AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC MOTIVE MACHINE OR ENGINE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Armand Gilbec, of the Firm of, L. de
Fontainemoreau & Co., 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
HYDRAULIC MOTIVE MACHINE OR ENGINE." -A communication from
abroad by Count Charles de Mutrécy, of Paris, in the Republic of
France.
Sealed the 5th December 1873, and dated the 6th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Armand
Gilbee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th September 1873.
I, WILLIAM ARMAND GILBEE, of the Firm of L. de Fontainemoreau
& Co., 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED HYDRAULIC MOTIVE MACHINE OR ENGINE," to be as follows, that is
to say:

page_text: arising from the expansion of centrifugal force, and worked by any
suitable prime mover, whereby a great increase of its power is obtained
for driving machinery and other motive purposes.
This improved machine is constructed of four concentric truncated
hollow cones, the generatrices of which are not parallel, but each is
represented by an arc of a circle, and a space is left between cach two of
them. These cones are placed with their trunks downwards, and are
connected together by five diaphragms, forming a conical screw with
five blades or threads.
The cones are fixed on a vertical shaft, the lower end of which
revolves in a step on the bottom of a reservoir, herein-after described.
The trunks of the cones are on the same level, but the inner and the
outer cone extends beyond the other two concs, so that their gone-
ratrices shall form about a quarter of a circle; and to the exterior
circumference of these extended cones, which circumference is divided
into eight equal parts, are bolted eight distributing pipes, cast in one
piece. The form of these pipes is such that the direction of projection
of the liquid (which direction is tangential to the exterior circumference,
and in the direction of its motion) shall not meet with resistance
against the sides of the pipes, and so that the expansion of the centri-
fugal force shall be produced without sensible loss. For this purpose
the exterior side of the pipe is placed in a tangential direction to the
outer circumference of the said extended cones, and is of the form of
a curve directed towards the interior circumference of a horizontal
hydraulic wheel or turbine, herein-after described, and forms an angle
with the circumference thereof.
To avoid the expense of motive power required to overcome the
resistance of the air the whole of these pipes are joined together by par-
titions made of thin sheet iron. The whole of these pipes thus form onc
uninterrupted horizontal body on which the air can take no hold.
The vertical shaft carrying the cones is provided with three vertical
ribs or breakwaters, and with a pulley for driving the same.
The machine is completed by a horizontal wheel, with buckets.or
turbine blades receiving the water projected by the herein-before
described distributing pipes. The cross bar of this wheel or turbine is
provided with a nave of a suitable length to avoid overflows, and the

page_text: lower part of the said nave is provided with a steel ring resting on
another steel ring fixed on the vertical shaft by pressure screws. The
wheel or turbine turns freely on the vertical shaft, and on the nave of
this wheel or turbine either a pulley or a cog wheel is keyed, and also
the necessary mechanism for receiving and transmitting the motive
power according to the desired application.
The whole machine is fixed in a tank or reservoir made of strong sheet
iron, supplied with a sufficient quantity of water to reach about half way
up the cones.
The interior circumference of the reservoir is provided with break-
waters, to assist in obstructing the motion of the water. The upper part
of the reservoir is covered with a metallic cap or cover constructed of
four juxtaposed sheets of metal, through the centre of which passes the
vertical shaft. By this arrangement, motion being transmitted to the
vertical shaft by a steam engine or other prime mover, the water in the
reservoir or tank will be raised through the spaces between the cones,
and be projected with great speed through the distributing pipes and
on to the buckets of the wheel or the blades of the turbine, thereby giving
to the wheel or the turbine a greater power than that expended for
putting the machine in motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Armand Gilbee in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARMAND GILBEE, of the Firm of L. de Fontainemoreau & Co., 4,
South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors
give and grant unto me, the said William Armand Gilbee, Her special
licence that I, the said William Armand Gilbee, my executors, admi-

