IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC MACHINES." -A
communication from abroad by George W. Beardslec, of Flushing,
State of New York, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th July 1859.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
This first part of this Invention of improvements in magneto-electric
machines relates to a novel construction of magnets, and consists in constituting
a wheel of magnets of a series of radial plates or bars connected at their inner
ends by a continuous ring, thereby forming a compound magnet; such con-
necting ring may be formed by bevelling the edges of the several plates or
bars at their inner ends, and so binding them that they will all be in contact
and be thereby closed at their inner ends, or the same object may be effected by

page_text: abutting the inner ends of the radial plates or bars against a continuous
ring, or by forming the whole from a circular plate or disc by cutting out a
succession of V-shaped pieces from the periphery, leaving a continuous ring
around the hollow centre with the series of magnet poles radiating therefrom
like spokes from a hub. In whatever way the. magnetic ring may be produced
the plates should be made to from the centre, and their inner ends be closed,
either by contact or by a continuous ring in the same plane; a compound
magnet so constituted will be found to present many advantages over a com-
pound magnet composed of a series of horse-shoe magnets connected together to
form a wheel, because the improved magnet can be made cheaper, more accurate,
not so liable to warp in tempering, and if warped, the clamping of a series of
such wheels together, to multiply the number of compound magnets, will cause
the warped parts to be bent back to the required plane. Being closed at the
inner ends they will not be liable to change polarity, and a greater. number of
poles can be placed in a circle of a given diameter than if made in any other
form, and can be better adjusted or made accurate.
.
The second part of the Invention relates to a new arrangement of helices,
which are so arranged that they may be readily adjusted to the magnets. The
improvement consists in forming the spool heads elongated with holes through
them outside of the helix for the passage of a bolt or spindle. by which they
are secure to a ring or holding plate placed outside of the compound magnets,
so that each helix can be swung round on the securing bolt or spindle into any
position required, and there secured.
The third part of the Invention relates to an arrangement of fixed bands or
rings for receiving the induced elastic impulses, and consists in combining with
rotating compound magnets one or more pairs of insulated rings of non-mag-
netic metal placed outside the circle of rotating magnets, and with which the
terminal wires of the helices are to be connected, whereby the connection and
disconnection can be readily made and changed, whether the machine be in
motion or still.
And the fourth part of the Invention relates to what is termed a pole
changer, that is to say, a mechanism for changing the direction of the currents
which are delivered from and return to the machine alternately in opposite
directions, and cause them to pass to and through a conductor in one and the
same direction, as if induced by a battery. This part of the Invention consists
in the employment of two oppositely vibrating conductors insulated from each
other, and simultaneously operated by the alternately reversed currents from a
magneto-electric machine, which conductors vibrate between two sets of con-

page_text: ductors, each set of which is connected with one of the terminal wires of a
magneto-electric machine, so that each vibration shall break the connection
between one of the vibrating conductors. and one of the terminal wires, and
establish the connection with the other terminal wire of the machine, and vice
versa, with the other vibrating conductor, and connecting the said vibrating
conductors with other terminal wires, to be used for transmitting the
currents to be used, whether in a solution for electro-plating or for any other
purpose for which and in the same manner in which a current excited by a
battery is generally used. and then returning such current to the magneto-
electric machine. By means of this system of operation, the currents coming
from the machine alternately in opposite directions, are delivered to one of the
vibrating conductors alternately from one and then from the other terminal
wire of the magneto-electric machine, and all of them are delivered from such
vibrating conductor to the terminal wire of the pole changer connected there-
with, and hence in the same direction, and returned by the other terminal wire
to the other vibrating conductor, to be returned to the magneto-electric
machine alternately along one and then along the other of its terminals.
Some parts of the above Invention may be used independently of others, as
for instance, the compound magnet herein described may be applied with
advantage to any purpose requiring a compound magnet, and the pole changer
may be used in connection with any equivalent for the magneto-electric
machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETC-ELECTRIC MACHINES," being
a communication from abroad by George W. Beardslee, of Flushing. in
the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):--
The first part of this Invention of improvements in magneto-electric ma-
chines relates to a novel construction of magnets, ad consists in constituting
a wheel of magnets of a series of radial plates or bars, connected at their inner
ends by a continuous ring, thereby forming a compound magnet; such con-
necting ring may be formed by bevilling the edges of the several plates or bars
at their inner ends, and so binding them that they will all be in contact, and
be thereby closed at their inner ends; or the same object may be effected by
abutting the inner ends of the radial plates or bars against a continuous ring,
or by forming the whole from a circular plate or disc by cutting out a succes-
sion of V-shaped pieces from the periphery, leaving a continuous ring around
the hollow centre, with the series of magnet poles radiating therefrom like
spokes from a hub. In whatever way the magnetic ring may be produced,
the plates should be made to radiate from the centre, and their inner ends be
closed, either by contact, or by a continuous ring in the same plane.
A com-
pound magnet so constituted will be found to present many advantages over a
compound magnet composed of a series of horse-shoe magnets connected together
to form a wheel, because the improved magnet can be made cheaper, more
accurate, is not so liable to warp in tempering, and, if warped, the clamping of a
series of such wheels together to multiply the number of compound magnets, will
cause the warped parts to be bent back to the required plane. Being closed

