IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Vernon, of Fole Mills, near Uttoxeter, in the
County of Stafford, Miller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Vernon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th September 1878.
WILLIAM VERNON, of Fole Mills, near Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford,
Miller. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in constructing
turbines, whereby the water wheel and water guides of the turbine may be readily
adapted to varying supplies of water, and to the power required to be given out by
the turbine.
These objects I effect by so constructing the water wheel and the guides to the
said wheel that the size of the openings, vents, or spaces in the said wheel and
guides through which the water passes may be increased or diminished at pleasure.
My Invention may be applied to turbines worked either by an outwardly flow of
water or by an inwardly flow of water.
In constructing turbines according to my Invention I make the water wheel of
the turbine of two annular rims or rings, the said rims or rings being made capable
of receding from or approaching one another. Projecting from the inner face of
each rim or ring is a set of curved vanes or guides, the vanes or guides on one rim
or ring being situated opposite to and working in the spaces between the vanes or
guides on the other rim or ring. The rims or rings of the water wheel are thus
interlocked or engaged together by means of the said vanes or guides, and by
separating one of the said rims from or closing it upon the other the vanes or guides
are correspondingly separated or brought together, and the size of the openings,
vents, or spaces through which the water supplied to the wheel passes are increased
or diminished. The two rims or rings described of the water wheel are connected
[Dminn 71

page_text: to independent shafts, but the said shafts of the wheel are both connected to the
shaft to be driven. One of the shafts of the rims or rings is tubular, and surrounds
and moves freely upon the other, so that one of the said rims or rings may be
adjusted without affecting the other. The adjustment of the rims or rings of the
wheel may be effected by levers, screws, or other equivalent mechanical appliances,
and the adjustment may be made automatic by applying governors to the said
adjusting mechanism. When the two rims or rings of the water wheel are closed
upon one another to their full extent the curved vanes or guides upon them close
the water spaces in their respective rims and the water wheel comes to rest, and
when the rims or rings are gradually separated from one another the water spaces
in the wheel are gradually increased in size and the supply of water through the
wheel correspondingly increased. In this way the wheel may be readily adjusted
to varying supplies of water and to the power required in the wheel.
The non-rotating guides to the water wheel, into which the water is first delivered,
may be constructed and adjusted in the manner described with respect to the wheel
of the turbine for the purpose of regulating the supply of the water as may be
required.
Or the said guides to the water wheel may be fixed as usual and be provided
with a parallel disc or division or divisions for the same purpose.
The adjustable guides described may either be arranged inside or outside the
wheel. When arranged inside the wheel the water is discharged at the circumference
of the wheel, and when arranged outside the wheel the water is discharged at the
centre of the wheel.
In the outwardly water flow turbine screw-like flanges may be placed on the
shaft of the wheel to receive the impact of the incoming water, so as thereby to
increase the power of the wheel.
A circular sluice on the outside or inside of the guides, according to the kind of
wheel employed, is used to arrest the flow of the water when it is required to bring
the wheel to rest.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Vernon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th March
1879.
WILLIAM VERNON, of Fole Mills, near Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford,
Miller.
<<
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in constructing
turbines, whereby the water wheel of the turbine may be readily adapted to varying
supplies of water, and to the power required to be given out by the turbine.
These objects I effect by so constructing the water wheel that the size of the
openings, vents, or spaces in the said wheel through which the water passes may be
increased or diminished at pleasure.
My Invention may be applied to turbines worked either by an outward flow of
water or by an inward flow of water.
In constructing turbines according to my Invention I make the water wheel of
the turbine of two annular rims or of rings, the said rims or rings being made
capable of receding from or approaching one another. Projecting from the inner
face of each rim or ring is a set of curved vanes or guides, the vanes or guides on
one rim or ring being situated opposite to and working in the spaces between the
vanes or guides on the other rim or ring. The rims or rings of the water wheel
are thus interlocked or engaged together by means of the said vanes or guides, and
by separating one of the said rims from or closing it upon the other, the vanes or
guides are correspondingly separated or brought together, and the size of the
openings, vents, or spaces through which the water supplied to the wheel passes
are increased or diminished. The two rims or rings described of the water wheel
are connected to independent shafts, but the said shafts of the wheel are both
connected to the shaft to be driven. One of the shafts of the rims or rings is
tubular, and surrounds and moves freely upon the other, so that one of the said
rims or rings may be adjusted without affecting the other. The adjustment of the
rims or rings of the wheel may be effected by levers, screws, or other equivalent
mechanical appliances, and the adjustment may be made automatic by applying
governors to the said adjusting mechanism.
