Improved Means for Closing Watertight Doors in Ships' Bulkheads.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Closing Watertight Doors in Ships' Bulkheads.
I, JOHANNES LODEWŸK CEUVEL, Engineer, of 86, Prins Hendrikkade, Amster-
dam, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means for automatically closing water-tight doors
in ships' bulkheads. It has for its object to so construct the closing device that
the door will close automatically as soon as the water that enters the vessel's
hold in case of accident or leakage comes to a dangerous height.
As is well known bulkheads in vessels are generally fitted down to the very
keel of the vessel, thus dividing the hold into a number of compartments totally
separated from each other, the only means of communication being through the
water-tight doors. Most of these doors must be left open for daily use, but in
case of accident they are often forgotten or shut too late, so that not only the
compartment of the vessel where the leakage occurs, but also the next compart-
ments are filled with the entering water and the vessel can then no longer be
kept floating.
It will be seen that an arrangement by which such doors are closed by the
entering water itself, independently of any neglect on the part of the crew, will
shut off the different compartments from each other and prevent the filling with
water of any compartment where the leakage has not occurred.
Now by the present invention the doors are automatically shut as soon as the
water rises to a certain height.
The door slides in the usual known way in brackets or guides on the bulkhead,
and fits watertight to the bulkhead in its lowest position.
As one door shuts two compartments off from each other, the device should
preferably be so arranged that it will be actuated automatically from both sides
of the bulkhead, so that the water rising in either of the two compartments will
shut the door before it can flow over into the next compartment.
The door is hung from a chain which passes over rollers attached to the bulk-
head, the other end of the chain being fastened to a double hook pivoted to the
bulkhead. The lower arms of the said double hook are connected to a lever
one end of which is connected to the rod of a float arranged under the floor of
the hold, but so high that it will not be actuated by the bilge-water in its
highest possible position.
If a float is only arranged on one side of the bulkhead, the device may be
single acting, if on both sides it is made double acting, so that the float on either
side will actuate the device for permitting the closing of the door.
The double hook has somewhat the form of a pair of shears with curved legs
of which the uppermost, when closed, hold the chain. Of the lower legs the
one nearest to the float is connected to the pin on which the lever turns. The
other leg bears against a projection at the free end of the lever, which projection
releases that leg of the shears and permits the opening of the hook by the

page_text: tension of the chain when the free arm of the lever is forced down by the
upward movement of the float on the other arm thereof, when the said float is
lifted by the rising water. The chain then being no longer suspended, the door
falls.
The, float is guided in guide-plates and consists of a wooden or metal box, it
may be supported on wooden supports and it is movably connected to the lever
by a rod. If the connection at the lower end of the said rod is a fixed one, the
pivot-pin by which one of the lower legs of the double hook is connected to the
lever is not fastened to the bulkhead, and the lever is then suspended to that
leg of the double hook and the pivot-pin of the double hook fixed in the
bulkhead.
1
If, however, the device is double acting, the pivot-pin of the lever is prolonged
to the other side of the bulkhead and, there fixed to a lever of the other float.
In that case both the levers are firmly connected to the said pin which turns
in the bulkhead, whilst the said lower leg of the double hook is only fitted upon
the said pin. It will be seen that, by this arrangement, if the water enters
one of the compartments and lifts the float at that side of the bulkhead, the
upward movement of the float will turn the corresponding lever about its pivot
and disengage the hook, as the one leg of the hook being no longer held by the
projection will, by swinging about the pivot-pin of the hook, yield under the
strain of the chain. The chain will thus be released, and, being no longer sus-
pended, the door will fall and close the communication between the two com-
partments.
In order to accelerate the opening of the hook, a spring may, if desired, be
provided between the lower limbs thereof, which spring will force those limbs
apart and thus release the chain, when the disengagement of the said lever is
effected as above mentioned.
By this arrangement, the water-tight bulkhead-doors will be closed auto-
matically independently of all neglect of the crew, as soon as the water enters
a compartment, thus shutting this compartment off from the next compartment
and confining the leakage to the former, so that the vessel can be kept afloat.
To facilitate the movement of the door and prevent jamming of the same,
I prefer to provide guide-rollers suitably arranged either on the door or on the
parts between which the door slides.
Th: 10th day of March 1807
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant,
Improved Means for Closing Watertight Doors in Ships' Bulkheads.
I, JOHANNES LODEWYK CEUVEL, Engineer, of 86, Prins Hendrikkade, Amster-
dam, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-.
This invention relates to means for automatically closing watertight doors
in ships' bulkheads. It has for its object to so construct the closing device that
the door will close automatically as soon as the water that enters the vessel's
hold in case of accident or leakage, comes to a dangerous height.
As is well known, bulkheads in vessels are generally fitted down to the very
keel of the vessel, thus dividing the hold into a number of compartments totally