page_text: nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Armand
Gilbee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC MOTIVE MACHINE OR ENGINE," a communication
to me from abroad by Count Charles de Mutrécy, of Paris, in the Re-
public of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Armand Gilbee, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Armand Gilbee, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say :-
The Invention communicated to me consists in the construction of an
improved hydraulic motive-power machine or engine, based on the appli
cation of the law of vis viva, arising from the expansion of centrifugal ?
force, and worked by any suitable prime mover, whereby I obtain a
great increase of power over that employed to work the machine for
driving machinery and other motive purposes.
To make the Invention communicated to me better understood I will
proceed to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing,
in which Figure 1 shews a vertical section, and Figure 2 a plan (the top
being removed) of the improved hydraulic centrifugal motive machine
or engine. Similar letters in both Figures represent similar parts.
For convenience of description I have divided the machine or engine
into three parts or bodies.
The first part or truncated cone serves to produce an artificial height

page_text: the fall obtained, and is constructed of four concentric truncated hollow
cones A, B, C, D, the generatrices of which are not parallel, a space
being left between each two of them. These cones are connected
together by five diaphragms F in the form of a screw. The pitch of
these diaphragms is equal to the height contained between their parallel
bases, minus that of the upper discharge orifice. These diaphragms thus
form a conical scrow with five blades or threads.
The mean diameter of each of the crowns F, G, H, seen from the base,
diminishes as it approaches the axis, consequently the speed at the cir-
cumference also diminishes; the height therefore of each of the crowns
has to be lessened, so that the ratio between their surfaces and their
diameters shall be the same, and so that the three spaces between the
cones shall be filled and act together in a uniform manner.
The three discharge openings I, J, K, must be of the same diameter
as their upper part, and of such a height that each section shall be equal
to that of their corresponding crown at the base, slightly increased to
avoid any loss of charge during the passage of the liquid from the base
to the upper part of its cones.
I have stated that the generatrices of the cones were not parallel;
thus each of the four generatrices of the cones is represented by an arc
of a circle, the centre of which is on the line L, M, passing through the
horizontal plane of the base or lower part of the trunks of the cones,
and terminates at its two extremities, the first at the points N, O, the
second at the points P, Q, the third at the points R, S, and the fourth
at the points T, U. These points are determined by the sections to be
obtained.
I have divided the trunk of the cone forming the first part or body
into several concentric cones, but this division only applies to machines
of large diameter.
For machines of a small or medium diameter, such as engines appli-
cable for railways, it would be better to do away with all internal
divisions, so as to avoid by this means all useless friction. In this case,
which is the most frequent, the diaphragm forming the conical screw
between the two casings of the cone trunk will [have a larger breadth of
blade.
The second part of the machine or engine consists of a recipient con.

page_text: The lower cap V over the discharge openings rests on the part X, having
the form of a clapet or valve; the upper cap Y above the said openings
is fixed by means of screws or pins on the cover Z of the truncated cone,
so that the vertical height a, b, between the two generatrices of the caps
at their point of junction with the truncated cone shall bo equal to the
sum of the heights of the openings, plus the thicknesses of the metal
serving to form the sides and the cover of the said truncated conc.
These two caps are both horizontal and parallel to the line L, M, passing
through the base of the cone trunk. The plateau formed by the two
caps Y, V, is continued over a certain diameter to allow the centrifugal
force of the liquid stream to develop as far as the extremity of its dia-
meter. The height of the two caps of this plateau should be equivalent
to the outlet section a, b, of the first part, plus about one-twentieth to
avoid loss of charge from the friction of the liquid against the sides of
the two caps, and also to prevent the pressure of the liquid stream at its
exit from the first part into the second. The diameter of the plateau
should be about two and a half times greater than the first part. A
flange is cast on the exterior diameter of each of the caps for receiving
bolts for fixing the distributing pipes.
To the exterior circumference of the caps, which circumference I
divide into eight equal parts, are bolted eight distributing pipes, cast in
one piece. The form of these pipes should be such that the direction of
projection of the liquid through the cap (which direction is tangential to
the exterior circumference, and in the direction of its motion) shall not
meet with any resistance against the sides of the pipes, and so that the
expansion of the centrifugal force shall be produced without sensible
loss. It is therefore necessary that the exterior side of the pipe be
placed in a tangential direction to the outer circumference of the caps V
and Y, and that it be of the form of a curve directed towards the interior
circumference of the herein-after described horizontal hydraulic wheel or
turbine, and form an angle with that circumference. The section of
these pipes at their point of contact with the plateau is of a height
similar to that of the plateau, so as to permit the liquid stream to enter
the pipes with facility. The extreme section of these pipes is of the
same height as the said buckets of the wheel or blades of the turbine,
multiplied by the width of the delivery. The section of this outlet
should be reduced proportionately to the section of the entrance, so that
all the pressure may tend towards the centre of the curved part of the
nines.

