IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Randolph, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS."
Sealed the 16th July 1867, and dated the 14th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Randolph at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th May 1867.
I, CHARLES RANDOLPH, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS," to be as follows, that
is to say:-
This Invention relates to the propelling of vessels by means of improved
and simplified apparatus which partly resembles apparatus described in the
Provisional Specification lodged by the present applicant with a petition
for Letters Patent on the 15th December 1866 (No. 3295).
The present Invention comprises two main modifications, the minor details
of each of which may be varied.
In one modification the feature of novelty is a peculiar application of valves
for reversing the direction in which the water is made to traverse ducts
formed in the vessel from the bow and stern to a casing amidships wherein
the propelling instrument, a revolving fan or pump, operates. The fan
which is by preference constructed as described under the second modifica-
tion always revolves in one direction in the present modification, and i

page_text: not shifted in the direction of its axis as in the arrangements described in the
earlier Provisional Specification berein-before referred to. There is a space
formed in the casing round the periphery of the fan, and this space com-
municates at the forward side with the duct from the vessel's bow, and at
the after side with the duct to the stern, and there are two spaces formed
in the casing, one on each side of the fan and in communication with the
eyes thereof, and these side spaces are also in communication with the bow
and stern ducts. The valves which are by preference like ordinary throttle
valves are placed at the parts where the bow and stern ducts communicate
with the spaces of the propeller casing, and their spindles are connected so
as to be actuated simultaneously, and so that when the bow duct communica-
tions with the eye spaces are open that with the circumferential space is
closed, whilst the circumferential communication is open and the eye spaces
are closed to the stern duct. With the valves thus disposed the fan will
draw in the water by the bow duct and discharge it by the stern duct, thus
propelling the vessel ahead, but on the valves being reversed the water will
be forced in the opposite direction and the vessel will be propelled astern.
In the second modification the feature of novelty is the constructing of
the revolving fan or propeller with a considerable number of blades very
short as measured radially and disposed upon a comparatively large circle,
or, in other words, with large eyes or central spaces. The blades are also
disposed with considerable inclination to radial planes passing through the
axis, and the effect of these arrangements is when the fan is turned' in one
direction to force the water from the eyes outwards, whilst on having its
motion reversed it will draw in the water from the circumference and force
it out at the eyes. The bow duct is made to communicate with the eye
spaces of the fan casing, whilst the circumferential space is made to com
municate with the stern duct, and the direction of the vessel's motion is
reversed by reversing the direction of rotation of the fan.
In both modifications sluice or stop valves are fitted to the bow and stern
ducts so as to completely stop the communication of either or both with the
propeller casing when required for any purpose, and pipes with stop valves
are fitted in communication with the propeller casing so that the propeller
may be availed of for various purposes, as, for example, for supplying water
inside the vessel in case of fire, or for discharging from the vessel bilge
water or water entering by a leak.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Randolph in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
RANDOLPH, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Randolph, IIer special licence that I, the said Charles Randolph,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Randolph, my 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 APPARATUS FOR
PROPELLING VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Randolph, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and 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 I, the said Charles Randolpb, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the propelling of vessels by means of improved
and simplified apparatus, which partly resembles apparatus described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and dated 15th December 1866,
No. 3295).
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended two Sheets of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing various
arrangements of propelling apparatus as male with my improvements.

page_text: My present Invention comprises two main modifications, the minor details of
each of which may be varied.
In one modification the feature of novelty is a peculiar application of
internal directing valves for reversing the direction in which the water
is made to traverse ducts formed in the vessel from the bow and stern to
a casing amidships wherein the propelling instrument, a revolving fan or
pump, operates.
F
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings are diagrams showing a vessel
in longitudinal vertical and longitudinal horizontal section as fitted with one
modification of my improved apparatus, and Figures 8 and 9 on Sheet 2 of
the Drawings are longitudinal vertical and longitudinal horizontal sections of
the apparatus. In this example there is a single centrifugal fan or pump
disposed in a casing C amidships, and fixed on a horizontal shaft S which
passes through stuffing boxes in the sides of the casing, and which has cranks
on its opposite ends so as to be driven by a pair of direct-acting steam cylinders.
The engine may, however, if preferred, be arranged to drive the shaft S through
gearing. The fan F, which I prefer to construct as shown, and as moro
particularly described under my second modification, always revolves in one
direction in the present modification, and is not shifted in the direction of its
axis, as in the arrangements described in my earlier Specification herein-before
referred to. There is a space Q formed in the casing. C round the periphery
of the fan F, and this space communicates at the forward side with the duct A
from the vessel's bow, and at the after side with the duct B to the stern, and
there are two spaces E formed in a casing, one on each side of the fan and
in communication with the eyes thereof, and these side spaces. E are also in
communication with the bow and stern ducts A, B. The circumferential
space and the lateral or eye spaces E are separated from each other by
diaphragmns d formed in the casing C, and one of which is shaped as shown at
the lower part of Figure 9 to admit of the fan being got conveniently into its
place. The internal directing valves X, which are by preference like ordinary
throttle valves, are placed at the parts where the bow and stern ducts com-
municate with the spaces Q, E, E, of the propeller casing C, and their spindles
are connected so as to be actuated simultaneously, and so that when the bow.
duct A has its communications with the eye spaces E open, that with the cir-
cumferential space Q is closed, as shown in Figure 9, whilst the circumferential
communication is open and the eye spaces are closed to the stern duct B. There
are in all eight valves X, four in the bow duct A and four in the stern duct B.
Of each set of four the two middle ones control the communication with the
circumferential space Q,.and their spindles n are geared together by toothed

