Wind, Steam, or other Fluid for Propelling and other Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 8th June, 1889
Wind, Steam, or other Fluid for Propelling and other Purposes.
1, HENRY D. HODGEMAN, of Laramie City, in the County of Albany, and Territory
of Wyoming, United States of America, Locomotive Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved wheel for working in or being worked by
water, wind, or steam for propelling vessels, for ventilating, or for kindred purposes;
and has for its object to construct a wheel in a simple manner which will produce a
maximum power, and he subjected to a minimum degree of friction, and which. when
used for the propulsion of vessels will not waste power or produce a perceptible
movement of the water.
The wheel consists of a series of radial blades of variable pitch at different points
being oblique at their roots near the hub but turning as they approach the periphery
of the wheel to lie in planes perpendicular to the wheel axis. The leading and
following edges of the blades are not radial but are curved concavely the blades being
so broad at their outer extremities as to considerably overlap each other and being
united and merged into a peripheral band or ring. They are thickest near the hub,
and thinnest towards the periphery.
Between the hub and periphery the blades are separated by openings which may be
approximately circular and which each give passage through the whee! from one face
to the other in a reversed or S-shaped curvilinear direction, the overlapping
peripheral portions of the blades being oppositely curved or bellied.. The blades may
be of any desired pitch and bellied so as to increase the thickness of the wheel from one
face to the other, until the wheel is approximately spherical.
It is evident from the construction of the wheel that the same may be made lighter
than heretofore and yet be as strong and that owing to the peculiar curve of the
apertures, the blades while presenting at the proper point and time an efficient bearing

page_text: surface to the water, wind, or steam, will not in their revolution produce any harmful
work. The device may be used as a steam piston and valve combined or a wheel for
pumping water, or a wind wheel when enclosed in a suitable cylinder.
1000
c.
་
H. D. HODGEMAN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.
An Improved Wheel for Working in or being Worked by Water,
Wind, Steam, or other Fluid for Propelling and other Purposes.
I, HENRY D. HODGEMAN, of Laramie City, in the County of Albany, and Territory
of Wyoming, United States of America, Locomotive Engineer, 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:―
My Invention relates to an improved wheel for working in or being worked
by, water, wind, or steam, for propelling vessels, for ventilating, or for kindred
purposes; and it has for its object to construct a wheel which will produce
a maximum power and be subjected to a minimum degree of friction and which when
used for the propulsion of vessels will not waste power or produce a perceptible
movement of the water.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifica-
tion in which figure 1 is a face-view of the wheel, and figures 2 and 3 are diametrical
sections thereof, on lines 1-1, 2-2, respectively whilst figure 4 is a development of
a section taken on the circle 3-3 figure 1 and looking towards the circumference
of the wheel. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
figures.
The wheel consists of blades a radiating from a central hub and increasing in width
towards the periphery in a gradually augmenting ratio, so that the leading and
following edges of each blade are curved concavely, the leading and following edges
of each blade being oppositely bellied in the fore and aft direction of the wheel and
the leading edge of one blade overlapping the following edge of the preceding
blade at the periphery of the wheel to an extent approximately equal to a tenth
of the circumference of the wheel. The leading edge of one blade is therefore
oppositely bellied to the following edge of the preceding blade and at the overlapping

page_text: portions approach each other and are united or merged into a continuous peripheral
rim . The blades are of variable pitch being of reversed curvilinear, or approxi-
mately S-shaped, form in the circular direction, the pitch increasing towards the leading
and following edges which are more nearly perpendicular to the axis than the middle
portion of the blade. The blades are thickest towards their roots, where they spring
from the hub, and gradually diminish in thickness but at their middle radial section
they gradually increase again, as shewn in figure 2, to form the peripheral rim b
whilst towards their leading and following edges they diminish in thickness. The
passages between the blades are of approximately circular form when viewed in the
direction of their obliquity, and give passage through the wheel from one face to the
other in a reversed curvilinear or approximately S-shaped direction. The blades may
be of any desired pitch and be bellied to such an extent that the thickness of the
wheel is increased until the wheel is of approximately spherical form.
It is evident from the construction of the wheel, that it may be made lighter than
heretofore and yet be as strong, and that, owing to the peculiar curve of the apertures,
the blades while presenting at the proper point and time an efficient acting surface to
the water, wind, or steam, will not in their revolution produce any harmful work.
The wheel may be used as a steam piston and valve combined, or a wheel for pumping
water, or a wind wheel, when enclosed in a suitable cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A wheel constructed substantially as herein described and illustrated in the drawings,
and consisting of radial blades of reversed curvilinear form and overlapping each other
towards the periphery and merging into a continuous peripheral rim, the openings
between the blades being approximately circular and passing through the wheel in a
reversed curvilinear direction, all as, and for the purpose, specified.
H. D. HODGEMAN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.
Dated this 29th day of April 1889.
H. D. HODGEMAN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.