IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM RUNNING WATER."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bragg, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM RUNNING WATER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bragg at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th April 1873.
I, JOHN BRAGG, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention:
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM RUNNING WATER," to be
as follows:-
In obtaining motive power from streams having but little fall water
wheels of the kind called undershot water wheels are commonly
employed, the said undershot wheels being used singly, and so arranged
as to obtain as much motive power as practicable by the use of a single
wheel. But the most approved arrangement of the ordinary undershot
.

page_text: water wheel fails to secure the whole amount of motive power which a
stream is capable of yielding, and the object of my Invention is to
secure the maximum or nearly the maximum amount of motive power
that can be obtained from the stream.
My said Invention consists in constructing and arranging undershot
water wheels and appliances connected therewith, or used in connection
therewith, in the following manner:-Where convenient I confine the
stream from which motive power is to be obtained to a channel formed
by preference of brick, the said channel having a plane inclined bottom
cqual to the fall in the stream. This channel may be made of any con-
venient or desired length. When the stream is small the said channel.
may most conveniently-be used. When the stream is wide it may be
dispensed with; but I will describe my Invention in connection with a
stream having a channel, of the kind described. In the said channel,
and at a short distance apart, I fix a series of two or more undershot
water wheels, the axles of which work in bearings fixed on the tops of
the walls of the channel. These water wheels are of a breadth as nearly
equal to that of the channel as is compatible with their freely working
thercin. The said wheels are supported at such a height that their float
boards only just escape the bed of the channel on the, rotation of the
wheels. On one end of the axle of each of the water wheels a toothed
wheel is fixed, and between each of the said toothed wheels and the, one
next below it a connecting toothed wheel is supported on the wall of the
channel, the said connecting toothed wheel being made to gear with
each of the toothed wheels on the water wheel axles between which it is
situated. By this arrangement all the water wheels are geared together,
and their combined power transmitted through the axle of any one of
them to any required point..
The water, after acting upon the float boards of the first wheel, passes
to, and acts upon the float boards of the second wheel, and so on, and
the maximum amount of power, or nearly so, is obtained from the
stream.
The connecting toothed wheels or those of the water wheels are pro-
vided with clutches or other equivalent contrivances, by which the
several water, wheels can be readily geared to or ungeared from one
another for repair or other purpose.
In place of the toothed wheels described other kinds of gearing, may
be employed; for example, connecting rods connected with. cranks on

page_text: When a brick or other artificial channel is not employed the water
wheels and gearing apparatus are carried by supports built in the bed of
the stream.
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SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Bragg in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BRAGG, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Farmer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Bragg, Her special license
that I, the said John Bragg, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Bragg, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise; and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER FROM RUNNING WATER," upon the condition (amongst others).
that I, the said John Bragg, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Bragg, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
In obtaining motive power from streams having but little fall, water
wheels of the kind called undershot water wheels are commonly
employed, the said undershot wheels being used singly, and so arranged
as to obtain as much motive power as practicable by the use of a single
wheel. But the most approved arrangement of the ordinary undershot
water wheel fails to secure the whole amount of motive power which a
stream is capable of yielding, and the object of my Invention is to
secure the maximum or nearly maximum amount of motive power that
can be obtained from the stream.
My said Invention consists in constructing and arranging undershot
water wheels and appliances connected therewith, or used in connection
therewith, in the following manner :-Where convenient I confine the
stream from which motive power is to be obtained to a channel formed
by preference of brick, the said channel having a plane inclined bottom
equal to the fall in the stream. This channel may be made of any con-
venient or desired length. When the stream is small the said channel
may most conveniently be used. When the stream is wide it may be
dispensed with; but I will describe my Invention in connection with a
stream having a channel of the kind described. In the said channel,
and at a short distance apart, I fix a series of two or more undershot
water wheels, the axles of which work in bearings fixed on the tops of
the walls of the channel. These water wheels are of a breadth as nearly
equal to that of the channel as is compatible with their freely working
therein. The said wheels are supported at such a height that their float
boards only just escape the bed of the channel on the rotation of the
wheels. On one end of the axle of each of the water wheels a toothed
wheel is fixed; and between each of the said toothed wheels and the one
next below it a connecting toothed wheel is supported on the wall of the
channel, the said connecting toothed wheel being made to gear with
each of the toothed wheels on the water wheel axles between which it is
situated. By this arrangement all the water wheels are geared together,
and their combined power transmitted through the axle of any one of
them to any required point.
The water, after acting upon the float boards of the first wheel, passes
to and acts upon the float boards of the cooond whool