page_text: wheels or sectors m in such a way as to close together to form an angular
cutwater, as shown at the right-hand side of Figure 9. On the spindle n'of
each middle valve X there is a lever which is connected by a link to a lever
on the spindle of one of the side valves, and each forward side valve is con-
nected to the respective after side valve by a link jointed to levers on the
spindles. In this way the spindles of all the valves X are connected together
in the manner which will be clearly understood from the dotted lines in
Figure 9, and so that when one valve is moved by means of its spindle con-
tinued up to the deck or engine room for the purpose á corresponding move-
ment is simultaneously imparated to all the other valves. With the valves X
disposed as shown in Figure 9 the fan F will draw the water in by the bow
duct A and discharge it by the stern duct B, thus propelling the vessel ahead;
but on the valves X being reversed the water will be forced in the opposite
direction, and the vessel will be propelled astern.
Instead of the fan and casing being arranged as shown in Figure 9 with
communications between the bow and stern ducts A; B, and eye spaces E on,
both sides of the fan. such communications may be made with an eye space:
on only one side of the fan, there being in that case a communication through
the centre of the fan to prevent an undue pressure from acting on one side of it.
The directing valves X may also be arranged in various ways differing from
but equivalent to the arrangement shown in Figure 9, and a smaller number
of them may be made to suffice.
An example of my second main modification of propelling apparatus is shown
in longitudinal vertical section in Figure 6 and in horizontal section in Figure 7:
on Sheet 2 of the Drawings. The feature of novelty in this modification is.
the constructing of the revolving fan or propeller F as shown, that is to say,
with a considerable number of blades f very short as measured radially, and
disposed upon a comparatively large circle, or in other words with large eyes:
or central spaces. The blades fare slightly curved, as seen in vertical section
in Figure 6; and they are disposed with considerable inclination to radial planes
passing through the axis. The effect of these arrangements is when the fan:
is turned in one direction to force the water from the eyes outwards, whilst on
having its motion reversed it will draw in the water from the circumference.
and force it out at the eyes. The bow duct A. is made to communicate with,
the eye spaces E by means of partitions D formed in the fan casing C, whilst
the circumferential space Q is made to communicate with the stern duct B, and
the direction of the vessel's motion is reversed simply by reversing the direction.
of rotation of the fan F. I prefer to construct the fan F. in the manner just,
described, whether the reversing of the vessel's motion is obtained by reversing.
-

page_text: the fan's rotation, as in the modification shown in Figures 6 and 7, or by
shifting a series of valves X, as in the modification shown in Figures 8 and 9,
or by shifting the fan in the direction of its axis, as in the modifications described
in my carlier Specification herein-before referred to.
In both main modifications comprising my present Invention, as in those
described in my earlier modifications, sluice or stop valves V are fitted to the
bów and stern ducts A, B, so as to completely stop the communication of either
or both with the propeller casing C when required for any purpose. The
casing C has also fitted in connection with it various pipes or passages to admit
of the action of the action of the fan being availed of in various ways. Thus a
pair of valves U with lift valves is fitted at each side of the casing for drawing
water from the ship's bilges or hold, whilst a larger pipe T having a sluice is
fitted in communication with the top of the casing. When the fan is used for
drawing water from the ship by the pipes U (or Tor both in the modification
shown in Figures 6 and 7) the sluice valve V on the inlet side may be more
or less closed, and if in the event of a serious leak it is entirely closed the
entire power of the apparatus can be availed of for discharging the water from
the vessel, and that whilst still continuing the propelling action."
. Instead of there being a single fan or propeller in its casing C, as herein-
before described, and as indicated in Figures. 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 of the
Drawings, there may be two fans with separate casings C and ducts A, A, B, B,
such casings being disposed near together in the middle of the vessel, as
indicated in horizontal section in the Diagram Figure 3, or disposed near the
sides, as indicated in sectional elevation and in horizontal section in the
Diagrams Figures 4 and 5. In the latter case the fan shafts S may be coupled
to an intermediate crank shafts directly actuated by a steam engine; or the
fan shafts may be geared to an engine shaft. In Figure 3 both fans are
supposed to be on one shaft, which may be actuated as in the modification first
herein-before described.
For the purpose of steering the vessel one or more deflecting plates R are
fitted at the outer ends of the water ducts or passages A, B, and these deflecting
plates are by preference arranged like common throttle valves or balanced
rudders. In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 there is a single
deflecting plate R at each end. In the arrangement shown in Figure 3 there
are two deflecting plates Rat each end, and if the four are set in such positions
as they are shown in the Figure, whilst the internal directing valves X are so
placed as respectively to cause the water to traverse the ducts A, B, in the
directions indicated by the arrows, the vessel will be turned in a very small
circle, or on its centre. In the arrangement shown in Figure 5 deflecting

page_text: plates are not required, as the vessel can be steered or turned by setting the
internal directing valves X in suitable positions; or an ordinary rudder may
be used.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the berein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of apparatus for
propelling vessels by means of centrifugal fans in casings in communication
with bow and stern ducts so that by adjusting internal directing valves the
bow ducts can be put in communication with the eyes or centres of the fans
or with their circumferences, accordingly as the vessel is to be propelled ahead
or astern, the stern duct valves being correspondingly adjusted, substantially as
herein-before described.
2. The constructing of fans for propelling vessels so as to reverse their action
on their rotation being reversed, substantially in the manner herein-before
described as constituting my second modification.
And, 8. The adapting of pipes and stop valves to apparatus for propelling
vessels by forcing water through ducts in order that the fan or pump may
be availed of for delivering water from or into the interior of the vessel,
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Randolph, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
CHARLES RANDOLPH. (L.S.)