Improvements in Apparatus for Oleaning Ships' Bottoms.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1893-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Oleaning Ships' Bottoms.
I, JOHN JAMES MCCUTCHAN, of No. 732 Western Ave., in the City of Lynn,
County of Essex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Electrician,
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 has for its object to provide an apparatus for cleaning the surface
of ships' hulls and removing the barnacles, etc, therefrom below the surface of the
water, thus avoiding the necessity of dry-docking a ship for cloaning purposes.
:
The invention consists in a cleaning apparatus comprising a portable frame or
holder, adapted to be moved upon the surface of a ship's hull below the water, a
movable cleaning device on said frame, a motor carried by the frame and adapted
to operate the cleaning device, and a propeller driven by the motor and arranged
to act on the surrounding water in such manner. as to drive the cleaning device
inwardly toward the hull, and thus cause it to act on the incrustations or foreign
matter; all of which I will now proceed to describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 represents a top view of a cleaning apparatus embodying my iprention,
Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 represents a top view of a different form of apparatus embodying my
invention; portions of the casing in Figures 1 and 3, being shown in section; the
enme letters of reference indicating the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings,
a represents a portable casing, which is provided with projections a', adapted to
bear on the sido of a ship's hull, said projections preferably including trucks or
wheels a, adapted to roll upon the surface of the hull and facilitate the movements
of the apparatus hereinafter described.
bbb represent rotary cleaning devices mounted upon shafts 66'' which are
journalled in bearings on the casing a. There may be one or more of said cleaning
devices, and each cleaning device may be of any suitable construction.
In the Figures 1 and 2, I show each cleaning device as composed of a series of
substantially radial blades or cutters 222, adapted to cut away barnacles and other
foreign matter adhering to the surface of the hull, and one or more intermediate
brushes 3, having the same general form and arrangement as blades 2, but it will be
understood that the cleaning device may be composed ontirely of cutting.blades, or
entirely of brushes, or may be of any other construction adapted to clean the surface
of the hull of a ship.
The casing a is provided with a water tight chamber enclosing an electric motor.d,
which may be of any suitable form and construction, and is adapted to be operated by
an electric current through wires ee', one of which may be connected to the field, and
the other to the commutator of the motor in the usual way. Said wires. are
arranged in a cable e', and extend to a dynamo or other source of electricity on
board the ship. The shaft of the motor is conuected by gears fg with the shafte 6¹
of the cleaning device. The motor and gearings above described are preferably
enclosed in a water tight chamber, the shafts & of the cleaning device extending
through the stuffing box i on the casing.
Suitable propellers are provided adapted to be driven by the motor and to not
upon the water in such manner as to force the cleaning device inwardly toward the
hull of the vessel.
In Figures 1 and 2, 1 show said propellers as composed of blades which are
integral with the cutters b, said blades being in this case rearward extensions, of

page_text: said cutters arranged diagonally so that by the rotation of the cleaning devices the
blades will be caused to impinge upon the water and thus exert pressure against
the cleaning.devices, forcing the latter inwardly against the hull.
The apparatus above described may be operated as follows:
Suitable cords or ropes are connected to the casing at eyes or orifices kk
formed in suitable parts of the casing, said cords or ropes being of sufficient
length to permit the operator or operators standing on the deck of the vessel
to lower the casing into the water and allow it to reach the bottom of the hull.
When the casing is dropped into the water the propellers acting on the water
force the cleaning devices inwardly against the surface of the hull. The operator
by letting out or taking up the supporting ropes may raise or lower the apparatus,
thus causing it to act on any desired portion or portions of the hull.
The wheels a' in rolling contact with the surface of the hull, prevent the cleaning
devices from injuring the surface of the hull after having reinoved the barnacles
therefrom.
