Improvements in Feathering Paddle Wheels, Water Wheels, Windmills, and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Feathering Paddle Wheels, Water Wheels,
Windmills, and the like.
I, GEORGE THULBURN RIGNEL, of Number 1 Central Avenue, Plainfield, in
he County of Union, and State of New Jersey, United States of America,
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
he same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention consists in so arranging the vanes or paddles by a system of guides,
cranks, pins or rollers, or both pins and rollers, so that if entirely submerged in a
Howing medium a rotative action will occur on those sides of the wheel tending to
turn it in one direction; the vanes on the other side of the wheel being more or less
parallel with the flow or if partly or entirely submerged in a medium in a state of
rest, a flowing motion will be given to the medium when the shaft or axis is rotated
upon which the wheel is fastened.
The movements given to the vanes or paddles are not entirely new, chains and
gears having been used or proposed to obtain approximately the same movements of
the vanes or paddles. The advantages which I claim for my invention are less
liability to derangement and ease of movement of the vanes or paddles.
In the drawing
Fig. 1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 is a section.
Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the positions of the vanes or paddles when they are
fastened at right angles to the cranks, and the positions of the guides reversed.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a vane or paddle and crank as used in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the guide C³ of Fig. 1 showing the facing O and a
method of adjustment for the facings.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of a wheel where the width of the vanes exceeds the length
of the cranks.
Fig. 7 is a section through W X of Fig. 6 with a crank and vane or paddle in
elevation as used in Fig. 6.
Figs. 1 and 2 show the principles of my invention quite fully, the other views
being modifications adapted to special uses. In Fig. 1 A is a guide plate or support
on which is formed or fastened the main guide B and the auxiliary guides C',
C2, C3 M, M and M², M' and M being compounded ends of M.
The axis of the main guide B is at J; eccentric to J is axis K, common to guide
support A and the wheel. On the opposite side of A there is formed or fastened a
rack or gear D with axis at K; gear H gears with D and is fastened to shaft I.
It follows that by turning shaft I from the wheel house, guide support A will
revolve with the guides. The sections E' E², E³, etc. are sections of pins or rollers,
or both pins and rollers which are secured to the ends of double cranks F shown in
Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. The sections are connected with simple straight lines to enable
the eye to keep them in pairs and to show the positions of the vanes or paddles
when fastened parallel with the cranks. At the centre of the straight lines are
small circles to represent the central axis L common to vane and crank. The
cranks are fastened to the vanes or paddles and the action is as follows:-
At point X the vane or paddle E will be at a right angle with the lines of
resistance, but if while passing point X the vane or paddle should strike a solid
substance at its outer edge, the pin or roller in the guide course might lag behind
and cause the vane or paddle to offer a decided resistance to the revolution of the
wheel, as the angle of the vane or paddle to the lines of resistance would be wrong.
Guide C³ is placed here to prevent such an occurrence of the vanes or paddles and
will be adjusted so as to slightly tip the crank and vane while passing point X as

page_text: shown by the skeleton fig. E¹³. Guide M may be slightly hollowed at this point
as shown at point W in Fig. 3 to allow for the tipping.
After passing point X the vane and crank will assume the positions of E, E, E7,
etc. until it arrives at guide C; here roller E" which has assumed the positions
of E, E, etc. will be thrown inward by guide C and the roller will then take the
position of E, having made one half of a revolution about axis L during one
revolution of the wheel on axis K.
If now, shaft I be turned from the wheel house, the relation of the vanes to the
lines of resistance will be changed.
In the case of a current water wheel, if the rotation of shaft 1 be discontinued
midway between points W and X, the vanes will be nearly parallel with the flow,
and the wheel will stop; if the rotation of shaft I be continued until point X
occupies the position of point W, the motion of the wheel will be reversed or will
continue in the same direction, with a change of tide.
In the case of a paddle wheel, shaft I may be used to reverse the wheel or the
action of the wheel instead of reversing the engine as is usual.
The revolution of guide support A thus forms a means for regulating, stopping or
reversing the wheel; but instead of shaft I, gears H and D, guide support A may
be moved by hydraulic or other suitable arrangements. When used as a paddle
wheel, guide plate or support A may be fastened to the vessel, the reversing being
done with the engines and shaft I, gears H and D omitted as shown in Figs. 3
and 6.
