WHY THE WIND BLOWS.

How it Works by Archibald Williams is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here. WHY THE WIND BLOWS.

Chapter XVII. WHY THE WIND BLOWS.

Why the wind blows—Land and sea breezes—Light air and moisture—The barometer—The column barometer—The wheel barometer—A very simple barometer—The aneroid barometer—Barometers and weather—The diving-bell—The diving-dress—Air-pumps—Pneumatic tyres—The air-gun—The self-closing door-stop—The action of wind on oblique surfaces—The balloon—The flying-machine.

WHEN a child's rubber ball gets slack through a slight leakage of air, and loses some of its bounce, it is a common practice to hold it for a few minutes in front of the fire till it becomes temporarily taut again. Why does the heat have this effect on the ball? No more air has been forced into the ball. After perusing the chapter on the steam-engine the reader will be able to supply the answer. "Because the molecules of air dash about more vigorously among one another when the air is heated, and by striking the inside of the ball with greater force put it in a state of greater tension."

If we heat an open jar there is no pressure developed, since the air simply expands and flows out of the neck. But the air that remains in the jar, being less in quantity than when it was not yet heated, weighs less, though occupying the same space as before. If we took a very thin bladder and filled it with hot air it would therefore float in colder air, proving that heated air, as we should expect, tends to rise. The fire-balloon employs this principle, the air inside the bag being kept artificially warm by a fire burning in some vessel attached below the open neck of the bag.

Now, the sun shines with different degrees of heating power at different parts of the world. Where its effect is greatest the air there is hottest. We will suppose, for the sake of argument, that, at a certain moment, the air envelope all round the globe is of equal temperature. Suddenly the sun shines out and heats the air at a point, a, till it is many degrees warmer than the surrounding air. The heated air expands, rises, and spreads out above the cold air. But, as a given depth of warm air has less weight than an equal depth of cold air, the cold air at once begins to rush towards b and squeeze the rest of the warm air out. We may therefore picture the atmosphere as made up of a number of colder currents passing along the surface of the earth to replace warm currents rising and spreading over the upper surface of the cold air. A similar circulation takes place in a vessel of heated water (see p. 17).

LAND AND SEA BREEZES.

A breeze which blows from the sea on to the land during the day often reverses its direction during the evening. Why is this? The earth grows hot or cold more rapidly than the sea. When the sun shines hotly, the land warms quickly and heats the air over it, which becomes light, and is displaced by the cooler air over the sea. When the sun sets, the earth and the air over it lose their warmth quickly, while the sea remains at practically the same temperature as before. So the balance is changed, the heavier air now lying over the land. It therefore flows seawards, and drives out the warmer air there.

LIGHT AIR AND MOISTURE.

Light, warm air absorbs moisture. As it cools, the moisture in it condenses. Breathe on a plate, and you notice that a watery film forms on it at once. The cold surface condenses the water suspended in the warm breath. If you wish to dry a damp room you heat it. Moisture then passes from the walls and objects in the room to the atmosphere.

THE BAROMETER.

This property of air is responsible for the changes in weather. Light, moisture-laden air meets cold, dry air, and the sudden cooling forces it to release its moisture, which falls as rain, or floats about as clouds. If only we are able to detect the presence of warm air-strata above us, we ought to be in a position to foretell the weather.

We can judge of the specific gravity of the air in our neighbourhood by means of the barometer, which means "weight-measurer." The normal air-pressure at sea-level on our bodies or any other objects is about 15 lbs. to the square inch—that is to say, if you could imprison and weigh a column of air one inch square in section and of the height of the world's atmospheric envelope, the scale would register 15 lbs. Many years ago (1643) Torricelli, a pupil of Galileo, first calculated the pressure by a very simple experiment. He took a long glass tube sealed at one end, filled it with mercury, and, closing the open end with the thumb, inverted the tube and plunged the open end below the surface of a tank of mercury. On removing his thumb he found that the mercury sank in the tube till the surface of the mercury in the tube was about 30 inches in a vertical direction above the surface of the mercury in the tank. Now, as the upper end was sealed, there must be a vacuum above the mercury. What supported the column? The atmosphere. So it was evident that the downward pressure of the mercury exactly counterbalanced the upward pressure of the air. As a mercury column 30 inches high and 1 inch square weighs 15 lbs., the air-pressure on a square inch obviously is the same.

FORTIN'S COLUMN BAROMETER is a simple Torricellian tube, t, with the lower end submerged in a little glass tank of mercury (Fig. 152). The bottom of this tank is made of washleather. To obtain a "reading" the screw s, pressing on the washleather, is adjusted until the mercury in the tank rises to the tip of the little ivory point p. The reading is the figure of the scale on the face of the case opposite which the surface of the column stands.

