A Machine or Engine for Propelling Air or for being Actuated by Air.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 30th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Machine or Engine for Propelling Air or for being Actuated
by Air.
We, CHARLES GROOMBRIDGE, Inventor, and WILLIAM ALFRED SOUTH,
Veterinary Surgeon, both of 40, New Bond Street, in the County of London do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-—
The object of this invention is the construction of a machine or engine which
shall be suitable for propelling air, or for being actuated by air and in the latter
case serving then as a motor for driving various apparatus or machinery.
According to our invention we employ a rotatory frame which is free to turn on a
fixed axis, and is provided with any suitable number of vanes capable of rotation
about axes carried by the said rotatory frame. The inner ends of these axes may
be furnished with cranks from which project pins adapted to enter a cam path
formed in a plate or boss rigidly fixed to the axis carrying the rotating frame.
This cam path is so formed that, as the frame rotates, each vane is successively
caused to present its superficial area to the direction of the wind, while the others
are at different angles thereto, and therefore offer but little resistance.
When the machine or engine is used as an air propeller, suitable gear is provided
by means of which motion may be given to the rotatory frame, and the vanes then
operate to produce a powerful blast of air.
is
But when the machine or engine is to be used as a motor the driving gear
dispensed with and the wind alone acting upon the vanes causes the frame to rotate.
and its power can then be transmitted through suitable gearing to the apparatus or
machinery to be driven.
If preferred, the frame carrying the vanes may be increased in dimensions so as
to carry several series of vanes, each series being controlled by its separate cam
plate or boss. The power of the machine or engine would thus be greatly
augmented.
In a modified arrangement the vanes instead of being carried in a rotatory
frame, may be carried by plates fixed to endless chains passing over guide
pulleys, or chain wheels, and the pins projecting from the plates carrying the
vanes would be guided in a race terminating at each end in a cam path taking
the place of the cam plate or boss in the former arrangement. The vanes would
thus only be operated each time they arrived at the end of the race and conse
quently they would receive the full force of the wind for an increased length of
time.
Dlth LL
Mach 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Machine or Engine for Propelling Air or for being Actuated
by Air.
We, CHARLES GROOMBRIDGE, Inventor, and WILLIAM ALFRED SOUTH,
Veterinary Surgeon, both of 40, New Bond Street, in the County of London, 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

page_text: statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of this invention is the construction of a machine or engine which
shall be suitable for propelling air, or for being actuated by air, and in the latter
case serving then as a motor for driving various apparatus or machinery.
According to our invention we employ a rotatory frame which is provided with
any suitable number of vanes, capable of rotation about axes carried by the said
rotatory frame. The inner ends of these axes may be furnished with cranks from
which project pins adapted to enter a cam path formed in a plate or boss rigidly
fixed to the axis carrying the rotatory frame. This cam path is so formed that, as
the frame rotates, each vane is successively caused to present its superficial area to
the direction of the wind, while the others are at different angles thereto and
therefore offer but little resistance.
When the machine or engine is used as an air propeller, suitable gear is provided
by means of which motion may be given to the rotatory frame, and the vanes then
operate to produce a powerful blast of air.
But when the machine or engine is to be used as a motor, the driving gear is
dispensed with and the wind alone acting upon the vanes causes the frame to rotate,
and its power can then be transmitted, through suitable gearing, to the apparatus
or machinery to be driven.
augmented.
If preferred, the frame carrying the vanes may be increased in dimensions so as
to carry several series of vanes, each series being controlled by its separate cam
plate or boss. The power of the machine or engine would thus be greatly
In a modified arrangement the vanes, instead of being carried in a rotatory frame,
may be carried by plates fixed to endless chains passing over guide pulleys, or
chain wheels, and the pins projecting from the plates carrying the vanes, would be
guided in a race terminating at each end in a cam path taking the place of the cam
plate or boss in the former arrangement. The vanes would thus only be operated
each time they arrived at the end of the race, and consequently they would receive
the full force of the wind for an increased length of time.
And in order that our invention may be readily understood we proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the machine or
engine constructed according to our invention.
Figs. 3 and 4 show respectively an elevation and underside view of one of the
cranks, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 6, a transverse section, and Fig. 7 a plan of
a modified construction of the machine or engine.
Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in both constructions.
Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a is the cam plate or boss which is
rigidly carried by the fixed axis b whose ends are supported in a suitable framing
or casing c surrounding the lower part of the machine. Turning freely on the
fixed axis b, are the rotatory frames d, d, each frame carrying a pivotted axis e
provided with vanes f. In the drawings, only two of these frames d are shown
for sake of clearness, but any other number may be employed to suit requirements;
for instance when the machine is used as an air propeller three may be employed,
but when to be used as a wind engine four may be employed. The inner ends of
the pivotted axes e are provided with double cranks e¹ (see Figs. 3 and 4) said
cranks being furnished with pins or studs ², e, one or other of which always
remains in the path a' formed in the boss a while the other remains on the exterior
portion of the boss, as seen at Fig. 1.
The cam boss is formed with passages a³, a³, through which the crank pins or
studs e, e, enter and leave the path a', projecting portions or swells a standing
out from the boss guiding the crank pins into the passages a³, a', during the
rotation of the frames d. Thus, assuming that the frames are rotating in the

