AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 25 Cadogan Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman do hereby declare, the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS" to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of, and apparatus for, steering
ships by electricity.
Heretofore it has been customary to supply large steam-ships with steam or
hydraulic steering apparatus having heavy and cumbersome parts and a con-
siderable number of valves and pipes. But by my invention I am enabled to
employ apparatus which is very light and is easily operated.
According to my said invention I provide for moving the ruddor in either
direction by means of an electric motor connected therewith by suitable gearing
and with a generator of electricity by means of contact making and breaking
devices, with or without resistances. I arrange the contact devices in combination
with means whereby contact can be made or broken at will, for instance, I combine
them with a wheel in such a manner that when the said wheel is turned in either
direction, contact will be made and the electric motor will move in a corresponding
direction and turn the rudder either to port or to starboard, and, when the move-
ment of the said wheel is arrested, contact will be broken and the motor will stop.
It is therefore evident that the hand power required to steer the ship is only that
necessary to make and break the electrical contact.
My said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice
in the manner hereinafter described, that is to say I place in any convenient
part of the ship a high-speed engine and a dynamo-electric machine and provide
conducting wires which extend from this machine to an electric motor forming
part of the steering-apparatus.
The large and heavy wheel, which is ordinarily used for steering ships by hand,
and which is connected to the rudder by chains or otherwise, is either provided
with contact devices and made to serve as a part of my apparatus, or an equivalent
therefor is employed. I attach to this wheel or its equivalent two contact-pieces,
and so arrange it in combination with a smaller wheel provided with a single
contact-piece, that the turning of the said smaller wheel to the right will cause its
contact-piece to touch one of the contact-pieces on the large wheel and close one
circuit, thereby causing the electric motor to turn the said large wheel to the
"

page_text: right; while the turning of the small wheel to the left will make suitable con-
nection for causing the motor to turn the large wheel to the left.
The electric motor is attached to the large wheel by suitable gearing; therefore,
in whatever direction the small wheel is turned, the large wheel will instantly
follow it, and when the small, wheel is stopped, the movement of the large wheel
into a position corresponding with that of the small wheel will break either of the
circuits and the motor will come to rest.
It is thus evident that, by these means, the largest ship can be steered with the
greatest facility. Moreover, by the introduction of suitable resistances (so arranged
that, the faster the small wheel is turned, the larger will be the amount of
résistance cut out of the circuit) any speed, whether fast or slow, may be given to
the large wheel Furthermore the necessity for placing a steam-engine or hydraulic
motor near the steering wheel is obviated, as the power will be transmitted from
the dynamo-electric machine to the steering apparatus by means of small conducting
wires.

page_text: BROOKS CHIPS
I, ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 25 Cadogan Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS" and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to the steering of ships by electricity, and to apparatus
therefor.
It has been customary heretofore to supply large ships with steam or hydraulic
steering apparatus which is heavy and cumbersome, and which necessitates the
employment of a more or less complicated series of pipes and valves. But, by the
use of electricity, I am enabled to employ apparatus which is very light and
easily operated, and to which the requisite electrical energy can be transmitted
through small conductors from a dynamo-electric machine or other generator
situated in any convenient part of the vessel.
My invention comprises the employment, in combination with apparatus such as
is ordinarily used for steering ships by hand, of an electric motor connected with
the generator through the medium of a switch or current-changing device herein-
after described, in such a manner that an electric current can be caused to flow in
one or the other direction through the field-magnets, or through the armature-coils,
of the motor, to rotate the said motor as required. In some cases suitable
resistances are so arranged in the said device that the strength of the current can
be regulated to vary the speed or power of the motor.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a steering apparatus with my improvements
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal central section, drawn to an enlarged scale,
showing the switch hereinafter described.
Figure 4 is a section on the line a, a, Figure 3, also drawn to an enlarged scale.
Like letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.
a indicates the.frame of the steering apparatus. b is a shaft, which is carried in
suitable bearings in the said frame, and upon which is fixed a worm or endless
screw c gearing with a worm-wheel d fixed on the shaft e also carried in bearings
in the frame a. f, f' are two drums, which are fixed on the shaft e, and whereon
are wound the chains g, g'. These chains are connected in the usual or any
suitable manner with the rudder. A large steering-wheel his fixed upon the
shaft b for steering the ship by hand without the aid of electricity.
The shaft b is made hollow or tubular to receive a shaft i, which extends'
through, and beyond the extremities of, the said shaft b. A small steering-wheel j
is fixed upon the shaft i for the purpose hereinafter specified.
k is an electric motor mounted upon the frame a. The armature-shaft ¹ is
geared, by means of a pinion 1 and toothed wheel m, with the shaft b. The
"