page_text: at the inner ends, they will not be liable to change polarity, and a greater
number of poles can be placed in a circle of a given diameter than if made in
any other form, and can be better adjusted or made accurate. This is a
matter of great importance, as in the operation of a magneto-electric machine,
it is important that all the poles should pass over the centres of their appro-
priate helices at the same instant of time. The most important result of this
organization of compound magnets, is the equalization of the magnetism in all
the poles, a result which is of the first importance in magneto-electric
machines, considering the difficulty of obtaining a series of magnets equally
charged. When the armature or core of any one helix is just, midway between
the north and south poles of any one horse-shoe magnet, the change of
magnetic influence takes place, for the north and south poles of any one
magnet are of equal strength, and just midway between the two will be the
neutral point, and at the instant of passing this point the change of magnetic
influence takes place; but when, by reason of the rotation, the helix is brought
between the north pole of one such magnet and the north pole of the next,
which happens to be of different strength, the neutral point where the change
of magnetic influence takes place will not be midway between the two poles,
but nearest to the weak pole. This inequality produces confusion in the im-
pulses from the several helices, which, instead of being simultaneous, are pro-
duced in succession. But with the improved 'compound magnet, even when
the separate poles are charged with different strength, they all become as
equal as the two poles of a single horse-shoe magnet, and in consequence the
impulses from all the helices will be simultaneous.
The second part of the Invention relates to a new combination of helices,
which are so arranged that they may be readily adjusted to the magnets. The
improvement consists in forming the spool heads. elongated with holes through
them outside of the helix, for the passage of a bolt or spindle, by which they
are secured to a ring or holding plate placed outside of the compound magnets,
so that each helix can be swung around on the securing bolt or spindle into
any position required, and there secured.
The third part of the invention relates to an arrangement of fixed bands or
rings for receiving the induced elastic impulses, and consists in combining
with rotating compound magnets one or more pairs of insulated rings of non-
magnetic metal placed outside the circle of rotating magnets, and with which
the terminal wires of the helices are to be connected, whereby the connection
and disconnection can be readily made and changed, whether the machine be
in motion or still.
.