THE WHEEL BAROMETER also employs the mercury column (Fig. 153). The lower end of the tube is turned up and expanded to form a tank, c. The pointer p, which travels round a graduated dial, is mounted on a spindle carrying a pulley, over which passes a string with a weight at each end. The heavier of the weights rests on the top of the mercury. When the atmospheric pressure falls, the mercury in c rises, lifting this weight, and the pointer moves. This form of barometer is not so delicate or reliable as Fortin's, or as the siphon barometer, which has a tube of the same shape as the wheel instrument, but of the same diameter from end to end except for a contraction at the bend. The reading of a siphon is the distance between the two surfaces of the mercury.

A VERY SIMPLE BAROMETER is made by knocking off the neck of a small bottle, filling the body with water, and hanging it up by a string in the position shown (Fig. 154). When the atmospheric pressure falls, the water at the orifice bulges outwards; when it rises, the water retreats till its surface is slightly concave.

THE ANEROID BAROMETER.

On account of their size and weight, and the comparative difficulty of transporting them without derangement of the mercury column, column barometers are not so generally used as the aneroid variety. Aneroid means "without moisture," and in this particular connection signifies that no liquid is used in the construction of the barometer.

Fig. 155 shows an aneroid in detail. The most noticeable feature is the vacuum chamber, v c, a circular box which has a top and bottom of corrugated but thin and elastic metal. Sections of the box are shown in Figs. 156, 157. It is attached at the bottom to the base board of the instrument by a screw (Fig. 156). From the top rises a pin, p, with a transverse hole through it to accommodate the pin k e, which has a triangular section, and stands on one edge.

Returning to Fig. 155, we see that p projects through s, a powerful spring of sheet-steel. To this is attached a long arm, c, the free end of which moves a link rotating, through the pin e, a spindle mounted in a frame, d. The spindle moves arm f. This pulls on a very minute chain wound round the pointer spindle b, in opposition to a hairspring, h s. b is mounted on arm h, which is quite independent of the rest of the aneroid.

The vacuum chamber of an aneroid barometer extended and compressed.

The vacuum chamber is exhausted during manufacture and sealed. It would naturally assume the shape of Fig. 157, but the spring s, acting against the atmospheric pressure, pulls it out. As the pressure varies, so does the spring rise or sink; and the slightest movement is transmitted through the multiplying arms c, e, f, to the pointer.

A good aneroid is so delicate that it will register the difference in pressure caused by raising it from the floor to the table, where it has a couple of feet less of air-column resting upon it. An aneroid is therefore a valuable help to mountaineers for determining their altitude above sea-level.

BAROMETERS AND WEATHER.

We may now return to the consideration of forecasting the weather by movements of the barometer. The first thing to keep in mind is, that the instrument is essentially a weight recorder. How is weather connected with atmospheric weight?

In England the warm south-west wind generally brings wet weather, the north and east winds fine weather; the reason for this being that the first reaches us after passing over the Atlantic and picking up a quantity of moisture, while the second and third have come overland and deposited their moisture before reaching us.

A sinking of the barometer heralds the approach of heated air—that is, moist air—which on meeting colder air sheds its moisture. So when the mercury falls we expect rain. On the other hand, when the "glass" rises, we know that colder air is coming, and as colder air comes from a dry quarter we anticipate fine weather. It does not follow that the same conditions are found in all parts of the world. In regions which have the ocean to the east or the north, the winds blowing thence would be the rainy winds, while south-westerly winds might bring hot and dry weather.

THE DIVING-BELL.

Water is nearly 773 times as heavy as air. If we submerge a barometer a very little way below the surface of a water tank, we shall at once observe a rise of the mercury column. At a depth of 34 feet the pressure on any submerged object is 15 lbs. to the square inch, in addition to the atmospheric pressure of 15 lbs. per square inch—that is, there would be a 30-lb. absolute pressure. As a rule, when speaking of hydraulic pressures, we start with the normal atmospheric pressure as zero, and we will here observe the practice.

The diving-bell is used to enable people to work under water without having recourse to the diving-dress. A sketch of an ordinary diving-bell is given in Fig. 158. It may be described as a square iron box without a bottom. At the top are links by which it is attached to a lowering chain, and windows, protected by grids; also a nozzle for the air-tube.

A simple model bell (Fig. 159) is easily made out of a glass tumbler which has had a tap fitted in a hole drilled through the bottom. We turn off the tap and plunge the glass into a vessel of water. The water rises a certain way up the interior, until the air within has been compressed to a pressure equal to that of the water at the level of the surface inside. The further the tumbler is lowered, the higher does the water rise inside it.

Evidently men could not work in a diving-bell which is invaded thus by water. It is imperative to keep the water at bay. This we can do by attaching a tube to the tap (Fig. 160) and blowing into the tumbler till the air-pressure exceeds that of the water, which is shown by bubbles rising to the surface. The diving-bell therefore has attached to it a hose through which air is forced by pumps from the atmosphere above, at a pressure sufficient to keep the water out of the bell. This pumping of air also maintains a fresh supply of oxygen for the workers.

