IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS, TORPEDOES, AND LIKE BODIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1879

page_text: OTHER
LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS, TORPEDOES, AND
LIKE BODIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER." A communication from abroad by Count Gustave de la
Marronnière, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th April 1879.
"
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS,
TORPEDOES, AND OTHER LIKE BODIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER." A communication from abroad by Count Gustave
de la Marronnière, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus intended more particularly to be
employed for propelling ships or vessels, torpedoes, and other like bodies, but
which is also applicable to obtaining motive power, and it consists of a wheel
provided with vanes and rotating upon two axes forming an angle with each other,
as hereinafter described.
When the apparatus is applied to the purposes of propulsion, the wheels are so
arranged as to combine the advantages of paddle wheels, and screw propellers are
so placed as to operate under similar conditions to screw propellers. In order to
adapt the wheels to the said conditions, each wheel is constructed in such a manner
that the floats on the lower part are always presented flatwise, or with their surfaces
at right angles to the direction of motion, whilst those at the upper part are
feathered or turned so as to present their edges to the direction of motion.
One half of the wheel or propeller is carried on an inclined shaft rotating in
bearings secured to suitable supports, so that the plane in which this half of the
propeller revolves is inclined.
The inclined shaft is provided at one end with suitable gearing, by means of
which the requisite rotary motion may be imparted to it, and on its other end there
is keyed a boss carrying arms connected to the boss at the centre of the wheel by
joints, so as to be capable of describing an arc of a circle in a plane perpendicular
to the inclined plane, in which this half of the propeller rotates in such a manner
as to enable the arms whilst they are describing the upper half of a revolution on
the inclined axis to deviate from the said inclined plane and travel in a vertical
plane. The inclined shaft also carries a disc, which engages with books on the
[Price G11

page_text: backs of the arms, so as to cause them to travel in the inclined plane herein before
referred to, perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, so long as the arms are describing
the lower half of their revolution around the inclined axis herein before
referred to.
The complete wheel or propeller is formed by the combination of two halves of
exactly similar construction to that hereinbefore described, supported on a suitable
framework and arranged with their axes in the same vertical plane, but inclining
in opposite directions, so that the upper part of the bosses carrying the arms are
nearly in contact. The effect of this arrangement is that the extremities of the
arms revolving on the respective axes will be separated so long as they are situate
below a horizontal line drawn through the axis of the propeller, and will be in
contact so long as they are situate above such line. Now if the arms on one half
of the propeller are connected to those on the opposite half by means of pallets
or vanes capable of being folded up, or closing after the manner of a book, for
example, the vanes at the lower part of the propeller will be opened to its fullest
extent, whilst those at the upper part will be closed or folded up in such a manner
as to be presented edgewise to the direction of motion, thereby enabling the vanes
at the lower part of the propeller to exert all the propelling power of which they
are capable.
The inclined axes of the propeller being situate in the same vertical plane, and
arranged in such a manner that the bosses carrying the jointed arms are nearly in
contact, the vanes on the upper part of the propeller will be entirely closed or folded
up as soon as the arms by which they are carried assume a horizontal position, and
will remain in this condition so long as the said arms are describing half a revolution
above a horizontal line drawn through the centre of the propeller. When the arms
descend below the level of the horizontal line, the vane will be gradually unfolded
or opened until the arms have reached the lowest point of their travel, and will
gradually close as the arms reascend towards the horizontal line, at which point
they will be again entirely closed or folded up, as herein before described, and so on
in succession with respect to all the arms of which the wheel is composed without
the slighest jerk or shock to the apparatus.
The vanes may also be arranged so as to resemble hollow hemispheres, and the
propeller may be placed between two surfaces forming a passage, thereby greatly
increasing the resistance of the molecules of water to the thrust of the vanes. Small
lugs on the back of the arms carrying the vanes are passed through holes in the
discs herein before referred to, in order to afford the required support to the said
Eccentrics or other suitable means are provided for imparting motion to the
propeller and connecting it with the usual machinery. It is obvious that the wheel
may be constructed to carry any required number of arins, which may be connected
together if required.
arms.
The wheel or propeller hereinbefore described may be arranged at any part of the
ship or vessel, or two of such wheels or propellers may be employed, one on the
left and one on the right hand side of the keel, the effect being to impart great
speed to the ship.
The joints at the centre of the propeller may be dispensed with, and the propeller
may be constructed in the form of an inverted U, the upper part being in the form
of a Z.
This wheel or propeller may also be employed for increasing the speed of torpé-
does, as well as for utilizing the wind as a motive power. For the latter purpose it
will be sufficient to substitute small sails for the vanes herein before described, and
to place the wheel facing the wind (the wind blowing from the front may thus be
utilised also, and the wheel may be constructed so as to turn to the wind auto-
matically).
