US1602547A - Propeller for sleighs - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 12 1926. 1,602,547

E. NoRuM PROPELLER FR SLEIGHS,

Filed Nov. 19. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. NORUM PROPBLLER FOR SLEIGHS oct. 12 1926. I 1,602,547

Filed Nov. 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 12, 1926.

1,6o2,.'447r PATENT ori-frcs'.

ELMER NoRUM-,l or" HALLocx, MINNESOTA.

Application ledjNovem'br 19,` 1925;Y Serial. No. 70,131. Y

This invention relates to motor sleighsand. the like, and particularly to the' propellers thereof;

The general object of the invention is tov provide an improved vpropellerdesigned to bedriven by an 4engine-mounted upon the sleigh, this propellerA being so constructed that it not only has a rotary'motion against the snow but-a sliding motionas well rela tive to.-the snow so that soft snowy which' would-othervvisetend to gather uponvthe propeller `will be swept-off.

A further object is toY provide a propeller for a motor sleigh consistingoftwo or four cylinders driven by the engine on the sleigh, these cylinders beingl disposed at such an angle to the line of draftthat Whenithey revolve they Will have also a sliding movenient, the cylinders both propelling. the sleigh and assisting in carrying-the load,

and in this connection to provide .a'motor sleigh with cylindrical propellersvdisposed at an acute angle to the line of dra-ft'to thus reduce v any r'etarding actionof the f cylinders, the angle ofthe cylinders to depend upon the amount of load carried.I `The smaller the load, theV greaterthe speed due; to ability to decrease the angle between thei cylinders and` the :longitudinal axis; of the;

sleigh to thus secure a greater amountof sliding motion for the cylinders-perrevolution than Where a' greater angley lsvuseds- Other objects will appear in the coursev of the following description i My invention is illustrated in the accom-A panying drawings,` Whereinzy Figure 1 is a top,*plandiagrammatic View of a sleigh showing my newpropeller there-- for Figure 2 isfa'sectional View through apr-Q pellel';

.Figure 3 is a top plan view ofthe gearing whereby four propellers may be drivenfr'omj thesame drive shaft, each ofthesefpropellers being inclined relative to the line ofgdraft'.l

Referring to thesedrawings, it will be seen that I have illustrated diagrammatically a frame, designated generally 10, and shown as of an approximately triangular shape, this frame being pivotally supported at 11 upon front runners 12. These runners are steering runners and may be steered in any suitable manner and I have illustrated'a simple handle 13 for this purpose, it being understood, however, that more complicated steering means might be used.

Disposeduponthe sleigh frame and sup.- ported thereby is 4the engine 14, Which may be'ofany suitable type as, for instance, an?l internal `combustion engine having. adrive, shaft l5., The rear end of the ,sleigh is` formed to support twocylinders, each being designated generally 16, the shaft 17A ofV which. intersects the rearV endlof the ldriving shaft and is driven therefrom. by` means. shownv as` beveled gears.. conveying p ovverto` the` shafts. 17 and y. driving: them-in Y. the same directionin any suitable manner., the.L gears being'.designatedgenerally 18. 'Ihej` outer ends` of the shafts 17 aresupported inl suitable bearings.. l

The cylinders4 consist of al plurality of' radial .armsgor spokes` 19,- vtheserarms being.J held spaced relation by rings 120.l The` spokes f19 project through these'rings and,V theAV extremities.l of the. spokes carry upon them the longitudinally. extending blades` f their bladesatv right 4ang-lestothe.longi tudinal axisv ofthe sleigh that thereiswno. sliding action. of the ,prop;ellers, and ,vvheref there-o-.ishany tendency forA the machine` to picklup speed `and movemore rapidly than 1 thepropelling means,` thev propelling means acts to .hold it back. because thereisadrag.

of-thepropelling means incenter. Myfarrangement vof the cylinders` 'with theirV skis permits jthe skis or cylinders to` slidesonie-V what asl theyrotate, and1I have` foundy that the angle at which these propelling cyl-`v inders are to be placed depends entirelyl upon the use to which the sleiglristo be put.; -Thej smaller the load, the more acute the angle to which they can be set, and vice versa, and Where the cylinders are disposed at quit-e an .acute angle the skis are found to slide more per revolution of the cylinder. This secures a greater speed than Where the propelling cylinders are disposed .at an angle nearer a right angle.