page_text: And the fourth part of the Invention relates to what is termed a pole
changer, that is to say, a mechanism for changing the direction of the currents
which are delivered from and return to the machine alternately in opposite
directions, and cause them to pass to and through a conductor in one and the
same direction, as if induced by a battery. This part of the Invention consists
in the employment of two oppositely vibrating conductors insulated from each
other, and simultaneously operated by the alternately reversed currents from a
magneto-electric machine, which conductors vibrate between two sets of con-
ductors, each set of which is connected with one of the terminal wires of a
magneto-electric machine, so that each vibration shall break the connection
between one of the vibrating conductors and one of the terminal wires, and
establish the connection with the other terminal wire of the machine, and vice
versa with the other vibrating conductor, and connecting the said vibrating
conductors with other terminal wires to be used for transmitting the currents
to be used, whether in a solution for electro-plating, or for any other purpose
for which, and in the same manner in which, a current excited by a battery is
generally used, and then returning such current to the magneto-electric
machine. By means of this system of operation, the currents, coming from the
machine alternately in opposite directions, are delivered to one of the vibrating
conductors alternately from one and then from the other terminal wire of the
magneto-electric machine, and all of them are delivered from such vibrating
conductor to the terminal wire of the pole changer connected therewith, and
hence in the same direction, and returned by the other terminal wire to the
other vibrating conductor to be returned to the magneto-electric machine
alternately along one and then along the other of its terminals.
The construction of the magneto-electric machine is represented in Figures
1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a horizontal section
of the improved magneto-electric machine, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pole changer; Fig. 4 an elevation thereof,
and Fig. 5 a horizontal section. The bottom, the top plates, and columns
A, A, A, in Figures 1 and 2, which constitute the frame of the machine, may
be constructed of any non-magnetic metal, wood, or other material of such
proportions and strength as may be required. The main vertical shaft B, B,
may be iron or other metal, upon which the revolving plates of brass or other
non-magnetic metal are fixed for the purpose of receiving the series "of
magnets. The brass plates C, C, for receiving the magnets, and to which they
are securely fastened, are turned off true in a lathe, and in like manner the
magnets, when firmly clamped and secured to the plates, can be turned off to

page_text: insure accuracy, so that they may pass as near to the ends of the armatures or
cores of the helix as possible. The compound magnets D. D, are manu-
factured from a circular plate of the best quality of cast steel, of no greater
thickness than is necessary to produce a uniform temper; they should be
made as true as practicable on the faces and circumference. There may be
one or a series of such compound magnets piled one on top of another, and
firmly bolted to the plates C, C. And several series may be mounted on the
same shaft, three being represented in the Drawings. Each compound magnet
has a series of poles. north and south (marked in Fig. 1, n and s) radiating
from the central portion of the plate like the spokes of a wheel, and formed by
cutting out the metal of the plate between every two. And in making these
care should be observed to have all the poles in each compound magnet at
equal distances, and when a series of such are put together to have them
alike, and accurately piled on each other, and firmly clamped to insure contact.
The poles of all the compound magnets of each series should correspond, and
when two series are mounted on one shaft, the north poles of the second series
should be under the south poles of the first series; and if a third series be
added, the poles of the third series should correspond with the poles of the
first series, and alternate with the poles of the second series, and so on with
any number of series that may be employed. The helices E, E, are formed
with their armatures or cores of the best quality of soft iron, and wound with
well insulated copper wire of such length and size as required for the kind of
current desired. The ends of the spools or helices c, c, c, are made of brass
or other non-magnetic metal, or other substances, with projections to receive
the tube d, d, Fig. 2, between them outside of the helices, through which the
bolts f,, pass, and are tapped into the plate G, G. By this arrangement
each separate helix may be adjusted to its proper position with reference to
the magnets, and there fixed by the bolts f. The rings G. G, for receiving
the helices may be of brass or other non-magnetic metal. or other substance,
and the rings (whether one or more depending on the number of series of
magnets,) and separately mounted and firmly fastened in the required position
by the set screws g. 9, clamping them firmly to the columns of the machine.
H, H, are metallic non-magnetic rings insulated from the rings G. G. by any
well known insulator. as shown at h. h. to which clamps b. b. are fastened to
receive the terminal wires of the helices. There must be two such rings for
one or more series of magnets. The metallic holding clamps i. i. are fastened
to, and are insulated from the helix rings G, G. and are for the purpose of
uniting one or more pairs of each series of helices by hitching together the

