USRE3621E - Improvement in water-wheels - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

' P. H. ROOTS, OF CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND F. M. ROOTS, OF SAM'E PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT/IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification formingipart of Letters APatent No. 23,267, dated March 15, 1859; Reissue No. 918, dated February 28, 1860; Reissue No. 3,62 l, dated August 24, 1869.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1,1); H. Roors, of Gon` q nersville, in the county of 4Fayette and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new 'and useful improved machine capable of operating as a water-wheel or rotary blower;l and I dohereby declare that the following is' a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line a; a0, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre spouding parts in. the two figures.

This invention consists in using inv connection with a horizontal wheel, provided with radial buckets or arms, a rotating breast or abutment, and a concave or apron, arranged substantially as hereinafter shown and described, whereby the water is made to act in a very direct and efficient manner on the wheel.

To enable those skilled in the art to fullyv understand and constructmy invention, 1 will f proceed to describe it.

A represents a horizontal wheel, B its shaft, and O are buckets or arms, which are attached radially to the wheel, as shown plainly in Fig. 2. The wheel A may be of any proper dimensions, according to the power required or the volume or supply of water which is to drive it, or depending upon the amount I of blast requisite when the machine is used as a rotary blower.

D is an apron or concave, which is placed at one side of the wheel A and at such a distance from it as to allow the ends ofthe buckets or arms c to just clear it as thewheel rotates. (See Fig. 2.)

E is a cylinder, which is placed vertically by the side of the wheel A, and is made to rotate simultaneously with it by means of gearing a b, the wheel a being on'the shaft B of the wheel A, and the wheel b on the shaft F of the cylinderE. The wheel cis considerably larger than B, so as to give the cylinder E a quicker ymotion than the wheel A, the periphery of the former having amotio'n about one-third quicker than that of the latter. The

periphery of the cylinder E just touches that of the wheel A, and the cylinder has two recesses, cx ax,made init to receive the buckets or arms C, and thereby permit the running ot' the wheel and -cylinder in contact. This will be clearly understood by referring to Fig. 2. y

G is a pipe which is placed between -the cylinder E and the end of the apron D and communicates with the space between the periphe'ry of the wheel A and the apron, said space -being inclosed at its top and bottom by projecting rims or iianges c c on the wheel A, or by corresponding projectings on the apron or concave. Said pipe Gr, when my improved machine is used for a water-wheel, serves for an induction-pipe to convey the water into the wheel' A, and when the machine is used as a blower saidpipe will answer as a conduit to lead the .blast from the wheel A to the furnace or forge where it is to be used.

The apron D and cylinder E occupy a space extending about halt'. of the circumference of wheel A'-that is, estimating from the points of contact cl 'of the cylinder E and wheel A to the end Yof the apron or concave. (See Fig. 2.)

The operation of my machine when used as a water-wheel is as follows: The water passes through the inductionpipe G, between the wheelAand apron D, and acts directly against the buckets within said space, the. wheel A being thereby rotated and the water escaping at the orifice e. The apron -D'and cylinder E confine the Water so as to cause it to act on the buckets, the cylinder E serving as a breast or abutment at the junction of the inductionpipe with the apron or concave.

The operation of the. machine when used as a rotary blower is directly the opposite ofthe above-that is, the cylinder E and wheel A are each moved inan opposite direction from what they are moved when the machine is used as a water-wheel, each performing, however, the same function substantially in both uses, the air entering in the one use where the water leaves it in the other, and the air leaving it in the former case where the water enters it in the latter.V

It is essential that the rotary breast or abutment E have a quicker speed than the wheel in order to permit the recesses a c that receive the loss of compressed air.

a horizontal lby the line cx, in Fig. 2, in order that the buckets, when the machine is used as a waterwheel, might be received, and as these recesses fill with water and are discharged as I, they pass out of the water-way at bx, (see Fig.

2,) it follows, as a matter of course, that a V considerable portion of the water wouldbe lost, and when the machineis used as a rotary blower, a similar inconvenience would be experienced, if the recesses were large, from By increasing the speed of the breast or abutment this difficulty isavoided, and, as previo'usl. 'stated, the speed of the breast or abutment should exceed that of the wheel about one-third.

When the machine is used as a waterwheel, the black arrows l indicate the direction of the movement of the water and the black arrows 2 indicate the direction of the movement of the breast or abutment E, the wheel ot' course moving in the same direction as the water, as indicated by black arrows l; and when it is used as a rotary blower the red arrowsl indicate the direction ofthe movementof the air and the red arrows 2 indica-te the direction of the movement ofthe breastvor abutment E.`

By this invention, when used as a waterwheel, the water is made to act in a very direct manner on the wheel A, but little power is lost by friction, `and the water is not allowed to act as a drag77 on the wheel, but is discharged as soon of its force is expended on the buckets. The

enlarged recess n in the abutment shows they forms in which said recesses must be made when the buckets are widened to the outer circle, n. The buckets may be made wider or narrower at pleasure by making a correspondf ing change in shape and dimensions.

The wheel and abutment may be placed yon shaft, if desired.

rlhe apron D and the recesses in the cylinder E are made ofvsoft meta-has shown in blue in the drawings. This answers equally well for either purpose with cast hard metal, and, from an economical point of view, is better; but its special advantage consists in the fact that it can be cast of the proper form and with a suflcient surface, thus obviating the labor and expenseof turning it true, which would be necessary if hard metal were used for thatpurpose.

The shortness of the arc D or apron has been above referred to as an advantage when as the most available part- 1E, moving with different degrees the machine is used as a water-wheel. It is also a useful device in the machine when used as a rotary blower, as well from the factof its answering the purpose equally well as if it was larger, as a-t the sametime being more reconomical of labor and material.

- As is clearly shown, the sott-metal liningis made to adhere iirml y to the exterior coverring of the case D..I rlhe inner surface of this a single process is made to conform to 'theexv/ terior peripheries of the buckets.

It is also apparent that the utmost exact--4 ness is required in both the form and position of the recesses g g', in orch r that the buckets or wings of the wheel may pass them smoothly and without allowing any backward escapement of water or air. these recesses were cast in their proper form and place by arranging cores of the exact shape and in the exact position required. It is also shown that a suitable space is allowed around the cores to admit of and support the metal, and that when the cores are arranged in their proper position the melted metal is poured around'them. Thus the necessary accuracy is attained at a great saving of labor over the process of dressing them out.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The wheel Aand rotary breast or abutment of velocity, in combination with the apron or arranged to'operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The wheel A and rotary breast or abutment E, in combination with the apron or concave D, having its interior surface lined and rendered true with soft `metal, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The wheel A and rotary breast or abutment E, having its soft metal, in combination with the concave or apron D, arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose described.

P. H. ROOTS.

YWitnesses:

` S.,S. MORRIS,

JAMES MOORE.

It is also evident that concave D,-

recesses g g lined with

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