US1365939A - Ship propulsion - Google Patents

Description

H. MORTENSEN, Sn. SHIP PROPULSION.

APPLICATION man APR.|9,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

INVENTOR H. MORTENSEN, SR. SHIP PROPULSION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. !9, 1919.

1,365,939. Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS MORTENSEN, SR., OF PENROSE, COLORADO.

SHIP PROPULSION.

Application filed April 19,

To all 1w lwm it may concern Be it known that I, HANs MORTENSEN, S12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Penrosc, in the county of Penrose and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ship Propulsion, oil which the following is a specification.

The invention is especially adapted for use on. ships or vessels employing the customary type oi screw propeller located at the stern end of the axial propeller shaft. andv by the utilization of the invention the power from the prime mover or engine of the ship is transmitted to the propeller or propellers in such manner as to afford a reduction in the cost of Fuel because of the decreased quantity'required with the conse quent reduction of bunker space required in the ship. The interposition of the machinery of my invention between the prime mover and the propellers also tends to stabilize the propelling machinery and to afford an increased speed in the ship.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physical embodiment oi"- my invention is illustrated, constructed and arranged according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles of the invention, but it will be understood that changes and alterations may be made in the depicted structure, without departing from the spirit of my invention nor beyond the scope of the appended claims.

F igure 1 is a side view, showing in a diagrammatic manner a conventional application of the invention to a ship employing a screw propeller.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the propeller shaft and its driving gears, the latter driven from fluid current motors within their casings shown.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the free end of the propeller shaft with its propeller, and showing also the connection between the rudder and the jointed terminals of the pair of channels to assist in. steering the ship.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view on line 4- 1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view at line 5-5 of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing one of the two impellers driven from the engine of the ship, and its connections.

In carrying out the invention as illus- Specificatiori of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

1919. Serial No. 291,139.

trated in the drawings, the ship as l is equipped with a pair of tubes 2, 3, located at the bottom oi? the ship and parallel with the keel and extending from near the bow of the vessel to the stern. These tubes are of proper size for the work to be performed and provide ways or channels for the passage of water, the bow end of the tubes being open for the purpose, and passage of water therethrough may be controlled and regulated by a gate valve, indicated at 4 in Fig. 1. The water currents are impelled. through. these tubes, each tube being provided with a spiral conveyer 5, supported on its shaft 6 in the tube by spiders as 7, 7, and the cylindrical casings for these impellers are dressed for a close fit oi the periphery of the impeller, the casing being in dicated at 8, as interposed between sections of the tubes. The impeller driven from an engine, indicated in conventional form at i) and the train of gears 10, 11, 12 and 18 transmits power from the engine to the impeller to revolve the latter thus causing the rapid flow of water currents through the tubes or channels, from how to stern, and these motive fluid currents are utilized for transmitting power to the propeller or propellers, indicated at 15 on the end of the propeller shaft 14?.

At a suitable point in the length of the tubes, each tube is provided with a water motor wheel, as 16, inclosed within the easing 17, whichhas an alined channel 18 forming part of the tubes, and the blades 19 radiating from the hub 20 of the wheel which is TGVOlHlJlG with the shaft 21, pass through this channel .18, as indicated in Fig. 4. The blades are so spaced on radial lines about the wheel that a continuouspower is applied as the water flows in currents through the channel, and a steady and regular motion is imparted to the water wheels and their shafts. The blades are in the form of circular disks that are somewhat dished or cup shape having the maximum depth at the edge nearer to the wheel shaft, in order that the impact of water thereon may be to the greatest advantage, as the blade moves about its center.

Preferably a pressure of air is maintained in the wheel casings, and for this purpose an air pump 22 is attached to each casing, having a port opening in the casing, and the pump may be operated from the boiler of the engine through the steam pipe 23.

The air pressure within the casing is provided to maintain the water line in the easing at a proper height, and to determine the height of the water in the casing each casing has a water gage 24 from which the readings may be ascertained, and the pressure regulated accordingly.

Each shaft 21 is provided with a bevel gear 25, and these gears mesh with gears in boxing 26 on the propeller shaft to transmit motion from the two water wheels or motors to the propeller 15 on the shaft 14.

The shaft is suitably journalcd in bearings 27, 28, the bearing 28 at the stern, being supported from the enlarged sockets 29 formed at the rear ends of the tubes, for the reception of a complementary head 30 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and formed at the end of a short tube 3].. These short tubes are pivota ly connected to the rudder 32, or its post 33, by links 34, 3a, in such manner that when the rudder is turned, in steering, the short tubes are turned in their sockets, and consequently the water at one side of the rudder will flow from the tube against the rudder, while the force of the Water from the opposite tube will be turned away from the rudder, thus enabling the rudder to operate more efiiciently in turning the ship.

The tubes may be provided with a suitable number of gate valves similar to that indicated at 4, to be used in case an emergency requires closing of the tubes against flow of water, and of course they will be disposed at predetermined points in the tubes.

The cylindrical casing S for the conveyer 5 or Archimedian screw is bored and dressed on its inner face for close contact with the screw, and it will be understood that the screw may be constituted by using two or more blades according to the diameter and length of the screws. The screw is geared up to a high speed so that, when it revolves, the water is conveyed through the tubes or channels, at a much greater speed than the speed of the vessel.

It Will be noted that the blades of the Water motor in Fig. 4, are spaced to best advantage in order to give most ellieient service, one blade standing vertically in line with the center axis of the wheel, and the forward and rear blades respectively being approximately half way through the torward and rear half of the cylindrical channo]. of the casing. A pet cock may be used in the casing to relieve pressure oi air in the interior thereof in order to control the water level, or automatic means may beemployed in connection with the air pump 'l'oi accomplishing this purpose.

It will be noted that the screw impeller 5 is made up of four blades, each extending from end to end of the casing, and arranged diametrically within the casing or tube, but it will be apparent that two blades may be used in some im tances, according to the diameter of the tube.

While I have herein described and illustrated the invention as applied to the propulsion of ships, it will rndily be apparent that the invention is equally applicable 'l'or use as a stationary motor, and with slight alterations may be converted to transmit power derived from a moving stream, to a suitable place for consumption.

Claims:

1. The combination with a pair of spaced water current tubes extending longitudinally of a vessel and end extensions to the tubes connected thereto by pivotal heads, oil a rudder located intermediate said extensions and adjacent the openings therein, pivotal connections between said rudder and extensions, means for operating the rudder, and said extensions adapted to co-act with the rudder in steering a vessel.

2. The combination with the longitmlinally extending, parallel, spaced tubes and means "for expelling water through said tubes, movable end extensions formed with heads engaged in sockets on the ends of said tubes. a rudder intermediate of and located adjacent the open ends ol the extensions, pivotal links connecting said rudder and extensions, means for operating the rudder, and said extensions adapted to co-act with the rudder as described.

HANS MORTENSEN, Sr.

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