page_text: .
.
motor is fitted to slide between guides a' formed on the frame a, so that it can
be shifted to put its pinion into, or out of, gear with the wheel m, to permit the
steering apparatus to be operated by hand either with or without the aid of
electricity, as desired.
•
The switch or device which I employ for making and breaking contact and
regulating the resistance in the circuit comprises a metal tube or casing n made
with a flange n¹, whereby it is secured to the wheel m. On this casing are placed
two metal rings o, o', which are insulated from each other and from the said
casing.
P, p¹ are plates or pieces projecting radially inward from the rings o, o¹; the
plate pis secured to, and in electrical contact with, the ring o, and the plate p¹ is
secured to, and in electrical contact with, the ring o¹. The ring o is connected by
a brush q and conductor q¹ with one pole of an electric generator at r. The ring o¹
is connected by a brush s and conductor a¹ with one end of the field-magnet coils
of the motor k, the other end of the said coils being connected by the conductor 8²
with the other pole of the said generator. On each side of each of the plates p, p¹
is arranged a series of pieces of cloth or other suitable material impregnated with
carbon. These pieces of cloth are arranged between the casing n and an inner
casing or support n', and between the plates p, pl and the plates t', t, t³, t. The.
last named plates are made of copper or other metal, and are fitted to slide between
the casing n and the supports n³ for the purpose hereinafter specified.
"
u, u² are two arms which are secured in sockets formed in the piece u² fixed on
the shaft. These arms are insulated from the said shaft and from each other by
sleeves or tubes 3 of india-rubber or other suitable material, or in any other
convenient manner, v, v are two metal rings placed upon a block of wood or
other insulating material fixed on the shaft 2. The arms u, u¹ are connected with
the rings v, by means of the conductors v³, v, which are passed through holes in
the said shaft and in the block v. The ring is connected by a brush w and
conductor w¹ with one end of the armature-coils of the motor k, and the ring v³ is
connected by a brush y and conductor y¹ with the other end of the said coils.
The motor is shown with its pinion in gear with the wheel m. When the
parts are in this position, the apparatus can be operated with great facility by
means of the wheel jin the following manner, that is to say-By turning this
wheel in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figures.1, 2 and 4, the arms u, u¹
will be brought into contact with the platos t', t, so that electrical connections
will be established between the arm u and the plate p and ring o, and between the
arm u³ and the plate p² and ring o'. The current will then flow from the generator
through the conductor q³, brush q, ring o, plate ?, resistances t, and plate t to the
arm, thence through the conductor v³, ring v, brush w and conductor w¹ to, and
through, the armature-coils of the motor k, thence through the conductor y¹ and
brush y to the ring v¹ and from this ring through the conductor vs, arm u²,
plate, resistances t, plate p', ring o¹, brush s, and conductor 8' to, and through,
the field-magnet coils of the motor k, and back to the generator by the return
wiro 8. The motor will thus be caused to rotate the shaft b in the direction
indicated by the said arrows.
The motor, in rotating the shaft b, tends to break the electrical contact between
the plates t', and the arms u, u¹, therefore, in order to maintain such contact
until the rudder has been turned through the desired angle, the rotation of the
wheel in the direction indicated by the arrows must be continued. When the
rotation of this wheel is arrested, the continued movement of the motor k and
shaft will break the contact and the motor will stop.
By turning the wheel ; in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrows,
'the arms u, u will be brought into contact with the plates 2, t. Electrical
connections will thus be established between the arm u and the plate p¹ and
ring ol, and between the arm u¹ and the plate p and ring o. The current will then
flow from the generator through the conductor 9', brush g, ring o, plate P.
resistances t and plate to the arm u³, thence through the conductor v', ring v²,

