IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WORKING RUDDERS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Daniel Davis, of 16, Woodstock Road,
Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, and Thomas Hopcraft, of
1, Mincing Lane, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WORKING RUDDERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Daniel Davis
and Thomas Hopcraft at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 11th July 1872.
We, GEORGE DANIEL DAVIS, of 16, Woodstock Road, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, and THOMAS HOPCRAFT, of 1, Mincing Lane, in
the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WORKING RUDDERS," to be as
follows:-
The object of these improvements is to give greater security and
efficiency in steering vessels, and to apply or use the steam power used
for propelling vessels to work the machinery for steering, and to give
immediate facility for working by steam or manual power either jointly
or separately, as required.

page_text: When required to work the apparatus by steam I obtain the motive
power from the main shaft of the engine by means of shafting rods or
chains moved by a chain or toothed wheel or an eccentric fitted on the
main shaft before named on the deck to which the shafting rods or
chain lead, I fit an apparatus in which are two bevel or tooth wheels
with a projecting rim on each forming a friction surface; these wheels
and rims run loosely on a spindle, and are driven by a similar bevel or
tooth wheel in contrary directions on the same spindle I fix a double
cone or drum, which slides on a key or feather fitted in the spindle.
The double cone or drum is acted on by a lever or other similar means,
and is pressed into either bevel wheel alternately, as required, and caused
to revolve, and thereby carry the spindle round with it; on the end
of the cone spindle is fixed a cog wheel or pinion, working into a cog
wheel fitted on the spindle of the steering wheel hereafter named, and
the desired motion obtained thereby.
If required the steering wheel can be fixed on same spindle to which
the cones are fitted; in this case the two last-mentioned cog wheels
can be dispensed with.
The above arrangement can be used in connection with existing
arrangements for steering, and can also be worked from the bridge or
any part of the vessel.
The second part of my Invention is as follows:-On the rudder
head is fixed an iron fitting formed with two arms athwartships; to
each of these arms are connected the ends of screws; these screws have
on their ends a slide piece or plate, and are connected to rods or plates,
which are also connected to the rudder head fitting. The slides on the
ends of the screws travel in guides on the frame of the apparatus; at one
end of the frame are wheels, through which the above-named screws
pass, and on the steerage wheel spindle is a pinion or cog wheel, which
work the screw wheels, and causes them to revolve, and the screws to
travel through them in opposite directions thus given gives the desired
motion to the rudder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas Hopcraft in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
DANIEL DAVIS, of 16, Woodstock Road, Poplar, in the County of
Middlesex, and THOMAS HOPCRAFT, of 1, Mincing Lane, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas Hopcraft,
Her special license that we, the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas
Hopcraft, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas Hopcraft, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree 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
MACHINERY FOR WORKING RUDDERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas Hoporaft, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas
Hopcraft, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described. .
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:
The object of these improvements is to give greater security and
efficiency in steering vessels by their rudders, and in applying the steam

page_text: power used for propelling them to work the machinery for such steering,
whereby immediate facility may be obtained for working either by
stoom Or by manual power or jointly as may be required.
the end framing of apparatus for working rudders of vessels for the
purpose of steering them according to our Invention.
a is the framing; 6 represents the main spindle or axis of the rudder;
which
and c, the rudder head, which is fitted with a pair of arms c¹, c³,
by pin joints & are connected each to the end of a link d, the opposite
ends of which are each by pin joints d³ connected to the slides e, each
of which is formed to slide in one of the two parallel guides e², whilst it
is formed with a screw stem e¹, the threads of which pass through a
correspondingly formed screw thread formed in the bosses of the
respective pinions f. f. The pinions fare supported with capability of
freely revolving, but without endway movement between the parts a¹, a',
of the main framing, as shewn, and the teeth of these pinions f, f, are
taken into by the teeth of the intermediate pinion g, by turning which
motion will readily be given to the pinions f, f, to move the screw
rods e¹ in one or the other direction, and thereby to actuate the rudder
in either direction, according to the direction of motion given to the
pinion g, or the rudder may be readily held stationary by allowing these
parts to remain at rest. Motion may be given to the pinion g by that
pinion being fixed on the shaft of the hand or steering wheel.
We will now proceed to describe another part of our improvements,
which is shewn by side view partly in section at Figure 4, and plan
view at Figure 5; Figure 6 shews an end view of the framing. The
object of this part of the Invention is to render available the power of
the steam engine, especially in large vessels, for the working of the
ship's rudder. i is a shaft receiving motion by suitable gear from the
main or other suitable shaft of the engine; upon this shaft is applied
the bevelled tooth wheel i, the teeth of which take into the teeth of two
similar bevelled pinions j, j, each of which is supported to revolve freely

page_text: on a shaft or axis k, and each is also formed with an internal conical or
it may be other frictional surface adapted to receive within it a corre-
sponding conical or it may be other frictional surface or formed on
the socket or tube 1, and this tube whilst it embraces the shaft k is
formed to slide on a fin or feather, or such like means, applied to that
shaft or axis k; so that any motion imparted to that tube in either
direction will cause a corresponding motion in the same direction to the
shaft or axis k.
Sliding endway motion is imparted to the tube by a fork acting on
the neck of that tube. Thus when the conical end thereof is moved
into the hollow conical surface of one of the wheels; the tube and
shaft k will by the frictional contact of those two conical surfaces in
contact be caused to move in one direction, and in like manner when
the other cone is in frictional contact with the internal conical surface
of the other wheel the shaft k will be caused to travel in the opposite
direction. On the outer end of the shaft / is applied the pinion ³, the
teeth of which may take into the teeth of a pinion g, or, as shewn by
side and plan views at Figures 7 and 8, the teeth of the pinion k¹ may
take into the teeth of a pinion m on a shaft or axis m³, on which is
applied a bevelled pinion m³, the teeth of which take into the teeth of
another correspondingly bevelled pinion m³ applied to the axis m', on
which is applied a worm wheel m³ to take into the angular teeth of the
wheel n on a shaft or axis n³, on which is also affixed the drum or
pulley n by a chain or band, from which, or by other suitable gear,
motion may be communicated from the bridge or other part of a vessel
to the rudder head at a distance.
In place of employing bevelled tooth wheels to give motion to the
parts we in some cases employ friction wheels.
In order to ensure the disengagement of the steering apparatus from
the shaft of the steam engine or other power employed, when the
rudder has been moved to the full extent desired, the axis of the rudder
is formed with a key o, which moves in a groove o³ formed in a socket ór
circular plate p applied on such axis, which groove admits of the
revolution of such axis to the extent desired, but when further motion
takes place such plate or socket imparts motion to a lever or arm p¹
formed on that socket, which by a rod or connection q acts on another
lever or arm ”, which is affixed to an upright shaft or axis 8, which by

page_text: means of another arm t and link v move one or the other of the conical
surfaces of the tube out of frictional contact with the conical surface
or pinion j.
Having thus described our Invention, and means which we adopt in
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the precise arrangements of parts as shewn and
described; but what we do claim is,--
-
First. The means of giving motion to rudders by screws capable of
moving endwise in suitable guides actuated by threads formed in the
bosses of pinions capable of movement in opposite directions, sub-
stantially as described.
Secondly. We claim the giving motion in either direction to the
rudders of ships from the steam power employed by the use of conical.
or other frictional surfaces, operating in manner substantially as
described.
In-witness whereof, we, the said George Daniel Davis and Thomas
Hopcraft, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth
day of. January, in the year of our Lord One thousand 'eight
hundred and seventy-three.
G. D. DAVIS.
(L.S.)
THOMAS HOPCRAFT. (L.S.)