1849."1 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



313 



By Mr. Ricbabd Roberts, 



17. Patent Tide-winding Apparatus. 

 of Manchester. 



This apparatus is for the purpose of rendering tidal power avail- 

 able for raising heavy bodies, or for winding clocks. Figures 1, 2, 

 and 3, are diagrams to explain the machinery. C, is a weight 

 twice raised by every tide, in the following manner. M, and N, 

 are chain-wheels, placed loose on the shaft K, and provided with 

 studs on their peripheries, to prevent the chain fr, from slipping; P, 

 is a pulley placed on a stud in the framing, under which pulley the 

 chain /r, also passes; A, is a hollow weight which ascends and 

 descends with the tide, and B, is a counter-weight, heavy enough 

 to hoist the weight C, and and preserve the tension of the chain 

 k, whilst the tide is rising, the hollow weight A, being sufficiently 

 heavy to hoist the weights B, and C, during the ebbing of the tide. 

 Whilst the hollow weight A, is rising with the tide in the tank R, 



Fig. 1. 



are being put together. The endless chain /, /, passes over the 

 pulleys G, and H, and is kept in close contact with them by the 

 weight C, and counter-weight suspended from it by the pulleys 

 c, and d. During the ebbing of the tide and consequent descent 

 of the hollow weight A, the weights B, and C, are made to ascend 

 and the counter-weight D, to descend in a corresponding ratio. 

 During both changes of the tide, the weight C, descends and 

 maintains by its gi-avitation the motion of the clockwork or other 

 mechanism to which it is connected, until the influx or efflux of 

 the tide rewinds it as before described. As the endless chain /, 

 cannot slip upon the pulley G, the rotation of the shaft L, will be 

 maintained continuously in the same direction. The effect of the 

 weight C, upon the clockwork or other machinery is rendered 

 equi-motive by the chain /', which is attached at its extremities to 

 the weight C, and the counter-weight D, and extends downwards 

 lower than the weight C, consequently as the weight C, ascends or 



Fig. 2. 



Fig. 3. 



the pulley N, which is loose upon the shaft K, rotates in the direc- 

 tion of the arrow in fig. 3, and carries with it ratchet clicks over 

 the teeth of the wheel P, whilst the chain k, passing from the 

 hollow weight A, over the pulley N, under the pulley P, and over 

 the pulley M, to the weight B, allows the weight B, to descend ; 

 and the clicks placed upon the pulley M, by operating upon a 

 ratchet-wheel O, effect the rotation of the shaft K, in the direc- 

 tion of the arrow in fig. 2. The weight C, operates upon the shaft 

 L, which IS in connection with the clockwork or other mechanism, 

 in the following manner. G, is a pulley made fast upon the shaft 

 L, and furnished with suitable projections on its periphery for 

 preventing the endless chain /, from slipping; H, is a pulley which 

 IS also provided with projections similar to those on the pulley G; 

 and I, IS a ratchet-wheel, fixed with the wheel H, on the shaft K. 

 Ihe ratchet-wheel I, with its click, are only used when the works 



descends, the weight of chainis diminished as much at one end 

 of the weight as it is increased at the other. 



On the ebbing of the tide, the hollow weight A, descends; and 

 tlie clicks ?i, H, acting upon the ratchet-wheel p, effect the rotation 

 of the shaft K, in the direction of the arrow in fig. 3. 



The advantages of this arrangement are, that whether the hoUow 

 weight A, is ascending or descending, the rotation of the shaft K, 

 is invariably in the same direction. 



As the levels of high and low water will vary tonsiderably at 

 difi'erent seasons, it is evident that some limitation of the height 

 to which spring tides would raise the hollow weight A, in the tank 

 R, must be effected, inasmuch as unless this were done, the ebbing 

 of these tides would cause the weight C, suspended from the end- 

 less chain I, to be overwound. This limitation may be effected in 

 various ways. 



41 



