IMPROVEMENTS IN SIRENS OR APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SONOROUS SIGNALS
Year: 1885

page_text: I CHARLES INGREY of Oak House Fulham in the County of Middlesex Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIRENS OR
APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SONOROUS SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
• My Invention has reference to an instrument which I term a "Sirenette" and
which is intended to be used for producing sonorous Signals from Locomotives,
Vessels, Factories and other suitable sources, the invention having for its object
the production of an instrument which can be more conveniently used for the
purpose mentioned than the ordinary "Siren" (such as used on board Men of War)
which could not advantageously be so employed.
In Sirens of the construction described in the specification to Letters patent
granted to Frederick Hale Holmes dated the 2nd October 1875 N° 3426 a hand
lever is employed for operating mechanism for mechanically starting the revolving
cylinder, and a stuffing box or gland is used to enable the Siren to be turned in
various directions without allowing the motive fluid to escape.
Now according to my invention I dispense with starting mechanism and so
arrange that the revolving cylinder automatically starts when the motive fluid is
admitted, and I also provide means by which the "Sirenette can be turned in
any direction without the use of a stuffing box.
"
In carrying out my invention I employ a vertical cylinder capable of revolving
and having in its periphery a series of orifices or slots which are cut at a tangent
from an imaginary circle within it. This cylinder is provided with a spindle and
bearings and is surrounded by a fixed cylinder having a number of orifices or slots
corresponding to those in the revolving cylinder, and a further number of slots
which term the starting slots which are used for the purpose hereinafter
mentioned. The orifices or slots in the fixed cylinder are cut at an angle the
reverse or nearly the reverse of those in the revolving cylinder.
To enable the Sirenette to be started without the employment of mechanical
means I so arrange the starting slots or orifices in the fixed cylinder that in any
position of the revolving cylinder, some of them are wholly or partially uncovered
so that when the steam or other motive fluid is admitted it impinges against the
inclined sides of the slots of the revolving cylinder and moves the latter into such
a position that the sounding slots come opposite each other, whereupon it revolves:

page_text: with rapidity, and by alternately admitting and cutting off the supply of motive*
fluid produces a number of vibrations corresponding to the pitch of the note
desired. To enable the sound or signal to be transmitted in any required direction
without the use of the stuffing box, I form on the lower part of the trumpet of the
Sirenette a circular flange or projection turned to suit the upper part of a casing
which encloses the two cylinders, and I provide a ring or circular plate bolted on
-to a flange of the said casing and arranged to engage with the projection on the
trumpet and whilst holding it down to the upper part of the casing admit of the
trumpet being revolved.
For the purpose of governing the speed of the revolving cylinder I provide a
brake or governor which acts by centrifugal force and presses against the inside of
an extended portion of the fixed cylinder.
I form on the lower part of the casing a seating into which fits a valve or plug
and I operate the said valve by means of a hand lever. The valve is connected by
suitable links or joints to a lever and spindle contained within the casing, one end
of the spindle passes through a stuffing box or gland and has attached to it the said
hand lever so that when desired to start the "Sirenette" the movement of the lever
causes the valve to be drawn away from its seating and admits the motive fluid to
the cylinders.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sirens or Apparatus for Producing Sonorous
+
Signals.
I CHARLES INGREY, of Oak House, Fulham in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
My invention has reference to an instrument which I term a "Sirenette" and
which is intended to be used for producing sonorous signals from Locomotives,
Vessels, Factories and other suitable sources, the invention having for its object the
production of an instrument which can be more conveniently used for the purposes
mentioned than the ordinary "Siren" (such as used on board Men of War) which
could not advantageously be so employed.
In Sirens of the construction described in the specification to Letters patent
granted to Frederick Hale Holmes, dated the 2nd October 1875 No 3426 a hand

