Improved Mechanism for Opening and Closing Bulkhead, Bunker, and other Water-tight Doors, and for the Closing of Instantly in Cases of Emergency.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Mechanism for Opening and Closing Bulkhead, Bunker,
and other Water-tight Doors, and for the Closing of
Instantly in Cases of Emergency.
same
1, JOHN RUSSELL MATHIAS of 125, Godwin Road, Forest Gate, Essex,
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 :-
My invention relates to improved mechanism for use in connection with bulk-
head, bunker or other water-tight doors, the object being to enable such doors to
be slowly raised or lowered for ordinary purposes, while in cases of emergency,
they can be instantly closed; and in the event of the door becoming jambed at any
point, pressure can be applied so as to force it home.
In carrying my invention into practical effect, the bulkhead door, which is of
usual construction, consists of a rectangular frame furnished with parallel guides
between which the door slides, the latter being furnished near the top with a screw
block through which passes a long vertical screw, journalled at about half its
length in a block projecting from a sliding bracket, which latter is capable of
In the ordinary
rising or falling within a vertical frame arranged above the door.
or normal position, the bracket is raised to the top of the frame and supported in
that position by the projecting arm of a vertical hand lever arranged at the side of
the frame; the door is then capable of being raised or lowered by revolving the
screw in the required direction, while in the event of it becoming necessary to
instantly close the door, the hand lever is pulled over which withdraws the
projecting arm from under the bracket, carrying the block within which the screw
is journalled, the door instantly falling, taking with it the screw, and carrying
the bracket down to the bottom of the frame, between the guides of which it
slides.
In order that my invention may be more fully understood, I will now proceed to
describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a bulkhead door and the improved mechanism in
connection with same, the door being shown open.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same, with the gearing in section.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of same showing the front of the door in section, the
said door being in the closed position and the sliding bracket at its lowest point;
the guides of the door frame being also removed.
Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the door.
Figs. 6 and 7 are a plan and a front view respectively of the top bracket or
bearing supporting the hand wheel, for actuating the gear used in connection with
the screw.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the views.
In the drawings Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are shown horizontally although of course in
practice they are arranged in a vertical position.
The bulkhead door as shown consists of a rectangular frame f furnished with
guides g, gl, between which the door d slides, the said door having a raised hollow
front furnished with a screw block through which passes the long vertical
sorow - journalled in the projecting block of the bracket & which is arranged so

page_text: as to be capable of sliding up and down between the guides g², ³ of the upper
frame f¹.
The door d and bracket & being in the position shown in Fig. 3, that is with the
door closed and bracket at lowest point, the said bracket 6 is first raised by
revolving the screws, the said screw working through the block and raising the
bracket into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the door however being still
closed; the bracket is then supported in this position by the arm a of the hand
lever which can be moved to and fro between the parallel sides of a guide
frame, the stop s' being turned in to the position shown in Fig. 1 for the purpose
of preventing the lever from accidentally falling or shifting back and thus releasing
the bracket.
The bracket being now in the raised position and supported as above
described, the door can be raised or lowered by revolving the screw s in the
required direction, it being shown as raised in Figs. 1 and 2, while in order to close
the door instantly it is only necessary to knock out the stop s¹ and pull over the
hand lever which withdraws the arm a from beneath the bracket 73, when the
door at once falls carrying with it the screw and taking the bracket down to
the bottom of the frame, it being again raised, when required by rotating the
screw as herein before described.
In order to revolve the screw the upper part p of same is squared and passes
through a square central hole in the bevel wheel we working in bearings e which is
actuated by hand wheel w through bevel wheel to both carried by the bearing .
By this arrangement the screws can be conveniently revolved, at the same time
allowing it to rise or fall, the sail squared part p passing up and down through the
bevel wheel w.
I do not restrict myself to this particular mechanism for operating the screw, as
I may apply the well known ratchet mechanism now employed for operating the
screw used in raising and lowering bulkhead doors under the present system.
In connection with the above described mechanism I also arrange a pawl or
catch p', operated by a weighted lever p', the said pawl or catch taking into the
notches n. In the normal position, with the bracket at the top, the pawl or
catch lics idle, and upon the bracket being released by drawing back the
lever it allows the said bracket and door to fall, preventing however the bracket
from being again raised until the weighted lever p is lifted, and when raising the
said bracket the weighted lever may be kept in a raised position by means
of a suitably arranged catch, weight or the like.
Should the door in falling become jambed at any point, say at half distance, for
instance, then upon revolving the screw in the required direction you tend to raise
the bracket which however is prevented from rising, by the pawl or catch pl
entering any one of the notches n, so that upon further revolving the screw pressure
is applied to the door which forces it down, pushing the obstruction out of the way,
when the door continues to fall until it reaches the bottom.
In connection with my improved mechanism I may also employ a suitable
arrangement of levers, rods etc., by means of which any number or all the bulkhead
or bunker doors a vessel can be released simultaneously, but I do not lay any
claim to this as any suitable arrangement or combination may be employed.
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 1
claim is :-
1. The improved mechanism for raising, lowering and instantly releasing bulk-
head, bunker and other water-tight doors, consisting of the screw s, screw block b,
bracket, frame f¹, lever 1, arm a, bevel wheels w, w', hand wheel w³, stop s¹,
arranged, combined and operating substantially as herein described, and shown in
the accompanying drawings.
2. In mechanism for raising, lowering and instantly releasing bulkhead, bunker
and other water-tight doors; in combination with the screw s, the frame f',

page_text: sliding bracket b', hand lever 1, and supporting arm a substantially as herein
described and shown, and for the purposes specified.
3. In mechanism for raising, lowering and instantly releasing bulkhead, bunker
and other water-tight doors, the pawl or catch p', weighted arm or lever p³, in
combination with rack or notches n, substantially as herein described, and shown,
and for the purposes specified.
4. The improved mechanisin for raising, lowering and instantly releasing bulk-
head, bunker and other water-tight doors, arranged, constructed and operating,
substantially as herein described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, and
for the purposes specified.
F. G. CASSELL
(Of Cassell & Co.),
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.