Abstract: A propeller/impeller blade adapted to propel a vehicle or other device, create a vacuum, or move a medium, comprising a generally flat strip-like member having first and second opposite ends joined together to form a pair of contiguous loops with a generally figure eight configuration about its longitudinal axis. The upper and lower surfaces of the loops are continuous throughout its figure eight configuration and structured so that if one were to trace along the upper surface longitudinally in a single direction, they will return to the same location on the upper surface from where they began without traversing the lower surface. In use, the pair of loops are mounted on the shaft of the desired device so that each loop is disposed symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the shaft and the longitudinal axis of the pair of loops is disposed in perpendicular relation to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

Abstract: A helical turbine assembly capable of providing high speed unidirectional rotation under a multidirectional ultra low-head fluid flow is disclosed. The assembly comprises an array of helical turbine units or modules arranged, vertically or horizontally, to harness, for example, water or wind power. Each turbine unit or module comprises a plurality of helical blades having an airfoil profile. The modules for wind power may be mounted to rotatable shafts supported by lightweight structures anchored by guy wires to the ground. The helical turbine can also a provide ship propulsion by utilizing the power of ocean waves. In a further embodiment, a cylindrical distributor is provided in the helical turbine to channel the fluid flow to the blades of the turbine, thereby increasing efficiency and power output. The helical turbine with distributor may be used to lift or lower a body either being submerged into a fast stream or dragged in the fluid.

Abstract: A three dimensional figure eight propeller/impeller blade apparatus is provided which may be used to propel a vehicle, power a shaft, create a vacuum, or move a medium. The blade apparatus is made from an elongated strip of generally flat material. In one embodiment, the ends of the flat strip of material are joined together to form two loops having an overall three dimensional figure eight configuration. In forming the loops, the upper and lower surfaces of the flat strip of material are continuously maintained relative to each other.

Abstract: A helical turbine assembly capable of providing high speed unidirectional rotation under a multidirectional ultra low-head fluid flow is disclosed. The assembly comprises an array of helical turbine units or modules arranged, vertically or horizontally, to harness, for example, water or wind power. Each turbine unit or module comprises a plurality of helical blades having an airfoil profile. The modules for wind power may be mounted to rotatable shafts supported by lightweight structures anchored by guy wires to the ground. The helical turbine can also provide ship propulsion by utilizing the power of ocean waves. In a further embodiment, a cylindrical distributor is provided in the helical turbine to channel the fluid flow to the blades of the turbine, thereby increasing efficiency and power output. The helical turbine with distributor may be used to lift or lower a body either being submerged into a fast stream or dragged in the fluid.

Abstract: A Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine with tensioned blades is disclosed, along with various mechanisms for tensioning the blades. When the wind turbine is stationary in high wind conditions, the blades are tensioned to resist buckling. When the wind turbine is coming up to operational speed, or slowing down to a stop, the blades may also be tensioned to change the dynamic resonance characteristics of the rotor to avoid operation at resonant frequencies.

Abstract: A wind turbine for mounting on an existing industrial chimney (1), tower or the like, includes two vertically aligned blades (3) mounted on rotor arms (2) for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the chimney, tower or the like. The rotor arms are supported from an annular structure (8) secured to the outer circumference of the chimney, tower or the like and include at their radially innermost ends a rotor arm ring (11) which cooperates with the annular support structure to enable the rotor arms and blades to rotate about the chimney, tower or the like under the influence of wind pressure. Drive ring (16) carried by one or each rotor arm (2) are connectable to gearing of one or more power generators (9) positioned within or extended to the chimney, tower or the like.

Abstract: A vertical-axis wind turbine includes two or more elongated blades connected to a rotor tower. The tower defines an axis of rotation and is linked, preferably via a gearbox or other torque-converting arrangement, to the shaft of a generator. Each blade is "twisted" so that its lower attachment point is displaced angularly relative to its upper attachment point. In a preferred embodiment, the radial distance of each blade from the axis of rotation varies between upper and lower attachment points such that the blade lies approximately along a "troposkein", which is the shape assumed by a string clamped at each end and spun about an axis passing through the ends of the string. The ratio between blade chord length and blade thickness is preferably constant over the length of each blade, with the middle of each blade approximately 80% as thick as its ends. The cross-section of the blades may be teardrop-shaped, shaped as an airfoil, rectangular, or curved in some other way.

