Electrically Controlled Steam Steering Gear.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Electrically Controlled Steam Steering Gear.
WILLIAM CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of 53, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by
Sigmund Schuckert and Co. of Nürnberg Germany, Manufacturers, through their
Agents Wirth and Co., of Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany) and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The present invention has for object to enable steam steering engines to be con-
trolled by means of an electro-motor and to replace the mechanical connections
heretofore employed between the captain's bridge and the steam steering gear by an
electric conductor.
I will proceed to describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
forming part of this specification whereof figures 1 and 2 represent the invention as
applied to a steam steering engine on Macfarlane and Gray's system whereof the
steam engine is caused to rotate in a direction corresponding, and to an amount pro-
portional, to the direction and amount of rotation of a hand wheel 1 acting on the
starting valve, the engine then stopping and holding the rudder in the position to
which it was moved, until a further rotation of the hand wheel. When the rudder is
hard ovor, a safety device in the hollow spindle of the hand wheel 1 acts to prevent
the further operation of the engine, the handwheel then being thrown out of engage-
ment in the direction in which it was then moved.
To the handwheel 1 there is attached a small worm wheel 2 with which engages a
worm mounted on the arinature shaft 3 of an electro-motor 4. In order to enable
the worm 5 to be thrown out of gear and the engine to bo operated by means of the
hand wheel when required, the motor axis is pivoted on a hinge knuckle 6 and is sup-
ported at its upper part by a bearing 10 carried by bracket 8 on standard 7 and
adjusted by a screw 11 operated by hand wheel 12 for putting the worm on the
armature shaft 3 in, or out of, gear.
-
15
The electro-motor 4 and consequently the steam steering engine is caused to rotate
in the one or other direction by the operation of the band lever 13 of a switch A
(figures 3-7) situated on the bridge, to which are connected the wires + 15 and
of a dynamo machine that serves to light the ship. A pair of spiral springs 16
and 16 hold the lever 13 in a central position, so that the circuit is normally broken;
but when this lever is moved in the one or the other direction, the ends of the
springs 18 and 18' (fixed on the lever axis 17) come into contact with the fixed
contacts 19 and 20 or 21 and 19. From the contacts 19 and 20 and 21 wires 22
and 22 lead to the brushes of the electro-motor 4 (Figure S). If the lever 13 he
moved over to starboard or to port, a current is passed in one or the other direction,
through the arinature coils of the motor 4, the armature is caused to rotate in a right
or a left hand direction and the steam steering gear is set in motion und turns the
rudder to starboard or port and holds it there as long as the lever 13 is hold in the
position to which it was moved.
The steering wheel B on the bridge is connected by the line of shafting C, shewn
in dotted lines in figure 1, with the shaft of the steering engine for mechanically
transmitting the motion thereto. If this apparatus be kept as a reserve, there is
connected, instead of the electro-motor 4, an electro-motor 14 (provided with movable
coupling) with the line of shafting C. This motor is placed in electrical connection
with the switch A (situated on the bridge near the hand steering wheel B) in the
same manner as hereinbefore described for the motor 4.
An electric rudder telegraph indicates, at all times, the position of the rudder to
the person steering.

page_text: The succession of contacts which causes the rotation of the hands t by means of the
two pairs of solenoids U, is effected during the rotation of the rudder by means of the
arm fixed on the small intermediafe shaft (figures 1 and 2). This shaft is
actuate l either from the vertical intermediate shaft W, or from the rudder post R, by
means of toothed gearing, in such a manner that the increase of the angle of rotation
shall give greater spacing of the contact points of the disc S.
In order to prevent the electro-motor working any further in the same direction
when the rudder is hard over, notwithstanding that the hand lever 13 is kept hard
over, there is interposed in the lead 23 to the exciting coils of the motor a confact
breaking device 24 (figures 3, 4, and 8) which is operated by an electro magnet 25
which is energised when the arm L on the rudder post (which arm is connected with
the lead 26 to the magnet 25) touches in one or other of its extreme positions the
contact 27 or 27' respectively and thereby closes the circuit of the magnet which
breaks the contact at 24. The contact device 24 can also be included in the lead to
the armature coils of the motor. The operation of the steam engine is further
interrupted, as already hereinbefore referred to, by the throwing out of gear of the
hand-wheel 1.
In cases where it is not desirable, by reason of custom, to control the steering gear
by means of the hand lever 13, a hand wheel may be easily substituted therefor by
using a friction coupling.
Figure 8 illustrates diagrammatically the circuits for the electro-motor and rudder
telegraph which will be readily understood from the preceding, without further
description.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1. In electrically controlled steam steering gear, the arrangement of an electro-
motor 4 acting on the starting valve of the steam steering gear as described, in com-
bination with a switch A arranged on the bridge (preferably included in the electric
light lead of the ship) and an electric lead 22 and 221 connecting this switch with the
said motor which is normally without current, but by the motion of the switch lever
either way from its central position receive a current flowing in the one or other
direction and is cau-ed to rotate and effect a movement of the starting valve in the
corresponding direction, substantially as described.
2. The substitution, in lieu of the motor 4 referred to in Claim 1, of an electro-
motor 14 which is movably coupled with the shafting C that connects the hand steering
wheel B on the bridge with the apparatus on the steering engine.
3. The arrangement of a contact device 24 in the lead to the armnature or to the
magnet coils of the electro-motor 4 (or 14 as the case may be) in combination with
an electro-magnet (or solenoids) 25 which when brought into circuit on the rudder
reaching either of its extreme positions breaks the contact at 24 and thus prevents
further rotation of the electro-inotor, as specified.
Dated this 9th day of November 1889.
WM. CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.