An Improved Water Motor.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Water Motor.
I, ROBERT CLINTON SHEPHERD, of East State Street, Redlands, County
San Bernardino,. State California, United States of America, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The water motor of this invention consists of a vertical water wheel having
curved wings or buckets and enclosed in a casing which is considerably wider than
the wheel. The latter is carried on a shaft mounted in bearings provided in two
standards one on each side of the casing. The water for driving the wheel is
delivered under pressure from a nozzle so as to strike against the wings or buckets
at the bottom of the wheel, very near or just past the centre of which, the water
after striking the buckets is diverted by a curved deflector plate so as to conduct it
downwards to an outlet from the casing, said deflector plate being approximately
as wide as the interior of the casing and formed with a gap or slot for the periphery
of the wheel to take into.
Dated this 1st day of August. 1895.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
An Improved Water Motor.
I, ROBERT CLINTON SHEPHERD, of East State Street, Redlands, County
San Bernardino, State California, United States of America Machinist, 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:—
This invention relates to a water motor of the class in which a water wheel
arranged to rotate in a vertical plane is combined with a nozzle arranged to
discharge upon the wings of such water wheel at a tangent with the lower side of
the rim of the wheel, having the rim of its wheel and the water receiving faces of
the wings thereof straight transverse to the plane of rotation of the wheel.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the motor and case.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the motor with a portion of the motor case removed
to expose the wheel with a water diverter in place.
•
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the water diverter fixed in the bottom of
the case.
The motor is designed to utilize a stream of water of high velocity and so that
the wheel runs with great rapidity and it must be geared accordingly but such
gearing may be of any approved character.
In order to utilize all the power in a stream of high velocity it becomes necessary
that there be practically no waste of power at any of the numerous wings of the
wheel, and slight errors in the arrangement of the wings with relation to the stream
and with relation to each other and to the wheel upon which they are mounted,

page_text: '
[
will seriously impair the efficiency of the wheel. The wheel illustrated has upon
it twenty-eight wings but the number is not arbitrary and can be increased as the
size of the wheel is increased and in practice the wheels run as high as fourteen
hundred and more revolutions per minute so that the loss of power at any one wing
will be multiplied many thousand times in a minute... For this reason special
attention is directed to the form and arrangement of the wings, and the face or rim
of the wheels on which they are mounted, and also to the arrangement of the means
for directing the stream of water on to the wings. The face of the rim of the
wheel is straight transverse to the plane of rotation of the wheel and the faces of
the wings are also straight transverse to the plane of rotation. This is indicated
by Fig. 1 in which only the sectioned portions of the rim and wings are visible, the
view being a plain side elevation. The wings are rearwardly curved and are
arranged with their faces at right angles to the plane of rotation of the wheel.
The inner portions, bases, or stems of the wings are respectively radial to the
wheel while the outer portions are approximately tangents to the circle generated
by the rotating wings. The nozzle or other means. for directing the stream is
arranged with its axis approximately at a tangent with the rim or periphery of the
wheel. The means for applying the stream of water to the wheel consists essentially
of a nozzle arranged with its axis horizontal and tangent with the bottom of the
rim of the wheel as shewn. When thus arranged the water will be greatly assisted
in leaving the wheel almost at the instant of its impact, the force of gravity thereby
acting more fully in conjunction with the other forces to free the wheel from
water.
A is the wheel journalled to revolve. B are the curved wings secured thereto.
C is the nozzle arranged to discharge a horizontal stream of water upon the
wings at a tangent to the under part of the rim of the wheel. The wings B are
transversely plain and the motor case I has its side walls arranged at a distance
from the motor wheel in order to allow the ready lateral escape of the water from
the wings and wheel to prevent the formation of a cusbion of dead water for the
motive stream to spend its force against.
The water diverter serves to remove the water from the motor case after it has
been discharged from the wheel and wings and to prevent its rebound or back
lashing against-the-wheel-to-retard_its_momentum. It directs the spent water
towards the outlet or discharge pipe K. Said diverter consists-of-a-downwardly
and rearwardly inclined diverter. plate D with a slot F to receive the water wheel,
and arranged below the axle of the wheel with the main portion of its face transverse
to the plane of rotation of the wheel and having the wings G on each side of the
wheel slot twisted to cause its top to extend rearwardly and outwardly from such
plane of rotation and its body to be of a slight spiral curve from the top downward
to the main face of the diverter plate. By thus constructing and arranging the
diverter a curved surface is presented to the spray which will receive the water
and conduct it without any splashing down to the bottom of the machine. The
lower portion of the diverter is also slightly curved forward.. This curve is easily
formed and assists to direct the water downward without splashing. His the
frame in which the shaft of the wheel A is journalled.
The water turned on through the pipe J and stop cock L, issues from the
nozzle C with great force and is tangentially discharged against the wheel and
wings. The outer ends of the wings being also tangentially curved are substantially
parallel with the motive stream when passing in front of the nozzle and so instantly
cut through the stream and expose the substantially radial base of the wing to the
full force of the stream which is expended thereagainst. The transversely plain
wings and rim of the wheel allow the water to spread outward and the greater par
of the water is discharged from the sides of the wheel outward, sidewise. The
wings are made narrow in order to facilitate this side discharge, the width of the
wings which receive the stream from a one quarter inch nozzle; being about on
and one half inches. For motors designed to be propelled by motive streams o
greater diameter than this, the width of the wings should be increased, but in n
6331