Abstract: A plurality of flat plates are laterally disposed at an outer circumference of a hub and auxiliary vanes are disposed in parallel to at least side edges of each of said flat plates while being spaced apart from the side edges. Accordingly, an occurrence of eddy flows can be restricted, a peeling-off eddy flow can be reduced, agitating and mixing of gas-liquid can be made efficient without producing any damage to microorganisms or the lie and an agitating efficiency can be improved with a simple structure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rotor driven by wind power with a vertical rotating axis and radial arms distributed at uniform angular intervals over its periphery which bear bodies with an aerodynamic profile such that one side of the profile exhibits a lower air resistance with a current at right angles than with a current from the opposite side.Known vertical rotors should be of simple construction and should be capable of being manufactured at low cost. At the same time their efficiency should be high enough for them to be used to generate wind power economically. To this end, the rotor of the generic type is improved such that the rotor arms consist of one or a plurality of loops in vertical planes with an aerodynamic profile, where the profile shape is maintained essentially uniform over the entire length of the loop.

Abstract: A Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine is disclosed which includes a vertically extending hollow rotor shaft mounted on a support structure with two, three, or four rotor blades of troposkein configuration on the rotor shaft for rotating the shaft in response to wind energy and thereby drive a generator to produce electrical power. The turbine includes an erection hinge and gin pole which permits the turbine to be cable hoisted using a simple winch mounted at or near ground level. The erection hinge and pole also permits the turbine to be completely assembled near ground level. The turbine includes two sets of guy cables. The upper set holds the upper bearing assembly and the upper rotor shaft portion in a fixed vertical position. The lower cable set holds the lower rotor shaft portion and the support structure also in a fixed vertical position. A flexible coupling is used to connect the low speed shaft of the generator speed reducer to the rotor shaft.

Abstract: A propeller system is formed on a shaft by at least one pair of axially spaced propeller blades each having a first and a second blade section extending at a selected acute (or obtuse) angle to the axis of the shaft, the first sections and second sections respectively of the pair of propeller blades are substantially parallel to each other and the tips of the first sections of each of the blades are connected to the tips of the second section of each of the blades respectively to form a box shape. The shaft is connected to the propeller system in a manner so that the axis of the shaft extends substantially diagonally of the box shape whereby the parallel sections of the blades move in opposite directions relative to the fluid in which they are contained when the shaft is rotated to facilitate improvement of the efficiency of the propeller system.

Abstract: A vertical axis turbine is provided which comprises a plurality of flexible sail blades attached to a vertically extending, rotatable shaft by upper and lower blade attachment devices, and a power absorbing load device coupled to the rotatable shaft. The flexible sail blades are deployed and stabilized in operation by the centrifugal forces produced in response to rotation of the blades about the vertical axis of the shaft, whereby, in operation, aerodynamic forces acting on the sail blades can be transmitted to shaft without generating bending movements. The sail blades comprise plural elongate flexible sail panels, with flyweights being disposed between and secured to the ends of pairs of the sail panels. In different embodiments, passive flyweights, active flyweights (secondary turbines) and combinations of both types are used.

Abstract: Dual-plant blade construction for wind turbine rotors having a horizontal shaft having a rotor hub adapted to be mounted on the horizontal shaft and having a horizontal axis. First and second sets of straight blades are secured to said rotor hub in circumferentially equally spaced apart positions on the rotor hub. Each of said sets of blades include first and second blades having tip and root portions with the root portions of the blades being secured to the rotor hub at spaced apart positions along the axis of the rotor hub and the tip portions of the blades being secured to each other whereby there is generated substantially equal and opposite cyclic spanwise forces and minimal cyclic flatwise moments in the first and second blades in response to non-steady aerodynamic normal forces acting on these blades in non-uniform turbulent winds.