Inside the bell is tackle for grappling any object that has to be moved, such as a heavy stone block. The diving-bell is used mostly for laying submarine masonry. "The bell, slung either from a crane on the masonry already built above sea-level, or from a specially fitted barge, comes into action. The block is lowered by its own crane on to the bottom. The bell descends upon it, and the crew seize it with tackle suspended inside the bell. Instructions are sent up as to the direction in which the bell should be moved with its burden, and as soon as the exact spot has been reached the signal for lowering is given, and the stone settles on to the cement laid ready for it."

For many purposes it is necessary that the worker should have more freedom of action than is possible when he is cooped up inside an iron box. Hence the invention of the

DIVING-DRESS,

which consists of two main parts, the helmet and the dress proper. The helmet (Fig. 161) is made of copper. A breastplate, b, shaped to fit the shoulders, has at the neck a segmental screw bayonet-joint. The headpiece is fitted with a corresponding screw, which can be attached or removed by one-eighth of a turn. The neck edge of the dress, which is made in one piece, legs, arms, body and all, is attached to the breastplate by means of the plate p1, screwed down tightly on it by the wing-nuts n n, the bolts of which pass through the breastplate. Air enters the helmet through a valve situated at the back, and is led through tubes along the inside to the front. This valve closes automatically if any accident cuts off the air supply, and encloses sufficient air in the dress to allow the diver to regain the surface. The outlet valve o v can be adjusted by the diver to maintain any pressure. At the sides of the headpiece are two hooks, h, over which pass the cords connecting the heavy lead weights of 40 lbs. each hanging on the diver's breast and back. These weights are also attached to the knobs k k. A pair of boots, having 17 lbs. of lead each in the soles, complete the dress. Three glazed windows are placed in the headpiece, that in the front, r w, being removable, so that the diver may gain free access to the air when he is above water without being obliged to take off the helmet.

By means of telephone wires built into the life-line (which passes under the diver's arms and is used for lowering and hoisting) easy communication is established between the diver and his attendants above. The transmitter of the telephone is placed inside the helmet between the front and a side window, the receiver and the button of an electric bell in the crown. This last he can press by raising his head. The life-line sometimes also includes the wires for an electric lamp (Fig. 162) used by the diver at depths to which daylight cannot penetrate.

The pressure on a diver's body increases in the ratio of 4⅓ lbs. per square inch for every 10 feet that he descends. The ordinary working limit is about 150 feet, though "old hands" are able to stand greater pressures. The record is held by one James Hooper, who, when removing the cargo of the Cape Horn sunk off the South American coast, made seven descents of 201 feet, one of which lasted for forty-two minutes.

A sketch is given (Fig. 163) of divers working below water with pneumatic tools, fed from above with high-pressure air. Owing to his buoyancy a diver has little depressing or pushing power, and he cannot bore a hole in a post with an auger unless he is able to rest his back against some firm object, or is roped to the post. Pneumatic chipping tools merely require holding to their work, their weight offering sufficient resistance to the very rapid blows which they make.

AIR-PUMPS.

Mention having been made of the air-pump, we append diagrams (Figs. 164, 165) of the simplest form of air-pump, the cycle tyre inflator. The piston is composed of two circular plates of smaller diameter than the barrel, holding between them a cup leather. During the upstroke the cup collapses inwards and allows air to pass by it. On the downstroke (Fig. 165) the edges of the cup expand against the barrel, preventing the passage of air round the piston. A double-action air-pump requires a long, well-fitting piston with a cup on each side of it, and the addition of extra valves to the barrel, as the cups under these circumstances cannot act as valves.

PNEUMATIC TYRES.

The action of the pneumatic tyre in reducing vibration and increasing the speed of a vehicle is explained by Figs. 166, 167. When the tyre encounters an obstacle, such as a large stone, it laps over it (Fig. 166), and while supporting the weight on the wheel, reduces the deflection of the direction of movement. When an iron-tyred wheel meets a similar obstacle it has to rise right over it, often jumping a considerable distance into the air. The resultant motions of the wheel are indicated in each case by an arrow. Every change of direction means a loss of forward velocity, the loss increasing with the violence and extent of the change. The pneumatic tyre also scores because, on account of its elasticity, it gives a "kick off" against the obstacle, which compensates for the resistance during compression.

THE AIR-GUN.

