Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Ships or Vessels and to Apparatus or Means therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE AMERICAN MARINE AND CANAL PROPELLER,
COMPANY, of 743, Drexel Buildings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America.]
Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Ships or Vessels and to
Apparatus or Means therefor.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents, of
45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 that form of ships' propellors or wheels which revolve in
air tight cylindrical casings or drums located at each side of the keel intermediate of
its ends as described in the specification of British Letters Patent No. 844 of 1886.
In this specification the paddle wheels snugly fit the air tight casings which are of
one or the same diameter throughout in order to prevent the upward movement of
the blades carrying water into the casing beyond the diameter of the wheel and also
to cause said casing to assist the downward movement of the blades in expelling water
from the casing.
While with the said construction such results are obtained, yet in practice it has
been found that as the blades enter the casing and revolve in it, the water adhering to
the blades, is by centrifugal force, thrown to their outer edges, and as there is no
appreciable clearance between the edges of the blades and the casing such water
dams up or accumulates in ripples or ridges at the said edges and revolves with the
blades in contact with the casing wall and produces undue friction on the blades.
This results in a loss of speed and a needless comsumption of power, again as there
is no clearance between the blades and the casing the blades as they revolve through
the latter carry with them the air in the top of the casing to inix it with the water in
the bottom of the casing and produce a churning of such air and water, besides
taking from the top of the casing the air that should remain there all of which is
detrimental to the efficiency of action of the wheels.
My invention has for its object to avoid these described objections, and to this end
I make the wheel snugly fit the mouth or entrance of the casing for the purpose of
preventing the wheel carrying water into the casing beyond the edge of its blades or
diameter and of expelling water from the casing as above described, but beyond the
casing mouth its interior diameter or size in cross section is enlarged to provide ample
clearance between the casing and the wheel for the escape of water and air from the
outer edges of the blades.
Our invention accordingly consists of the combinations constructions and arrange-
ments of parts as hereinafter described in the specification.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional elevations of part of a ship's hull, with paddle wheel
and air tight casing embodying my improvements and showing the wheels in two
different positions; and
Fig. 3 is a section showing oval form of blade arms.
A indicates the ship's hull, B the air tight cylindrical casing and C the propeller or
paddle wheel, which, as shown, has four blades C, but it may be otherwise constructed
as desired.
The mouth or entrance 6 of the casing is of a radius nearly equal to that of the
wheel, so that the blades of the latter make a snug fit therewith as they revolve
through said mouth as indicated more plainly in Fig. 2, and this radius of the
mouth 6 is continued within the casing for a short distance on both sides to form
abutments 162. The abutment 6' is at that side of the mouth on the up
stroke or
25

page_text: movement of the blades and the abutment 62 in the opposite side whereat the blades
may make their down stroke.or movement. If desired the abutment 62 may be made
longer than the abutment 1, as indicated in the drawing, for the purpose hereinafter
explained.
Beyond these abutments the diameter of the casing, or its size in cross section, is
enlarged or made bigger than the diameter of the wheel, as indicated at b, to provide
a clearance or space between the outer edges of the blades c and the wall of
casing B. The provision of the clearance or space C¹ admits of the water adhering to
the blades as they rise in and pass through the casing B to be thrown by centrifugal
force from the outer edge of the blades to the casing wall and then drops to the
bottom of the casing without interfering with or obstructing the movement of the
blades in the casing. For the same reason the air escapes or flies from the ends or
edges of the paddles and remains in the top of the casing and churning of air and
water in the bottom of the casing is avoided. As the water and air are free to escape
from the blades the latter freely revolve through the casing, or without being subject
to friction, from such water and air, and hence the speed of the wheel is not retarded
and, needless consumption of power is avoided.
The short abutment 61 prevents the blades e taking water into the casing beyond the
diameter of the wheel and the abutment 2 assists the blades in expelling water from
the casing, and by making this abutment 2 of a long length as indicated in the
drawings such assistance is materially increased.
The side arms d for the paddles or blades are made of a sharp oval in cross-section
as shown in Fig. 3, so that they will move more easily through the water and the
blades are preferably fastened to the arms by counter sunk screws with their slots
suitably filled or calked so as to avoid all recesses or projections on the wheel or its
parts in or about which air could collect, and thus prevent the wheel carrying air
down from the casing into the water; it being especially desirable to maintain a given
air volume or pressure in the casing in order that the water cannot rise therein above
a certain or given height to interfere with the efficiency of the wheel.
From the foregoing it will be noted that the wheel casing is so constructed that its
mouth or entrance makes a close or snug fit with that part of the wheel revolving
through said mouth, and that the interior diameter, or size in cross-section, is larger
than the diameter of the wheel and is of a different radius from that of the mouth in
order to obtain the necessary clearance between the wheel and casing. I therefore
do not limit myself to any construction of interior diameter of the casing, as it is
obvious that it may be variously formed to make it of a larger diameter or size than
that of the wheel and of a diameter or size different from that of the mouth of the
casing to secure the two functions of first preventing the water beyond the edge of
the wheel passing into the casing and second providing ample clearance between the
wheel blades and casing to prevent the formation of ripples or ridges between the
casing and the edge of the wheel blades.
"Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is:
--
1. A ship's hull having a cylindrical shaped wheel case B, a propeller or paddle
wheel C, and a mouth or entrance of the casing of a diameter approximately that of
the wheel C, and an interior larger diameter to give clearance or space between
the casing wall and wheel blades, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and
described.
2. A ship's hull having an air tight cylindrical casing the mouth and interior
diameters of which are of different concentric diameters, substantially as hereinbefore
set forth and described.
3. In a ship's hull an air tight wheel casing B, having a mouth b, of one
diameter, abutments 61, 62, at each end of the said mouth, and an interior diameter
larger than that of its mouth, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and described.

page_text: 4. In a ship's hull an air tight wheel casing B, having mouth 6, and abutments b¹,
at the ends of said mouth, substantially as herein before set forth and described.
5. In a vessel, an air tight wheel case B, having a mouth b, in combination with
a paddle wheel C, and abutinents 61, 62 at each end of the mouth 6, substantially as
herein before set forth and described.
Dated this 21st day of Anril 1890
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.