page_text: terminal wires o, a, by clamping them therein; I, I, are bolts which unite the
top of the machine to the bottom through the columns: J, J. are metallic
boxes or bearings in which the shaft rotates; K is a pulley to which the
driving power is applied.. The pole changer is represented in Figures 3, 4,
and 5 of the accompanying Drawings, in which A is the bed, and B. B',
the pairs of helices connected with one or more helices of the magneto-electric
machine or any other such machine as an equivalent. The outside wires h,
Fig. 5, of one of the two coils B, B, is to be connected in any well known
manner with one of the terminal wires of one or more helices of the machine,
and the inside wire of the helices B, is connected with the inside wire of
the other helix B, and then the last-named helix B is connected with one of the
holices, B', by the outside wire and the inside wire i¹ of the two helices B, B¹,
to complete the circuit: the outside wire of the latter helix B', is connected
with the other terminal wire h'. of any one or more helices of the machine.
By reason of these connections the armatures or cores of these helices are
rendered magnetic, with the poles alternately changed, as in the machine.
The armatures or cores of these helices are separated as represented, and in
the space between them hangs the poles of a permanent magnet c. c. This
magnet is suspended pendulum like to an arbor D, the journals or pivots of
which work in suitable boxes in two standards k¹, k¹. As the poles are alter-
nately changed in the armatures or cores of the helices, this magnet c will be
alternately attracted and repelled. and by that means will be vibrated as
rapidly as the poles are changed. 'The arbor D, carries a lever a, a, to the
ends of which are attached two metallic conductors b, b, carefully insulated, so
that the currents shall not pass from these conductors along the lever. Each
conductor b is provided at top and bottom with a metallic spring d, which is
prevented by a bridle or check from springing out beyond a certain extent,
but which can yield towards the conductors b. b. to the extent of the vibration;
and above and below the springs d, d, are placed the points of screws tapped
in standards, f, and g, g', and the screws are so adjusted that when the
spring on top of one conductor b is in contact with its corresponding screw
the other is not, so that the vibration of the magnet alternately effects and
breaks this contact, and so with the springs d, d, under the conductors with
reference to the screws in the standards f. f'. The sole purpose of the springs
is to ease off the shocks of the alternate contacts, and to cause the contents to
continue longer. I prefer to make the springs of silver, and to tip the screws
with platina. The metallic standards f. f, and g, g, pass through the bed of
the machine, and below the bed they are formed each with an eye and set

page_text: screw for the convenience of inserting and removing the conducting wires.
And again. the conductors b. b. carry bent metallic wires c', c¹¹, the ends of
which dip in mercury in cups formed in the upper ends of two metallic
standards e, e', which like the other standards f, f', and g, g', pass through the
bed, and are joined for the reception of conducting wires. It may be well to
observe that all the standards should be insulated from each other, and from
all other parts of the machine. The terminal wire from one of the pair of
rings for receiving the induced electric impulses from the helices of the
machine, or the terminal wires from any desired number of helices, is con-
nected with both of the standards f. f. and the other terminal wire l¹ from
the other ring or any desired number of helices is in like manner connected
with the standards g, g'. To the standards e, e', (which may be termed the
terminal conductors of the pole changer) are attached conducting wires n, n³,
to carry the current of electricity wherever wanted, such as a vessel containing
a solution for electro-plating, or for any purpose to which a battery current
can be applied. When these two wires n, n¹, are connected by any medium
which is a conductor, the electric currents induced by the machine and which
are there. induced in opposite directions, will be so changed by the pole
changer as to pass through the terminal conductors e, e¹, and wires n, n',
always in the same direction. The result, above indicated, is produced by the
mode of operation of the pole changer, which is as follows, viz: when a
current passes from the machine along the conducting wire h, mangetism will
be induced in the armatures or cores of the helices B, B, and by reason of the
connection of the wires the inner extremity of one will be a north and the
other a south pole, whilst in the opposite helices they will be the reverse, and
in consequence the magnet c will be carried by the joint forces of attraction
and repulsion towards the pair of helices B, B. At the same time a like
current passes along the terminal wire 1, which is connected with the
standards f, f. The movement of the magnet c just described will, by the
mechanical connections, have brought down the conductor bon to the point of
the screw of the standard f, and will have separated the other conductor b¹,
from the standard f. and have put it in connection with the screw of the
standard g. Now it will be observed that the current induced in the terminal
wire I, and travelling from the machine as indicated by the arrow 1, see
Figure 3, will pass up the standard f into the conductor b, and not being able
to pass along the lever a by reason of the insulation, it passes through the
conductor b along the wire c' to the mercury cup down the standard e to the
terminal wire n of the pole changer, thence through the medium on which it

