(No Model.

T. A. EDISON.
PYROMAGNBTIO MOTOR. _

No. 380,100.

Patented Mar. 2'7, 1888.

715

v 1i! l l l l l l l l l l h

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON, OF LLEWELLYN PARK, NEW JERSEY.
PYROMAGNETIC. MOTOR.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,100I dated March 27, 1888.
Application ?led June 13,1887. Serlnl No. 241,098. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

machine depends largely 1i pon the rapidity

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, of with which the iron tubes can be heated and
Llewellyn Park, in the county of Essex and cooled these intermediate tubes may be cov
State of New Jersey, have invented a. certain ered by a stationary box connected by a ?ue 55
new and useful Engine or Prime Motor, (Case with the furnace beneath its grate, so that the
No. 720,) of which the following is a speci?ca fresh' air for supporting combustion will be

drawn down through the tubes that are being

My invention relates to engines or prime
To increase the power of the machine, a ?xed
motors, and is based upon the principle that
IO the capacity of iron for magnetism diminishes coil of wire for magnetizing or polarizing the
tion.

cooled.

'

>

as its .temperature is raised, and that at a armature may be wound in recesses formed in

bright-red heat it becomes practically diamag

the pole-pieces of the ?eld-magnet.

The ?eld-magnet may be a permanent mag

netic. Advantage is taken of this fact to con
struct an apparatus in which motion is'pro net; but for large machines I prefer to employ
duced by the combined action of ~ heat and an electro-magnet, which may be charged by

65

magnetism, and to this machine I have applied a battery or by a small dynamo run by the
the term thermo - magnetic engine. The machine, and which can be turned by hand
heat is utilized to destroy the magnetic bal for starting the machine, unless, indeed, the
ance of iron parts moving in the ?eld of one residual magnetism is sufficient for that pur 70
or more magnets, or to successively make mag pose.

netic parts diamagnetic as they reach centers

of attraction.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a

I am aware that it has been part hereof, Figure 1 is an elevation and par

suggested that this principle might be utilized tial section of an apparatus embodying my in
to produce motion; but no practical means ca vention; Fig. 2, a plan view taken from the
25 pable of developing a useful amount of power lower end of the armature, looking upwardly;

has been proposed for that purpose, so far as Fig. 3, aperspective view of one end of the
armature, showing also the cold-air box over
I know.
.
In carrying out my invention I employ an the central tubes; Fig. 4, a perspective view
interstitial armature constructedof thin sheet of the armature with the relative position of

iron, so that it will be capable of rapid changes the ?xed magnetizingcoil shown, and Fig. 5
in temperature. This armature isone having a view similar to Fig. 2 of a machine without
interstices extending through it, and it may the coil for magnetizing or polarizing the arma
be made up of or provided with iron tubes ex

ture.

A is a cylindrical armature mounted upon

tending longitudinally of the armature, the
35 armature being mountedon a vertical shaft, a shaft, a, and composed of thin iron tubes

8.5

so that the tubes will act as ?nes; or a corru suitably held to the shaft, or otherwise con
. gated iron sheet could be rolled up to form an structed as an interstitial body. These tubes

equivalent construction, or the interstitial ar

mature could be made in many other ways
40 that would suggest themselves to skilled per
sons. Beneath the interstitial armature may
be located a suitable furnace, with ?nes for
the exit of the products of combustion extend

may be nickel plates or thinly covered with

enamel or otherwise protected to prevent ox 90
idation. This armature is mounted between
the poles N8 of a magnet, which may be a

permanent magnet, but is preferably an elec

tro-magnet. The parts are suitably supported

ing to and covering at their endsopposite por

so that the armature has a vertical position, 95

the tubes extending longitudinally thereof.
tions
of
the
armature.
The
ends
of
the
arma
45
tare-tubes will move in close relation with the Beneath the armature is a furnace, B, having

open ends of the furnace exit-?nes, so that the two exit-?nes, b 0, extending upwardly and
products of combustion will be directed into covering the open lower ends of a number of
the tubes as they successivelycome over the the armature-tubes on opposite sides of the
?nes. The intermediate tubes are protected armature. The open upper ends of these fur
from the furnace, and since the power of the nace exit-?nes ?t as closely as possible against

IO

380.100

the ends of the armature-tubes while permit

ting the armature to turn. Between the ?ues
b c the lower end of the armature is preferably
covered with a cold~air box, d, which is sta
tionary, and is connected by a pipe, 6, with the
furnace beneath the grate- bars. Above the
armature are ?nes f g, forming continuations
of the furnace exit-?nes I) a through the arma
ture-tubes. The tubes between the ?nes f g
at the upper end of the armature may be left
uncovered.

,.

may have a hand-crank for giving the ?eld

magnet energy in starting the engine.

A machine driven by the engine willbe con

nected with the armature by speed-increasing 70

gearing unless the machine is one having a

low rate of speed.
The form of apparatus shown in the draw
ings is given as a simple illustration of an em
bodiment of the invention.
75
It will be understood that many modi?ca
tions and changes can be made in the form,

When the cold-air box d is arranged to cover construction, and arrangement of the parts of
an oblique section of the tubes, as shown in the engine without departing from the spirit
Fig. 5, and the ?ues b 0 cover the spaces left of my invention.
.

