IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DYNAMO-ELECTRIC OR MAGNETO-ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO- DYNAMIC MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Matthews at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 13th March 1882.
ROBERT MATTHEWS of Hyde in the County of Chester. IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF DYNAMO-ELECTRIC OR MAGNETO-ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO-
DYNAMIC MACHINES
This invention has for its object the constructing of dynamo-Electric or magneto-
electric and electro-dynamic machines in such a manner as to be able to give a
continuous electrical current as regards direction and practically of uniform
strength.
To accomplish the aforesaid results I arrange any number of magnets or electro
magnets so as to present any number of magnetic fields uniformly round a circle
or circles presenting a number of successive fields of like polarity. A number of
coils of insulated wire or bars which may be wound or fixed either on cores of
iron or on wooden or other non-magnetic material: but by preference I make the
core either of thin sheet iron strips or short bars of iron wire arranged in the lines
of force or parallel thereto, on to which is fixed one, two or three layers of the
coils and then another covering of iron wires covered by another coil of insulated
wire and when all the insulated wire is coiled on I couple the two poles externally
of the coil so that the induced current commences in the cores before the coils come
opposite the magnetic fields: these coils may be stationary and the magnets made
to revolve or both might be made to revolve in opposite directions or by preference
the coils are fixed onto an axis by the revolution of which these coils are caused
to pass through the successive fields of force or polar fields above mentioned.
The number of coils is by preference less or greater than the number of fields
by any number either odd or even or for some special purposes it might be
preferable to have them the same; the coils may have their wires connected up in
series and commutated or they may be commutated separately by known methods
or similarly to the one hereafter mentioned.
Another part of my invention consists in improving alternating current machines
by arranging any odd number of coils on the armature with an even number of
alternating magnetic fields so as to make the current more uniform in generators
and the power more constant in electro-dynamic machines than in any existing
machines where the number of coils and the polar fields are the same or vary by
an even number.

page_text: The commutators for the aforementioned machines will by preference be made
in rings with teeth or projections the number of which will be equal to the number
of fields and the number of rings will be equal to twice the number of armature
coils when the number of fields and coils are not commensurable but in machines
where it may be preferable to use a commensurable number of fields and coils the
number of rings would be equal to twice the number of coils divided by the
greatest common measure, the aforesaid rings would be made so that the length of
tooth (on which would bear either the brushes or by preference a wheel of large
diameter) would be such as to receive the whole or nearly the whole of the induced
current.
Any of the aforementioned machines may be employed as an electro-dynamic
machine when supplied with electricity from any source the said current being
commutated as aforementioned or by any known commutator in such a manner
that the poles on the commutator coils shall be attracted or repelled by the field
poles as may be required.
Machines of known forms might have their polar fields and coils arranged so as
to operate according to this invention which does not relate to any particular
construction or position of the field magnets or coils, or any particular method of
producing the current in any one coil, but in the arrangement and connection of
the coils so as to produce the cumulative effect of the induction in the successive
coils. A similar arrangement and connection applies also to magneto-electric and
electro-dynamic machines in which electricity is applied to produce motive power.