Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Utilizing the Force of Running Water for the Obtainment of Motive Power.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1889-Accepted, 29th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Utilizing the Force
of Running Water for the Obtainment of Motive Power.
We, FREDERICK PURDON and HARRY ERNEST WALTERS both of 2 Great George
Street in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineers do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention to be as follows :-
Our Invention has for its object to provide an apparatus by which the force of
running water can be utilized in a most advantageous manner for the obtainment
of motive power.
According to our Invention we cause the running water to act upon a number of
surfaces arranged one in advance of the other but not directly behind each other they
being arranged in such a manner that they each are acted upon by the direct force of
the stream. The said surfaces (which may be in the form of plates or of any suitable
form but which we will refer to as plates) are mounted in such manner that as the
force of the water acts upon them they are thereby moved forward and then return
above the water level and again enter the water and are again acted upon by its force.
The continuous movement thus obtained may be transmitted to the place at which it is
to be utilized or converted to movement in the direction desired by any convenient
gearing.
The arrangement which we believe will be found in practice to answer best is to
arrange parallel rails to form a track consisting of opposite lines joining each other by
a curve preferably a semi-circle at each end. Between these rails we mount a series
of sliders or trollies to which are connected or centered bars or links to which the
plates to be acted upon by the water pressure are secured. These sliders or trollies are
furnished with running surfaces or wheels which are preferably arranged to bear upon
each rail the running surfaces or wheels of each slider or trolly being arranged
preferably so that they are in two parts and two single running surfaces or wheels the
pair and single running surface or wheel above bearing on opposite sides or different
faces of the upper rail and tho pair and single running surface or wheel below bearing
on opposite sides or different faces of the lower rail. These sliders or trollies thus
arranged pass round the curved or semicircular ends of the track very readily they
accommodating themselves to the curve as they travel.
The whole apparatus is set in the stream or current of water at an angle such that
each plate receives the direct force of the water. The travelling parts may carry racks
gearing with pinions but we do not restrict ourselves to any particular way of
utilizing or translating the motive power.
Dated this 28th day of July 1888.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Utilizing the Force
of Running Water for the Obtainment of Motive Power.
We, FREDERICK PURDON and HARRY ERNEST WALTERS both of 2 Great George
Street in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineers 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 :-
Our Invention has for its object to provide an apparatus by which the force of
running water can be utilized in a most advantageous manner for the obtainment of

page_text: .
•
According to our Invention we cause the running water to act upon a number of
surfaces arranged one in advance of another but not directly behind each other each
surface being presented at or approximately at right angles to the line of flow of the
stream. Each of the said surfaces (which may be in the form of plates or of any
suitable form but which we will refer to as plates) is arranged in connection with a
runner trolley or bogie which runners trolleys or bogies are so connected that they
form an endless series running upon or against endless rails forming a rigid track
which is arranged to take in the most advantageous manner the stresses induced in the
said-series-by-the action of the running water upon the plates, the said track lying at
an angle to the course of the stream and also at an angle to a horizontal plane. The
force of the running water acting upon a number of the plates which are immersed
therein moves the series of runners troilies or bogies along the rigid track, each of
the plates travelling below the surface of the water for a certain distance then
returning above the water level and again entering the water, in order to be acted
upon by its force. A continuous movement of the endless series of runners trollies
or bogies is thus obtained and may be transmitted to the place at which it is to be
utilized or converted to movement in the desired direction by any convenient
gearing.
And in order that our Invention may be clearly understood we will describe with
reference to the accompanying drawings an arrangement constructed according to our
Invention, premising however that we do not restrict ourselves to the details of con-
struction hereinafter described as they may be varied without departing from the
nature of our Invention.
Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus arranged in the position it occupies in a running
stream when in use the course of the current being indicated by arrows and Figure 2
is a transverse section of the same Figure-3-is-a-side-clevation Figure 4-a-transverse.
section of a portion of a modified construction of apparatus and Figures 5 and 6 are
enlarged views of a portion of Figures 1 and 2.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A A' are two rigid rails arranged parallel to each
other and forming an endless track consisting of opposite lines B B of equal lengths
joined to each other by curves CC of equal radii and preferably semi-circular as
shewn. This endless rigid track is fixed to a pontoon P or other suitable floating
structure (Figure 2) and is arranged at an angle to the course of the stream and also
at an angle to a horizontal plane as shewn so that the plates F when in the water
receive the direct force of the stream by reason of their surfaces being at right angles
to the line of flow the said plates not being directly behind one another.
Between the rails A A¹ we mount a series of runners trollies or bogies consisting of
frames D connected together by rods or bolts E carrying wheels G G¹ so as to form
an endless series. Each frame is formed of two members 66 hinged by their ends to
the bolts E (Figures 125 and 6) and the frame is kept from twisting or deforming
by the diagonal braces 7 7. Each of the bolts E therefore forms an axis about which
the two adjacent frames may partially rotate when passing round the curves C C¹ and
each bolt carries arms 8 9 which carry pairs of wheels G G', the wheels on the arm 9
bearing against two surfaces upon the rail A¹ while those on the arm 8 bear against
two surfaces upon the rail A. The said wheels being for the purpose of keeping the
bolts E constantly perpendicular to the plane in which the series of runners trollies or
bogies travels and for the purpose of transmitting to the rails A A' the stresses induced
in the series by the action of the running water upon the surfaces of the immersed
plates and also for keeping the said series in its proper path by preventing it when
under the influence of working stress or of gravity from sagging away from either
or both of the rails A A¹ or from travelling in any other plane than one which shall be
constantly parallel to the planes in which the rails A A¹ lie and in order to further
ensure the series of runners trollies or bogies keeping to the track and to further
prevent sagging a guard rail may be fixed near the ends of the lower portion B of the
track and made to extend partially round the adjacent curved portions CC.
Each frame carries a plate or blade F and the whole apparatus is set in the stream
or current of water at such an angle that the acting surfaces of the plates receive the