page_text: To avoid the expense of motive power required to overcome. the
resistance of the air, I connect the whole of these pipes together by
partitions g, made of thin sheet iron. The whole of these pipes thus
form one uniterrupted horizontal body, offering but little if any
resistance to the air. In Figure 2 these partitions are supposed to be
removed to show the pipes f.
The arms are bolted to the caps or recipient, and the caps being also
fixed to the truncated cone, these three parts form one rigid body,
through which passes the vertical shaft h, which rests at its lower part
in a step i, provided with three ribs or breakwaters j, which latter šerve
to impede the drawing off the water by the truncated cone, which by
reason of the speed and of its rotation would at the end of some time
move the water in a uniform direction and at a uniform speed.
The truncated cone is set in motion by the vertical shaft fixed thereto.
by means of a key %, and the whole is kept in a vertical direction by the
ring 7, on which rests the upper nave m of the truncated cone, kept in
its place by the nut n and counter nut n¹..
The machine is completed by a horizontal wheel, with buckets por
turbine blades q receiving the water projected by the distributing pipes f.
The breadth of the crown of the turbine should be proportionate to the.
diameter of the truncated cone and to the delivery of the liquid stream.
It is necessary that the troughs of the turbine should be as large as
possible, so as to utilise all the impulsive force of the liquid projected.
The cross bar of this wheel or turbine is provided with a nave of suitable
length to avoid overflows. The lower part of the said nave is provided
with a steel ring r, resting on another steel ring s, fixed on the vertical
shaft by pressure screws. The wheel or turbine turns freely on the
shaft h. On the nave of this wheel or turbine either a pulley or a spur
wheel is keyed, and also the necessary mechanism for receiving and
transmitting the motive power according to the intended application.
The whole machine is fixed in a tank or reservoir A¹, made of strong
sheet iron, supplied with a sufficient quantity of water, so that the trun-
cated cone shall be about half immersed.
The interior circumference of the reservoir is provided with break-
waters B¹ like the step. The upper part of the reservoir is covered with

page_text: a metallic cover C¹, constructed of four juxtaposed sheets of metal,
through the top of which passes the vertical shaft h. This metallic
cover serves to prevent the escape of the water, which being con-
tinuously and rapidly projected against the buckets of the wheel or the
blades of the turbine, forms a spray, which would otherwise have a ten-
dency to spirt out of the reservoir. This cover also serves to obviate in
great measure the effects of evaporation; it also serves to prevent con-
gelation in cold countries. To prevent the effects of frost it is merely
necessary to line the whole of the interior of the water reservoir with
sheets of superposed felt, or the escape pipe of the steam engine working
the hydraulic machine may be made to pass through the water in the
reservoir.
.)
The machine operates as follows:-Motion being transmitted to the
vertical shaft hit moves with it the truncated cone and all the parts
connected therewith. As soon as the first rotation is made the water is 1
taken up at the bottom by the diaphragms, then conducted to the upper
part of the apparatus at speeds uniformly accelerated until the water
arrives at the discharge openings I, J, K. When it has arrived there the
stream of liquid egresses, at the same time extending the generatrices of
the cones, and at a great speed (which favours the elevation of the water),
the water is thus projected tangentially to the circumference of the
upper part of the first part, and in the same direction of rotation. The
effect of this tangential projection is to cause the water to pass into the
openings in the trunk of the cones in the recipient formed by the cap
with great rapidity. Passing from one circumference to a larger one the 2
water thus acquires a speed always increasing until it is precipitated into
the entrance of the distributing pipes, this being the extreme point of
elevation. When arrived at this point the water divides without shock
equally into each pipe, and being on a horizontal plane it acquires all
the speed derived from the centrifugal force, which causes it to pass
through different diameters, and continuing to increase until the water
reaches the outlet openings, when it is projected on to the buckets of the
wheel or on to the blades of the turbine, to which it gives its entire force

page_text: engine, whereby a greater amount of motive power is obtained than that
employed for working the same, as herein-before described.
In witness wliereof, I, the said William Armand Gilbec, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
1