Improved System of Constructing Boats and other Vessels, the Bodies of Railway Carriages and other Vehicles and various other Structures.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
An Improved System of Constructing Boats and other Vessels, the
Bodies of Railway Carriages and other Vehicles and various
other Structures.
I, HENRY HUDSON, of Severn Works, Shrewsbury, in the County of Salop,
Boat Builder and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention consists in the herein described improved system of constructing
the hulls, decks and bulkheads of boats, yachts, steam launches, canoes, coracles
and other floating vessels, the bodies of railway carriages and other railway or
common road vehicles, and partitions, roofs or sides of various other structures,
the object being to obtain great strength and rigidity combined with extreme
lightness.
In carrying out this invention I form a layer or "shell" of timber of uniform
thickness in proportion to the strength required, consisting of strips or boards laid
transversely or obliquely side by side closely jointed together and bent by steam or
otherwise to the desired shape so as to form an arch which is the basis on which
the other operations hereinafter described are carried out. A thin film of water-
proof material (preferably Willesden paper or canvas) is firmly cemented upon the
convex surface of the said arch by marine or ordinary glue or other suitable
adhesive compound as the nature of the work may require. The surface thus
formed is then properly and evenly coated with glue or other suitable adhesive
compound and another layer or "shell" of timber is laid and cemented thereon,
pressure being applied to cause any superfluity of the cement to be expressed or to
find its way into the pores of the wood or any other cavity. The grain of this
second layer (the boards of which are also closely jointed) crosses the grain of the
first layer at any suitable angle and firmly braces the pieces of the first layer
together after the manner of a lattice girder so as to afford equal and continuous
strength throughout the arch. The arched shell thus formed is rivetted or other-
wise secured to longitudinal stringers running from end to end and firmly secured at
their extremities within the structure.
If still greater strength is required other layers may be added in like manner,
or if extreme lightness is desirable a single layer may be used the joints being
covered by a thin strip of wood with the adhesive compound and material between;
or a tongued and grooved joint may be made.
When the boards forming the said layers expand by moisture their edges will
close more tightly against each other and thus add strength to the combined
principles of arch and lattice girder so as to keep all water-tight and, secure great
rigidity with extreme lightness.
Dated this 20th day of March 1908.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System of Constructing Boats and other Vessels, the
Bodies of Railway Carriages and other Vehicles and various
other Structures.
I, HENRY HUDSON, of Severn Works, Shrewsbury, in the County of Salop,
Boat Builder and Engineer, 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 :-
This invention consists in the herein described improved system of constructing
the hulls, decks and bulkheads of boats, yachts, steam launches, canoes, coracles
and other floating vessels the bodies of railway carriages and other railway or
common road vehicles, and partitions roofs or sides of various structures, such as
buckets and other like vessels to contain liquids, the objects being to obtain great
strength and rigidity combined. with extreme lightness.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents in part sectional side elevation
a boat constructed according to this invention and Fig. 2 is a half plan and. Fig. 3
is a cross section of the same; Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 shew details of the
same; Fig. 11 is a side elevation partly in section and Fig. 12 is an end view of
the body of a van constructed according to this invention and Fig. 13 shows how
my invention is applied to a bucket.
In carrying out this invention as applied for instance to a small pleasure boat
(see Figs. 1 to 10 both inclusive in which the same letters of reference indicate
the same parts in all the figures) I construct a full size model or template having
the shape of the inner side of the boat represented by Figs. 1, 2 and 3: and upon
this model form a layer or shell of timber of uniform thickness in proportion to
the strength required, consisting of strips or boards a which have been passed
through a machine which dresses them to an uniform thickness and V-grooves and
tongues their edges (as shewn more clearly by Fig. 10) so that they will match
together. These boards are bent and temporarily cramped or otherwise fixed to
the model or template transversely or obliquely side by side and closely jointed.
together the tip of the tongue of one board being very slightly larger than. the
groove of the next board into which it fits and in which it is made to cringe by
pressure or by its own expansion thus caulking the joint and rendering the usual
caulking operation unnecessary. The arch thus formed constitutes the basis
on which the other operations hereinafter described are carried out. A thin
film of water proof material (preferably Willesden water proof paper or canvas)
is then firmly cemented. by marine or ordinary glue or other adhesive compound
upon the convex surface of the arch formed by the boards a. Another shell.c
of boards matched together as above described is now laid and cemented on to the
surface thus formed, these boards being arranged so that their grain crosses
the layer of boards a at any suitable angle thus bracing together the pieces of the
first layer after the manner of a lattice girder and affording equal and continuous
strength and rigidity throughout the arch. The arched shell thus formed is when
dry removed from the model or template and it may then be farther strengthened
by being rivetted to longitudinal stringers (see the enlarged scale Figs. 5 and 6
and the enlarged cross section through the keelson and keel shewn by Fig. 7)
running from one end of the boat to the other. The upper edges of the sides of the
boat are finished off by fitting in a grooved gunwale e (see Fig. 4).
If still greater strength is required other alternate layers of the said waterproof
canvas and paper and V-grooved and tongued boards may be added in like manner,
or if extreme lightness is desired a single layer of boards may be used (see
Figs. 8 and 9) either running transversely or obliquely and rivetted to runners or
stringers d or running longitudinally and rivetted to cross ribs, the self caulking
joint before mentioned being sufficient to exclude moisture. In some cases, such as
very light canoes and boats, the stringers or cross ribs may be dispensed with as

page_text: the boards crossing each other and secured together as above described will hold
together perfectly well without them.
When the boards forming the single or several layers expand by moisture they
create contending forces thus adding strength to the combined principles of arch
and lattice girder and keeping all water tight.
When the sides of the structure are flat as in the body of the van illustrated by
Figs. 11 and 12 no model or template is required. In this example two layers a and c
of V-grooved and tongued boards are used with a layer of waterproof paper or
canvas between as in the boat above described. If the roof of the van is to be
formed in the same way, the layers of boards a and b forming the sides may be
continued and bent over from one side to the other as in the boat above described.
Vessels for containing liquids, such as the bucket shewn by Fig. 13, I form of
layers of boards and waterproof canvas or paper between in the same way as the
boat above described, the model or template having the form of the interior of the
bucket or other vessel required.
As, by my improved system above described, small pieces of wood can be used
which would otherwise be wasted and there are fewer scrap ends and parts, I am
enabled to economise the same and I can discard faulty parts thus decreasing the
chances of leakage or fracture. The crossing of grains of the wood as above
described also decreases the chances of leakage or fracture and as there is a
smooth external surface the resistance of the water is very considerably lessened
which is a great advantage in boats and floating vessels which are propelled by
force.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Making boats and other floating vessels, the bodies of railway carriages and
other railway or common road vehicles, buckets and other vessels to contain liquids,
and the partitions roofs or sides of various other structures, of a layer of thin boards,
or of alternate layers of thin boards crossing each other and cemented to water-
proof canvas or other waterproof material between each layer, the said boards
being matched and secured together by having V-grooved and tongued edges and
either bent on a model or template of the shape of the article required or not so
bent substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. A boat or other floating vessel, or a bucket or other vessel to contain liquids,
built of a
layer of thin boards, or of alternate layers of thin boards crossing each
other and cemented to waterproof canvas or other waterproof material between
each layer, the said boards forming any one layer being matched and secured
together by having V-grooved and tongued edges and bent on a model or template
of the internal shape of the boat or other vessel and either secured to longi-
tudinal stringers or cross ribs or not, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and
illustrated.
Dated this 24th day of December 1890.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.