page_text: the maximum amount of power or nearly so is obtained from the
stream.
The connecting toothed wheels or those of the water wheels are pro-
vided with clutches or other equivalent contrivances, by which the.
several water wheels can be readily geared to or ungeared from one
another for repair or other purpose.
In place of the toothed wheels described other kinds of gearing may
be employed, for example, connecting rods connected with cranks on.
the ends of the water wheel axles, or by bands, or chains, or ropes
working on pulleys on the water wheel axles.
I will now described with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my Invention may be carried into effect.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in end elevation
the arrangement of my Invention in which two undershot water wheels
are used, geared together by toothed gearing. a, a, is the channel made
of brickwork or other suitable material in connection with the stream or
running water from which motive power is to be obtained, the said
channel having an inclined bottom 6, the inclination of which is equal
to the fall in the stream; c, d, are the two undershot water wheels, fixed
in the said channel a at a short distance apart. The axles of the said
water wheels c, d, work in the bearings e, fixed on the tops of the walls
of the channel a, as represented. The said water wheels fit closely in
the said channel, and their float boards nearly touch the inclined bed b
of the channel a. On the axle of the water wheel c is a toothed wheelf,
and on the axle of the other water wheel d, and between the said toothed
wheels and g and gearing therewith, is a connecting toothed wheel h,
the axis of which is supported in bearings i carried by the wall of the
channel a. The water wheels c, d, are thus geared together. The water
passing down the channel a first acts upon the float boards of the first
water wheel c, and gives motion to the said wheel, and then passes to
and acts upon the other water wheel d. The two wheels c, d, are
thereby rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows, and by means
of the gearing wheels f, h, g, the said water wheels are geared together,
and their combined power may be transmitted through the axle of any
one of them to any required point.
When three or more water wheels are used they are geared together
in the manner ronuocanted
that

page_text: placed between the toothed wheel of each water wheel and that of the
water wheel next below it.
I have not represented the clutch mechanism by which the several
water wheels may be thrown into and out of gear with one another, as
the said clutch mechanism I employ does not differ from that ordinarily
employed for like purposes.
Figure 3 represents in side elevation, and Figure 4 in plan the
arrangement of my Invention in which the series of water wheels is
geared together by bands, ropes, or chains or wire. In this arrangement
the axle of each of the water wheels k, m, has a pulley k², m², on its
projecting end, and the axle of the middle water wheel has a double
pulley, 1, on its projecting end.. The band, rope, or chain p passes
over the pulleys k³, 12, and a second band, rope, or chain q passes over
the pulleys, m³. In this way the three water wheels k, l, m, are
geared together, and their combined power may be transmitted to any 1
required point.
.
Any number of water wheels may be geared together in the manner
represented.
Figure 5 represents in side elevation, Figure 6 in longitudinal section,
Figure 7 in plan, and Figure 8 in cross section the arrangement of my 2
Invention in which the series of water wheels is geared together by con-
necting rods connected with cranks on the ends of the water wheel axles.
In the said Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 the three water wheels are marked
respectively k, l, m; the cranks on the ends of the axles of the water
wheels are marked respectively t, u, v; and the connecting rods con- 2
necting the said cranks together are marked w, w, and x, x.
In Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 the water channel in which the water
wheels work is marked a, the inclined bottom of the channel is marked b,
and the bearings of the water wheels supported on the walls of the said
channel are marked e.
I do not limit myself to any particular number of water wheels or to
their construction, but I prefer to use a series of two or three water
wheels, and to make the said water wheels of a hub of cast iron, to
which wrought-iron arms carrying the float boards are connected by
screw bolts, recesses being made in the hub to receive the said arms.
3
3

page_text: .
When a brick or other artificial channel is not employed the water
wheels and gearing apparatus are carried by supports built in the bed of
the stream.
Although my Invention is especially applicable to the obtaining of
motive power from streams having little fall, yet it may be applied with
advantage to streams having considerable fall.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvements in obtaining
motive power from running water or streams herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, arranging and
gearing or combining together, substantially as described and illustrated,
a series of two or more undershot water wheels situated either in the
bed of the stream or in an artificial channel to which the stream is
confined, the said stream being made to act in succession on the several
water wheels, the combined power of the geared water wheels being
transmitted through the axle of any one of them to any required
point.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bragg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of
T
1
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN BRAGG. (L.S.)