Abstract: An apparatus for ventilating an enclosed area comprised of a hemispherical dome-like head assembly covering an exit hole to an enclosed area to be ventilated, an external wind driven fan, and high efficiency internal exhaust fan blades adjacent to the exit hole being coupled to the wind driven fan. The external and internal fans are designed to be separated by the hemispherical dome-like covering over a vent tube and operate in conjunction with one another but are functionally independent. The high efficiency specially configured internal fan provides power to exhaust the air while the external fan provides the driving force. The external fan is provided by a series of vanes or fins on the external surface of the hemispherical dome-like covering while the internal fan is provided in the form of a series of specially configured fan blades beneath the hemispherical dome-like covering.

Abstract: A propeller for gaseous and fluidic media, particularly an air propeller which is formed with at least one vane mounted to a hub of the propeller and rotatable about a central axis of the propeller. The vane includes two blades extended in the radial direction of the vane. The blades are spaced from each other by an elongated slot formed in the vane and extended in the radial direction of the vane. The slot has the length which is about 40 to 50% of the length of the radius of the vane, defined between the center of rotation of the vane and its tip.

Abstract: The axial fan produced by the novel method may have a cylindrical shroud, an impeller mounted coaxially within the shroud, and a bell-shaped deflector extending across the exhaust to redirect the airflow toward radially outward directions. A malleable blank may be cut and shaped to form the impeller having at least three blades, the peripheries of which define a cylinder coaxial with the shroud. The impeller should have a depth-to-radius ratio exceeding 0.5.

Abstract: An upper head assembly for the top of a wind turbine comprising a guy wire coupling vertically displaceable by fluid below the coupling.

Abstract: A windmill rotor of the vertical axis type having at least three main blades mounted symmetrically around a shaft and bowing outwardly to define a generally sphere-like chamber. Each main blade has a secondary blade mounted on its inner surface, and the secondary blade is movable under centrifugal force as the rotor turns. An auxiliary blade is provided adjacent to and ahead of the secondary blade to act as a scoop for the wind to provide the rotor with additional thrust at low speed. The auxiliary blade is positioned so that, as the speed of the rotor increases and the secondary blade moves outwardly, the scoop formed by the auxiliary blade is shielded from the wind, thus reducing or eliminating the additional thrust at high rotational speeds. The avoids damage to the rotor in high winds.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for attaching blades to a rotating structure where the blades are clamped by blocks at the leading and trailing edges then to an intermediary member which is attached to the rotating structure.

Abstract: An air jet spoiler arrangement is provided for a Darrieus-type vertical axis wind-powered turbine. Air is drawn into hollow turbine blades through air inlets at the ends thereof and is ejected in the form of air jets through small holes or openings provided along the lengths of the blades. The air jets create flow separation at the surfaces of the turbine blades, thereby inducing stall conditions and reducing the output power. A feedback control unit senses the power output of the turbine and controls the amount of air drawn into the air inlets accordingly.

Abstract: An aerodynamic spoiler system for a vertical axis wind turbine includes spoilers on the blades initially stored near the rotor axis to minimize drag. A solenoid latch adjacent the central support tower releases the spoilers and centrifugal force causes the spoilers to move up the turbine blades away from the rotor axis, thereby producing a braking effect and actual slowing of the associated wind turbine, if desired. The spoiler system can also be used as an infinitely variable power control by regulated movement of the spoilers on the blades over the range between the undeployed and fully deployed positions. This is done by the use of a suitable powered reel and cable located at the rotor tower to move the spoilers.

Abstract: A Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine is disclosed which includes a vertically extending rotor tube mounted on a support structure with two or three rotor blades of troposkein configuration on the rotor tube for rotating the tube in response to wind energy and thereby drive a generator to produce electrical power. The turbine includes an erection hinge which permits assembly of the rotor tube and blades at close to ground level followed by upward hinging of the rotor assembly to a vertical position. It also includes a system for automatically lubricating the top bearing upon erection and a system for visually tensioning the guy cables.