The particular advantage in placing the cylinders at an acute angle to the line of draft is to get a sliding motion which provents any snow from sticking to the cylinders, or in other Words sticking to the skis and to the space between the skis and packing thereon in case of mild Weather. "Where heavy loads are to oe carried, four cylin ders or propellers might be used, as illustrated in Figure 3, in which the four shafts 17 of the corresponding cylinders are each disposed at an acute angle to the line of draft and each of these cylinders is driven by a shaft 17, these shafts in turn being driven from the common driving shaft 15 extending from the engine. The width and the length of the skis, that is the skis 21, varies according to the load they are intended to carry.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the shaft carries a beveled gear Wheel 18a which meshes with a beveled gear Wheel 181 on one of the shafts 17, both of the shafts being geared to each other by the gear Wheel15. In Figure 3, the shaft 15 carries the beveled gear Wheel 18CL which meshes with a beveled gear Wheel 22 mounted upon one of the shafts 17, and the shaft 15 also carries a beveled gear Wheel 23 meshing with the oppositely disposed shaft 17. Also mounted upon the shaft 15 is the beveled gear 2A which meshes With one of the rear shafts 17 and the other rear shaft 17 is driven by means of a beveled gear Wheel 25 mounted upon the shaft 15. Thus all of the several shafts 17 are driven in the same direction and at the same rate of speed.

I do not Wish to be limited to any particular form of vehicle to which these propellers might be applied, as it is obvious that they may be applied to pleasure sleighs or loadcarrying sleighs, busses, trucks or the like. Neither do I Wish to be limited to the use of the propellers on the rear end of the vehicle, as they might be placed on the front end of the vehicle and accomplish the same result, provided, of course, there was proper steering mechanism in the rear, these propellers being disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the machine less than a right angle. Neither do I wish to be limited to the exact power transmitting mechanism illustrated, as this might be modified in many Ways Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A motor-propelled sleigh having a pair of cylindrical propellers at one end, the propellers being formed With blades and the propellers being disposed with their axes at an angle to each other and at less than a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleigh.

2. A self-propelled sleigh having a pair of cylindrical propellers at one end, the propellers being disposed with their axes at an angle to each other and at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleigh, each propeller including a circumferential series of longitudinally extending blades.

3. A self-propelled sleigh having a pair of cylindrical propellers at one end, the propellers being disposed With their axes at an angle to each other and at an acute angie to the longitudinal axis of the sleigh, each propeller including a circumferential series of longitudinally extending blades, each propeller including a plurality of series of spokes radiating from the axle, and longitudinally extending lades carried by said spokes.

4. A selfpropelled sleigh having a pair of cylindrical propellers at one end, the propellers being disposed with their axes at an angle to each other and at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleigh, each propeller including a circumferential series of longitudinally extending blades, each propeller including a plurality of series of spokes radiating from the axle, and longitudinally extending blades carried by said spokes, each blade being slightly convex transversely upon its outer face and each blade extending outward and rearward relative to the direction of motion of the propeller.

5. The combination With a sleigh body having front steering runners and an engine. of propelling means for the sleigh body comprising a pair of cylinders disposed at the rear end of the body and driven from said engine, the cylinders having their axes disposed at an angle to each other and at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleigh, each cylinder comprising spokes radiating from the corresponding axle, circumferential members holding said spokes in fixed relation, and longitudinally extending blades mounted upon said spokes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ELMER NCRUM.

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