page_text: is to act (such as a vat containing a solution).. to the opposite terminal wire n¹,
up the standard e¹, mercury cup, and bent.wire c¹ to the other conductor b¹ on
the end of the lever a, which is in contact with the screw of the standard g',
and along this to the other terminal wire 1, and along that wire in the
direction of the arrow 3 back to the machine. The moment the rotating
magnets of the machine pass the neutral point between the helices, that is to
say, when the magnets are midway between the helices, the current is reversed
and passes from the machine along the terminal wire in the direction of the
arrow 3, and at the same instant of time passes along the terminal wire h¹,
reversing the polarity of the armatures or cores of the helices B, B, and B¹, B¹,
and moving the magnet c to the opposite side, which separates the conductor b,
on the lever a from contact with the screw of the standard f, and puts the
other conductor b at the other end of the lever a in contact with the screw of
the standard f, at the same time separating this conductor b¹ from the screw
of the standard g', and putting the opposite conductor in connection with the
screw of the standard g. The reversed current passing along the terminal
wire in the direction of the arrow 3 passes up the standard g, but the
connection between the screw of f and the conductor b having been broken by
the vibration of the magnet c, the current can go no further in that direction,
but passes from the standard g through the conductor b along the bent wire c'
to the mercury, and down the standard e, to and along the terminal wire n of
the pole changer in the same direction as before, and thence through the
medium in which it is to act, to and along the other pole changer, terminal n¹,
up the standard e', through the mercury to the bent wire c", and along this to
the conductor b', which being in contact with the screw of the standard f',
passes down this standard to and along the terminal wire in the direction of
the arrow 4 back to the machine; and although this returning current is in
connection with and can pass up the standard f, it cannot go beyond, because
for the time being the contact with the conductor b is broken. In this way it
will be seen that although the current from the machine alternately travels in
opposite directions by means of this mechanism, the whole of it is carried
through the medium in which it is to act, and at all times in the same
direction, as if induced or excited by a battery.
The use of mercury for maintaining the contact of the bent conductors c¹, c",
with the standards e, e¹, I prefer; but it will be obvious that springs or other
movable joints which will maintain a metallic or conducting contact may be
substituted, and the standards e, e', themselves may be substituted by other
means of forming the connection between the terminal wires of the pole

page_text: changer and the vibrating conductors b. b. and so with the other standards, for
which other equivalent means of holding metallic conductors in proper relation
to the vibrating conductors b, b', may be used. And it will be obvious that,
instead of vibrating the conductors b, b', and having the two series of conductors
from the terminals of the magneto-electric machine stationary, that these
parts may be inverted by making the former stationary and the latter
vibratory.
And although the vibratory conductors have been described as being
operated at the proper periods by two pairs of helices acting on to vibrate a
magnet, I do not wish to limit myself to the use of this, as a similar result,
although not perhaps so good, may be obtained by any of the well known
modes of vibrating an armature by an electro-magnet. And as to the
magneto-electric machine, although I prefer the mode of constructing the
compound magnets from circular plates, as being decidedly the best. and
desire to be understood as making claim to such mode of construction; never-
theless, I wish it to be distinctly understood that. in the organization of the
machine, other modes of construction may be substituted as inferior equi-
valents, but involving the chief characteristic which I have already defined
under the head of the first part of the Invention. And, in short, as to the
entire Invention, I wish it to be understood as reserving to myself the privilege
of making all merely formal changes.
I have not described the pole changer as being attached to the frame of the
magneto-electric machine, as it can be used either attached to, or at a distance
from such machine, so long as the two are connected by conductors in the
manner described. And it will be obvious that some parts of the above
described improvements may be used independently of others, as, for instance,
the compound magnet herein described may be applied with advantage to any
purpose requiring a compound_magnet, and the pole changer may be used in
connection with any equivalent for the magneto-electric machine.
Having now described the Invention of improvements in magneto-electric
machines, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would observe, that
what I claim as new in the present Invention is the compound magnet herein
described, consisting of radial poles arranged about a common centre, and
connected together at their inner ends, as and for the purpose described.
I also claim forming such a compound magnet with radial poles connected
at their inner ends, by cutting out the radial poles and connecting ring from
a single plate as and for the purpose specified.

page_text: I also claim the adjustible arrangement of the helices in combination with
rotating magnets, as described.
I also claim, in combination with rotating magnets, the insulated rings to
which the terminal wires of the helices are connected, as described.
And I also claim the mode of operation of the pole changer by which the
current is made to travel in the same direction, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty..
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)