Improvements in Apparatus to be employed for Conveying Ships or Large and Heavy Bodies Overland.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 14th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be employed for Conveying Ships or
Large and Heavy Bodies Overland.
I, WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE of No. 3 Victoria Street in the City of West-
minster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus, to be employed for conveying ships, or large,
and heavy, bodies, overland, in which apparatus bags or flexible containers of
liquid are used in combination with cradle-like structures carried upon trucks
adapted to travel upon railways. Such an arrangement is described in the
Specification of Letters Patent No. 7529 dated the 6th day of May 1889 granted
to William Smith.
According to my invention I provide means whereby the bags, or receptacles,
for the liquid (which I will refer to as the hydraulic cushions) can be brought into
position to adapt them to various sizes and forms of vessel and I also provide
means whereby the heads of liquid giving the pressure in the various hydraulic
cushions can be regulated to correspond with the various displacement weights of
different vessels. I place the hydraulic cushions upon frames, platforms, or
carriers, which can be adjusted in position to bring the hydraulic cushions against
the vessel so as to support it properly. For this purpose the frames, platforms, or
carriers, may be centered or hinged, at one end, or in the centre, or at other
suitable part. The operation of these frames, platforms, or carriers may be
effected by means of hydraulic rams, or by screws, or they may be adjusted by
wedges or the like.
Instead of placing the hydraulic cushions on the top of the adjustable platforms
and adjusting them as described the said hydraulic cushions may be laid on the
structures on the trucks and cross bearers may be laid on the top of the cushions
and on these cross bearers the vessel can be docked and shored. Or a gridiron or
pontoon or gridirons or pontoons (with or without side girders) may be used instead
of cross bearers.
The liquid contents of the hydraulic cushions are in communication by suitable
pipes or connections with tanks, or reservoirs, placed at the sides, or ends, of the
structures on the trucks, or in any suitable position, so as to give the requisite
heads of liquid at the various points required. There may be a separate tank for
each cushion, or each tank may be common to several cushions.
To regulate the heads of liquid according to the varying weights of the vessel
at different parts the tanks are made adjustable as to their elevation which adjust-
ment may be effected by any suitable mechanism such as hydraulic rams, screws,
levers, or the like.
Dated shin 10th
TL1001

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be employed for Conveying Ships or
Large and Heavy Bodies Overland.
I WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE of No. 3 Victoria Street in the City of
Westminster Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to apparatus to be employed for conveying ships, or large
and heavy bodies, overland, in which apparatus bags, or flexible containers, of
liquid are used in combination with cradle-like structures carried upon trucks
adapted to travel upon railways. Such an arrangement is described in the
Specification of Letters Patent No. 7529 dated the 6th day of May 1889, granted
to William Smith.
According to my invention I provide means whereby the bags, or receptacles,
for the liquid (which I will refer to as the "hydraulic cushions") can be brought
into position to adapt them to various sizes, and forms, of vessel, or other bodies,
and I also provide means whereby the heads of liquid giving the pressure in the
various hydraulic cushions can be regulated to correspond with the various dis-
placement weights of different vessels, or bodies. I place the hydraulic cushions
upon frames, platforms, or carriers, which can be adjusted in position to bring the
hydraulic cushions against the vessel so as to support it properly. For this purpose
the frames, platforms, or carriers, may be centred, or hinged, at one end, or in the
centre, or at other suitable part and their operation may be effected by means of
hydraulic rams, or by screws, or they may be adjusted by wedges, or the like.
Instead of placing the hydraulic cushions on the top of the adjustable platforms,
and adjusting them as described, the said hydraulic cushions may be laid on the
structures on the trucks and cross bearers may be laid on the top of the cushions
and on these cross bearers the vessel or body to be conveyed can be docked and
shored. Or a gridiron, or pontoon, or gridirons, or pontoons, (with, or without,
side girders) may be used instead of cross bearers.
The liquid contents of the hydraulic cushions are in communication, by suitable
pipes, or connections, with tanks, or reservoirs placed at the sides, or ends, of the
structures, on the trucks, or in any suitable position, so as to give the requisite
heads of liquid at the various points required. There may be a separate tank for
each cushion, or each tank may be common to several cushions.
To regulate the heads of liquid according to the varying weights of the vessel
at different parts, the tanks are made adjustable as to their elevation which adjust-
ment may be effected by any suitable mechanism such as hydraulic rams, screws,
levers, or the like.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I now proceed
more particularly to set forth, the system, mode, or manner, in, or under which, the
same is, or may be, used, or practically carried into effect, as applied to the overland
transport of a ship from which its application to other heavy bodies to be transported
will also be understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say-
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of the ship and car and supporting
devices the left hand side of the figure shewing the midship section and the right
hand side of the figure shewing the section at about half-way between midships,
and the head or stern of the ship.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the supporting device.
Figure 3 is a transverse section (the left hand side at midships and the right
hand side at about half way between midships and the head or stern. of the ship)
shewing an alternative method of arranging the apparatus according to my present
invention.

