IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR GENERATING ELECTRICITY
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Theophilus Varley and Henry
Bickerton Greenwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
3rd July 1882.
THEOPHILUS VARLEY, of Marsh Street, Walthamstow, in the County of Essex,
Electrician and Engineer, and HENRY BICKERTON GREENWOOD, of Monmouth Road,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman
& IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
GENERATING ELECTRICITY”
Our invention relates to electric generators and consists in the novel construction
and arrangement of the field-magnets and of the parts which operate in connection
or combination therewith, for generating the electric currents.
Through one pole or pole-piece of a magnet, or magnets, we form a hole through
which we pass a revolving tube; inside this tube we place a bar of iron;. the end
or ends of this iron bar, are joined to the opposite pole or poles of the field magnet
or magnets, that is to say, for example if the pole or pole piece with the hole in it
be N the pole or poles to which the iron bar is joined will be S.
The said tube, when caused to revolve, has a constant electrical current passing
through the same from one end to the other, the direction being determined by the
polarity of the magnets, or the direction of rotation, and the currents pass from
the tube to the conducting wires by means of suitable contacts or other devices.
The field magnets may be either electro or permanent magnets.
When electro-magnets are used we cause a part or the whole of the current
generated to pass through their helices for the purpose of magnetizing them.
The main object of this invention is to dispense with the use of a commutator,
and thereby avoid the disadvantage arising from the sparking and burning of the
same, and of the brushes or collectors.
In the simple form of our invention above described we obtain an electromotive-
force of small tension but of large quantity. To increase the electrical tension of
the machine without reducing the quantity we increase the number or the length
of the tubes or generators and connect up as follows, that is to say, the end of the
first tube represents the pole of the machine%; the + end of this tube is con-
nected to the end of the second tube, the + end of this second tube is connected
to the end of the third tube and so on throughout the whole series of tubes; the
free end of the first tube, and the free end of the last tube form the poles of
he machine.
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For machines where greater tension is required we form our tubes or tubular
part of the generator, of bars or rods; in this case we connect, say, the + end of the
first bar to the - end of the second bar and so on throughout the series, as by
this arrangement we can increase the tension at will by multiplying the number
of bars, each bar ending or connected to a ring or wheel at either end and the
wheels being geared together and made to revolve in such a direction that the
current of the one shall be from right to left, the next from left to right, the third
from right to left, the current flowing through one tube starting from right to left
of the first tube through the gearing to the second tube from left to right, through
the gearing to the third tube from right to left and so on through the whole series
of tubes, or in like manner alternately through the first bar of the first generator,
through the gearing to the first bar of the second generator, back through the
gearing to the second bar of the first generator and so on throughout the whole
series.
By reversing this machine, that is to say arranging the poles of the field magnets
to revolve and the tube or tubular part to remain stationary we are enabled to
have all the electrical circuits of this machine continuously connected, and all the
contacts either firmly screwed or soldered together, thus avoiding the use of a
brush or other collector.
It is obvious that by sending a current from a dynamo-electric or other generator
through our improved machine the same can be made to act as an electric motor.