Claims
- 1. Fluid pumping apparatus comprising, in combination a shaft, means for rotating said shaft, and blade means for pumping fluid in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft independent of the hydrodynamic forces of said fluid, said blade means comprising a pair of blades adapted to be fully submerged in the fluid to be pumped and wherein said blades are adapted to assume a folded position extending rearwardly from said shaft and substantially parallel to the shaft axis, means for pivotally mounting said blades at their inner ends on said shaft for immersion within the fluid to be pumped, said blades being freely pivotal during the rotation of said shaft into an equilibrium angular position throughout an angular range extending in both directions from a 90.degree. position and in a common axial plane with respect to the axis of said shaft to thereby balance the centrifugal and hydrodynamic forces exerted on said blades during the pumping of the fluid so that the blades freely assume a position depending on the centrifugal and hydrodynamic forces exerted thereon to pump the fluid in a direction substantially parallel to the shaft axis.
- 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said blades include means for interconnecting the inner ends of said blades for simultaneous pivotal movement of said blades in the same direction and into the same angular position with respect to the axis of said shaft.
- 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including stop means on said shaft for limiting the pivotal movement of said blades to a selected angular position forwardly of said 90.degree. position.
- 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said mounting means comprise a boss on said shaft having a diametral slot and including means for pivotally mounting the inner end of said blades on said boss within said slot and wherein said stop means comprises a bottom wall in said slot for limiting the forward pivotal movement of said blades to an obtuse angle with respect to the axis of said shaft.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said blades are pivotally movable to a position of 110.degree. to 130.degree. with respect to the axis of the shaft.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said obtuse angle is from 110.degree. to 130.degree..
- 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for pivotally mounting comprise a pair of pins mounted in said slot substantially parallel to each other and lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said shaft, and means for mounting said blades on said pins for free rotation about the axis of said pins.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for pivotally mounting further comprise means for interconnecting the inner ends of said blades for simultaneous pivotal movement of said blades in the same direction and into the same angular position with respect to the axis of the shaft, said means for interconnecting comprise gear wheel segments on each inner end of said blades for interengagement with each other.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
33044/73 |
Jul 1973 |
UK |
|
49219/73 |
Oct 1973 |
UK |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of the application entitled Foldable Propellers, Ser. No. 487,220 filed by the applicants herein on July 10, 1974 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,613.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
768,964 |
Aug 1934 |
FR |
21,920 OF |
Jan 1911 |
UK |
1,268,577 |
Mar 1972 |
UK |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
487220 |
Jul 1974 |
|