Patent GB-1171343-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Amphibious Vehicles
Inventor: BALLU LOUIS HENRI DENIS MARIE
IPC: B63B1/32
Filed: 1967-02-17
Abstract: 1,171,343. Amphibious vehicles; vehicle suspensions; steering vehicles. L. H. D. M. BALLU. 17 Feb., 1967 [18 Feb., 1966], No 7785/67. Headings B7A, B7D, B7H and B7V. An amphibious vehicle comprises a hull or body formed by a plurality of flat plates 6 . . . 9, 13, 15 . . . 19, Figs. 1, 2 and 6, and has ground or road wheels that can be retracted when the vehicle is afloat. The rear road-wheels 67, Fig. 10, are lodged in recesses 3 adjacent the stern, a driving shaft for each of these wheels being accommodated by apertures 21 in the plates 19. These wheels are movable vertically to effect retraction thereof by, e.g., rotation of the axle of each wheel about an axis eccentric thereto. Each of the front road-wheels can be raised by upward pivotal-movement of a rod 45, Fig. 8, and a driving shaft 42 about an axis passing through a bearing 46 and a universal joint 44, the end of the shaft 42 farthest from said joint being supported by a bearing 47 and coupled to an axle 41 for the wheel by a further universaljoint 43. The axle 41 is coupled to steering mechanism that includes rods 48, 51, a crankpin 50 and a pivot 52, the rod 48 being rotatable and axially movable in a bearing 49 that is pivotable about a transverse axis. This arrangement causes the road wheel to lie substantially flat against the adjacent plate 7 when in its retracted position. An alternative form of suspension for each front road-wheel, Fig. 9 (not shown), differs largely in that the rod 45 is replaced by a pair of mutually-oblique shafts (60, 61) supporting a bearing or sleeve (59) for a rod (57) that is generally similar to the rod 48. The rear road-wheels are driven by an I.C. engine 64, Fig. 10, through a clutch 65, a gearbox 66, a continuously-variable speed-changer, which includes pulleys 70, 71 and belts, and reducing gears 68, the front road-wheels being driven from the gear-box through a shaft 74 and transmission mechanism (not shown) lodged in a casing 12 at the bow. A propeller is also driven from the gear-box through a shaft 72, the engine being started by rotation of a power-input shaft 73. The gear-box is of conventional kind and is described with reference to Figs. 11 and 12 (not shown). The hull is recessed at the bottom as shown in Fig. 2 to effect rigidity and stability when the vehicle is afloat. Flat blades 23, 24 are pivotally attached to the plates 15, 17 adjacent the plate 18, these blades being inclined downwardly when the vehicle is afloat so that by a hydrofoil action they raise the bow. Preferably, the blades can be controlled by the helmsman so as to steer the vehicle when it is in the water. Mechanism comprising an arm or bracket (33), Fig. 7 (not shown), connects the blades to the helm by way of Bowden cables (37, 39), the bracket being coupled to the blades by rods (29, 30), respectively. The mechanism is such that when the bracket pivots about the axis of a shaft (34) the blades pivot equally in one direction and when the bracket slides along the shaft the blades pivot in opposite directions. The leading part 25a of each blade is movable to vary the lift. The plates 10, 11 are pivotable so that they can either be used as mudguards for the front road-wheels or be rendered vertical when the vehicle is in the water.