>Now, in order to test this effect, he is supposed to have built a metal
>disc with a detachable coupling that was connected to a lawnmower
>engine. I don't know the actual size of the disc but I'm thinking one
>report said it was three feet in diameter.
This is a fascinating story. Just a few odd facts and comments to think
about. Machinery's Handbook (Twentieth Edition) page 347 says that a flat
disk of cold rolled steel 3 ft. in Dia. will explode at approx. 4931 RPM.
If you take my 5 hp. Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine out at night and
shine a battery powered light under it while holding a photo tachometer on
the blade you will find the engine is governed at 3000 RPM. By sticking
your finger way inside the housing and pushing aside the throttle spring it
will rev up to about 4000 RPM.
>The story goes that he took this contraption out in the country in an
>open space surrounded by bushes. When he cranked up the gasoline
>engine, the disc increased in speed. Now I don't know if he had a
>remote throttle but as the speed increased, ionization of the local air
>and the characteristic pale blue glow indicated high voltage appeared on
>the outside rim of the disc.
Whether belt drive or direct, common sense says the top speed probably did
not exceed 5000 RPM. Unless the material under the effect of high voltage
became much stronger.
>The reports say as the speed continued to increase, the ionization
>became so great that bushes 15 or so feet away were crackling with high
>voltage and at a certain critical velocity, the disc broke away from the
>detachable coupling, rose into the air to a height of about 30-50 feet
>(I don't recall the original height), where it stopped, hovered and
>continued to speedup, ON ITS OWN.
Did you ever hear why he thought that this electricity producer would fly
and thus need a detachable coupling?
>As it speeded up, the pale blue glow of high voltage ionization changed
>to a pink color and it was at this point that the disc shot off into the
>upper atmosphere never to be seen again.
Any idea what the metal disk was made of? My first thought on reading of
this story was that it was totally refutable by every-day experience. Many
of us have been exposed to high speed rotating disks at various times and
not seen or felt electrical discharge. But in every instance I can think of
the machine was massive and grounded. Ground the moving part on a Van de
Graff generator and there will be no electricity either. So maybe a high
speed disk setting on insulators does generate high voltage.
I have been doing similar work trying to engineer the Clem Engine. Just for
fun I tried to calculate the speed needed for the 8 gallons of Mazola oil
ejecting at the edge of a 24 in. Dia. spiral cone out of 12 .5 in.
tubes to create 350 H.P. The answer came out to 196079 ft. per sec. !!!
Maybe one of you out in Keely-Land can come up with a more sane answer
because this is a mind blower. At least a 24 in. cone will stay together at
1800 RPM. If someone out there has ANY more info on this engine Please
contact me.! Duplicating an engine with just a line drawing that is
admittedly wrong to start with is just impossible. This project will
continue based on my best guesses unless someone comes forward.
One other item on the Clem project. If anyone would like to convert my
construction photos and place them on this site or elsewhere on the
internet please contact me.
Garry Whitman
whitman@kskc.net