In Figure 3, I show a different form of apparatus, in which the cleaning device
is composed of blades 2, or alternating blades 2, and brushes 3 of helical form, the
arrangement of said blades and brushes being similar to that of the blades of lawn
mowers. In this case I show the cleaning device composed of a series of sections,
each comprising a shaft m to which the helical blades are attached by suitable
arms connected to the shafts. The shafts are arranged end to end, and are connected
at m² by flexible couplings, which enable the shafts to move out of line with each
other, so that the cleaning devices may conform to contours of the general shape
indicated by dotted lines oo, in Figure 3, or other irregular_contours such as
will be presented by the various parts of the hull of a vessel. The end shafts mm
are connected by flexible couplings m³ with shafta m', journalled in bearings m³,
which are pivoted at me to the frame or casing a, and are adapted to swing
sufficiently to permit the described conformity of the cleaning device to the
surface of the hull. The entrance of water into the casing around the shafts m* is
prevented by flexible diaphragms p; the outer edges of which are connected to the
casing a, while their inner edges are connected to collars on the shafts m', said
diaphragms closing the openings 9g in the casing through which the shafts m pass.
The motor d has its shaft d' extended in two directions, and provided with
gears at its ends, meshing with gears affixed to shafts journalled
in bearings d, and provided with gears d meshing with gears on the shafts m.
The propellers are in this case shown at it and are composed of suitably formed
blades affixed to shafts journalled in bearings in the casing a, and provided at
their inner ends with bevelled gears t' meshing with corresponding gears on the
shaft d'. Tlie casing is in this case provided with projections a' baving wheels or
trucks a arranged to bear upon the hull of the vessel.
Other modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of the parts of
my improved apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The shafts of the cleaning devices formed and arranged as shown in Figs. I'
and 2, may be provided with flexible couplings at m" adapted to permit the said
cleaning devices to oscillate and thus conform to the curvature or angle of the
particular portion of the surface of the hull on which it may be acting.
In Figure 1, I show a spring a connected with each shaft b', said springs acting
to normally draw said shafts and the cleaning devices inwardly. The action of the
propellers tends to move the shafts outwardly to a limited extent against the
pressure of said springs so that the cleaning devices can move in and out
independently of the casing and are yieldingly supported when in action. The
cleaning devices are therefore enabled to conform to inequalities and projections
on the surface on which they are acting.
In the construction shown in Fig. 3, the same result is produced by springs =_='
which so act on the bearings m m as to normally press the scrapers outwardly ¦
to the position indicated by the dotted line oo, the scrapers being thus yieldingly

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :
1. In an apparatus for cleaning the bottoms of ships, the combination of a
portable frame or holder adapted to be moved upon the surface of a ship's hull,
a movable cleaning device on said frame, a motor carried by the frame and con-
nected with said cleaning device, and a propeller driven by said motor and arranged
to act on the water supporting the hull and thereby press the cleaning device
inwardly against the hull, as set forth.
2. An apparatus for cleauing the bottoms of ships, the same comprising in its
construction a frame adapted to be moved upon the surface of a ship's hull, a series
of rotary cleaning devices journalled in bearings on said frame, an electric motor
supported by the frame, connections between the motor and the shafts of the
cleaning devices, and propeller blades forming parts of said cleaning dovices, and
adapted to force the latter toward the hull, as set forth.
3. An apparatus for cleaping the bottoms of ships, the same comprising in its
construction & frame adapted to be moved upon the surface of a ship's hull, a series
of rotary cleaning devices journalled in bearings on said frame, an electric motor
supported by the frame, connections between the motor aud the shafts of the
cleaning devices, propeller blades forming parts of said cleaning devices, and
adapted to force the latter toward the hull, and projections on the frame adapted to
limit the approach of the cleaning devices toward the surface of the hull; as set
forth.
4. In an apparatus for cleaning the bottoms of ships, the combination of a
portable frame or holder, a movable or rotary cleaning device on said frame, an
electric motor supported by the framo, a sectional shaft connecting the motor with
the cleaning device, and flexible couplings connecting the parts of said shafts
whereby the cleaning device may be turned or oscillated independently of the
motor, as set forth.
6. In an apparatus for cleaning the bottoms of ships, the combination of a
portable frame or holder adapted to be moved upon the surface of a ship's hull,
a series of movable cleaning devices on said frame, a motor carried by the frame,
and connected with said cleaning devices, a propeller driven by said motor and
adapted to press the cleaning devices inwardly, and means for yieldingly supporting
the cleaning devices whereby each is enabled to yield independently, as set
forth.
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