Improved Rotary Apparatus with Feathering Vanes or Blades to be Employed for Obtaining Motive Power, Propelling Vessels, Measuring the Flow of Fluids, or other similar Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1890
New
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
or Improved Rotary Apparatus with Feathering Vanes or
Blades to be Employed for Obtaining Motive Power, Propelling
Vessels, Measuring the Flow of Fluids, or other similar Purposes.
I, Count HENRI AVET, of 17, Corso, Vinzalio, Turin, Italy, Retired General, 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
statement:
My Invention relates to an apparatus constructed in the form of a wheel carrying
vanes or blades which are caused by a suitable combination of mechanism to rotate on
their own axes as they are carried round the central axes of the wheel the relation
between the rotary motion of the vanes or blades on their own axes and the motion by
which they revolve around the common centre being regulated and controlled
according to the principles hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying
drawing.
pp' (see Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings) is a vane capable of rotation on
an axis or shaft a carried by supports s s.
These supports are secured to a central rotating shaft A. A. and in certain cases the
planetary shaft aa may be supported at one end only on the same side of the vane so
that the latter is left quite free at the same time ensuring sufficient support to the
shaft a.
When the central shaft A. rotates the vane p p revolves around the shaft as a
centre and through the action of mechanism hereinafter described acting on the
shaft a a is obliged at the same time to rotate on its own axis in such a manner as to
take successively inclined positions as shewn in Figure 2 that is to say it stands
tangentially to the circle of rotation when at a point a (Figure 2) and in all the other
positions a prolongation of its plane surface invariably passes through the same
point a, Figure 2.
If, instead of a single vane there are several, say for example four, as in "Figure 3,
when one of these vanes stands at a tangent as at the point a then the other three
assume the positions bed and on rotation each one in its turn occupies the tangential
position represented at a.
When a current of water for example acts on the vanes or blades thus arranged
in the direction shown by the arrow E Figure 3 its action on each and every blade
in all of their successive positions is favourable to or tends to produce a rotating
movement around the centre A. in the direction dc b except at the moment when
they pass and stand at a tangent to the circle of rotation at the point a. Now if the
position of this point be changed so that it may be at c for example Figure 4 instead of
at a this change being readily produced by the mechanism hereinafter described) the
rotation about the centre A. instead of being in the direction dc b will now be in the
reverse direction d a b.
The action takes place in an analogous manner when one or more of such wheels
actuated by a motor driving the central shaft A. are employed as propellers and by
changing the point where the propeller blades stand tangentially, the direction of the
propulsion produced can be changed in a horizontal plane if the wheels rotate in a
horizontal plane or in vertical plane it rotating in a vertical plane for example.
The operation of changing the direction can be easily effected without interrupting
or modifying the action of the motor. In the first case (horizontal plane) the motion
can be changed to the right or to the left or backwards for example.
In the second case(vertical plane) the motion can be produced in a horizontal direction
as well as an ascending or descending motion. A propelling or steering action to the
right or left can also be obtained by causing the two wheels, when a pair of wheels is
employed, to act in opposite directions relatively to one another.

page_text: Theory of the mechanism:-If the vane p p Figure 5 were carried round the circle
of rotation without any independent motion on its own axis it would return to the
point a after having described in space one revolution on itself. If during the
movement of rotation about the centre A. the vane were continually moved backwards
on its own axis through an angle a Figure 5 A. equal to half the angle corresponding
to the arc of a circle a b which it has traversed it will only make half of a complete
revolution on its own axis by the time it has travelled once round the centre A. and in
all positions the vane will be in planes passing through the point a and on returning
to this point it will again stand at a tangent but with its edge p' in front instead of
the edge p.
Mechanism: The mechanism for obtaining this result is illustrated in vertical
section in Figure 6 and in plan in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
R and R are two toothed or spur wheels connected by a sleeve or tube m the
internal diameter of which is a trifle longer than that of the central shaft A. This
sleeve does not touch the shaft except at its extremities which project beyond the
wheels and are of conical shape the tube is consequently able to turn upon the shaft
with very little friction. In like manner the shaft can turn with little friction in the
said tube or sleeve m.
C is a toothed or spur wheel of a diameter double that of the wheel R' and provided
with exactly twice as many teeth as that wheel. B is an intermediate toothed wheel
or pinion or may be a toothed cylinder moveable on its axis being similar to the pinion
wire or toothed cylinders commonly employed by clock makers. This wheel is
simply an intermediary and its diameter is immaterial provided that its teeth gear
properly with the spur wheels.
The wheels B and C are connected by their spindles to the support or plate S
carrying the vanes or blades. During the rotary motion (the wheel Ri being
maintained stationary by mechanism acting on the wheel R) the pinion B travels
round the wheel R¹ in the direction of the rotation of the central shaft A and causes
the wheel C to move in the opposite direction with an angular speed equal to one half
of that of the said shaft or of the support of the vanes.