When the two rims or rings of the water wheel are closed upon one another to
their full extent the curved vanes or guides upon them close the water spaces in
their respective rims and the water wheel comes to rest, and when the rims or rings
are gradually separated from one another the water spaces in the wheel are gradually
increased in size and the supply of water through the wheel correspondingly
increased. In this way the wheel may be readily adjusted to varying supplies of
water and to the power required in the wheel.
The non-rotating guides to the water wheel, into which the water is first delivered,
may be constructed and adjusted in the manner described with respect to the wheel
of the turbine for the purpose of regulating the supply of the water as may be
required. Or the said guides to the water wheel may be fixed as usual and be
provided with a parallel disc or division or divisions for the same purpose.
The adjustable guides described may either be arranged inside or outside the
wheel. When arranged inside the wheel the water is discharged at the circumference
of the wheel, and when arranged outside the wheel the water is discharged at the
centre of the wheel.
In the outward flow turbine screw-like flanges may be placed on the shaft of the

page_text: wheel to receive the impact of the incoming water, so as thereby to increase the
power of the wheel.
A circular sluice on the outside or inside of the guides, according to the kind of
wheel employed, is used to arrest the flow of the water when it is required to bring
the wheel to rest.
Having now described the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same is to
be performed.
Figure 1 is an elevation of an outward-flow turbine made according to my
'Invention as arranged for a low fall; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same;
and Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line x, x, of Figure 2; a and b
are the two rings or annular rims of the turbine wheel.
Upon the said ring a are formed or fixed the curved projections or vanes c, c, the
spaces between which form the "buckets" or waterways, and on the under side of
the rim b are formed or fixed the corresponding projections d, d, which fit into and
are capable of sliding between the projections c, c, on the rim a.
The outer edge of the rim a projects horizontally beyond the vanes c, c, so as to
form a flange, by means of which it is attached by bolts or screws é, e, to a similar
flange formed on the top of the "cap" casting f (see Figures 1 and 2). The cap f
has a central boss g which is accurately bored to fit the main shaft h. The cap f is
firmly fixed by a key passing through the boss g or otherwise to the shaft h, so that
when the water causes the wheel to revolve the cap f and shaft h revolve with it; i is
a hollow shaft or sleeve capable of sliding on the main shaft h. On the bottom end
of the sleeve is keyed or otherwise fastened a disc j; this disc is connected with
the upper rim 6 of the turbine wheel by four or other number of bolts, which pass
loosely through holes in the lower rim a of the wheel. These bolts are shewn in
section at k, k, in the plan, Figure 3, and two of them in the sectional view,
Figure 2. As the sleeve i is caused to rise or fall on the shaft h the disc j and
. connecting bolts k, k, will cause the upper rim 6 to rise or fall, and thereby open or
close all the buckets or waterways of the wheel equally and simultaneously; L, l,
are the fixed guide curves for directing the water into the buckets of the wheel.
.Above the guide curve casting is a cylindrical portion m (which may form part of
the same casting as the guide curves, or be made separately and attached to them
by bolts or screws, as may be most convenient) for conveying the water from the
pen trough o to the turbine. This part m is attached to a plate n which is bolted
to the under side of the pen trough o. The pen trough is shewn as being made of
wood, which is the most economical and convenient material for low falls, but it
may be made of iron or other durable material; p is the footstep or bearing in
which the bottom end of the shaft h works; q, Figure 1, is the bearing that supports
the top end of the same shaft; r is a bevel wheel for transmitting the motion of
the turbine to the machinery to be driven. In Figure 1 I have represented one
arrangement by which the outer shaft or sleeve i can be raised or lowered, and
consequently the power of the turbine regulated. This arrangement consists of a
lever s supported on a centre or fulcrum at t; one end of this lever is connected
with the sleeve i by means of the links u and clip v, the latter working between
the two collars v², v², formed on the top of the sleeve i, so that the sleeve can rotate
without the clip. The other end of the lever s is connected by means of the links w
to the sliding screw box or nut x in which the screw y works. On the top of the
screw y is a hand wheel z, by means of which it can be turned in either direction.
