IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lennox Watson, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Naval Architect, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lennox
-
Watson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
⚫ Petition, on the 3rd July 1874.
I, GEORGE LENNOX WATSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Naval Architect, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS," to be as
follows, that is to say:―
This Invention has for its object the application of the power used in
working steering apparatus in a manner better adapted than heretofore
to the varying resistance of the rudder in its different positions.
In carrying out the Invention the tiller or steering wheel is arranged
to transmit the power through one or more studs or rollers acting on one

page_text: or more curved grooves or flanges formed in or on the rudder head, or
in or on a disc or piece fixed on the rudder head. The curvature of the
said grooves or flanges is such, that as the rudder is moved over to
either side into positions in which it experiences increasing resistances,
the tiller or steering wheel moves through greater angles and conse-
quently with increased leverage. Thus the steersman instead of, as
heretofore, feeling an increasing resistanco as he endeavours to put over
the rudder into cither of its extreme lateral positions, will experience an
approximately uniform resistance but will have to turn the tiller or
wheel to a relatively greater extent.
When a tiller is used it is according to one modification centred on
a stud, either fore or aft of the rudder head, and is provided with a
horizontal antifriction roller which bears against the inside of a flange
projecting up from the rudder head. This flango is curved to correspond
to the desired variation in leverage and action.
The tiller may be arranged to be directly acted upon by hand, or it may
be connected by chains or rods to a steering wheel on a bridge or
hurricane deck at a distance from the rudder.
When directly applying a steering wheel or a shaft turned by steam
or other power the steering wheel shaft or the engine shaft is formed
with a screw thread which acts on an internally screwed block so as to
make such block traverse over a disc on or forming the rudder head.
The screw block is fitted with two studs or pins which may have anti-
friction rollers on them, and which project down into two grooves
formed in the disc below, the grooves being curved to correspond to the
desired variation in leverage and action.
The curvature of the flanges or grooves may be obtained by marking
on a diagram a sufficient number of positions of the rudder head, and
then assigning the desired varying movements to the roller or stud
acted on by the tiller or steering wheel from each of such positions to the
next. In this way a series of points will be obtained through which a
curvo may be drawn.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lennox Watson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LENNOX WATSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Naval Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Lennox Watson, Her
special licence that I, the said George Lennox Watson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Lennox Watson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agreo with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said George Lennox Watson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immedi.
ately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Lennox Watson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
My said Invention has for its object the application of the power
used in working steering apparatus in a manner better adapted
than heretofore to the varying resistance of the rudder in its different
positions.

page_text: .
In carrying out my Invention tho tiller or steering wheel is arranged
to transmit the power through one or more studs or rollers acting on
one or more curved grooves or flanges formed in or on the rudder head,
or in or on a disc or picce fixed on the rudder head; or the curved
grooves or flanges and the studs or rollers may be transposed so as to have
the latter on the rudder head or equivalent part, and the former on the
actuating mechanism. The curvature of the said grooves or flanges is sucli,
that as the rudder is moved over to either side into positions in which it
experiences increasing resistances, the tiller or steering wheel moves
through greater angles and consequently with increased leverage. Thus
the steersman' instead of, as heretofore, feeling an increasing resistance
as he endeavors to put over the rudder into cither of its extremo
lateral positions, will experience an approximately uniform resistance,
but will have to turn the tiller or wheel to a relatively greater
extent:
And in order that.my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, may be properly understood, I hereunto, append three
Sheets of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and
representing three modifications of steering apparatus as made with
my improvements. In these Drawings the same reference numerals
are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
1
A modification in which a tiller or lever A is used is shown in
Figures 1, 2, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, Figure 1 being a plan, and
Figure 2 a longitudinal vertical section. The tiller A is centered on a
pin B held in a block O fixed on the longitudinal centre line of the
deck at a short distance from the rudder stock D, and carries an anti-
friction roller E in a fork formed on its under side. The antifriction-
roller E bears against the inside of a flange F formed on and projecting
up from the rudder head G. This flange is curved to correspond to
the desired variation in leverage and action, a convenient mode of finding ;
a suitable curve being herein-after described. A small antifriction
roller H is fitted to the tiller A to bear against the outside of the curved
flange F to prevent shake; and further to prevent any looseness when
the rudder is in or near the middle position a cross arm I is fixed on
the tiller and is fitted with studs, J. which work in suitably formed a
grooves in wing pieces K. fixed to the rudder head G.
The tiller A may be arranged to be directly acted on by hand, or it

