Improvements in Propellers and Vessels, and in Machinery for Actuating same.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Propellers and Vessels, and in Machinery for
Actuating same.
1, JOSÉ HUBER, Watchmaker and Mechanic, of 16 Portal Fernandez, Santiago,
in the Republic of Chili, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in propellers and vessels and in machinery
for actuating same, and consists in the mechanical propulsion of vessels by an oar
shaped propeller arranged at the stern for which purpose the oar is to be moved to
and fro so as to strike in the water horizontally and vertically. Of devices
arranged in and on the stern consisting of a tube receiving the oar shaft furnished
with a cover in which the said oar shaft is journalled and free to move, such
bearing being closed by a suitable cover and stuffing-box. Of mechanism by
which the to and fro striking movement of the oar is effected, consisting of two
levers oscillating on an axis said levers being moved to and fro by a toothed wheel
operated by the motor and which levers are coupled together by a guide in or on
the one lever engaging into a groove in or on the other lever and capable of
disengagement by means of subsidiary levers, when the motor force is taken off.
Of a curved disc fixed upon the axis of a wheel having two arms whereby side
strokes to right or left can be given, by a suitable lever, to the oar for the purposes
of steering.
Lastly in making the vessel carrying the improved machinery and propeller
oval in cross section, or fish shape in form.
2000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to the Applicant.
Improvements in Propellers and Vessels, and in Machinery for
Actuating same.
I, JOSÉ HUBER, of 16 Portal Fernandez, Santiago, in the Republic of Chili,
Watchmaker and Mechanic, 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 relates to improvements in propellers and vessels and in machinery
for actuating same and consists in the mechanical propulsion of vessels by an oar
shaped propeller arranged at the stern for which purpose the oar is to be moved
to and fro so as to strike in the water horizontally and vertically; of devices
arranged in and on the stern consisting of a tube receiving the oar shaft furnished
with a cover in which the said oar shaft is journalled and free to move, such bearing
being closed by a suitable cover and stuffing-box; of mechanism by which the to

page_text: and fro striking movement of the oar is effected, consisting of two levers oscillating
on an axis said levers being moved to and fro by a toothed wheel operated by the
motor and which levers are coupled together by a guide in or on the one lever
engaging
into a groove in or on the other lever and capable of disengagement by
means of subsidiary levers, when the motor force is taken off; of a curved disc
fixed upon the axis of a wheel having two arms whereby side-strokes to right or
left can be given, by a suitable lever, to the oar for the purposes of steering,
and lastly in making the vessel carrying the improved machinery and propeller
oval in cross-section or fish shape in form.
Fig. 1 of the drawings shows the mechanism in longitudinal vertical section
whilst Fig. 2 shows the construction in plan.
Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sections through Figs. 1 and 2.
Figs. 7 and 8 show the propelling oar in side-view and in plan.
The propelling mechanism is especially intended for the propelling of submarine
vessels and it is placed together with the electromotor in the after compartment of
the vessel. The extreme limiting edges in height and depth of the hull of the
vessel are stiffened by angle-irons Q (Figs. 1 and 6).
The plates Q closing the back of the vessel as well as the whole hull are formed
ovally (Fig. 6). For protection against exterior pressure these plates are
strengthened by the irons S.
The stern of the ship ends with the tube J, which is bolted by an intermediate
piece to the angle iron Q and the iron plates of the hull. The said tube serves to
receive the oar-bar I, movement of which is allowed from right to left horizontally
in the free space of the tube. The oar-bar I, the inner end of which finishes in a
round turned cross-head, forms with the latter a piece in form of a T. The said
cross-head, which is in a vertical line to the axis of the vessel, rests in the
bearings k, k, which again form one piece with the closing-cover K having in its
centre a tapered channel, which renders possible the movement of the oar-bar.
For protection against the entering of water, the construction m m is arranged,
which consists of a bearing-like cover capable of being unscrewed, in which above
and beneath is a bipartite stuffing-box, with glands. To centre and guide the
cross-head of the oar-bar I and thereby the latter itself, set-screws / impinging on
movable bearings k k are used.
To give to the oar-bar, (the turning point of which, as already mentioned, is in
the vertical axis of its cross-head), the horizontal to and fro movement, the
necessary force is taken from an electromotor, from the shaft of which the gearing
wheel B is first brought into rotary movement. On the toothed wheel B is a pin a
movable towards the centre, which with its antifriction wheel 6 by the rotation of
wheel B moves up and down and to and fro in the channel c of the lever C and
thus moves to and fro the latter, which rocks on the horizontal axle E.
The same axle E serves simultaneously for a second lever D, which by an
engagement arrangement can easily be united with the first or separated. Figs. 1
and 2 present both levers in detached state and their engagement is effected by
pulling the bar which catches a lever g which is keyed on the free end of a
shaft n.
Upon this shaft are also two fork-like levers o which engage the pins
of a ring loose upon the hub of the lever C. By pulling the bar the lever C
with the nib d attached to its face is brought against the front-surface of the
lever D. At the moment, when the advancing rib d touches the groove e in the
lever D, in consequence of the pulling of rod r the rib enters the groove, whereby
the lever C engages the lever D, which then makes the same movement as the
first.
To prevent friction in coupling or uncoupling the levers C and D, small projecting
rollers are attached on the rib above and beneath (Figs. 1 and 2). The to and
fro movement of the lever D is directly transferred to the oar-bar, the casing g in
the lever D engaging the double lever jj, which ends in a ball h, and so transferring
to lever jj the vertical to and fro movement of the lever D by means of the ball
and socket-joint g, h in the form of a horizontal movement from right to left.

