Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Vessels by Screw Propellers.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Vessels by Screw
Propellers.
I, HINTON SHAND, of 64, Queen's Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Marine Super-
intending Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows.-
A hollow sleeve piece or beaning of cast steel or other suitable material which
has 1ound its outer circumference a series of thrust rings is 11dgidly fixed to the
stein frame of the ship.
The propeller boss is made to contain the corresponding recesses in which the
thrust rings work in a bush fitted inside the boss in halves or more pieces of
either solid metal or lined with white metal
The propeller shaft at that part abaft the storn tube works freely inside the
aforementioned sleeve piece and has secured to its extreme after end a disc or
crank provided with teeth or projections which working in corresponding recesses
on the propeller boss communicate the rotary motion of the shaft to the propeller
Suitable oil channels are provided for conveying the lubricant from a source
inside the vessel to the thrust ungs and journals The thrust carriage as usually
placed on the driving shafting is dispensed with and the weight of the propeller
is carried by the sleeve piece and no shaft lineis o lignum vitae are necessary
Dated this Third day of November 1899.
Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Vessels by Screw
Propellers.
I, HINTON SHAND, of 64, Queen's Road, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of
Northumberland, Marine Superintending Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of screw
propeller shafts and screw propellers whereby certain strains and stresses prevalent
in the case of the methods now generally in use are eliminated and by which,
parts detrimental to the efficiency and durability of the engines, shafting and
screw propellers may be dispensed with.
In order to effect this, firstly, I relieve the outer or after end of the tail shaft
077

page_text: of the weight of the propeller by placing it on an independent or hollow shaft or
sleeve piece which is fixed to and forms an extension of the vessel's stern frame
The propeller is not keyed to or fixed on to the shaft itself although receiving
its 10tatory motion from the latter
Secondly, I also relieve the shafting and engines of the fore and aft thrust
action by the addition of thrust rings on collais on the aforementioned hollow
shatt or sleeve piece working in corresponding grooves contained within the
propeller boss itself, thereby transferring the thrust action direct from the
propeller to the stern frame of the vessel and dispensing with the usual thrust
shaft and carriage in the interior of the vessel.
Referring to the first part of my invention, by this disposal of parts and the
elimination of the downward strain on the end of the shaft due to its own weight
only having to be supported and not that of the propeller, the usual gun-metal
liners and lignum vitae bushes may be dispensed with and a plain propeller shaft
may be used, working in ordinary metal bushes which would be made of or lined
with any suitable material other than gun-metal in order to avoid the corrosive
action on the shaft itself
Referring to the second part of my invention, in consideration of the thrust
action imparted from the propeller to the vessel externally by the stein frame in
the case of single propellers or by other framing where twin or a larger number
of sciew propellers are used, additional strength may be required in the soantlings
used by the shipbuilders or these frames may be strengthened for resistance in
any convenient manner
Referring to the accompanying drawings and to the figures and references
marked thereon.
Sheet 1, Figure 1 shews a longitudinal section of my invention as applied to a
vessel having a single propeller and Figure 2 an end elevation of the fore part
of the contrivance which call the driver
These drawings represent the plan I preferably adopt for the larger sizes of
shafting and screw propellers where large thrust surfaces are required.
On Sheet 2, Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section of my invention as
applied to a vessel having a single screw propeller and Figure 4, a view in
elevation, one half of which is sectional as seen through (Fig 3) and the other
half an end view of the propeller boss itself. These drawings represent the plan
I preferably adopt for smaller sizes of shafts.
Returning to Sheet 1 F 18 the stern frame of a vessel through the boss of
which is shewn the aftermost end of an ordinary stein tube.
Securely fitted to the said stern frame of vessel and also to the projecting end
of the stern tube T is that portion of my invention C which is in the nature of a
hollow shaft or sleeve piece, made preferably of cast steel accurately turned and
provided with a suitable number of projecting rings which, with the surface t¹
at the fore end of the propeller boss take the thrust of the propeller, thus trans-
mitting it to the stern frame of the vessel itself
A series of toggle holes h in the fore end of the sleeve are provided for tighten-
ing up or slacking back the said sleeve from the stern tube end on to which it 18
Borewed
S is the after end of the tail end propeller shaft which is supported at the
Journal J in the bearing 6 and which passes through the hollow shaft or sleeve
piece without being in contact with same, the annular space between the shaft
and inside of sleeve serving as a receptacle of a lubricant which is allowed access
to the thrust and bearing surfaces of the propeller by suitable oil holes and
channels o and with which the stern tube itself 18 charged
To the extreme after end of the tail end shaft 18 securely fitted and keyed on
by Keys that portion of my invention which I name the driver D and which is
provided with a series of projections or teeth p which engage in a similar number
of recesses r formed in the boss of the propeller itself and through which the
rotatory motion of the shaft is imparted to the propeller; this driver D I prefer-

page_text: ably fit on to the shaft with a tapered parts as shewn with keys k¹ and the said
driver and keys being held securely in place by means of a screwed nut or
washer w
The grooveg selves to contain packing of an elastic nature for the purpose of
retaining the lubricant P represents the boss portion of an ordinary propeller
which is bored out and into which is fitted a bush B in halves which are kept in
place by means of keys
The said bushes I make of suitable material to work with as little wear or
friction as possible on the sleeve piece and if desued I line the wearing surfaces
with white metal.
Returning to Sheet 2 and in Figures 3 and 4 I use the same reference letters
as in Sheet 1 for similar parts represented
Fis the stern frame of vessel with stern tube T which in this case contains a
separate bearing or bush b C is the hollow shaft or sleeve piece which is shewn
as sorewed into the end of the stern tube T The forward thrust is exerted at
the surface t in contact with the forward end of propeller boss and the sternway
thrust at t at the contact of the fore part of ring and the surface at the after
end of the propeller boss, the said ing being secured by being screwed on the
after end of the sleeve
P is the propeller boss which may if desired be lined with white metal as
shewn at and in this case the teeth or projections of the driver D are shewn in
Figure 4 at pl and which engage in corresponding recesses in the propeller boas
at ³.
$ is the after end of the propeller shaft with journal J working in bush b
having fitted to it the aforementioned driver D with its tapered ends and secured
by keys and nut n
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as novel in this
invention 18.-
Firstly. The method of constructing the shaft and screw propeller by causing
the latter to work on an independent hollow shaft or sleeve, the motion being
imparted to the said propeller by means of a contrivance fixed to the said shaft
and engaging into the said propeller as shewn in the accompanying diawings
Secondly The method of applying the thrust by means of a series of collars on
the circumference of the independent hollow shaft on which the propeller revolves
which work in corresponding recesses or surfaces contained within bushes fixed
inside the propeller hoss itself as shewn in the accompanying drawings
Dated this 3rd day of August 1900
HINTON SHAND.