IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN BRAMALL of 18 Ballantine Street in the county of Surrey, Mechanical
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PADDLE WHEELS" to be as follows :—
This invention relates to improvements in paddle wheels.
In carrying out my invention I construct the paddle wheels with a rim and a
number of spokes; the spokes or some of the spokes of the wheels are provided
with paddles or floats which are hinged to the said spokes; or the paddles or floats
may be pivotted between the hub and the rim of the wheels; the said paddles or
floats are caused to feather by means of a loose ring placed at an angle to the hub
of the wheel and revolving upon other rings fitted to the side of the boat the said
rings forming a groove or race to allow the loose ring to revolve in, and the loose
feathering ring is attached to the floats of the paddle wheel by connecting rods
whereby the Boats are caused to feather as they pass in and out of the water; to
the hub of each of the paddle wheels I fix a projection or projections having slots
serving to receive pins or studs on the rim of the feathering ring so as to cause the
said feathering ring to revolve with the paddle wheel and by its connecting roda
to feather the said paddles.
When my improved paddle wheels are to be used for propelling boats or the like
both on land and water the peripheries of the wheels are suitably constructed to
allow of the wheels serving for travelling on land.

page_text: I JOHN BRAMALL, of 18, Ballantine Street, in the county of Surrey, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PADDLE WHEELS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to improvements in paddle wheels.
In carrying out my invention I construct the paddle wheels with a rim and a
number of spokes; the spokes or some of the spokes of the wheels are provided
with paddles or floats which are hinged to the said spokes; or the paddles or floats
may be pivotted between the hub and the rim of the wheels; the said paddles or
floats are caused to feather by means of a loose ring placed at an angle to the
hub of the wheol, and revolving upon another ring or rings fitted to the side of
the boat, the said ring or rings forming a projection, or a groove or race, to allow the
loose ring to revolve upon or in the same; and the loose feathering ring is attached
to the floats of the paddle wheel by connecting rods, whereby the floats are caused
to feather as they pass in and out of the water; to the hub of each of the paddle
wheels I fix a projection or projections having slots serving to receive pins or studs
on the rim of the feathering ring, so as to cause the said feathering ring to revolve
with the paddle wheel and, by its connecting rods, to feather the said paddles.
When my improved paddle wheels are to be used for propelling boats or the like
both on land and water the peripheries of the wheels are suitably constructed, to
allow of the wheels serving for travelling on land.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a side
elevation of a paddle wheel constructed according to my invention the loose ring
rotating upon a projection on the fixed ring and the periphery of the wheel being
shown constructed to allow of the wheel serving for travelling on land; figure 2
is a transverse vertical section shewing the wheel applied to the side of a boat.
Similar letters in both the figures represent similar parts.
a, represents the rim of the paddle wheel which rim is shewn of a U shape in
cross section to adapt it to receive an india rubber or other elastic tyre b, so as to
enable the wheels to be used for propelling boats or the like on land as well as on
water; the said rims can however if required be formed of other suitable shape in
cross section, and the elastic tyre b, can be dispensed with; c, c¹, are the spokes of
the wheel suitably attached to the rim a, and to the bub d, which I form with
three flanges d', d³, d³, as shewn in figure 2; e, e, are the paddles or floats hinged
at ff, to the spokes c³, which are fixed to the centre flange d², of the hub (or the
paddles or floats can be pivotted between the hub and the rim of the wheel); the
other spokes c, c, are fixed to the outside flanges d, and d³, of the hub, and serve
as stays or strengthening spokes to the wheel; g, is the loose ring placed at
an angle to the hub d, of the wheel as shewn in figure 2 for causing the paddles
or floats e, to feather as hereinafter described; h, is the ring upon which the
feathering ring g, rotates, and which is fixed to the side A of the boat by means of
adjusting nuts i, and bolts j, fixed to lugs or eyes k, on the ring h, and whereby
the angle of the rings y, and h can be adjusted; B is the shaft fixed to the paddle

page_text: wheel and revolving in suitable bearings C; in the side A of the boat; the periphery
of the ring h, is formed with a projecting rim or flange l, over which fits a
corresponding groove in the interior of the feathering ring g, which rotates thereon ;
the rings h, and g, may be provided with rollers or other suitable means for
lessening the friction between the same; m, m, are the connecting rods, whereby
the feathering ring g, is attached to the floats e, and whereby the floats are caused
to feather as they pass in and out of the water; the connecting rods m, are
provided with adjustable forks or clips n, which are passed over a rim o, formed
on the feathering ring g; a pin or bolt p, is then passed through the fork n, and
rim o, and forms a pivot on which the rim o, can work; the. holes in the rim o,
through which pass the pins or bolts p, are countersunk so as to allow the ring g, in
rotating to assume its constantly varying angle with the connecting rods m; the
rods m, are pivotted to the floats e, at q; r, r, are the projections on the hub d, of
the paddle wheel; 8, are the pins or studs on the rim of the feathering ring 9,
which pins or studs 8, work through slots (not shewn in the drawing) in the
projections r, so as to cause the feathering ring g, to revolve with the paddle wheel
and by the connecting rods m, to feather the paddles e.
By this construction of paddle wheel if the shaft B, be rotated the feathering
ring g, will be caused to rotate around the fixed ring h, by means of the pins or
studs 8, thereon carried in the projections r, on the hub d, of the wheel; as the
ring g, rotates at an angle to the hub of the wheel and the top of the said ring is
always the farthest from the hub, the rods m, as they come uppermost will be
drawn along and will turn the floats so that they commence to travel edgewise as
they come out of the water, whilst the lowermost float will be turned by its rod so
that the float passes flatwise through the water as will be well understood by
reference to the drawing.
It will be obvious that, instead of employing the fixed ring h, having a peripheral
rim or flange for receiving a corresponding groove on the loose ring g, as shewn in
the drawing, two rings or plates can be employed with a space between them and
suitably connected together so as to form a peripheral groove adapted to receive a
flange on the feathering ring g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a paddle wheel having radially pivotted or hinged
floats or paddles, of a ring arranged to rotate with and at an angle to the said
floats, so as to cause the floats by suitable means such as are herein described and
shewn to turn on their pivots or hinges, thereby feathering the floats, substantially
as herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. The improved paddle wheel hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying drawing.