the Drawings, be conical while
from some part of the periphery is carried an outlet or blast pipe h of
evasé form. The casing is provided with a bracket, lug, or flange i to
enable it to be fastened to any suitable place.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The arrangement or combination of parts forming a portable or
self-contained Guibal ventilator or fan, substantially as herein-before
described and represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawings. 1
Second. The arrangement and disposition of fans or blowers for
blowing smiths' or forge fires, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Third. The arrangement or combination of parts of fans or blowers,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described with
reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5, of the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Nelson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.
TARTA