An Improved Speed and Revolution-direction Indicator.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1899-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
An Improved Speed and Revolution-direction Indicator.
I, HEINRICH AUGUST CARL MAX HOLZ, of Kirchenstrasse, Uetersen, Holstein,
in the Empire of Germany, Machinist, 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 an apparatus, which serves to indicate the number
of revolutions of a ship's engine, during a certain period of time, a minute
for instance The actual indicating arrangement of the apparatus 18 placed on
the ships' bridge, in order that the officer in charge of the vessel may inform
himself at any moment respecting the number of evolutions of the ship's
engine, as well as the direction of its motion The invention is illustrated in
the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1, shows the apparatus partly in section.
Fig 2, being a font view of the same. .
Fig 3, a plan view of Fig 2
Fig 4, a horizontal section along the line
in Fig 2, the floats h & q
being removed from the water cylindeis e & f, the bottoms of such cylinders
being shewn broken away, and
Fig. 5, illustrates a detail
In the ship's engine-100m a water-screw a 18 a11anged, which through the
medium of a groove wheel a¹ 18 10tated in the same direction and at the same
number of revolutions as the ship's engine. It is not absolutely necessary that
the screw a should rotate in the same direction and at the same speed as the
engine, as the rest of the parts which complete the apparatus can be easily
constructed correspondingly, in order to ensure proper working of the apparatus
From the screw-casing, two pipes c, d run upwards to a water reservoir placed
on the bridge This reservoir consists of the actual basin b and the water-
cylinders e, The pipes c, d, running upwards branch off in such a manner
that each of them 18 connected with the basin as also with one of the cylinders e
or f. The branch pipes are indicated in the drawing by the letters o², c³, d², d
They are furnished at theu openings with non-return valves, whereby, in case
of pressure or suction in the principal pipes cd, either the water-cylinder e
orf, or the basin b, can come into communication with the pipes cd
In case the ship's engine and therewith the screw a be rotated in the direc-
tion indicated in the lower part of Fig. 1, a suctional effect is produced in the
principal pipe c, the consequence of which is that the valve belonging to the
branch pipe opens and the water can enter the principal pipe d from the
basin b, through the pipes, c. As, owing to the arrangement of the valves,
the water cannot return, through the valve belonging to the branch pipe, to
the basin b, it is forced to run into the water-cvlinder f and to raise a float h

page_text: which is in the latter, until it can again run off through an outlet slot (Figs 1
and 5) According to the quantity of water flowing through the cylinder, the
float is raised more or less, and this depends upon the number of evolutions of
the engine, because, accordingly as their number is increased or diminished,
more or less water 19 diawn out of the basin b through the pipe and forced
through the pressure pipe d' into the water cylinder f Here, the float h will
adjust itself at a particular height, and with the employment of a rack and
tooth-wheel, constantly indicate the number of evolutions of the engine on
the dial, through the medium of a pointer /
The outlet channel (see Fig 5) is nailower at the bottom than at the top,
because the pressure of water in the cylinder increases as the water 11ses
If now the engine be reversed, as previously described, the same effect 18
produced on the left side in the cylinder e The water 18 drawn out of the
basin b through the pipe and then forced through the pipe c¹ into the water
cylinder e Here, also, the float g adjusts itself correspondingly to the height
of the water in the cylinder and here also a rack and tooth-10d transmit the
motion to a pointer k, whereby the number of revolutions of the reversed engine
is shown on the dial k¹
The principle of the new invention having been settled in the foregoing, a
few further explanations may here be given It is possible that the vanation
of temperature in the water contained in the basin 6, which latter 18 furnished
with a water gauge glass, and a thermometer, may in certain contingencies
affect the accuracy of the indicating apparatus, for which reason an arrange-
ment is made which enables the dial-plates to turn loosely on the pin of
the pointer and be adjusted according to the temperature of the water by means
of screws pq engaging in the circumference of the dial-plates which are formed
as tooth rims, so that a second scale in the lower part of the dial agrees with
the scale of the thermometer, whereby, through simply turning the screws pq,
the apparatus can always be properly adjusted
In lieu of this however, we may provide for the dial-plates being automati-
cally adjusted by the direct influence of changes of temperature In order to
effect this we provide in conjunction with each of the dial plates a hollow
metal ball which is filled with water. From this ball a pipe r runs out and
projects into a hollow arm the junction of the said hollow arm & with the
pipe being sufficiently tight to prevent any leakage while allowing a full
movement of the pipe within the hollow arm ¹ By this means it will be
seen that when the temperature of the water within the ball rises the water
will expand and endeavour to run out of the piper, but will be prevented
from doing so by the hollow aim s enclosing it The pressure however con-
sequent upon the expansion of the water will turn the angle levers so that the
toothed segment thereof will effect the automatic adjustment of the dial
plates by engagement with the extended screw shaft p or q.
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 18:
The improved speed-indicator for ships' engines, the distinguishing feature
of which is that a water-screw (a) diven by the engine, upon the last named
moving forward or backwards, causes two pipes (cd), which run into a basin or
reservou, to act alternately as suction or pressure pipes, so that the pipes (cd)
which bianch off in the form of a fork can he emploved, by means of suitably
arranged valves (c) to remove the water from the basin or reservoir (6) as also
for conveying the water of pressure into the water-cylinders (ef), whereby the
water flowing into the cylinders (ef) forces the one or other of the floats (gh)
belonging to the cylinders (ef) up to a certain height in proportion to the
quantity of the water running in, the water being able to flow away to a sufi-
cient extent through an outlet 1, in the nature of a slot, and the floats (gh)

page_text: acting on pointers (k), which indicate the number of revolutions on dial-
plates (k), adjusted, according to the temperature of the water, by hand or
automatically, substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1899.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, W.C, Agents