80
[5 uncovered by that box, the tubes will be heated
What I claim is,
on the diametrically-opposite sides of the ar
1. A prime motor having,in combinatioman
mature that eome opposite the lower corner of interstitial
magnetic body, a magnetic ?eld in

the pole N and the upper corner of the pole which said body is located, and means for

S. These heated portions of the armature being

said body to produce an unbalanced 35
diamagnetic orless magnetic than the remain heating
magnetic condition of the same, substantially

ing portion of the armature, it will be seen as set forth.

that the armature will occupy an unbalanced

2. Aprime motor having,in combination,an

position in the ?eld, and consequently it will interstitial
magnetic body, a magnetic ?eld in
be turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. which said body
is located, means for heating 90
25 5. The unbalanced position of the armature said
body
to
produce
unbalanced magnetic
is maintained by the fact that the heat is condition of the same,anand
for cooling
always applied to those portions of the arma the other parts of said body,means
substantially
as
ture at obliquely-opposite points in the mag
netic ?eld. Hence the rotation of the armature

set forth.

3. Aprime motor having, in combination, a

will be continuous, its rapidity of movement revolving
interstitial magnetic body, a mag
being largely dependent upon the rapidity netic ?eld in
which said body is located, and
with which the armature-tubes can be heated means for heating said body to produce an un
and cooled.

_
balanced magnetic condition of the same, sub
To increase the power of the engine, I em stantially
as set forth.
.
I00
55 ploy a ?xed coil of wire, 0, which is located in
4.
A
prime
motor
having,
in
combinat1on,a
recesses h in the pole-pieces N S. The coil C revolving interstitial magnetic body, a mag
may be connected in series with the coils of
?eld in which said body is located, and
the ?eld-magnet. Its function is to magnetize netic
means for heating opposite parts of said re~
or polarize the armature. Its,_tendency is to volving magnetic body to produce an unbal
:05
produce poles in the armature at right angles
anced condition of the same, substantially as
to the poles of the ?eld-magnet and to cause set
forth.
.
a repulsion as well as an attraction between

5. Aprime motor having, in combination, a

the ?eld-magnet and the armature,or,at least,
interstitial magnetic body, a mag
to reduce the retarding attraction between revolving
netic
?eld
in
which said body is located, means
45 each pole of the ?eld-magnet and that portion for heating opposite
parts of said revolving
of the armature which ismovingawayfrom it.
When the coil 0 is employed, the sides of the
armature directly opposite the centers of the
poles N S will be heated instead of the ob

magnetic body to produce an unbalanced con

dition of the same, and means for cooling the
intermediate parts of said body, substantially as set forth.
:15
liquely-opposite portions, as in Fig. 5.
6. A prime motor having, in combination, a
The wire-winding of the ?eld-magnet,as well magnetic
interstitial body, a magnetic ?eld in
as the wire of the coil C,will be covered by an which said body is located, and means for

insulation capable of withstanding heat. I passing a heating medium through the inter

preferably use a very few turns of large-size

copper wire both in the ?eld-winding and in
the ?xed coil, and energize the same by a cur

stices of such body to produce an unbalanced

condition of the body, substantially as set

forth.
rent of a sufficiently large quantity to give
7. A prime motor having, in combination, a
the desired magnetizing effects. With- the magnetic
a magnetic ?eld in
large wire insulating-washers of some infusi which saidinterstitialbody,
body
is
located,
and a furnace with
60 ble material-such as porcelain-may be used
exit-?ues communicating with a part of the
to separate the wires.
interstices of said body, substantially as set
A small dynamo, D, may be employed to forth.
supply the currentfor energizing the ?eldand
8. A prime motor having, in combination, a
?xed coil through the circuit l 2. This dy-v magnetic
body, a magnetic ?eld in
namo will be operated by the engine through which saidinterstitial
body
is
located,
with exit
a speed-increasing gearing, as shown, and it ?ues communicating with aa furnace
part of the inter

I20

380,100

stices of said body, and a fresh-air supply for

11. Aprime motor having, in combination,

interstices, substantially as set forth.

9. A prime motor having, in combination, a
magnetic body, a magnetic ?eld in which said
body is located, means for heating said body

an electro-magnet, means for heating said body

to produce an unbalanced condition thereof,
and a dynamo-electric machine driven by the
movement of said magnetic body and supply

sald furnace, drawing fresh air through other amagnetic body, a magnetic ?eld produced by

to produce an unbalanced condition thereof, ing current for energizing said ?eld-magnet,
and a coil for magnetizing or polarizing said substantially as set forth.

IC

This speci?cation signed and witnessed this 25

body, substantially as set forth.
'
10. A prime motor having, in combination, 24th day of May, 1887.
a revolving magnetic body, a magnetic ?eld in
THOS. A. EDISON.
which said body is located, means for heating;
-sa1d body to produce an unbalanced condi
Witnesses:
tion thereof, and a ?xed coil for magnetizing
WILLIAM PELZER,
pr plplarizing said body, substantially as set
E. G. ROWLAND.
ort- .