page_text: lever is employed for operating mechanism for mechanically starting the revolving
cylinder and a stuffing box or gland is used to enable the Siren to be turned in
various directions without allowing the motive fluid to escape.
"
:
Now according to my invention I dispense with starting mechanism and so
arrange that the revolving cylinder automatically starts when the motive fluid is
admitted, and I also provide means by which the "Sirenette can be turned in any
direction without the use of a stuffing box and simple means whereby the speed of
the revolving cylinder can be governed, and I farther improve the method of
operating the valve for admitting the motive fluid.
And in order that the said invention may be perfectly understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the accompanying sheet of drawings the same letters. of.
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a vertical section of the
"Sirenette."
Figure 2 is an elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan showing the brake or governor hereinafter referred to.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section showing the arrangement for starting the
"Sirenette."
In carrying out my invention I employ a vertical cylinder a capable of revolving
and having in its periphery a series of orifices or slots 6 which are cut at a tangent
from an imaginary circle 61 (Figure 4) within it. This cylinder is provided with
a spindle c and bearing d and is surrounded by a fixed cylinder e having a number
of orifices or slots f corresponding to those in the revolving cylinder a and a
further number of slots g which I term the "starting-slots" which are used for the
purpose hereinafter mentioned. The orifices or slots in the fixed cylinder are cut
at an angle the reverse or nearly the reverse of those in the revolving cylinder.
.
In order to enable the "Sirenette" to be started without the employment of
mechanical means, I so arrange the starting slots g in the fixed cylinder e that in
any position of the revolving cylinder a some of them will be wholly or partially
uncovered so that when the steam or other motive fluid is admitted it impinges
against the inclined sides of the slots of the revolving cylinder and moves the
latter into such a position that the sounding slots bf come opposite each other as
shewn in Figure 4 whereupon it revolves with rapidity and by alternately
admitting and cutting off the supply of motive fluid produces a number of
vibrations corresponding to the pitch of the note desired. In order to enable the
sound or signal to be transmitted in any required direction without the use of the
stuffing box, I form on or affix to the lower part of the trumpet k of the Sirenette
a circular flange or projection h turned to suit the upper part of a casing i which
encloses the two cylinders a and e and I provide a ring or circular plate j bolted
on to a flange of the said casing and arranged to engage with the projection h on
the trumpet k and whilst holding it down to the upper part of the casing admit of
the trumpet being revolved.
I form on the lower part of the casing a seating m into which fits a valve or
plug n and I operate the said valve by means of a hand lever o. The valve n is
connected by suitable links p or joints to a lever and spindle contained within
the casing, one end of the spindler passes through a stuffing box or glands and
has attached to it the said hand lever o so that when desired to start the
"Sirenette" the movement of the lever causes the valve n to be drawn away from
its seating m and admits the motive fluid to the cylinders. t shews the pipe for
the supply of the motive fluid. In the condition of rest the pressure tends to
keep the valve n close against its seating m but when the hand lever o is depressed
the motive fluid passes to annular space t? and thence through the slots in the
fixed cylinder e and revolving cylinder a.
Should the cylinder a be in such a position that its slots 6 are not opposite the
slots f the motive fluid passes through one or more of the starting slots g and acts
upon one or more of the slots b, whereupon the cylinder a is moved partially round

page_text: and the motive fluid acting upon the inclined sides of the slots 6 causes the
cylinder a to revolve with rapidity and to produce a series of interruptions or
vibrations in the passage of the fluid and consequently a sonorous sound.
For the purpose of governing the speed of the revolving cylinder and con-
sequently the pitch of the sonorous sound I provide a brake or governor
(Figures 1 and 3) which acts by centrifugal force so as to exercise pressure against
the inside of an extended portion 2 of the fixed cylinder e. To this end the brake
or governor is provided with wings or levers v pivotted at w. When the spindle c
of the cylinder a is revolved the wings v fly out by centrifugal force and cause
the brake ends y to be pressed against the inside of the extended portion 2 of the
fixed cylinder e by which means the speed of the revolving cylinder is controlled
and the desired pitch of the note is obtained.
The inner cylinder a the outer cylinder e and the brake or governor 7 are so
arranged that upon removing the trumpet and the small screws they can be
simultaneously removed for purposes of examination or cleaning without. disturbing
the other portions of the instrument.
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
1. In an apparatus for producing sonorous signals, the combination of an inner
cylinder a and outer cylinder e with a centrifugal brake or governor contained
and operating within an extended portion of the outer cylinder substantially as
and for the purpose herein before described.
2. In an apparatus for producing sonorous signals, the employment of a trumpet
arranged to be turned by hand in any required direction without the use of a
stuffing box or gland substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In an apparatus for producing sonorous signals, the method of operating the
valve for admitting motive fluid substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The general construction, arrangement and combination of parts constituting
the "sirenette" or improved apparatus for producing sonorous signals substantially
as hereinbefore described.