page_text: direction of the arrow, in Fig. 2, the crank pins 2, which are at present on
the exterior portion of the cam boss, will come against the swells at and be guided
into the path a', while the other crank pins e³, which are at present within the
path a', will be guided onto the exterior of the boss a. By reason of this alteration
of the position of the crank pins the pivotted axes e will have been turned a
quarter of a revolution and the upper vane will thus be feathered while the lower
one will be brought into a position presenting its superficial area to the wind.
The frames continuing to rotate, those crank pins which were previously guided
onto the exterior of the cam boss will now come against the swells a* and will, in
their turn, be guided into the path a', thereby causing the axes e to again turn a
quarter revolution, but in the opposite direction. In this manner the continuous
rotation of the frames d about the fixed axis is produced, each vane being
successively feathered and brought into action again as it is actuated by the swells a¹
acting upon the crank pins e², ed.
A sleeve or hollow trunnion d¹ (Fig. 1), with which the rotatory frames d are
provided, projects through the casing c, and is furnished with a pulley d³, or other
means, for enabling the power to be transmitted to any required place. If desired,
means similar to those now employed in windmills may also be provided for enabling
the machine, when used as a wind engine, to be always kept in the best position to
be acted upon by the wind.
When the machine is to be employed as an air propeller, the pulley d² would by
driven by any suitable gearing, so as to rotate the frames d, and a casing, similar
to that shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, furnished with inlet and outlet openings,
would enclose the machine.
Instead of arranging the frames d to rotate around the central cam boss a, as
above described, we may mount the frames upon cross-bars or plates d³ which are
connected at their ends to endless chains 9 passing over sprocket wheels g' situated
near the extremities of the machine, as shown at Figs. 5, 6, and 7.
The cam boss a would, in this case, be so constructed as to form a central longi-
tudinal race or guide-way a', in which the crank pins e², e, would be guided, the
left extremity of said race or guide-way being furnished with one half portion of
the cam boss already described above with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, and the right
extremity with the other half, thus causing the vanes to work in an analogous
mauner to that of the previous arrangement. This race or guide-way is rigidly
supported from the sides of the casing by means of arms or brackets c¹.
This modified arrangement is devised more especially for use as an air propeller,
and is provided with a casing having inlet and outlet openings for the air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The machine or engine for propelling air, or for being actuated by air, in
which vanes are caused to be successively feathered and brought into action at the
requisite times by means of double cranks mounted on the axes of said vanes and
actuated by cam surfaces formed upon a fixed boss, substantially as described.
2. The modified construction of machine or engine for propelling air, or for
being actuated by air, in which there is a fixed race or guide-way, terminating in
cam surfaces, and endless chains carry the pivotted ranes whose double cranks are
adapted to travel along the race or guide way and to be controlled by the cam
surfaces, substantially as described.
3. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the machine
or engine for propelling air, or for being actuated by air, substantially as herein-
before described and as shown with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the annexed
drawings.
4. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the machine
or engine for propelling air, or for being actuated by air, substantially as herein-

page_text: before described and as shown with reference to Figs. 5, 6, and 7 of the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 30th day of December 1892.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.