page_text: brush y, and conductor y¹ to, and through, the armature-coils of the motor k, thence
by the conductor w', brush w, ring v, and conductor.³ to the arm u, and from this
arm through the plate t², resistances t, plate p', ring o¹, brush s and conductor s¹ to,
and through; the field-magnet coils of the motor k, and back to the generator by
the return wire 8. Therefore the direction of the current in the armature-coils of
the said motor will be reversed, whilst that of the current in the field-magnets
remains unchanged; the motor will, consequently, rotate the shaſt b in the direction
opposite to that indicated by the arrows.
If desired, however, the electrical connections are so made that the direction of
the current in the field-magnets will be reversed, that of the current in the
armature-coils remaining unchanged.
"
The pieces t of cloth are capable of being compressed between the plates t¹, t¹, t³, tª
and the plates p, p' to vary or regulate the resistance in the apparatus. They,
therefore, afford the means for varying or regulating the strength of the current
flowing through the motor. Any other convenient means may, however, be
employed for this purpose. Or the said resistances may, if desired, be dispensed
with.
-
The casing n is made with a slot n³, so that the arms u, u' can be rotated to
move the plates t¹, t¹, i³, t^, towards the plates p, p', and thus compress the pieces
of cloth. The said arms are, moreover, made with projections u which, when
the pieces of cloth have been compressed to a certain extent, will come in contact
with the plates p, p¹ so that the resistances t will be cut out of the circuit.
By turning the wheel j with greater or less velocity relatively to the wheel h,
the pieces of cloth t will be more or less compressed. The resistance in the circuit
can thus be varied and the strength of the current flowing through the motor
regulated, according to the power required to move the rudder, or according to the
speed at which it is desired to turn the same.
By shifting the motor k towards the wheel h, it can be put out of gear with the
steering apparatus, which can then be operated by hand by means of the wheel h
in the ordinary manner.
It is evident from the foregoing description that, by my apparatus, the largest
ship can be steered with great facility, the hand-power required for this purpose
being only that necessary for making and maintaining the electrical.contact, or for
cutting out of the circuit more or less resistance..
Moreover, by my invention, the necessity for placing a steam-engine or hydraulic
motor near the steering-wheel is obviated, as the power is transmitted from the
dynamo-electric machine or other generator to the motor by means of small con-
ducting wires.
Although I have shown my improvements applied to a particular form of steering
apparatus, I wish it understood that they are also applicable to other apparatus in
which the steering is effected by the rotation of a shaft connected by any suitable
gearing with the rudder.
The apparatus shewn in the drawings may, if desired, be made without the large
steering-wheel h.
Moreover, any suitable electric inotor, generator, and arrangement of conductors
and current changing or regulating devices may be substituted for those shewn,
without departing from the nature of my invention.
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. The above described method of providing for the steering of a ship by the
use, in combination with suitable steering apparatus, of an electric motor connected
with a generator by conductors and a switch or current-changing device in such a
manner that an electric current of any required strength can be caused to flow in
one or the other direction through the said motor for the purposes specified,

page_text: Second. The combination, with a steering apparatus and an electric motor geared
therewith, of a switch (with or without means for varying the resistance) actuated
by a steering-wheel, in such a manner that the electric circuit will be closed by
turning the said wheel in either direction and will be opened or broken by the
motor, as, and for the purposes, specified.
Third. The improved current changing and regulating device consisting of the
parts constructed and combined substantially as described with reference to
Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the
purposes, specified.
Fourth. The improved electrical steering apparatus consisting of the parts
constructed and combined substantially as described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.