IMPROVEMENTS IN HORIZONTAL WIND ENGINES
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Daniel Loftus Beckingsale at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd May 1879.
DANIEL LOFTUS BECKINGSALE, of Newport, Isle of Wight, in the County of
Hants. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORIZONTAL WIND ENGINES,"
According to this Invention I construct a horizontal wind engine with self
adjusting sails made to act in such a manner that as they return against the wind
they shall offer as little surface as possible to the wind, and also in such a manner
that as they pass the central line and expose their surface to the wind a too sudden
reversal of the position of the sails shall not take place. I also provide means for
readily furling the sails, and also for limiting the movement of the sails and so con-
trolling the speed at which the vertical shaft of the wind engine is caused to revolve.
For this purpose I mount the vertical shaft of the wind engine in bearings, and
support it on friction rollers, so that it may revolve with but little friction. The
upper end of the shaft has standing out from it six or other number of radial arms
or pairs of arms, one arm of each pair vertically below the other. To each arm or
pair of arms, as the case may be, is jointed by a vertical joint a frame with a Bail
stretched over it. The vertical joint is not at the central vertical line of the frame,
but to one side of it, by preference somewhat more than one third of the width of
the frame is on one side of the joint, and somewhat less than two thirds of its width
is on the opposite side. The frame with the sail extended over it can either lie
parallel with the radial arm, to which it is jointed, or can turn into a position at
right angles to the arm, but is prevented from turning beyond the right angle by
bridle cords or chains. When the frames lie parallel with the radial arms the larger
division of the frame is towards the main vertical shaft. By this construction when
the wind blows against the sails, the sails on one side of the vertical shaft will lie
parallel with the arms, and be exposed to the pressure of the wind, whilst on the
opposite side they will turn into a position at right angles to the arms or there-
abouts, and at first again act to aid in turning the shaft, and afterwards whilst
returning against the wind offer as little surface as practicable to it. In order to
be able to control the velocity at which the vertical shaft of the wind engine is
caused to revolve, I lead the bridle cords or chains which are attached to the
sail frames over guide pulleys or through eyes to a pulley fixed on to the top of a
rod that passes down through the vertical shaft, and the cords or chains are attached

page_text: to this pulley. The lower end of the rod extends below the bottom of the vertical
shaft, and has fixed to it another pulley which is embraced by a brake strap. By
tightening up the brake strap the rod can be held back from turning freely with the
shaft, and the bridle cords or chains can be so caused to wind around the pulley,
that is, at the top of the rod. Thus the movement of the sails on their vertical joints
can be reduced, and the action of the wind to turn the vertical shaft of the wind
engine be reduced. Other suitable means than those above described may be
adopted for limiting the movement of the sails on their vertical joints. A governor
may also be applied to effect automatically the regulation of the speed of the
vertical shaft of the wind engine. In order to be enabled to furl the sails each sail
is by preference divided horizontally into two equal parts, and each side of each
half of the sail is attached to rings or eyes which can slide freely up and down, or
the vertical side bars of the sail frame lines are attached to each half of the sail, and
are led over guide pulleys to the vertical shaft, where they may be made fast to cleats.
By means of the lines the sails can be raised or lowered. Motion may be trans-
mitted from the vertical shaft of the engine direct to various kinds of machinery, or
may be transmitted to them indirectly by a horizontal shaft or geared to the
vertical shaft by bevil toothed wheels. In order that the horizontal shaft may be
driven in either direction desired, either a bevil wheel on the vertical shaft may be
brought into gear with the top of the bevil wheel on the horizontal shaft, or another
bevil wheel on the vertical shaft brought into gear with the bottom of the wheel on
the horizontal shaft; thus the horizontal shaft may be driven in either direction
desired, or both bevil wheels on the vertical shaft may be put out of gear with the
horizontal shaft, and this shaft be allowed to remain at rest.