The wheel C is connected to an eccentric or crank E. The upper end of each vane
shaft or spindle a is provided with an exactly similar crank. These cranks are so
adjusted that the crank on one vane namely the left hand vane in the drawing is in a
line with the plane of the vane but the next or second crank stands at an angle of
45 degrees to the vane the third at 90 degrees and the fourth at 135 degrees. The
five cranks all rotate in the same direction the crank pins being caused to work in
5 corresponding holes in a moveable frame M the said holes being bored to coincide
exactly with the axis of the wheel C and of the four vanes which are thus caused to
turn backwards on their own axes (at the point which they occupy in the circle of
rotation) through an angle equal to half the angle through which they would have
moved in travelling from the point at which they stand at a tangent to the circle
of rotation if they had no motion about their own axes and the crank on the wheel C
being rigidly connected to the four cranks E on the vanes the latter are invariably
placed at the required angle.
The wheel R being maintained stationary by parts acting on the wheel R the point
at which all the vanes in turn are caused to stand tangentially to the circle of rotation
remains in one position.
This position may however be changed at will and shifted in either direction by
rotating the wheel R and thereby rotating the wheel R¹.
The diameter of the wheel R is immaterial but the number of its teeth should be a
factor or a multiple of those of the wheel R¹ in order to obtain with certainty the
displacements required by acting on the wheel R. The said displacements may be
conveniently indicated by a needle or pointer showing on a dial the point at which the.
vanes stand at a tangent and indicating the displacement of the said point.
The wheel R may be moved by means of another toothed wheel or pinion, or, as in
the arrangement illustrated, by means of an endless screw or worm von a shaft r which
can be rotated by means of a crank s or any other suitable arrangement of mechanism.

page_text: When an apparatus operating as hereinbefore described is employed for the
propulsion of vessels employed in aerial navigation the wheel R is removed and in its
place a vane is attached to the cylinder or sleeve m which acts on the wheel R¹ in the
direction of thewind so that the vanes or blades always present themselves tangentially
in this direction. The shaft may either rotate with the vanes or may be fixed the
vanes with their supports rotating upon it.
In applying this apparatus as a propeller for ships and the like with the wheels
acting vertically the mechanism is enclosed in a cylinder the base of which forms a
support for the shafts of the blades. This cylinder is placed in the side of the vessel
so as not to offer any resistance to its progress and to admit of rotating with the blades
upon the small cylinder or sleeve m and consequently on the shaft A. This shaft and
that part of the cylinder which carries the wheel R alone require to pass into the
interior of the vessel where the shaft receives the movement necessary for its action
and where the wheel R. or its equivalent is shifted according to the changes to be
produced in the propelling action of the blades.
The construction of the parts of the apparatus illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of
the accompanying drawings is merely given as an example in order to explain
the principles of the construction and action of a working apparatus according to
my invention in such a manner as to enable the said invention to be performed.
The forms dimensions materials and arrangement of the details must evidently be
modified according to the purposes to which the apparatus is applied.
It is evident that apparatus constructed and operating as hereinbefore described is
capable of being employed with great advantage in a variety of applications in which
mechanical effect is required to be produced by the action of fluids in motion or in
which mechanical action is required to be exerted on a fluid for example the apparatus
being in either case either partly or completely submerged in the fluid.
Employed as a hydraulic motor or water wheel the apparatus presents the valuable
advantage of admitting of being constructed so as to be conveniently transported from
place to place.
In the form of a propeller it admits of being worked so as to act either horizontally
or vertically. In shallow waters it is capable when working horizontally of being
employed with good effect in from 20 to 30 centimetres or about one foot of water.
The apparatus may also be employed for aerial navigation or for aiding vessels to
get in or out of harbours or as a meter for measuring the flow of currents of water or
the speed of vessels, or as a blowing or ventilating apparatus for example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The new or improved apparatus with vanes or blades rotating on axes revolving
around a central axis arranged and operating substantially as hercinbefore described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. An apparatus constructed with a central shaft A and shafts carrying vanes or
blades a partaking of a rotary motion (in supports s) governed by a predetermined
theoretical law the said motion being produced in practice by the combination of the
cranks Eand the frame M with the spur wheel C, the intermediate pinion B, the spur
wheel R the sleeve m and the spur or worm wheel R all arranged and operated
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In combination with the construction referred to in the preceding claiming
clause the method of regulating the position of the vanes or blades by means of a
worm on a shaft. z worked by a crank s all arranged and operating as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the accompany-
ing drawing.
Dated this 30th day of November 1880