US712881A - Marine governor. - Google Patents

Description

Pa tented Nov. 4, I902.

'No, 7l2,88l.

W|LSON.- MARINE sovanuon.

(Application filed Feb. 8. 1902.)

v (No Model.)

UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

LIDA WILSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MARINE GOVERNOR.

$PEOIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,881, dated November 4:, 1902.

Application filed February 8, 1902. Serial No. 93,109. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LIDA WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pierrepont House, corner Montague and Hicks streets,

Brooklyn, Kings county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Inlprovements in Marine Governors, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to appliances to anticipate and substantially prevent the occurrence of racing of the engines, paddles, or

screw-propellers of a vessel in a seaway. Such racing is caused by the motion of the vessel raising the paddles or screw-propellers fromthe depth in the water at which they are nor-E mally immersed, and the consequently dimin-l ished resistance to the prime-motor engine allows it to race. This in the case of a steamengine is usually attempted to'be mitigated by the governor or the attendant engineer reducing the supply of steam to the engine;

but in practice this is found to be inefficient, as the racing has begun before the steam-supply can be thus reduced, so that not infrequently breakages result to the screw-blades, paddles, or engines. I anticipate and substantially prevent such racing by the follow-1' ing described appliances, which may be ad-1 justed so as to cut 0d the supply of steam or other motive agent from and set a brake on the engine at any desired points or levels of immersion of the screw-propellers or paddles. In the case of a Vessel having screw-propel-i protected from externaldamagezor violence.

This float may be adjusted to suit any desired water-level or draft of the vessel, and

from this float a connecting-rod passes, preferably through a tube. Upon this rod I provide electric contactors of any convenient form, which may be adjusted and varied to any desired levels or points onthe rod and adjacent thereto, so that as the float and the connecting-rod are moved by the rise or fall of the water and rise or fall of the vessel in the seaway the electric contactors come in contact or are released from contact, and thus put the electric current (supplied to and taken from these contactors by Wires or any other convenient means) in motion orcause it to cease. These contactors maybe insulated byanyconvenient meansor materials. While the electric current is flowing, it is led to and operates an electric motor, which has connections to the supply of the prime motive power for cutting off'the same and may also have connections to a brake for arresting the momentum of the engine and the propeller-shaft. The electric motor employed has on its shaft a friction disk or pulley which contacts with and operates a friction 'disk or pulley on a shaft which closes a valve in the pipe supplying the motive agent to the prime-motor engine and also contacts with and operates a friction disk or pulley on a shaft working a brake on the prime-motor engine or propeller shaft, or the electric-motor shaft may have two friction disks or pulleys, one to operate the motive-agent-supplyvalve disk or pulley, the other to operate the brake disk or pulley. Both the motive-agentsupply valve and the brake are provided wit-h adjustable stops to prevent their being closed or tightened beyond the desired points, and when these are reached their respective disks or pulleys cease to revolve, although those on the electric-motor shaft continue in action as long as the electric current continues to pass by means of the contactors on the floatrod, and thereby the motive-agent-supply valve and the brake are held up to their respective stops until the electric current ceases to pass, when the desired point is reached and the screw or paddle is again sufficiently immersed in water. When the electric current ceasesto flowby the separation of the float-rod contactors, the motor at once stops, owing to the friction between the respective disks or pulleys, and the motive-agent-supply valve is immediately reopened and the brake released by any convenient means, such as springs, levers, or Weights operating automatically. \Vhen desired, the valve may be reopened and the brake released by hand. It is obvious that by providing an electric-current transmission from the captains bridge to the electric motor the motive-agent-supply valve and engine-brake may be operated from the bridge irrespective of the float-rod oontactors when so desired, and thus give the officer there control of the motion of the vessel.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a diagram illustrating a cross-section of a vessel with the float and suitable connections to the motive-agent-supply valve and brake of a turbine-engine. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an air-cushion for a piston-rod leading from the float and means operated pneumatically for opening and closing the electric circuit.

a designates the hull of the vessel; b, the propeller-shaft.

0 represents a turbine-motor, d the pipe supplying steam or other motive power thereto, and e a butterfly-damper or balanced valve in such supply-pipe, the closing of which cuts off the motive power from the turbine or other prime-motor engine.

f is a brake-wheel upon the propeller-shaft, and g a brake-strap encircling the same and provided with lugs 71., having screw-thread to which a screw-rod iis fitted. An adjustable stop-screw h is fitted to the lugs to limit the action of the screw-rod t' to any desired extent, and thereby regulate the pressure of the brake-strap g upon the brake-wheel f.