page_text: This lever j, j forms one piece with the movable oar-axle and bar and therefore
transfers the same movement to the propelling oar A (Figs. 7 and 8). The double
lever is, for simplification in fitting, united by the rings ii with the neck of the
ball A in a rod-hot state, in which way also the double arm jj is joined to the axle
of the oar-bar.
The engagement and disengagement of the levers C and D is necessary to
prevent the propelling oar A keeping a lateral position on the sudden stopping of
the moving-force, and so bringing the vessel out of its course, because the oar
would thereby act as a powerful rudder. By the sudden liberating of the oar-arm it
is pulled into a straight line with the vessel by the movement of the latter without
influencing its direction.
The movement effected by the described mechanism is, as already said, horizontal
striking laterally to and fro, and so effecting the propelling of the vessel.
To turn the vessel rapidly there are, besides the rudder P, Fig. 1, two further
different movements of the oar-bar I, the mechanism of which is as follows. The
axle of the wheel B carries on its other end a loose disk M guided on a feather
and having in its front-side an eccentric groove. This disk M by pulling the bar Z,
can be moved forwards until the pin n' of the lever N Fig. 1 enters the eccentric
groove of the disk M. The pin n is on its working-side, protected against friction
by means of a roller.
If now the motor is in operation, the arm N by means of the eccentric groove of
the disk M and the pin n¹ receives a certain lateral movement. The axle S¹, on
the end of which the lever N is keyed, rests in the hangers S, which are attached
above to the hull of the vessel. The axle S (ss will be seen from Figs. 3 and 4)
is vertically above the axle of the wheel B and the disk M.
On the other end of the axle s is fixed a lever O, which makes exactly the same
movements, as the lever N. The lateral movements of the lever O are received
by means of a movable pin and the roller t and so transferred to the lever D, which
then from its vertical position will make a lateral movement, which according to
the direction of the motor will be from the middle vertical axis to the left or to
the right side respectively.
If these movements to one side are often repeated, the vessel will turn round in
the smallest possible radius.
As the direction of the motor can be determined, the stroke of the oar-bar
depends from the direction of revolution of the motor. If the axle of the motor
turns to the left, the lateral stroke of the oar-bar is a stroke coming from the axis
of the hull of the ship to the right.
Fig. 1 of the drawings shows the mechanism for the lateral movement in
disengaged state. They may of course only be engaged when the two levers CD
are disengaged.
As already mentioned, the disk M is united with the lever N by pulling the
bar Z. The latter is joined with the lever a which is fixed on the one end of the
axle y. On the other end of the axle y is a second lever the end of which
carries a pin, which engages in an oblong slot on the double arm lever w.
The lever to is again united with a bipartite ring e, which is loose upon the hub
of the disk M. The lever w has its fixed turning point in two projecting pins on
one of the bearings S (Fig. 3).
The electromotor G rests on a cast-iron casing F which ends rearwards in a
plate, upon which rest the two bearings for the axle E. Case and plate are of one
piece and rest upon the cover of the water-reservoir G¹ and form with the latter
the ballast of the vessel. The cover of the water-reservoir is also strengthened
by three angle-irons, which are rivetted with the hull of the vessel.
P is, as already said, the rudder, the axle of which passes through the angle-
iron Q and is guided in a tube, which also serves as stuffing-box.
On the upper-part the axle of the rudder is provided with a double lever, which
is united in an appropriate manner with the steering-wheel.
Figs. 7 and 8, show the essential object of the invention, the oar, by which the

page_text: vessel receives its movement. It is, as will be seen from the drawing, composed
of thicker and thinner bardened elastic steel-plates and is fixed in a direction
vertical to the hull of the vessel at a distance of from 1.30 metres to 1.50 metres
from 'the axle of the 'oar-bar.
By the to and fro striking movement the elastic steel-plates have the effect of
inclined planes upon the water and drive the vessel forwards.
In ships with small drauglit the oar should be attached in horizontal direction to
the body of the ship with up and down striking movement, in which case the form
of the vessel would be flatter in the horizontal plane.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
Improvements in propellers for vessels, in which
1. The 'mechanical propulsion of the vessel is effected by means of an oar-shaped
propeller A which arranged on the stern of the vessel is mechanically operated for
this purpose for a horizontal or vertical, to-and-fro striking movement.
2. A method of constructing the propeller under Claim 1, by which on the stern
of the vessel is arranged a tube I receiving the oar-shaft A and in the cover K of
which the said oar-shaft is movably seated, this bearing being tightened by means
of a cover m and stuffing box.
3. A method of constructing the propeller under Claim 1, in which the to and
fro striking movement of the oar A is effected by two levers CD which oscillating
round an axle E are operated with a to and fro striking movement by a toothed
wheel B operated by the motor and which levers are coupled together by a rib on
the one lever engaging in a groove in the other and capable of disengagement by
means of the levers gr.
4. A method of constructing the propeller under Claim 1, in which for the
purpose of turning the vessel quickly, a cam disk is fixed upon the axis of the
wheel B and operates two arms with side strokes to right or left so as to similarly
operate the lever D disengaged from lever C and thereby the oar.
5. In combination with the propeller under Claim 1, of the construction of the
vessel-body of an oval fish like form especially favourable for propulsion by means
of the oar A.
Dated this 11th day of September 1896.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents to Applicant.