IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM THE MOTION OF A SHIP OR OTHER FLOATING BODY AMONG WAVES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Wykcham Travel Deverell and
Beauchamp Tower at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 27th January 1875.-Partly a com-
munication from abroad made to the said Wykeham Travel Deverell
by Spencer Ruding Deverell, of Portland, in the Colony of Victoria,
and partly of Invention and Discovery made by the said Beauchamp
Tower.
We, WYкEHAM TRAVEL DEVERELL, of the City Liberal Club, 71,
Queen Street, in the City of London, and BEAUCHAMP TOWER, of
Moreton, in the County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM THE
MOTION OF A SHIP OR OTHER FLOATING BODY AMONG WAVES," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists of an improved apparatus for utilising the
motion imparted to a ship or other floating body by waves as a means
for obtaining motive power. A ship or other floating body has imparted
to it by waves a combined horizontal and vertical oscillation, which
combined movement results in the floating body moving in
an

page_text: j
approximately circular path in a vertical plane, and consequently causes
it or any object placed on it to be acted on by a centrifugal force.
Our Invention consists in a mode of mounting a heavy weight on
board a ship or other floating body, so that the before-mentioned
centrifugal force due to the wave motion may act on it and cause it to
move and to exert a motive force. On a horizontal shaft or axle free to
revolve in bearings we fix a radial arm or lever, on the end of which we
fix the heavy weight, so that the weight and the lever and shaft to
which it is fixed can revolve in a circle in a vertical plane about the
centre of the said shaft or axle. Acting on the same lever to which the
weight is attached, or on a separate crank or lever fixed to the shaft or
axle, we place a spring which may either consist of compressed air or
the natural pressure of the atmosphere acting on a plunger or piston
contained in a cylinder; or a spring composed of steel or other suitable
material, or any other known means for exerting an elastic force in such
a manner that the before-mentioned heavy weight is balanced by the
spring in every position in its circular path. The force of gravity on
the heavy weight being thus neutralized the centrifugal force of the
wave motion will be free to act on it and to cause it to revolve. To
utilise the power thus gencrated we fix cranks or other known appliances
'to the shaft or axle to work pumps for pumping water or compressing
air, for the purpose cither of pumping water out of the ship or of storing
'up power, which can be used for pumping, ventilating, or propelling, or
for any other purpose for which it may be required by means of any
'known form or arrangement of engine or machine capable of being
actuated by water or air.

page_text: In some cases, where the machine is used to work pumps, we construct
the pumps in such a way that the action of their valves may be reversed,
and the pumps thereby caused to act as engines for the time, for the
purpose of starting the machine or controlling its action, which being
done the pumps may be again allowed to act as pumps by restoring the
action of the valves.
In order that the machine may work with a maximum effect the
centrifugal force of the wave motion should act always as nearly as
possible at right angles to the arm or lever to which the weight is
attached. In order to ensure this in some cases we use an instrument
which we call a fceler, which consists of a weight mounted on an arm
connected to an axle, and balanced by a spring in the same way as the
weight is in the large machine before described; the feeler is in fact in
construction similar to the large machine, except that it is on a very
much smaller scale, and the axle being delicately pivotted so as to avoid
friction, and no work being imposed on it; its weighted arm always
points in the direction of the centrifugal force of the wave motion, and
continually follows this force in all its successive changes of direction.
It thus indicates the direction of the force to an attendant, and thereby
enables him by means of the auxiliary engine or pumps to control and
adjust the motion of the machine, so as to keep its arm at right angles
to the force; or a small arm or rod moved by the axle of the large
machine may follow a similar arm or rod moved by the axle of the
fecler, in such a way that its being too far before or too far behind the
arm on the fceler will cause it to make or break an clectrical circuit,
and thereby set up or suspend the action of one or more electro-magnets,
which can by attracting their armatures work valves in such a way as to
control the action of the auxiliary engine or pumps, and thereby control
the action of the machine, and cause its weighted arm always to keep at
right angles to the centrifugal force.
In some machines, in which only the vertical oscillations of the ship
are intended to be utilised, we use two complete axles, arms, and
weights, which we gear together in such a way that though, the weights
are both simultaneously either at the top or bottom of their motion,
yet they revolve in directions contrary to one another, but in parallel
planes.
In come
00800
The five turn on more weighted arme on the same axle

page_text: In some cases, where it is desirable that the motion of the machine
should only be in one direction, we attach ratchet wheels and pawls or
other known contrivance for effecting this object. We also apply any
known form of brake to the machine for the purpose of stopping or
checking its action at pleasure...