AN IMPROVED METHOD OF OPENING AND CLOSING SHIPS WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD DOORS
Year: 1885

page_text: Bulkhead Doors.
We WILLIAM MADGE of Millindü House Pains Road St Peters Park Millwright
and JAMES THOMAS FORD of N° 6 Outram Road Havelock Park .Mechanical
Engineer both of Southsea Portsmouth do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for AN IMPROVED METHOD OF OPENING AND CLOSING SHIPS WATERTIGHT
BULKHEAD DOORS to be as follows:-
The door can be opened and closed by a mechanical arrangement or it can be
opened mechanically and closed automatically.
The mechanical means for opening the door is thus arranged There is a cylinder
screwed on the outside having one end screwed internally for an inside screw
These screws are attached to a strong-back, or cross-beam over the door as most
convenient for lifting and lowering it the speed of moving the door being governed
by the relative pitches of the external and internal screws.
The automatic gear for shutting the door is thus arranged To each side of the
door is attached a rod or piston working in a tube or cylinder the former being
secured to the door the latter to the ship as the door is lifted mechanically water
is allowed to flow into the tubes or cylinders and to thus follow the rods or pistons
this water being shut in by foot valves suspends the door at all times till the foot
valves are released when the door by its gravity closes itself.
The foot valves are operated on as water enters the ship in this way The inflow
of water to the ship raises floats and these floats act on and open the valves.
Thus when the mechanical means for closing the door cannot be readily used
and water is flowing into the ship from an accident or otherwise the inflow of
water itself shuts the door and thus confines the water to the injured compartment.

page_text: An Improved Method of Opening and Closing Ships' Watertight
Bulkhead Doors.
1
We WILLIAM MADGE of Millindü House Pains Road St Peters Park Millwright
and JAMES THOMAS FORD of N° 6 Outram Road Havelock Park Mechanical
Engineer both of Southsea Portsmouth do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for AN IMPROVED METHOD OF OPENING AND CLOSING SHIPS WATERTIGHT
BULKHEAD Doors and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Either by an hydraulic appliance or mechanically by a compound screw.
In some cases it is necessary to raise the door and to do so there are two rods
fixed one on each side of the door or one rod only fixed to the middle of the
door These work in Barrels with plungers or hydraulic rams and are so arranged
by means of a relief valve to open and close either by hand or by rods attached
to levers and air vessels so that should water flow into a ship to a given height
the air vessels raise the levers and the rods opens the valves and closes the doors
automatically.
The mechanical arrangement in the plan of lifting doors is a barrel screwed on
the outside with one end also screwed inside for an internal screw These are
arranged to work by means of a strong-back fixed to the bulkhead directly over
the door or a sling to carry the screw fixed to a cross beam under the deck either
of which may be most suitable for the purpose of lifting the door at its position.
The incline of the compound screw being of such an elevation as to allow the
weight of the door to overcome friction and descend upon opening the Relief
Valves of the barrels on each side of the door.
In the accompanying Drawings
.
A shews the application of the compound screw fitted to the ship with sling and
cross-beam together with the side rods and barrels for hydraulic movement also
the arrangement under the door of levers and valves for automatically closing the
door.
B shews the application of the compound screw fitted to the ship with the
strong-back only-led to a deck-plate in deck above complete and by means of a
spanner to open below.
Having shewn our invention and the best mode known to us of carrying the
same into effect we claim to be new and desire to protect
1st The adaptation and mode of working the Compound Screw with the strong-
back and sling for carrying the screw to work the door.
2nd The adaptation and working of the hydraulic application with the valves
and levers for working the doors automatically.
Dated this Sth day of December 1885.
WILLIAM MADGE.
JAMES THOMAS FORD,