As the screw y is turned the nut x has a sliding motion given to it, the said nut
travelling up or down between the guides of the standard which supports the
* screw y. The changed position of the screw box or nut x causes the lever 8 to
turn on its fulcrum, and to lower or raise the sleeve i, and thus regulate the depth
of the openings between the interlocking curves or vanes c, d, on the rims a, b, of
<the turbine wheel.
'

page_text: .
The sleeve or tubular shaft i is connected with the main shaft h by the inter-
locking of the vanes or projections c, d, of the rims a, b, so that while. the said
sleeve or tubular shaft i is capable of sliding upon the shaft h the said shaft h and
sleeve i rotate together.
The turbine can be made self-regulating by applying a centrifugal or other
governor to the screw y in the manner in which governors are usually applied to
ordinary water wheels.
I do not confine myself to the particular arrangement described and represented
for regulating the distance between the rims a, b, of the turbine wheel, as the same
end may be accomplished by hydraulic pressure, toothed gearing, or other equivalent
mechanical contrivance. The main shaft h of the turbine may be made hollow and
the secondary shaft i for regulating the distance between the rims be placed inside
the hollow main shaft of the turbine instead of arranging the parts as shown in
the Drawing.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 the water contained in the pen
trough o falls through the cylindrical portion m of the guide curve casting, and is
directed by the fixed guide curves into the buckets or spaces between the curves
or vanes c, d, of the wheel, and is discharged at the circumference of the wheel into
the tail race.
Figures 4 and 5 represent another arrangement of turbine containing niy
improvements suitable for high falls, Figure 4 being a plan and Figure 5 a vertical
section of the turbine.
In this arrangement of my Invention the water enters the turbine from below
through the pipe a, rises up through the cylindrical portion of the guide curve
casting, and is directed by the guide curves b into the buckets of the turbine
wheel.
The vanes or curves c, c, of the upper part of the wheel are formed in or fixed to
the disc d, which is provided with a central boss for fixing it on to the shaft e; f, f,
are the vanes or curves which are formed on or fixed to the lower rim of the wheel.
This rim is connected with the disc g by means of the connecting rods or bolts h, h,
which pass through holes made in the upper rim of the wheel. The central boss of
the disc g is prolonged so as to make a sleeve capable of sliding up and down on
the main shaft e. This sleeve can be moved up and down on the main shaft e by
means of a lever, as herein-before described and represented by Figure 1 of the
Drawing, or by other mechanical devices.
When the disc g is raised or lowered the lower rim of the wheel will be
correspondingly raised or lowered, and the space between the two rims and the
interlocking curves or vanes of the wheel reduced or increased to the desired degree.
The lower end of the shaft e works in a footstep or bearing fitted into the centre of
the guide curve casting, and the upper end of the said shaft is supported by a top
bearing.
For inward-flow turbines I construct the wheels substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated in the Drawing, the curve of the vanes being altered to
suit the different circumstances of the wheel. In the inward-flow arrangement the
guide curve casting surrounds the turbine wheel and the water enters at the
circumference of the wheel and is discharged at the centre.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
the improvements in turbines herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing; that is to say, constructing the turbine wheel with two annular
rims capable of receding from or approaching one another, the said rims being
provided with interlocking vanes or projections, so that by separating one of the
said rims from or closing it upon the other the said vanes or projections are corre-
spondingly separated or brought together, and the size of the buckets, waterways,
"

page_text: or water spaces in the turbine, increased or diminished for the purpose, and
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Vernon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
Witness,
GEO. COOPER,
Solicitor,
Uttoxeter.
WM VERNON. (L.S.)