Improvements in and connected with the Hydraulto Propulsion of Navigable Vessels.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 8th June, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Hydraulto Propulsion of
Navigable Vessels.
I, PAUL BAUMERT of Uhlandstrasse, Charlottenberg in the Kingdom of
Prussia, Engineer, do hereby declaro the nature of this invention, and in what
mander the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
1
It is objected to existing systems of re-action propulsion of navigable vessels,
that they involve a large waste of power. The reason for this loss is found in
the fact that the inlets through which the water is drawn into the vessel impose a
high resistance to its passage, which it is one of the objects of this invention to
avoid.
According to my improvements, I arrange as far below the water line as
practicable, at the stern of the vessel, parallel with the keel, one or more pump
cylinders each of which has an open external end as shewn by the longitudinal
section Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
In these drawings Figure 1 is a plan of the propelling devices which I employ,
and Figure 2 a sectional side elevation.
The pump cylinder por each of them may be secured to the vessel' and made
watertight at the joint, by means of the flange D. In each cylinder there is a
piston B connected directly or indirectly with the piston rod C C of a steam engine
or similar motor, by theans of which reciprocating motion is communicated to the
pump piston.
The discharge outlet A has a smaller cross section than that of the cylinder, and
it follows that the speed of the discharge will be greater than the speed of the
piston, the ratio of the two speeds being inverse to the diameters of the cylinder
and of the outlet respectively.
When the piston is inoved in the direction indicated by the arrow 6 the external
water will immediately follow it and till the cylinder. At the end of the stroke,
the motion of the piston is reversed, and it now travels in the direction indicated
by the arrow a and thereby forces a solid stream of water against the external
water at a greater speed than that of the travel of the piston. Practically no
vacuum will be produced in frout of the piston travelling in the direction of the
arrow because of the external pressure, and consequently there will be very little
or do waste of power from this source.
Figure 4 illustrates in longitudinal section, a modified form of discharge outlet
for the pump cylinder, in which a number of holes are formed, which permit
the free ingress of the water, but, because of the speed of the discharge, will
not, afford a free path for the lateral cscape of the water forced out of the
cylinder.
The opposite end of the pump cylinder may have an inlet & and an outlet e
which may be controlled by valves/g. The inlet may communicate with the open
air, or with an air reservoir V, Figures 1 and 2, or with any place from which air
may be withdrawn. When the piston moves in the direction shewn by the arrow a,
that end of the cylinder is filled with air. At the end of the stroke, the valve ƒ
closes and the motion of the piston reverses, expelling the air through the valve
and outlet into the engine room or stoke hole, or wherever air may be required.
This affords a convenient means for ventilating, for providing for forcing blast, and
PJ1

page_text: for other purposes. The pipes through which the expelled air may be caused to
pass are indicated at to Figure 1. Two air reservoirs are shewn in Figure 1,
both of which communicate with the funnel for the purpose of increasing the
draught, but it will be understood that the air arrangements may be greatly
modified and used for many purposes other than those described.
In the arrangement shewn by Figures 1 and 2 there are four pump cylinders p
actuated by three steam cylinders of which the engines m m are operated by high
pressure steam. From these two engines the exhaust steam passos to and
actuates the engine which reciprocates the pistons of the two middle pump
cylinders. Whilst the two outer pumps are working in one direction, the two
inner ones are working in the opposite direction, so that the total result is uniform
and continuous.
For stopping the forward motion of the vessel, and for backward motion, a
supplementary pump is provided at the stem of the vessel. This pump may be
actuated by the engine and the connecting rod n or otherwise, devices of known
Construction being employed for connecting and disconnecting the pump 2 when
required.
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 are diagrammatic plans of alternative arrangements of the
pump cylinders and engine.
structure.
the
These improvements may be applied to existing vessels and do not weaken their
If the pump outlets be provided with temporary stoppers, repairs to
the pumps may be executed without docking the vessel. When two or more of
pumps are employed at the stern the steering of the vessel may be effected by
them in case the ordinary steering gear is disarranged. The pitching and rolling
of the vessel in a sea are less than with an ordinary propeller, whilst the
disadvantages of having to lift the propeller or let it drag are avoided in case
of accident, and vibrations are diminished or eliminated. Moreover, there is no
lifting of the propeller above the water, no entanglement with floating wreckage
or the like, and no loss of effort owing to idle parts, such as the boss or centre of a
screw.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The hereinbefore described method of propelling oavigable vessels by means
of one or more pumps open to the water at one end, the opening being of smaller
sectional area than the sectional area of the pump cylinder, substantially as set
forth with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. lu a system of propulsion for navigable vessels by means of pumps, the
combination with the propelling pump of an air inlet and an air outlet, in the
cylinder at the back of the piston, each controlled by a valve, for the purpose of
avoiding the production of a vacuumn during the forward stroke and for the pro-
duction and supply of air under pressure for the stoke hole or other purpose,
substantially as hereiubefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 5th day of March A.D. 1895.