The Gatson s Mill Waterwheel

1. The Gatson�s Mill Waterwheel By: Kyle Gilbreath, Chris Lord, Tim Saibena, Patrick Barraclough, Michael Conway

2. History The Gaston�s Mill was constructed by Samuel Conkle in 1830 It is powered by an wooden overshot waterwheel, which we will analyze The mill was changed to a steam engine in 1928, and then restored in the late 1960�s back to the original overshot waterwheel, and is now part of the Beaver Creek State Park.

3. Waterwheel There were no official documents listing the specs of the original overshot waterwheel. We used standard measuring tools to map out the wooden wheel The Fitz Waterwheel Co. was dominant in the waterwheel industry in the 19th century. So we referenced most of our information from the studies done by the Fitz Waterwheel Co.

4. Fitz Water Wheel The Fitz Waterwheel Company started in the summer of 1902, about the time wooden waterwheels were made with metal hubs and axles. The first Fitz wooden wheels had an efficiency of around 70%. By the late 1920�s Fitz was the largest vertical waterwheel manufacturer in the world.

5. Fitz Water Wheels Unlike turbines that lost their effectiveness with a small shift of water pressure, vertical waterwheels would continue to run in a low water volume situation. This made them ideal for factories and farms, where water tables would vary widely during the year, and production was needed year round. We used the studies done by the Fitz Waterwheel Company to analyze different aspects of the wheel at the Gaston�s Mill.

6. Comparison with wood wheels A well made wood wheel will often give better results than a turbine. Wood is not a fit material to use in building a water wheel, a high efficiency wheel must be made of steel. But in the 1830�s when the Gaston�s mill was being built, wood was the only available source. The original wheel was even constructed with a wooden shaft.

7. Different kinds of water wheels Undershot wheel Backshot wheel Breastshot wheel Overshot wheel The Gaston�s mill operates with an overshot wheel.

8. Overshot Water Wheel Most efficient type of all water wheels. Derives power directly from the force of gravity. Force of the water is partially transferred to the wheel. Weight of the water descending into the buckets also imparts additional energy.

9. Overshot Water Wheel Water wheel moves in the same direction of the stream. Most efficient when it turns as slow as possible, with still handling the total flow of water. The larger the wheel the slower it will need turn. The incoming water must have a velocity 3x the rim speed of the wheel, so the buckets will fill effectively.

10. Overshot Water Wheel Mainly the traditional water wheels were made of wood. Wooden wheels were used to turn high-torque loads, where as steel wheels were used for higher speeds. The wheel at the Gaston�s mill is a wooden water wheel.

12. Torque of an Overshot Water Wheel Torque = f*?*w*(D*d-d�)*15.605*D f = bucket fill fraction ? = constant = 3.14 w = bucket width d = radial bucket depth D = wheel diameter 15.605 = constant based on unit conversions

13. Torque Vs. f-variable

14. Torque Vs. f-variable

15. Horse Power Calculation HP = (T*?)/63025 T = Torque (in*lbf) ? = Speed (RPM) 63025 = constant based on unit conversions

16. Finding Speed (RPM)

17. Speed Vs. Vol. Flow Rate

18. Speed Vs. Vol. Flow Rate

19. Speed (RPM) Vs. Horse Power

20. Speed (RPM) Vs. Horse Power