Improvements in Anchors.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
Improvements in Anchors.
I, LA MONT MONTGOMERY BOWERS, of the City of Binghamton, in the County
of Broome, and State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer,do
hereby declare the nature of this 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 relates to those anchors which are provided with separable flukes,
ospecially to those which rock laterally on the shank.
The object of my device is to provide a superior construction, whereby the parts
are greatly strengthened at the points where the two fluke sections are joined and
secured to the shank all of which will be more fully described hereinafter and
pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my complete invention in which the head
portion of one of the flukes is cut away to show how it is connected with the
shank.
Figure 2 is an end view wherein dotted lines indicate the flukes rocked over in
oblique relation to the shank.
Figure 3 is a bottom view of the fluke head showing the manner in which the
jointed sections are locked together, and
Figure 4 is a detail end view.
The reference numeral 1 denotes the anchor shank on the lower end of which is,
what for convenience, will be termed a cross arm. This cross arm is round in cross
section, and tapers gradually from its centre to its outer ends, thereby forming two
frusto-conical trunnions having a common longitudinal axis and placed base to
base. The longitudinal surface of the cross arm from end to end forms the arc of
a circle. The widest diameter of the cross arm lies at the point where the longi-
tudinal axis of the shank 1 intersects the longitudinal axis of the cross arm, and
both cross arm and shank are of the same, or substantially the same, width at that
point. This gives a full width support for the fluke heads 4, insuring much greater
strength.
The flukes 5 are cast integral with their heads 4, and are duplicates, hence a
description of one will suffice for both. The head 4 is provided with a socket 6
having a size and shape to fit one-half of the cross-arm. The heads are held against
longitudinal separation by bolts 7 extending parallel with the arm. 8 represents
the crown of the head portion. This crown is made thick and strong so that it will
not be appreciably weakened by the insertion of the bolts.
The head sections are locked at the joints 12 against lateral or torsional separa-
tion in relation to each other by interlocking lugs or tenons 9, cast integral with
the crown or head portion 8. Each lug projects an equal distance into a correspond-
ing recess 10 in the opposite section, thereby making the sections interchangeable.
The lugs 9 and recesses 10 extend from the bottom of the socket 6 to the outside
surface of the crown, or in other words, throughout the full transverse thickness of
the crown 8. This arrangement provides a flush joint and avoids the use of pro-

page_text: jecting flanges and bolts such as have formerly been employed for the purpose of
resisting torsional strain.
The upper part of the head is chambered out to receive the shank and to form
divergent abutting walls 11 which come in contact with the side of the shank, as
seen in dotted lines in Figure 2, to limit the lateral oscillations of the flukes. The
cross arm fits snugly in the sockets in the head and, while permitting the latter to
rock freely thereon, excludes gravel and other troublesome inatter.
The heavily reinforced crown, the integral heavy cross arin, and the interlocking
lugs are features which combine to make my anchor exceedingly strong at the
point of attachment to the shank, where the other fluke leads are the weakest.
When excessive strain sufficient to break off one of the flukes, is brought to bear
upon the anchor, the broken fluke can be replaced without the loss of the entire
anchor, by a duplicate part. In large costly steel anchors weighing many tons, the
saving of one-half the head and one fluke is of great importance.
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 anchor, the combination with the shank and cross arm thereon, of a
separable fluke head composed of two duplicate sections, and provided with inter-
locking lugs at their point of juncture, whereby the sections are locked against
torsional strain in relation to each other and are interchangeable, substantially as
described.
2. In an anchor, a shank provided with trunnions, in combination with a jointed
or separable fluke head, the sections of which are secured against pulling apart
longitudinally by bolts, and against torsional strain in relation to each other, by
interlocking lugs, substantially as described.
3. An anchor comprising the usual shank, having frusto-conical trunnions on
which the fluke portion rocks, in combination with a separable fluke portion, the
sections of which are secured together longitudinally by bolts, and held against
turning laterally in relation to each other by interlocking lugs, substantially as
described.
4. My improved anchor substantially as shewn and described.