page_text: separated from each other, the only means of communication being through the
watertight doors. Most of these doors must be left open for daily use, but in
case of accident they are often forgotten or shut too late, so that not only the
compartment of the vessel where the leakage occurs, but also the next compart
ments are filled with the entering water and the vessel can then no longer be
kept floating.
It will be seen that an arrangement by which such doors are closed by the
entering water itself, independently of any neglect of the part of the crew, will
shut off the different compartments from each other and prevent the filling with
water of any compartment where the leakage has not occurred.
Now by the present invention the doors are automatically shut as soon as the
water rises to a certain height.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a transverse section, and
Figure 2 a horizontal section showing part of a vessel having my improvements
applied thereto.
The door I slides in the usual known way in brackets or guides on the bulk-
head and fits watertight to the bulkhead in its lowest position.
As one door shuts two compartments off from each other, the device should
preferably be so arranged that it will be actuated automatically from both sides
of the bulkhead, so that the water rising in either of the two compartments will
shut the door before it can flow over into the next compartment.
The door is hung from a chain C which passes over rollers r, r attached to the
bulkhead, the other end of the chain being fastened to a catch consisting of a
double hook H pivoted at a to the bulkhead. The lower arms b, c of the said
double-hook are connected to a lever L one end of which is connected to the rod d
of a float F arranged under the floor of the hold, but so high that it will not be
actuated by the bilge-water in its highest possible position.
If a float is only arranged on one side of the bulkhead, the device may be single
acting, if on both sides, it is made double acting, so that the float on either side
will actuate the device for permitting the closing of the door.
The double hook H has somewhat the form of a pair of shears with curved legs,
of which the uppermost, when closed, hold the chain. Of the lower legs the one b
nearest to the float is provided at its end with a pin ? (Figure 1) on which the
lever L turns. The other leg c bears against a projection i at the free end of the
lever, which projection releases that leg of the shears and permits the opening
of the hook by the tension of the chain when the free arm of the lever L is
forced down by the upward movement of the float F on the other arm thereof,
when the said float is lifted by the rising water. The chain then being no longer
suspended, the door falls. It will be seen that in this case the device is single
acting.
The float is guided in guide-plates g and consists of a wooden or metal box;
it may be supported on wooden supports and it is connected through the pivotal
joints m and to the lever L by a rod d. If the connection at m is a fixed one
(for the single-acting device), the pivot-pin by which the lower leg b of the
double hook is connected to the lever, is not fastened to the bulkhead and the
lever is then suspended to that leg of the double hook which is, as stated above,
pivoted by the pin a to the bulkhead.
If however the device is double-acting, the pivot-pin p of the lever L is pro-
longed to the other side of the bulkhead and there fixed to the lever L' of the
other float F (Figure 2).
In that case both the levers L and L' are firmly connected to the said pin
which turns in the bulkhead, whilst the said lower leg 6 of the double hook is
only fitted upon the said pin. It will be seen that, by this arrangement, if the
water enters one of the compartments and lifts the float at that side of the bulk-
head, the upward movement of the float will turn the corresponding lever L
.

page_text: about its pivot p and disengage the hook, as the leg c of the hook being no longer
held by the projection i will, by swinging about the pivot-pin a of the hook,
yield under the strain of the chain. The chain will thus be released, and, being
no longer suspended, the door will fall and close the communication between the
two compartments. To facilitate the working of the float, the lever L' may be
lengthened on the other side of the pin p and there provided with a movable
weight V. This weight is fastened with a screw-bolt W or in any other suitable
manner and the lever may be straight or curved as shown in the drawing,
Figure 2.
In order to accelerate the opening of the hook, a spring may, if desired, be
provided between the lower limbs thereof, which spring will force those limbs
apart and thus release the chain, when the disengagement of the said lever is
effected as above mentioned.
By this arrangement, the water-tight bulkhead-doors will be closed auto-
matically independently of all neglect of the crew, as soon as the water enters
a compartment, thus shutting this compartment off from the next compartment
and confining the leakage to the former, so that the vessel can be kept afloat.
To facilitate the movement of the door and prevent jamming of the same, I
prefer to provide guide-rollers suitably arranged either on the door or on the parts
between which the door slides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First. An apparatus for use in connection with the water-tight doors in
ships'-bulkheads for maintaining the same open and for automatically closing
them when necessary, comprising a catch for retaining the door in its open
position against the action of gravity or other force, and means, operated by a
float on either or both sides of the bulkhead, for disengaging the said catch
when the water reaches such a level as to raise the said float or floats, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
Second. A device comprising one or more pivoted levers (with or without
adjustable counterweights) adapted to be acted upon at one end by a float, and
provided at the other end with a catch consisting of a double hook having arms
or extensions one of which is pivotally attached to the lever whilst the other
engages with a projection on the said lever when the float is down, substantially
as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.
Dated this 29th day of December 1897.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.