The relative inclination of the axes may be reversed or changed, so that the vanes
situate at the upper or any other part of the wheel may be open in lieu of those at
the lower part as herein hafore desavibed

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
October 1879.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS,
TORPEDOES, AND OTHER LIKE BODIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER." A communication from abroad by Count Gustavė
de la Marronnière, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
The said Invention relates to an improved apparatus intended more particularly.
to be employed for propelling ships or vessels, torpedoes, and other like bodies, but
which is also applicable to obtaining motive power, and it consists of a compound
wheel rotating upon two axes forming an angle with each other, as hereinafter
described.
It is well known that the principal objection to the employment of paddle wheels
for the propulsion of steam boats results from the rolling motion of the vessel when
at sea, which occasions the unequal immersion of the paddle wheels in the water,
so that the vessel has a constant tendency to deviate from its course. For this
reason especially the screw propeller is preferred to paddle wheels for sea going
vessels, but in the case of vessels navigating smooth waters, such as rivers, for
example, it has been found by experiment that the same speed may be obtained by
the employment of paddle wheels as by the employment of screw propellers.
A screw propeller although it acts upon a stratum of water which offers more
resistance than the stratum acted upon by the floats of a paddle wheel (as it is
known that the resistance of the molecules of water increases in proportion to
their depth) only advances through the water by describing a kind of spiral, and
its progress in a horizontal direction can only be compared to that of a nut
travelling along a screwed rod. The action of the blades of a screw propeller is
therefore evidently imperfect, because notwithstanding the advantages of its
position it does not enable greater speed to be obtained in smooth water than that
which is obtained by the use of ordinary paddle wheels.
If the propelling power exerted by an ordinary paddle wheel acting at the
surface of the water is compared with the propelling power which it would exert
if it could be worked in the same place as the screw it will be evident that in the
latter case its power (and consequently the speed of the vessel) would be con-
siderably augmented, as the rolling of the vessel would cease to have any effect,
and the floats of the paddle wheel would push or thrust against a stratum of water,
which would offer considerably greater resistance than the water at the surface.
An ordinary paddlewheel constructed according to the methods heretofore adopted
would however produce no effect if worked under these conditions, because the
floats on the upper part of the wheel would have a tendency to draw the vessel
backwards as fast as those on the lower part impelled it forwards.
Now by constructing the wheel in such a manner that the floats on the lower
part are always presented flatwise or with their surfaces at right angles to the
direction of motion, whilst those at the upper part are feathered or turned so as to
present their edges to the direction of motion, it is evident that a very different
result will be obtained, as the lower floats alone would then be enabled to exert all
the power of which they would be capable in this position.
This result is obtained by the simple apparatus hereinafter described, and which
forms the subject of the said Invention.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now pro-
ceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a front sectional elevation of
one half of a propeller constructed according to the said Invention; Figure 2 is a
front elevation of the propeller complete; and Figure 3 is a similar view to
Figure 2 illustrating a modified arrangement.
Referring to Figure 1 m, n, represents any suitable support, and A, B, is the
diameter of a wheel, the shaft or axis E of which is fitted so as to be capable of
revolving in bearings C, C¹, secured to the said support; D, H, represents a vertical
line drawn through the centre of the propeller. The plane in which the wheel A, B,
revolves is inclined to a certain angle, which may be increased or diminished if
found desirable, the angle shown in the Drawing being about 17°). The inclined
shaft is provided at one end with suitable gearing K, by means of which the
requisite rotary motion may be imparted to it, (and on its other end there is keyed
a boss carrying arms A, D, and D, B, connected to the boss at the centre of the
wheel by joints at D, D, so as to be capable of describing an are of a circle B, H, in
a plane perpendicular to the inclined plane in which the wheel rotates in such a
manner as to enable the arms whilst they are describing the upper half of a revo-
lution on the inclined axis to deviate from the said inclined plane passing through
the point B, and to travel in a vertical plane, passing through the joint H. The
inclined shaft also carries a disc y, which engages with hooks J, I, on the backs of
the arms, so as to cause the latter to travel in the inclined plane, hereinbefore
referred to, perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, so long as the arms are describing
the lower half of their revolution around the inclined axis herein before referred to.
The complete propeller (Figure 2) is formed by the combination of two wheels
of exactly similar construction to that hereinbefore described, supported on a suitable
framework m, n, m³, n', and arranged with their axes E, E', in the same vertical
plane, but inclining in opposite directions, so that the upper part of the bosses
carrying the arms are nearly in contact, as shown in Figure 2. The effect of this
arrangement is that the extremities of the arms A, D, and A¹, D¹, revolving on the
respective axes will be separated so long as they are situate below a horizontal line
drawn through the axis of the propeller, and the arms D, B, D¹, B¹, which are then
situate above such line will be in contact, and vice versa.
.
Now if the arms on one half of the propeller are connected to those on the
opposite half by means of pallets or vanes F, Z, capable of being folded up or of
closing after the manner of a book, for example, the vanes at the lower part of the
propeller will be opened to the fullest extent, whilst those at the upper part will
be closed or folded up, as shown in Figure 2, the vanes at the upper part being
thus presented edgewise to the direction of motion enable the vanes at the lower
part of the propeller to exert all the propelling power of which they are capable.
