Untitled record

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United States Patent Office»

JARED W. SMITH, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters

To all lultom it may coTbcera^ ^{knowu tliat r}’ ^{jAKED w}- Smith, of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Water-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear anil exact description of the same, reference beiim· had to the accompanying drawings, makin a part of this specification, in which__ ^&amp;

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line x x, Fig. 2- Fjo·. 2 a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to an improved horizontal water wheel; and it consists in having the inner side of the water-case which encompasses the wheel formed of india-rubber or i othersuitable or elastic material, and arranged j m such a manner with water-passages and । spherical rotating wheel-buckets as to operate in a very advantageous manner.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it. ’

A represents the water case which encompasses the water-wheel, and which is of annular form and divided by a partition, a, into two annular compartments, b c, as shown c.early in Fig. 2. The outer compartment, b, has an induction opening, d, made into it through which the water passes into b, and the water escapes from b into c through the openings e e, which are at opposite points in the water-case. One of these openings is shown in Fig. 2, and by the side of these openings there are abutments or cut-offs/, which close the compartment c and compel the water to pass out through eduction-openings q, one of which is shown in Fig. 2.

B lepresents the shaft of the wheel, which has a vertical position, its lower end being stepped in a cross-bar, Λ, in the lower part of a frame, C, in which the case A is placed.

The wheel D is composed of two sets of radial arms, i, attached to the shaft B, one set being directly over the other, and three arms in each set. Between these arms, m ar their outer ends, there are fitted vertical shafts i, on which balls or spheres E are placed. These balls or spheres constitute the buckets, and they may be constructed wholly of wood 'or metal

Patent No. 40,695, dated October 6, 1863.

and arranged in such a manner as to yield or gne between the arms. In order to accomplish this, the ends of tbe shafts j may befitted in plates A’, arranged to slide on the arms, the shafts passing through slots I in the arms, and the inner ends of the plates 1c connected by an uptight bar, ?», through which horizontal pins ii, attached to the hubs o of the arms i pass. On these arms i spiral springs p are placed, which springs bear against the bars?» and have a tendency to press the buckets against the inner side of the case A. (See I ig. 1.) A requisite degree of elasticity, however, might be obtained by having the outer portion of the buckets composed of india-rubber or other suitable elastic or yielding material, as shown in red in Fig. 2, the shafts j in this case being stationary. The inner side, ¢, ot the water-case A, which is the inner side ot the compartment c, is formed of a strip of India rubber or other suitable elastic material, and the side of the partition a which is opposite the strip q is made of concave form the curvature corresponding to that of the balls or buckets E. The springs p or the elastic buckets, whichever are used, have a tendency to keep the buckets pressed against the elastic strip or side q of tbe compartment c, and the latter pressed against the concave side of the partition a.

From the above description it will be seen that the water does not act directly against the buckets, but in passing into the compartment c forces out the strip q directly behind the buckets, and thus acts upon the latter causing the wheel to rotate with a power due to the force of the water. The water is discharged from the compartment c each time a bucket ^passes the eduction-openings g. A valve, F, may be fitted in each opening e, said vanes having cranks k' on their upper ends, and arranged with a spring or any equivalent device, so that the valves may be operated by a projection, I¹, on the upper arms i. These van es are so arranged as to cover or close the openings e while the buckets are passing over the abutments/. I do not, however, deem their use indispensable, as the wheel will operate very well without them.

By this invention it is believed that a decided advantage is obtained over ordinary horizontal vv heels, as all the water that passes into the case A acts upon the buckets, there being

40,195 no space around the buckets through which water may pass, and at the same time t .ere is no friction to overcome, produced in the ordinary wheels by a close fitting of buckets within the case or scroll.

My invention may be constructed at a moderate cost, and there are no parts liable to get out of repair. The yielding strip q may be readily replaced by a new one, when necessary, at a trifling cost.

This water-wheel, like most other horizontal ones, may be used as a pump, the power being applied to the shaft B, the induction-opening d being the suction and the discharge openings g g the eduction or force openings.