page_text: direct force of the water when the frames or trolleys carrying them are in the lower
portion B of the endless rigid track the said frames being thereby forced along the
track (which receives the stresses set up in the series by the action of the water as
before stated) and being caused to pass round the curved or semi-circular part C into
the top portion B' of the track, other of the frames passing upon their runners trollies
or bogies from the top portion of the track round the curved or semi-circular part
into the lower portion, the blades or plates carried by the frames coming successively
into position to be, acted upon by the stream and thus a continuous inotion of the
series of runners trollies or bogies round the endless rigid track is maintained. The
motion thus imparted to the said series may be utilized through any suitable gearing
for driving dynamos or other apparatus.
In our drawing we have shewn a wheel 1 having notches in the periphery with
which the bolts or rods E engage as the frames are passing round the curved portion (
of the track and thereby rotate the said wheel which rotary motion may be transmitted
through gearing to other apparatus but we do not restrict ourselves to any particular
nicans for utilizing the motion of the travelling frames or trolleys.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate in side and end elevation respectively a frame D bolts E
plate F and wheels G G₁ as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
In the modification illustrated by Figures 3 and 4 the rails A A' which are for the
purpose of receiving the stresses induced by the pressure of the running water and by
gravity, are endless rails (a portion only of the apparatus being shewn) lying in
parallel planes inclined to the horizontal as in the previous case, and each rail consists
of two parallel straight portions joined by semicircular curves, but these rails though
similar with regard to the lengths of their straight portions are not so with regard to
the radii of their curves, for the straight portions of upper rail A' are joined by semi-
circular curves of a lesser radius than that of the semicircular curves of the lower
rail, while at the same time the edge 1 of the upper rail A¹ is everywhere equidistant
from the edge 2 of the lower rail A, because the said smaller radius differs from the
said larger radius by an amount equal to half the difference of the widths between
the parallel straight portions of the rails A and A¹ respectively.
Upon the endless track formed by these two rails runs a series of six wheeled
trollies runners or bogies D', three of the six wheels of each bogie run against the
upper rail A, and three against the lower rail A ; each set of three wheels is so
disposed as to maintain (when acting in conjunction with the links to be hereinafter
described) the said series in a proper path during its motion of translation along the
track, the four wheels 33 prevent the bogie from moving away from the track in one
plane while the remaining two wheels 4, 4, prevent the bogie from moving away from
the track in another plane the six wheels of each set taken together with the links D
connecting adjacent bogies confine the motion of the series to its proper path and
enable it to move easily through the curved as well as the straight portions thereof; in
a similar manner to that in which the series of frames and bogies in Figure 1 was
constrained to move in a constant path as described. The weight of the plates F F
together with the pressure of the water upon the immersed plates keeps the wheels of
all the trollies runners or bogies described up to their work.
Two flats or tables 5, 5 on the opposite sides of the bogie D' form bearing surfaces
for the ends of links D carrying plates F, the said links when passing in series around
the semicircular curves of the system, being free to partially rotate about a bolt E
which passes through the bogie as shewn and forms at the same time a pin by which
each segment of the chain of links D and bogies D' is connected to adjacent segments
to form an endless series.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In machinery or apparatus for utilizing the force of running water a number of
plates blades or surfaces arranged one in advance of but not directly behind another

page_text: right angles to the line of flow of the stream and caused to travel round an endless
rigid track constructed and arranged substantially as horeinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings
2. In machinery or apparatus for utilizing the force of running water a number of
plates blades or surfaces connected with runners trollies or bogies linked or connected
together and forming an endless series caused to travel by the force of running water
over an endless rigid track arranged in relation to the runners trollies or bogies as
described and lying at an angle to the direct course of the stream and also at an
angle to a horizontal plane substantially as herein before described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
3. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting an
improved apparatus for utilizing the force of running water substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
ليود
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"COOT CU 10 Son S
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.