Abstract: A mechanical sail including a rotatable mast, the mast including a top vane mount and a bottom vane mount, the mounts being spaced from each other on the mast and rotatable therewith, a series of rotatable vanes spaced from and surrounding the mast and supported by and between the mounts, cam operators extending between the mounts and connected to the vanes for controlling the rotation of the vanes, a first controller associated with the mast below the bottom vane mount for controlling the cam operators, the first controller being movable vertically with respect to the mast, a second controller for moving the first controller vertically with respect to the mast, the vanes being flexible and bowed outwardly, the bottom vane mount being movable with respect to the mast and connected to the second controller whereby when the second controller is operated, the bottom vane mount will move toward the top vane mount causing the vanes to bow outwardly at a desired arc and whereby when the first controller is moved, t

Abstract: A fluid driven turbine includes a central rotor having a plurality of wind blades mounted circumferentially around the axis of the rotor and arranged to define a general spiral configuration extending along the axis of the rotor in a predominant fluid flow direction. The hub is spherically shaped to force the fluid outward with an increase in velocity into engagement with the blades.

Abstract: Wind turbine of cross-flow type with constant or cyclically adjustable blade angle. The vanes (2) consist of one or more sets of blades with arched or, in sections, straight extension in longitudinal direction, comprising several substantially parallelly extending blades (3, 4 8), the spacing of which from one another is fixed by means of a number of spacing elements (5, 9) having aerodynamic profiling and providing a spacing of the order of magnitude of between 1/2 and 3 times the blade chord.

Abstract: Wind turbine of cross-flow type with curved or in sections straight vanes (1,2,9). Two vanes or sets of blades are formed in planes parallel to the rotor axis (3) and with the blade planes disposed approximately perpendicularly to one another.

Abstract: A vertical axis wind turbine is provided based on my co-pending application Ser. No. 890,998, filed Mar. 28, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,805. In this improved system the centrifugal forces of rotation produce no bending moments in the air foil spars. Also, the center of mass, the center of useful aerodynamic pressure and the center of main bearing supported are located at the same point to the support structure.

Abstract: A flying toy of the boomerang type having at least three airfoils, or wings, equiangularly spaced about a central vertical axis and extending horizontally outward from a center portion. Each wing carries at its outer end an annular-shaped wing stabilizer having a circular, horizontally-disposed, outer edge whose diameter is approximately twice the horizontal width of the wing at the juncture of the wing and the wing stabilizer, and having a circular inner edge which is disposed in the same horizontal plane as the outer edge, and which defines a center opening through the stabilizer. The stabilizer has a convex top annular surface and a concave bottom annular surface extending between the inner and outer peripheries. During flight, the stabilizers serve simultaneously as airfoils, wing stabilizers, and a gyroscope for the flying toy.

Abstract: A cantilever mounted wind turbine having an interior stationary support column and a concentrically mounted rotatable rotor and having a first bearing between the support column and the rotor and a second flexibly coupled bearing between the support column and the rotor where the second bearing includes bearing surfaces and a flexible coupling between one of the bearing surfaces and the rotor in order to provide bending moment decoupling between the rotor and its support column.

Abstract: This invention relates to a fixed geometry self starting wind turbine having a blade rotatable about a vertical axis. The blade is of a wide streamlined cambered airfoil shape and has a forward portion that includes a well rounded leading edge and thickness distribution that is conducive to high lift to drag ratios and having a high drag characteristic in reversed flows. The concave curvature of this camber line of said airfoil is directed to the rotational axis. The wide blade in combination with the well rounded leading edge, camber and airfoil thickness gives the turbine improved self-starting characteristics and causes the turbine to have improved acceleration characteristics through the intermediate speed range and up to full operating speed.

