IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM THE ACTION OF CURRENTS OF WIND
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John George Emilius Sanderson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th December 1875.
I, JOHN GEORGE EMILIUS SANDERSON, of 370, Rue St. Honore,
Paris, a Public Translator, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for'" IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
FROM THE ACTION OF CURRENTS OF WIND," to be as follows:―
My Invention of improvements in machinery for obtaining motive
power relates more particularly to machinery actuated by wind pressure,
and by which a greater proportion of effective power is obtained than is
the case with any system of windmill at present in use.
Ordinary windmills as at present constructed are open to many
objections, first, it is necessary to turn the sails either by cumbersome
machinery or self-acting supplementary sails in such a direction as to
put them into the most favorable position for the wind, and if a storm
should arise the sails have to be furled so as to leave but little surface
exposed to the wind to prevent undue strain on the mill or accident to
the machinery; both these objections are overcome and a great effective

page_text: power obtained by my improved apparatus, which is constructed and
arranged as follows:-
I construct two or other convenient number of semi-circular or
semi-oval flat surfaces made of wood, metal, canvas, or other suitable
material, and arrange and fix these surfaces round a horizontal shaft;
these surfaces are held to the shaft by means of collars and iron rods
and to each other by ties; these surfaces when two only are employed,
which number I generally prefer, are so arranged as to be at right
angles to each other, and each to form an angle of 45 degrees to the
horizontal shaft on which they are fixed. This disposition of surfaces or
wings enables the machine to work well from whichever quarter the
wind may blow, the most favorable direction being of course when
blowing parallel to the shaft, and the least favorable when blowing in a
perpendicular direction to the shaft, although in practice it is found
that the machine is very efficient even when the wind is blowing in the
least favorable direction.
The horizontal shaft revolves in a frame which may be independent or
made to form part of a mill, and at the end of the shaft is fixed a pulley
or toothed wheel for communicating motion to any system of gearing
and machinery required to be driven. If a storm should arise this a
machinery may be automatically thrown out of gear, and the shaft and
wings allowed to revolve without doing any damage.
The above described apparatus may be used also as a propellor, either
in water or air by continuing the surfaces along the shaft in a similar
manner to a double threaded screw of large diameter and great pitch, the 2
outer edges of the wings being either parallel in shape, similar to a
cylinder, or they may be tapered like a cone with a flat disc at one end
to receive the thrust of the water or air.
The above arrangement will be found best for most practical purposes,
but may be varied if required to suit different circumstances.