Improvements in Towers for Wind-mills.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1893-Accepted, 1st July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THOMAS SNOw, residing in Batavia, in the
County of Kane, in the State of Illinois, United States of America,
Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Towers for Wind-mills.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of metal towers for windmills. The
corner posts of the towers are formed of angle iron bars, connected together by two
or more series of horizontal girts located at different levels. These girts form
frames which are rendered rigid by diagonal corner braces uniting their ends. The
girts are also formed of angle iron, and the horizontal webs thereof are bevelled at
the abutting ends so as to form close joints. Diagonal vertical braces connect the
corner posts between each series of girts, and both the braces and the girts are
secured to the posts by a single bolt at each joint, the bolt passing through the end
of one of the braces, and of that one of the girts located immediately above or below
the brace, and also through the adjacent portion of that web of the post which
stands parallel with the brace and girt.
To give tension to the diagonal braces, they are deflected slightly from a straight
line and each pair thereof joined together permanently in such deflected position.
This may be done by providing them with rivet openings located in a plane slightly
above or below their natural meeting point and then bending them to bring such
openings into register so as to permit a bolt or rivet being passed into both the
openings. By thus deflecting the braces at their centers, I secure a drawing by
them which prevents any looseness at the joints with the posts and renders the
entire structure very rigid.
Below the corner posts 1 employ anchor posts which are bolted to the corner
posts, and are also joined together so as to form a united frame by horizontal
connecting bars located below the ground line, and the feet of these anchor posts
are secured to anchor blocks which afford the posts such an amount of supporting
area as will prevent any tendency by the posts to work their way deeper into the
ground, and also prevent their drawing upward.
Dated thie 2nd day of March 1893
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Towers for Wind-mills.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 improvements in towers for windmills.
This invention relates to the construction of the towers of windmills and the
manner of anchoring the same to the ground, and is more especially intended for use
with towers constructed of metal, which are now coming into extensive use. The

page_text: invention consists in the novel features and novel combinations of parts and devices
hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawing
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved tower, the supporting earth being in
section ;
१
Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail elevation of the lower portion of the tower;
Fig. 3 is a section upon the line 3 3 of Figure 2.
In the drawing A represents the coruer posts formed of angle bars. B represents
the cross girts connecting the posts A together at different levels. These girts.form
squares, which are rendered rigid by corner braces b, and they are also formed
preferably of angle iron and the horizontal webs thereof are bevelled at the abutting
ends so as to form a close joint, as clearly shown at Figure 3. C C are the
diagonal braces applied to and connecting the posts A and the girts B. In order
to avoid weakening the parts A I secure both the braces and the girts to the posts
by a single bolt a at each joint, as seen at Figure 2, such bolt passing through the
end of one of the braces and of that one of the girts located immediately above or
below the brace, and also through the adjacent portion of the web of the post lying
parallel with the brace and girt. Each post is therefore perforated with but one
bolt or rivet opening at each of its junctions with the braces and girts.
In order to give tension to the braces which is desirable to render the structure
rigid, the braces are deflected slightly from a straight line and joined together.
permanently in such deflected condition. This result I accomplish by providing
them with rivet openings located in a plane slightly above (or below) their
natural meeting point, and then bending them to bring such openings into register.
with each other, and secure them together in the deflected condition by passing a
bolt or rivet through the opening c. I show at Figure 2 the brace in full lines
prior to the imparting of the deflection, and in broken lines the positions occupied
by them after they are deflected and secured together. By thus deflecting the
braces at the centers, I secure a drawing by them which prevents any looseness at
the joints with the posts and renders the entire structure very rigid. Of course
they may be otherwise joined together at the noints where they cross each other.
(
Below the posts A are anchor posts E preferably of like angle iron but separate
from the posts and bolted thereto, as shown at e. They are joined together so as to
form a united frame by bars F located below the ground line, and at their feet they
are bolted or otherwise secured to anchor blocks G. These blocks afford the posts
such an amount of supporting area as will prevent any tendency by the posts to cut
or work their way deeper into the ground and they also prevent their drawing.
upward under the action due to the rocking of the tower by the wind. The entire
anchoring structure which may be thus composed of posts E, bars F and blocks G
may be embedded in the earth entirely out of sight and the tower tied thereto
subsequently.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1st. In a tower, the combination with corner posts of angle iron arranged with
their corresponding flanges in line, of struts connecting these posts, and arranged in
the same horizontal plane, said struts being formed of angle iron having one flange
secured to the corner posts, and the other. flange having abutted mitered ends to
form a rigid frame, substantially as specified.
2nd. In a tower, the combination with corner posts of angle iron, arranged with
their corresponding flanges in line, of rigid frames connecting said posts at intervals.
and formed of angle iron struts having their horizontal flanges mitered and abutted
at the corners, and the vertical flanges secured to the corresponding flanges of the
corner posts, and of corner braces connecting the adjoining struts, substantially,
as specified.
3rd. A metallic tower composed of posts A, girts B and braces C, the braces and

page_text: girts being unitedly secured to the posts by a single bolt at each joint, substantially
as specified.
4th. The combination with a tower of braces C deflected and joined together so
as to produce drawing strains by such braces, substantially as specified.
5th. The combination with a steel tower of an anchoring frame work consisting
of posts E, bars F and anchor blocks G, substantially as specified.
6th. The combination in a steel tower of the girts B, forming a square and corner
braces 6 rendering the square rigid, substantially as specified.
7th. The combination in a tower of the girts, mitered and forming a rigid frame,
and secured by their members respectively to the flanges of the upright posts, as
and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 8th day of May 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.