New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-14
TURBINE REDUCTION GEAR
WESTINGHOUSE Invention To Be
Installed in Collier Neptune.
FULL CONTROL FROM BRIDGE
Nav Prove Revolutionary IN
Effect on Construction OF
Naval Vessels-Test Soon.

Naval VeSSelS-Iest Soon'
p,,,shurg Nav 13-The hlst Wesuns-
house reduction gear was shipped to-day
tror, tho works AT East Tittsburg to the
I-r,,ed States collier Neptune now BENG
built a, Sparrow's Point near bait'nioie
After installation 1t will lc testeu III
practice cruise to New England Na'e''
under the supervision of Lieutenant W. W.
smhh L. S ", who has been represent
ing the navy at the works during i's co"'
struction.
The reduction gear is resarded by Georse
Westinghouse as one of his most hotaoie
achievements adding to the comfort u'ii-
itv and safety of human life.
.Tbe delight the undoubted success OF
this reduction gear gives me may be par
doned." said Mr. Westinghouse. Tor IL mas
been the object of my constant personal
,hourht and labor since | conceived the
original design several years ago. Inc re-
duction gear shipped to-day represents the
tvne upon which / have labored personally
for about a year and half II occurred
70 me about that time that the TURBINE
nrinciple OF engine is the engine OF the
future. IL certain handicaps could be ehm-
mated Even with these handicaps II had
nroyed great commercial boon, especially
in marine engines. but practically all OF
tho turbines have been built in England.
Il determined that this country should
have its share Of the turbine business and
no particular difficulty presented itself IN
the manufacture Of the engine. The trouble
lay in the fact that the turbine attained us
greatest degree of effectiveness al high
speed-that Is. by great number OF reVo-
buttons a minute-while the effectiveness
of the propeller. driven by the turbine was
greater at very low speed. or a small pro-
portion of the number of revolutions made
by the engine shaft. To reduce the num-
her Of revolutions BY gearing is very
simple matter when low pressure. small
wheels and comparatively few revolutions
n minute are involved, hut in working
under high pressure. great horsepower and
very high number OF revolutions it be-
comes an intricate problem.
Microscopic High Place" Fatal.
The reason for that Is that while II is
practical 10 cast cogs so accurately that
the eye can detect no inequalities. 'high
place Of even one one-thousandth OF an
inch would be fatal in a cog wheel twenty
or 50 inches bread, as is required In the
transmission I'm turbines. All of the i'm
mense pressure would be eXerted on the
high place With the result that the cog
would be smashed and the gear stripped.
II that was not the result instantly, the
wear and tear would soon bring ii about
The wheel would not stand up and would
soon prove commercially worthless.
so the task set was that of devisng
some means by which even these micro
scopic high places would be eliminated
and the cogs Of the gears rendered abso-
lutely parallel at all times. This has been
accomplished by the perfection of the float
ing frame The pinon upon which the
cogs revolve is held upon pistons above and
below, sustained by oil pressure. allowing
sufficient play TO give or take up the frac-
ton OF space necessary TO keep the coSs
exactly parallel at all times thus allowing
the reduction of speed in transmission with
practically no wear and tear on the parts,
by providing elastic motion.
of hardly less importance is the con-
troll mechanism have perfected in connec-
\ ton with the reduction gear. At the pres
j ent time it has been necessary for the COM
mandins officer to transmit his orders to
the engine room either by electric signals
or by tubes The new mechanism is placed
upon the bridge and enab-s the command
ing officer TO speed stop OF reverse the en-
sines by the pressure Of lever worked by
air pressure.
The man on the Uff-ge can reverse
either or both turbines from full speed
ahead 10 fun speed astern in less than fif-
teen seconds. or in much less time than II
now takes 10 communicate from the bridge
30 the engine room with other types Of con-
troll OF curse. this does not interfere with
the control Of the engines from the engine
room. II so desired. These departures in
the reduction gearing and control are radi-
cal and have been made in the interest OF
lessenine the cost of construction. facH-
tsting the operation Of the machinery and
its inspection and in the reduction of the
weight ana space now occupied.
The tests of the Neptune. which will be
held in June. are regarded 10y naval men
a. OF the highest importance because OF
the comparatively small turbines and re-
duction gears. II is claimed that the
weight will 0e less than one-half of the
other turbines having the prope Hers
coupled direct 20 the turbine shafts or of
from ~ 10 ~ per cent less steam than Is
now needed by any turbine driven ships.
The upper half of the turbine H. arranged
on hinge. 30 that il can be quickly
thrown back. that all the bldding may be
thoroughly Inspected To illustrate this
feature Admirals Botbeder and Garcia. Of
tire Argentine navy, and Admiral cone,
chief engineer Of the United States navy,
who have just y sited Pittsburg for a crit
zeal inspection Of the apparatus, were af-
forded demonstration by which the top
cover OF the turbine was loosened. Ie-
moved from its place the rotor containing
the blades given complete revolution by
hand and the cove restored 20 place and
thu engine again started, in exactly nifty
minutes-an operation that requires several
GAYS in the present modern battleship.
The United states government has al
ready applied 4 number OF turbines to its
war vessels. but after prolonged tests It
10 emily promulgated tho conclusion that
no further battloships would be so htted