This may be described as a valveless air-pump. Fig. 168 is a section of a "Gem" air-gun, with the mechanism set ready for firing. In the stock of the gun is the cylinder, in which an accurately fitting and hollow piston moves. A powerful helical spring, turned out of a solid bar of steel, is compressed between the inside end of the piston and the upper end of the butt. To set the gun, the catch is pressed down so that its hooked end disengages from the stock, and the barrel is bent downwards on pivot p. This slides the lower end of the compressing lever towards the butt, and a projection on the guide b, working in a groove, takes the piston with it. When the spring has been fully compressed, the triangular tip of the rocking cam r engages with a groove in the piston's head, and prevents recoil when the barrel is returned to its original position. On pulling the trigger, the piston is released and flies up the cylinder with great force, and the air in the cylinder is compressed and driven through the bore of the barrel, blocked by the leaden slug, to which the whole energy of the expanding spring is transmitted through the elastic medium of the air.

There are several other good types of air-gun, all of which employ the principles described above.

THE SELF-CLOSING DOOR-STOP

is another interesting pneumatic device. It consists of a cylinder with an air-tight piston, and a piston rod working through a cover at one end. The other end of the cylinder is pivoted to the door frame. When the door is opened the piston compresses a spring in the cylinder, and air is admitted past a cup leather on the piston to the upper part of the cylinder. This air is confined by the cup leather when the door is released, and escapes slowly through a leak, allowing the spring to regain its shape slowly, and by the agency of the piston rod to close the door.

THE ACTION OF WIND ON OBLIQUE SURFACES.

Why does a kite rise? Why does a boat sail across the wind? We can supply an answer almost instinctively in both cases, "Because the wind pushes the kite or sail aside." It will, however, be worth while to look for a more scientific answer. The kite cannot travel in the direction of the wind because it is confined by a string. But the face is so attached to the string that it inclines at an angle to the direction of the wind. Now, when a force meets an inclined surface which it cannot carry along with it, but which is free to travel in another direction, the force may be regarded as resolving itself into two forces, coming from each side of the original line. These are called the component forces.

To explain this we give a simple sketch of a kite in the act of flying (Fig. 169). The wind is blowing in the direction of the solid arrow a. The oblique surface of the kite resolves its force into the two components indicated by the dotted arrows b and c. Of these c only has lifting power to overcome the force of gravity. The kite assumes a position in which force c and gravity counterbalance one another.

A boat sailing across the wind is acted on in a similar manner (Fig. 170). The wind strikes the sail obliquely, and would thrust it to leeward were it not for the opposition of the water. The force a is resolved into forces b and c, of which c propels the boat on the line of its axis. The boat can be made to sail even "up" the wind, her head being brought round until a point is reached at which the force b on the boat, masts, etc., overcomes the force c. The capability of a boat for sailing up wind depends on her "lines" and the amount of surface she offers to the wind.

THE BALLOON

is a pear-shaped bag—usually made of silk—filled with some gas lighter than air. The tendency of a heavier medium to displace a lighter drives the gas upwards, and with it the bag and the wicker-work car attached to a network encasing the bag. The tapering neck at the lower end is open, to permit the free escape of gas as the atmospheric pressure outside diminishes with increasing elevation. At the top of the bag is a wooden valve opening inwards, which can be drawn down by a rope passing up to it through the neck whenever the aeronaut wishes to let gas escape for a descent. He is able to cause a very rapid escape by pulling another cord depending from a "ripping piece" near the top of the bag. In case of emergency this is torn away bodily, leaving a large hole. The ballast (usually sand) carried enables him to maintain a state of equilibrium between the upward pull of the gas and the downward pull of gravity. To sink he lets out gas, to rise he throws out ballast; and this process can be repeated until the ballast is exhausted. The greatest height ever attained by aeronauts is the 7¼ miles, or 37,000 feet, of Messrs. Glaisher and Coxwell on September 5, 1862. The ascent nearly cost them their lives, for at an elevation of about 30,000 feet they were partly paralyzed by the rarefaction of the air, and had not Mr. Coxwell been able to pull the valve rope with his teeth and cause a descent, both would have died from want of air.

The flying-machine, which scientific engineers have so long been trying to produce, will probably be quite independent of balloons, and will depend for its ascensive powers on the action of air on oblique surfaces. Sir Hiram Maxim's experimental air-ship embodied the principles shown by Fig. 171. On a deck was mounted an engine, e, extremely powerful for its weight. This drove large propellers, s s. Large aeroplanes, of canvas stretched over light frameworks, were set up overhead, the forward end somewhat higher than the rear. The machine was run on rails so arranged as to prevent it rising. Unfortunately an accident happened at the first trial and destroyed the machine.

In actual flight it would be necessary to have a vertical rudder for altering the horizontal direction, and a horizontal "tail" for steering up or down. The principle of an aeroplane is that of the kite, with this difference, that, instead of moving air striking a captive body, a moving body is propelled against more or less stationary air. The resolution of forces is shown by the arrows as before.

Up to the present time no practical flying-machine has appeared. But experimenters are hard at work examining the conditions which must be fulfilled to enable man to claim the "dominion of the air."

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