Reference letters O indicate separate removable facings on the guides which may
be adjusted in any suitable manner; the facings shown on C¹ and C being adjusted
by screws P.
The facings may be made of any material suitable to the use for which the wheels
are used. Theoretically the facings are not necessary for the movement of the
vanes or paddles, and in case of current water wheels where the motion is slow and
the guides constantly lubricated, the guides may be made without separate facings
as C and C³ in Fig. 3, where the motion will be rapid as in paddle wheels and
propellers for air boats, I believe the facings and adjustability will be a necessity
for practical and economic working.
In Fig. 3 the heavy dotted lines G represent the vanes or paddles. I believe
this arrangement is better adapted to the purpose of a paddle wheel than the
arrangement of Fig. 1, as the water has a better chance for a rapid passage through
the wheel with the saine number of vanes or paddles as Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of a wheel where the width of the vanes exceeds the length
of the crank, and which may be desirable in wind-mills and air propellers. Guide B
is shown with a facing O, and the guide is revoluble about its axis J, either by the
friction of the pins or rollers E, or it may be driven from axis K; by this means
the wear of the pins or rollers is greatly reduced and they will also run smooth.
The guide is provided with arms and in case of small wheels may be made quite
light. R is an eccentric which forms the axis upon which B revolves, and may be
formed on support A as shown, or in case of large wheels may be made separate and
fastened on A.
In my
I am aware that the buckets in water and paddle wheels have been pivoted, and
in some cases their positions have been regulated by crank arms in slots.
improvements there are two crank pins to each bucket and they are rotated upon
their pivots a half revolution each revolution of the wheel upon its axis, and the
buckets are held firmly in their various positions by such crank pins.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel and
having their edges equidistant at each side of the pivots, a cross arm connected
with a pivot of each bucket and two crank pins near the ends of such arm, a cam

page_text: slot eccentric to the axis of the wheel receiving the respective crank pins, such slot
being open at one side and provided with stationary auxiliary guides for moving
the respective crank pins out of and into such eccentric slot, substantially as
specified.
cam slot
2. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel and
having their edges equidistant at each side of the pivots, a cross arm connected with
a pivot of cach bucket and two crank pins near the ends of such arm, a
eccentric to the axis of the wheel receiving the respective crank pins, such slot
being open at one side and provided with stationary auxiliary guides C¹ C² for
moving the respective crank pins out of and into such eccentric slot, and the
guiding cam C3, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel and
having their edges equidistant at cach side of the pivots, a cross arm connected
with the pivot of each bucket and two crank pins near the ends of such arm, a cam
slot eccentric to the axis of the wheel, which slot receives the respective crank pins
and is open at one side, stationary auxiliary guides having separate removable faces
for moving the respective crank pins as they pass out of and into the eccentric slot,
substantially as specified.
4. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel and
having their edges equidistant at each side of the pivots, a cross arm connected
with the pivot of each bucket and two crank pins near the ends of such arm, a cam
slot eccentric to the axis of the wheel, which slot receives the respective crank pins
and is open at one side, stationary auxiliary guides having adjusting screws and
separate removable faces for moving the respective crank pins as they pass out of
and into the eccentric slot, substantially as specified.
5. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel and
having their edges equidistant at each side of the pivots, a cross arm connected
with a pivot of each bucket and two crank pins near the ends of such arm, a plate
surrounding the wheel shaft and having a cam slot eccentric to the axis of the
wheel, and mechanism for turning the plate and the parts carried by it, the slot
receiving the respective crank pins and being open at one side and auxiliary guides
connected to the plate and moving the respective crank pins out of and into such
eccentric slot, substantially as specified.
6. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel and
having their edges equidistant at each side of the pivots, a cross arm connected
with the pivot of each bucket and two crank pins near the ends of such arm, a cam
slot eccentric to the axis of the wheel and having a removable facing at one side of
the slot, the slot being open at one side, and auxiliary guides for moving the
respective crank pins out of and into the eccentric slot, substantially as specified.
7. The combination with the shaft and wheel, of buckets pivoted to the wheel,
crank arms connected with the buckets, a plate having an eccentric cam slot, and a
circular wheel, the periphery of which forms the inner side of the eccentric cam
slot, substantially as set forth.
501
TT 1
1000
F. W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent.