Farm Mechanics: Machinery and Its Use to Save Hand Labor on the Farm.Shearer, Herbert A.
Science
Farm Mechanics: Machinery and Its Use to Save Hand Labor on the Farm.
Shearer, Herbert A.
Agricultural machinery
Water-power is the most satisfactory of all kinds of stationary farm
power, when a steady stream of water may be harnessed to a good
water-wheel. It is not a difficult engineering feat to throw a dam
across a small stream and take the water out into a penstock to supply
water to a turbine water-wheel. In the first place it is necessary to
measure the flow of water to determine the size of water-wheel which may
be used to advantage. In connection with the flow of water it is also
important to know the fall. Water is measured by what is termed a
"weir." It is easily made by cutting an oblong notch in a plank placed
across the stream, as a temporary dam which raises the water a few
inches to get a steady, even flow of water through the notch so that
calculations may be made in miner's inches. The term "miner's inch" is
not accurate, but it comes near enough for practical purposes. Measuring
the volume of water should be done during a dry time in summer.
The fall of the stream is easily measured by means of a carpenter's
level and a stake. The stake is driven into the ground at a point
downstream where water may be delivered to the wheel and a tailrace
established to the best advantage. Sighting over the level to a mark on
the stake will show the amount of fall. When a manufacturer of
water-wheels has the amount of water and the fall, he can estimate the
size and character of wheel to supply. The penstock may be vertical or
placed on a slant. A galvanized pipe sufficient to carry the necessary
amount of water may be laid along the bank, but it should be thoroughly
well supported because a pipe full of water is heavy, and settling is
likely to break a joint.
Galvanized piping for a farm penstock is not necessarily expensive. It
may be made at any tin shop and put together on the ground in sections.
The only difficult part about it is soldering the under side of the
joints, but generally it may be rolled a little to one side until the
bottom of the seam is reached.
The most satisfactory way to carry power from the water-wheel to the
farm buildings is by means of electricity. The dynamo may be coupled to
the water-wheel and wires carried any required distance.
The work of installing electric power machinery is more a question of
detail than mechanics or electrical engineering. The different
appliances are bought from the manufacturer and placed where they are
needed. It is principally a question of expense and quantity of
electricity needed or developed. If the current is used for power, then
a motor is connected with the dynamo and current from the dynamo drives
the motor. A dynamo may be connected with the water-wheel shaft at the
source of power and the motor may be placed in the power-house or any of
the other buildings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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