In the example shewn in the Drawing Figure 2, the arms D, B, and D¹, B¹, are
represented as for the time being situate at the upper part, their intervening vane
being accordingly closed or folded up; as soon, however, as the arms A, D, and
A', D', assume a horizontal position, their vane will be closed or folded up and will
remain in this condition so long as the said arms are describing half a revolution
above a horizontal line drawn through the centre of the propeller. When the
arms descend below the level of the horizontal line the vane will be gradually
unfolded or opened until the arms have reached the lowest point of their travel, and
will gradually close as the arms reascend towards the horizontal line, at which
point the vane will be again entirely closed or folded up, as herein before described,
and so on in succession with respect to all the arms of which the wheel is composed
without the slightest jerk or shock to the apparatus.
The vanes may also be arranged so as to resemble hollow hemispheres, and the
propeller may be placed between two surfaces forming a passage, thereby greatly
increasing the resistance of the molecules of water to the thrust of the vanes. Small
lugs 7, 8, T, V, provided on the back of the arms carrying the vanes are passed
through holes in the discs y, y¹, in order to afford the required support to the said
arms; at the points K and K' are situate bevel gear or equivalent devices for
imparting motion to the propeller and connecting it with the usual machinery. It

page_text: is obvious that the propeller may be constructed to carry any required number of
arms which may be connected together, if required.
The propeller hereinbefore described may be arranged at any part of the ship or
vessel, or two of such propellers may be employed, one on the left and the other on
the right hand side of the keel, the effect being to impart great speed to the ship.
This propeller may also be employed for increasing the speed of torpedoes as well
as for utilizing the wind as a motive power. For the latter purpose it will be
sufficient to substitute small sails for the vanes F, Z, hereinbefore described, and to
place the wheel facing the wind (the wind blowing from the front may thus be
utilized also, and the wheel may be constructed so as to turn the wind automatically).
The relative inclination of the axes E and E' may be reversed or changed so that
the vanes situate at the upper or any other part of the wheel may be open in lieu
of those at the lower part, as hereinbefore described.
pre-
The joints at the centre of the propeller may be dispensed with and the pro-
peller may be constructed in the form of an inverted V. This modification of the
Invention is illustrated in Figure 3. In this case B, D, A, will be the diameter of
one wheel revolving with its axis E on any suitable support m, n; and B', D¹, A¹,
will be the diameter of a second wheel revolving with its axis E¹ on a suitable
support m¹, n¹. The parts thus arranged are equivalent to two cones revolving
respectively on the axes E, E¹, and so placed that their upper generating lines are
parallel and in close proximity to each other. In the present case the two sides of
the vane F (for example) are not connected together by ordinary joints; it is
ferred to hold them together by means of chains (as shewn at I2, K2, and J², L²,
Figure 3), or by devices acting after the manner of sectors, or by equivalent con-
trivances. The two sides of the vane F then operate in the same manner as the
doors of a sluice gate. If the points 12, J2, K2, L2, are taken as the points for the
attachment of the chains (when such are used as in the example illustrated), it
results that the sides of the vanes being acted upon by the water tend to pivot the
one side around the points 12, J, and the other around the points K², L2,
as the extremities A, A', of the cones approach each other, and that they
terminate in giving free passage to the water with a rapidity so much greater
as the points of attachment 12, J³, are more distant from the points K2, L²,
(every facility being thus afforded for regulating the vane so that it shall
cease to have any action upon the water at the desired moment). The two
sides of the vane are then brought in contact with the cones and form one body
with them, provided that the spaces have been suitably arranged for this purpose.
They then remain in this position until their points of attachment to the cones
becoming again separated they are brought back to their original position by the
tension of the chains or their equivalents. When closed they form an angle and
present a cavity to the water, thereby further augmenting the power of the vane
which is already of exceptionally large dimensions at the moment of its action. The
two cones are connected together by a band or trunnion placed at the centre, and
which prevents their separation. The apparatus is represented as driven through
the intervention of bevel wheels at K, K, acting simultaneously upon the two axes.
They may be so arranged as to act upon only one axis, but in this case the cones
should be provided with teeth or with any suitable engaging devices so that the
cone not directly driven may receive motion from the other. If the wheel were
placed in the position of the ordinary paddle wheels one of its axes would form a
prolongation of the ordinary shaft.
The power of the improved propeller is augmented as the load of the vessel is
increased, that is to say, as the vessel is more deeply immersed in the water, this
result being the contrary of that which is produced with ordinary paddle wheels.
It is obvious that if desired the wheels may be driven at their upper extremity,
but the arrangement of bevel wheels hereinbefore described is preferred. When
bevel wheels are employed they are located in the sides of the vessel, and are
separated from the water by stuffing boxes placed at the parts C², or by any other
known means.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
The employment of a compound wheel revolving upon two axes inclined to each
other, the wheel being constructed, arranged, and applied so as to operate sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jolin Henry Johnson, have to this my Specifi
cation set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)