page_text: Figure is a plan of the left hand half of Figure 3 and
Figure 5 is a plan of the right hand half of Figure 3.
A, A, are the bags, or receptacles, for the liquid (which bags or receptacles 1 as
before stated refer to as the hydraulic cushions"). According to my invention
they are provided with means by which they can be brought into position to adapt
them to various sizes, and forms, of vessel. This is effected by placing the said
hydraulic cushions upon frames, platforms, or carriers B, B, B, which can be
adjusted in position to bring the hydraulic cushions against the vessel so as to
support it properly. For this purpose the frames, platforms, or carriers B, B, B,
may be centered, or hinged, at one end C. C. or at any other suitable part. The
said frames, platforms, or carriers, may be operated by means of hydraulic
rams D, D, attached to the ends F, F, of the platforms B, B, or to any suitable
part, for instance to the centre as shewn at E, or they may be raised, or lowered, or
adjusted, by screws, wedges, sliding blocks, levers, or the like. For instance they
may be raised, lowered, and adjusted by levers and screws as at V and W in
Figure 3 the hydraulic cushions being placed on the levers in place of using the
wedges S as shewn in that figure.
Instead of placing the hydraulic cushions on the top of the adjustable plat-
forms BBB and adjusting them as described the said hydraulic cushions may be
laid on the structure G G (as shewn in Figure 3) which can slide, or move, on the
truck H H and cross bearers, or a pontoon, I I, may be laid on the top of these.
cushions and on the pontoon I I, the vessel J J J may be docked on ordinary
sliding bilge blocks S S or on bilge blocks S' S¹ sliding on adjustable bearers T T.
These may be arranged in groups of three connected by a cross bar or yoke X
the screw or other means of adjustment being connected to an extension of the
middle or adjustable bearer T as shown at W in Figure 3.
A gridiron K K K, may be used instead of the cross bearers, or pontoon, I I.
At the left hand side of Figure 3 the pontoon arrangement is shewn and on the
right hand side the gridiron arrangement is shewn.
The pontoon, or gridiron, may, or may not, have side girders, or frame-
work L LL, to which the ship, may, or may not, be shored as at M M.
The liquid contents of the hydraulic cushions A. A, U U are in communication
by suitable pipes or connections N N N, with tanks, or reservoirs, 0 0 0,
placed in the side girders, or framework, L L, or at the ends of the structures,
on the trucks, or in any other convenient position, so as to give the requisite
head of liquid at the various points required. There may be a separate tank, or
compartment P for each hydraulic cushion, or each tank O O O or compartment
of a tank may be common to several hydraulic cushions.
To regulate the heads of liquid according to the varying weight of the vessel
at different parts of its length the tanks are made adjustable as to their elevation,
which adjustment may be effected by any suitable mechanism such as by hydraulic
rams QQFigures 1, 2 and 3, or they may be adjusted by screws R R, levers, or
the like, for instance as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
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 apparatus of the kind referred to, for conveying ships, or large and heavy
bodies, overland; means whereby the positions of the "hydraulic cushions"
can be
varied to adapt them to various sizes, or forms, of vessels, or bodies; substantially
as hereinbefore described.
"
can
2. In apparatus of the kind, and for the purpose, referred to; means whereby
the heads of liquid giving the pressures in the various "hydraulic cushions
be regulated to correspond with the various displacement weights of different
vessels, or bodies; substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In apparatus of the kind, and for the purpose, referred to; the arrange-
ment of hydraulic cushions" and means for adjusting them substantially as

page_text: herein before explained with reference to the Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In apparatus of the kind, and for the purpose, referred to; the arrangement
of cross bearers, or gridiron, or pontoon, supported upon "hydraulic cushions," and
receiving the vessel, or body; substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn
in Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
66
5. In apparatus of the kind, and for the purpose, referred to; the combination
with the hydraulic cushions" of tanks, or reservoirs, in communication with the
said cushions for receiving the liquid from the cushions and allowing it to again
return thereinto as the trucks pass over varying levels or gradients substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In apparatus of the kind and for the purpose referred to the combination with
the "hydraulic cushions" of tanks or reservoirs in communication with the said
cushions and adjustable relatively thereto substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of April 1892.