page_text: :
may be connected by chains or reds to a steering wheel on a bridge or
hurricane deck at a distance from the rudder.
:
Figures 3, 4, 5, Sheet 1, represents a modification in which a steering
wheel M or a shaft N, turned by steam or other power, is applied
5 directly, Figures 3 and 4 being vertical sections as at right angles to
each other, and Figure 5 a horizontal section. The shaft N which is
carried by a pedestal O encompassing the rudder stock D, is formed
with a screw thread which acts on an internally screwed block P so as
to make such block traverse longitudinally over a disc G förming the
0 rudder head: "The screw block P is fitted with two studs or pins E, H,
which may have antifriction rollers on them, and which project down
into two grooves F formed in the disc or rudder head G below the
grooves F, being curved to correspond to the desired variation in
leverage and action.
.
-
5 Figures 6 and 7, on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, are a plan and a longi
tudinal vertical section of a modification in which the curved groove
and stud or pin are transposed. The stud or pin E is fitted to the
rudder head G. so as to project up into a curved groove F formed on the
under side of a block P, to which a longitudinal movement is given by
O the screw shaft N, the block P being fitted to work in guides Q
formed on the side picces of a rectangular framing which carries tho
apparatus.
.
Figure 8 on Sheet 3 of the Drawings is a diagram showing a con-
venient way of finding the curvature for the flange F of the modification
5 shown in Figures 1, 2. The line BD corresponds to that from the
centre B of the tiller A to the centre D of the rudder head G. The
line B R makes with the line BD an angle corresponding to the extent
of movement to be given to the tiller A on cach side of its middlę
position. The line DR is divided in the points marked 5, 10, &c., so
O that lines drawn from those points to B will make successively
increasing angles with each other, the proportions in which the angles
increase, being optional with the designer. A series of lines D S are
drawn from D dividing a space of 35 degrees (which is the range from
the middle position, which the rudder's movement is assumed to have)
5 into equal angles, and corresponding to imaginary lines on the rudder
head G, which successively come to the position of the line DR as the
rudder is gradually put over to port, and on these lines D S. are marked

page_text: .
in order the distances D 5, D 10, D 15, &c. With centre D an arc BT
is drawn equal to 35 degrees, and divided into as many equal parts as
the angle RDS, and then from the division points of the arc BT lines
áre drawn in order to the points on tlic lines DS, &c. On the lines last
drawn distances equal to BE are marked off from the arc BT, and the
curvo FD is finally drawn tangentially to a series of arcs drawn
with the radius of the roller E and with the points so obtained as
centres.
Figure 9 is a diagram showing a convenient mode of finding the
curves for the modification shown in Figures 3, 4, 5; graduated 1
distances. 5, 10, &c., like those on the line D R, Figure 8, are set off on
cach line UV drawn parallel to the longitudinal centre line and at a
distanco therefrom, which on the scalo of the diagram represents the
distance of the centre of each pin EH from the centre... Circles are
drawn through the divisions 5, 10, &c., with the centre D, and a series 1
of radial lines DR, DS; are drawn, dividing the range of 35 degrees
into equal angles. Then from cach point 5, 10, &c.,, there is marked off
on the circle passing through it an arc equal to that contained on the
same circle between the line DR and the corresponding radial line
taken in order. With the points so founed arcs of the radius of the 2
pin E or H or of the antifriction roller on it are drawn, and the curves F
äre finally drawn tangentially to such arcs. The different curves for
the two pins E, H, are got by setting off the distances from the points
5, 10, &c. in opposite directions.'.:
וי
•
Figure 10 is a diagram for the modification shown in Figures 6, 7. 2
In this case the graduated distances 5, 10, &c. are marked on the longi-
tudinal centre line in both directions from U to V and arcs U W of
35 degrees each, drawn through. U with the centro D representing the
centre of the rudder head are divided into equal parts; lines parallel
and
to the centre line are drawn through the divisions of the arcs U W,
on these lines are marked off in order and in different directions from
the arc, the distances U 5, U 10, &c.; then ares, being drawn with tho
last found points for centres, and with the radius of the pin E or its
roller, the curves F are finally drawn tangentially to such arcs.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict my-
self to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what

page_text: I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the con-
structing of steering apparatus so that the power is transmitted through
one or more studs or rollers acting on or acted on by one or more
curved grooves or flanges, which grooves or flanges are shaped so
that an increasing leverage is obtained as the rudder is moved from its
middle position, substantially as herein-before described.
-
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lennox Watson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
G. L. WATSON. (L.S.)