Improvements in or relating to apparatus for obtaining power from tidal waters, rivers and the like

摘要

289,499. Sheppard. W. B., Sheppard, J. H., Sheppard, W. R., and Hobgen, D. J. Nov. 29, 1926. Current motors; balancing moving parts. -A shaft 1, vertical or inclined, turns in bearings 2. 3 and carries a float or pontoon 4 with horizontal arms 9 to which are pivoted the vanes 10. The float is supported on a tubular shaft 6 rigid with the shaft 1. The two halves of Fig. 1 show different forms of floats. The energy of the tidal or river current turns the shaft by means of the vanes which assume a horizontal position when moving against the current. To facilitate the feathering, they may have a counterweighting extension 12, Fig. 7, or may have an adjusted counterweight 17 carried by the pivoted arm 16 on the extension 12, Fig. 6. Feathering may also be produced by rollers 10a in each vane riding along a cam track 27, Fig. 3. The vanes may be hinged below the float for shallow water. The float eases the end-thrust of the shaft on its bearing. The vanes may be provided with supplementary blades and a board may be submerged to direct the water on the vanes.