The float-chamberj is shown disposed vertically just within the side of the vessel, al though it may be placed in any other suitable position, with a passage to admit the flow of water from and to the sea, the passage being covered and protected by a grating to exclude objects which would damage or interfere with the movement of the float.

Z is the float, provided with a vertical rod on, sliding in the guides 02. A block 0 is secured adjustably upon the rod m by clampscrew 13 and insulated from the rod and connected with an electric conductor 3. An insulated electric-conductor spring 0 is fixed at the side of the rod m and connected with the opposite electric conductor 3. The block 0 is so adjusted that the fall of the float below its desired determined normal level carries the block 0 into contact with the electricconductor spring 0.

q designates a dynamo for supplying electric current to an electric motor (1, the circuit-wires being connected to the dynamo, the motor q, and the cont-actors o and 0, so as to energize the electric motor when the contactors close the electric circuit upon a fall of the float.

A spindle r is shown attached to the butterfly valve or damper e to turn the same, and a spring r is provided to hold the damper normally opened. Friction-disks t are attached to the electric-motor shaft and to the spindle a" to turn the damper 6 when the electric motor is energized. A shaft u is driven by the electric motor in line with the screwrod i when the electric motor is energized. A spiral spring 0' is shown upon the screw-rod i to reverse the screw motion, and thereby release the brake. Adjustable bearings 'u are shown adjacent to the friction-disks t and t to press them together with the desired force. The springs r and r are made of suflicient strength or power to not only turn the damper e and the screw-rod t', but to turn the armature and shaft of the electric motor q in the reverse direction, (when not energized,) as required to open the damper e and release the brake.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: w represents the normal or desired waterlevel of the float Z with a given load in the hull a of the vessel. \Vhile the vessel retains its normal position, the float stands, as indicated in the drawings, with the contact-block 0 adjusted upon the rod m a little above and apart from the contact-spring 0. When the vessel pitches or rolls, so as to raise the screwpropeller or paddle to be prevented from racing in any determined degree, (this being arrangeable at the will of the engineer,) the float falls, and the electric circuit is closed through the wires 8 s and the electric motor q energized, which immediately cuts off the supply of steam or other motive agent and applies the brake to the propeller-shaft. spring 0' is extended by the side of the rod m to maintain contact with the block 0 (which is adjustable on the rod on) through the descent of the float Z to any required level. The level of the float Z and the adjustment of the block 0 on the rod m, would vary with the draft of water occasioned by the load of the vessel. India-rubber cushions a; are shown at the top and bottom of the chamber j to soften the concussion of the float if it moves to such extreme positions.

Fig. 2 shows a pneumatic cushion for avoiding concussion of the float and for applying the electric contacts by pneumatic pressure. y designates a pneumatic cylinder secured above the float-chamberj and having a piston y attached to the float-rod m. A flexible diaphragm z is connected by a lever z, carrying an insulated contact-piece 0 and the insulated spring 0 is in this method arranged adjacent to the diaphragm z to make contact with the piece 0 when the diaphragm z is depressed. The fall of the float draws the piston y and bonds the diaphragm z downward, thus making the contact of closing the circuit to energize the electric motor, as described above. The float is prevented by the partial vacuum in the pneumatic cylinder y and by a cushion in the float-chamber from descending beyond a certain limit, and the impact of the water when reentering the float-chamber j, thereby pushing the float upward, then The presses the diaphragm z outward andseparates the contacts 0 and 0 as indicated by the dotted lines marked 0 in Fig. 2.

vHaving thus set forth the nature of the invention, What is claimed herein is 1. The means to prevent racing of marine engines, comprising a damper in the steam or other motive-agent-supply pipe, an appliance to hold the damper normally open, an electric motor with friction-driver to close the damper when the said motor is energized, a float actuated by the variations of Waterlevel relative to the vessel, with means actuated by the float when falling below the desired determined level to close the electric circuit of the electric motor. 7

2. The means to prevent racing of marine engines, comprising a brake-wheel operating on the prime motor, or the shaft, a strap encircling the said brake-wheel with stop to adjust and regulate the pressure of the strap, a screw-spindle with nuts for pressing the strap on the brake-wheel, a spring to turn the spindleso as to release such pressure, an electric motor with friction-driver for turning the screw-spindle to apply the brake, a float actuated by the variations'of water-level relative to the vessel, with means actuated by the float when falling below the desired determined level to close the electric circuit of the electric motor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LIDA WILSON.

Witnesses:

THOMAS S. CRANE, WALTER H. TALMAGE.

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