page_text: +
case should the width be so great than the water discharged laterally will be caught
by the base of the succeeding wing to retard the rotation of the wheel. The water
which is thrown tangentially from the wheel by centrifugal force; is allowed
unobstructed escape by reason of the tangential arrangement of the outer portions
of the wings. If any dead water strikes upon the rear of the wings, the curved
shape thereof directs such dead water downward out of the path of the revolving
wings. The water discharged from the wheel and wings, is,received by the water
diverter and is conducted away from the wheel and is discharged from the motor;
also by arranging the side 'walls of the motor case at a distance from the wheel,
the water escapes' readily from both sides of the wings and wheel and the walls of
the casing and condenses the spray without causing it to be thrown back into the
path of the wheel by reason of too close proximity to the wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. An impact water motor of the class set forth having its wheel narrow and
arranged to revolve in a vertical plane and having the rim of the wheel and the
water receiving faces of the wings straight transverse to the plane of rotation and
having the ends of such wings rearwardly curved; and having the nozzle arranged
to discharge a stream of water tangentially against the wings of the wheel; and
having all the parts of the motor so arranged that, when in operation, the wheel
will become freed from the water which is driven upon it from the nozzle,
immediately after the impact of such water on the wheel, substantially as described
and shewn.
2. An impact water motor for utilizing a stream of high velocity comprising the
combination of the wheel having the face of its rim straight, transverse to the
plane of rotation of the wheel, and the faces of its wings also straight transverse
to the plane of rotation and having its wings rearwardly curved and arranged with
their faces at right angles to the plane of rotation of the wheel and with their inner
portions radial to the wheel and their outer portions approximately tangent to the
circle generated by the rotating wings; a motor case having its side walls arranged
at such a distance from the sides of such wheel as to allow the ready lateral escape
of the water from the wings and wheel, and provided with a discharge opening,
and a nozzle arranged to discharge a stream of water under pressure tangentially
against such wheel and wings, substantially as described and shewn.
3. A water motor for utilizing a stream of high velocity comprising the
combination of the wheel having the face of its rim straight, transverse to the
plane of rotation of the wheel, and the faces of its wings also straight transverse
to the plane of rotation of the wheel, and having its wings rearwardly curved and
arranged with their faces at right angles to the plane of rotation of the wheel and
with their inner portions radial to the wheel and their outer portions approximately
tangent to the circle generated by the rotating wings; the motor case having its
side walls arranged at a distance from the sides of such wheel; the water diverter
comprising a downwardly and rearwardly inclined diverter plate slotted to receive
the water wheel and arranged below the axle of the wheel with the main portion
of its face transverse to the plane of rotation of the wheel and having the wings
on each side of the wheel slot twisted to cause its top to extend rearwardly and
outwardly from such plane of rotation and its body to be of a slight spiral curve
from the top downward to the main face of the diverter plate, substantially as
described and shewn.
4. In a water motor of the class described, the diverter set forth consisting of a
downwardly and rearwardly inclined diverter plate slotted to receive the water
wheel and arranged below the axle of the wheel with the main portion of its face
transverse to the plane of rotation of the wheel and having the wing of each side
of the wheel slot twisted to cause its top edge to extend rearwardly and outwardly
from such plane of rotation and its body to be of a slight spiral curve from such

page_text: top edge to the main face of the diverter plate, substantially as described and
:shewn.
5. In a water motor, a water diverter provided with the side wing shewn, having
its top outwardly and rearwardly inclined from the plane of rotation of the wheel
and having its body arranged in a slight spiral curve from the top downward,
substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 1st day of May 1896.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.