Improvement in Means for Steering and Manoeuvring Vessels.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Means for Steering and Manoeuvring Vessels.
I, GERHARD BÜCKEN, Manufacturer, of Duisburg-Hochfeld in the Province of
Rhineland and Kingdom of Prussia 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 :-
Up to the present time the difficulty of turning a vessel in flowing water against
the stream increases in proportion to the strength of current at that particular
point. For in that case a very great force, usually 3 or 4 men are necessary to
work the rudder, because in the usual position of the rudder at the ship's stern, the
ship about to be turned would theoretically have to turn about the axis of the
rudder as centre and to drag with it the principal part of the ship situated in front
of it. Here however, when the current is strong, the masses of water flowing
alongside the ship's body offer a great resistance to its being turned, because they
act against its whole broadside, the surface of which is far greater than the
surface of the rudder; in consequence of this the water striking against the rudder
brings the ship gradually round by the force of its impact, and this is done in a
great curve, so that the centre of motion of the ship does not lie in the ship itself
but outside of it.
My invention is intended to remedy this evil, to transfer the centre of motion of
the ship to the ship's body and as near as possible to its centre of gravity and to
utilise the current at the bow of the ship, usually a hindrance to its turning, in
assisting this work.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the annexed drawing gives a sketch and ground-plan of a ship
constructed and steered according to my invention, while
Figs. 3 and 4 show a detail on an enlarged scale in two different forms of
construction.
My improvement consists primarily in providing the ship at its bow with a
nose S, capable of turning to the right and to the left and forming a kind of second
front rudder. The ship thus receives in front a kind of joint which permits of the
ship's head being turned to one side. Then this nose or front-rudder S is
connected in such a manner with the hinder one H, that when the steering-wheel is
turned, both rudders move simultaneously and both towards the same side with
their points towards each other, one such position being shown in ground-plan with
dotted lines in Fig. 2.
.
The connection of the two rudders with each other may be effected by means of
chains passing over corresponding wheels R, and R., or also by wire ropes,
cables etc. This is done either as in Figs. 2 and 3 by the chain or rope running
over guide-rollers r, and r, and passing in a screw-groove right round the circum-
ference of the wheel R, or as in Fig. 4 by the chain or rope passing over guide-
rollers which are placed at the back and only covering the front-half of the
wheel R. Suitable tightening mechanisms s s are inserted between the rudder-chains
running lengthways along the ship. The rudder-chains may be replaced by iron
rods hooked on or screwed on to each other. Instead of by a rope or endless chain
the connection of the two rudders may be also made by bevel-wheel gear, but
considering the blows to which a rudder is subjected the use of a rope or chain
which is always in some degree elastic and pliant, is to be preferred to that of a
connection made with rigid pieces of machine.
The first connection as drawn in Figs. 2 and 3 has the advantage over all others
that it does not exert a one-sided pressure on the axis of the rudder as is always
the case in the rudders hitherto in use. Owing to this one-sided pressure the

page_text: toothed quadrant z which is worked by the hand-wheel h and pinion is easily
broken, so that large ships are always obliged to have one such quadrant at least
as a reserve.
It is clear that the front-rudder S may be made in the shape of an ordinary flat
rudder, but in any case it is better to make the front-rudder, considering it as a
movable (hollow or solid) ship's bow, thicker at the back so as to form one
continuous line with the ship's outline. By this arrangement masses of water are
prevented from striking against the flat surface of the ship's front under water, as
would be the case if a flat rudder were employed, an easy steering of the ship being
somewhat hindered by the water striking the ship in front. But it is not
practicable to place the rudder quite in front of the ship on account of the
anchor-chains and anchors at work there. It is best therefore, as shown in the
drawing to place the movable part S a little further back where a part has been
cut away. Experiments have shown that a vessel fitted with two rudders
according to my invention may with ease be turned almost on the spot where it
lies, the centre of the ship also forming the centre of motion. This becomes very
apparent if it is considered that the force hitherto necessary to steer a ship is
increased at just the moment of steering by the turning of the ship, where as in my
construction the front rudder is assisted in its motion by the otherwise hindering
stream of water, being driven in the same direction in which the ship is to turn;
thus the front rudder by the force of the water itself draws the hinder one in the
desired direction and vice versa on going back to the original position, the stern
rudder draws on the front one, so that in future only so much force will be
necessary for turning this steering appliance as is sufficient to give the first
impetus to the rudders and to overcome the friction in the mechanism.
This arrangement may be also applied to ships already in existence and it may of
course be done in such a manner that S may be coupled on to or uncoupled from H
at will.
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 :
In vessels of all kinds the arrangement of a front rudder or movable ship's bill S,
connected in such a manner with the ordinary stern rudder H, that on turning the
latter, S is also turned and moves towards the same side of the ship as H, so that
the points of both rudders approach each other.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of April 1894.
For GERHARD BÜCKEN,
B. Brockhues.