Abstract: An impeller of an axial-flow fan comprises a hub which carries blades installed thereon with the aid of attachment fittings in the form of a swivelling base with an extension. Each of the swivelling bases supports at least two blades. The distance between the blades installed on a single base varies from 0.15 to 0.3 .alpha. where .alpha. is the angular distance between the pivots of the adjacent swivelling bases. The blades installed on a single base are rigidly secured thereto at one end and joined to each other by a connector at the other end, thus forming a rigid system.

Abstract: Airfoil blade construction utilizing a spar assembly consisting of a primary and secondary spar interconnected by a web. A tower supports a rotor structure with outwardly curved airfoil blades carried at the outer ends of rotor arm members. Aerodynamic blade sections are formed with irregular, transversely extending openings to permit sliding disposition onto the blade spar assembly. The aerodynamic sections are joined by a suitable bonding agent. A suitable exterior is applied to the joined aerodynamic sections to reinforce the airfoil construction as well as to protect same from the elements. Fittings on the spar assembly enable attachment of the airfoil to a supporting structure.

Abstract: An omnidirectional windmill rotor is formed of a number (preferably seven) identical blades arranged symmetrically around a vertical shaft to which their upper and lower ends are secured. The blades are bowed outwardly at their wider central portions to define a sphere-like "chamber", each blade having a curved trailing edge projecting outwardly beyond the leading edge of the adjacent blade in order to form a "scoop" to receive the wind and induce rotation of the shaft. The lower end of each blade is twisted to form a deflecting portion on which the wind impinges to generate an upward movement of air within the chamber, serving to lighten the weight of the rotor on its bearing. In a modified version, a further projecting secondary blade is secured to each main blade to enhance the scoop effect and to provide a gap between the main and secondary blades.

Abstract: Rotary turbine ventilators, wherein the vanes are connected to the base ring of the rotary element by a crimping or swaging operation instead of by welding or riveting. The method of manufacturing the ventilators is particularly adapted to the manufacture of aluminum ventilators because of the saving of labor and cost which results when aluminum ventilators are made thereby, although the method may be used to manufacture ventilators of other materials.

Abstract: An overspeed spoiler for vertical axis wind turbines of the type having straight or curved airfoil blades attached to a vertical shaft formed by a relatively thin flat blade shaped spoiler element hinge mounted on the trailing edge, leading edge, or at a central position of a portion of the airfoil section with the element having two portions one of which is held flush or against a surface by spring means with a surface of the blade towards the turbine rotor axis and the other lies substantially parallel to the chordline of the airfoil, the weight and configuration of the element being such that a predetermined turbine rotor speed the element rotates against the spring force because of centrifugal action and takes up a position generally transverse to the air flow direction such as to cause much increased drag and control overspeeding of the rotor.

Abstract: A wind turbine rotor in which the hub supports several bases spaced from each other around the hub, with all said bases mounted for turning movement about axes radial to the axis of the rotor, and with each base supporting a plurality of thin elongated vanes, each being airfoil shape in section with the several vanes on each base having the chords of their airfoils substantially parallel to one another. The vanes are mounted on the base in spaced relation to one another and substantially radial to the axis of the rotor and are interconnected at or near their outer ends.

Abstract: A turbine type power generator includes a rotor having a vertical shaft to drive a load which may be an electric generator or mechanical gear train or other device for using or transmitting power. Generally vertically extending blades are secured at their ends to the rotor shaft and are set at an angle to the relative wind to be driven thereby. The rotor is surrounded by wind controlling shield means through which the air flow passes to contact the blades in the proper direction for causing rotation. The free flow air inlet area is substantially less than the maximum projected area of the shield means normal to the relative wind so that the total wind trapped must flow through a reduced area with a consequent increase in velocity to impart more energy to the rotor blades. One form of shield means is a structure of the same general shape as the rotor surrounding the rotor on all sides and having vertically extending passages spaced around its perimeter to lead the air flow to the blades.

Abstract: An omni-directional windmill device comprising a plurality of blades circumferentially symetrically disposed with respect to each other. Each of the blades is generally helicoidal in shape. Also, a sleeve and ball type mounting device for a windmill device is disclosed.