Improvements in and Connected with Watertight Doors or Appliances for Closing Bulkheads and Watertight Compartments in Sea Going Vessels or for the like.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1886
Complete Left, 17th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 28th Oct., 1887
Improvements in and Connected with Watertight Doors or
Appliances for Closing Bulkheads and Watertight Compartments
in Sea Going Vessels or for the like.
We JOHN ROGERSON of Croxdale Hall in the County of Durham, Steel
Manufacturer and ALEXANDER DOWNIE of The Ashes House Stanhope in the County
of Durham Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention to be as
follows:-
In the ordinary way of making water tight doors and their adjuncts for bulk heads
watertight compartments or the like the frame is made of cast iron which is very
easily snapped asunder so that there is a danger of the frames breaking in a case of
collision and preventing the doors closing at the most critical moment. The method
of securing to the bulkhead is by means of collar bolts which also answer the purpose
of securing the cheek plates to the door frame.
The grooves on each side (which keep the face of the door against the frame and
prevent it shaking about when relieved from the wedging action of the cheek pieces)
have hitherto been cut out of the solid frame causing great trouble and expense in
planing and fitting on board ship owing to the frame having to be fixed to the
bulkhead in the first place, after which the door must be lifted to the top of the
frame to enter it into the said grooves, a matter of much difficulty in any case while in
many instances it is altogether impossible from want of head space in the ship
consequently the door has to be inserted in the frame before attaching the latter to its
position on the bulkhead and both have to go up together which prevents the door
being taken out for the purpose of fitting the watertight faces during the time of
erecting the door and also when in use for the purpose of cleaning and overhauling
from time to time. In no case can the door be taken out of the frame without
breaking the joint and removing both from the bulkhead.
The object of this Invention is to overcome the foregoing difficulties.
According to this Invention the danger of the breaking of the frames is obviated
by making them of cast steel. Forging and turning of collar bolts is dispensed with
by using screwed but otherwise plain rod of iron for the bolts and the holes can be
tapped in the frames as easily at a drilling machine by means of a simple combination
of drill and tap as can the recess which in the old method has to be cut to receive the
collar bolts.

page_text: The cutting out of the grooves which keep the door against the face of frame is
done away with thereby effecting a considerable saving in the planing as well as
smiths and fitters time tools &c.
Two square headed bolts pass through the frame and projecting beyond the same
distance as the tongue piece on doors which answers the purpose of grooves
sufficiently well for the upper end of the frames the bolts also securing the latter to
the bulkhead.
According to the methods in use for making water tight doors they are made of steel
stiffened by means of a large angle piece riveted to the head of the door to which
the nut for the lifting screw is fixed by means of bolts and nuts. AT bar is rivetted
across the middle of the door and a stiffening bar is rivetted across the bottom face
of the door, which is placed sufficiently on one side to receive the wedge pieces
which are machined all over from bars of square iron these are rivetted or secured by
screws to the door plate. Another method in vogue is to make a picture frame kind
of forging with a large clamp piece at the head which is bored out to receive the
brass lifting nut; this forging is planed all over and rivetted to the steel plate after
which (in both methods) the wedges tongue pieces and a margin of 12 in. has to be
planed all round the door to receive the brass faces.
According to our improvements we make a frame of steel in one casting in lieu of
the "large angle bar," T bar" wedge pieces and stiffening bar hitherto used. A
square hole is cast in the head of this frame to receive the brass nut for the lifting
screw which possesses the great advantage of automatically locking the screw at the
right moment when the door is raised to its proper height securely holding it until
the screw has to be revolved in the opposite direction to close the door, when it
releases itself.
The clearance recesses on the wedge pieces are cast in thus again saving machine
labour, a plate may be rivetted to this frame in the usual way and the brass facing
strips may be attached to the plate in the same way as at present. The action of
locking the lifting screw is performed as follows:-The brass nut is made square on
all its faces except one upon which projects a lug passing through and projecting
beyond the face of the door. After the thread has been cut in the nut the said lug is
split and at the same time is planed to a wedge shape. A small bracket of cast steel
is riveted to the bulkhead at a point suitable to receive the "wedging nut" when the
door is raised to its proper height and thus nip the two sides of the nut firmly
against the screw by the simple action of opening the door.
One method at present is being put in practice to keep the screw from revolving of
its own accord by increasing its diameter to 5 in. instead of two, this is made in brass
with a hole through it the idea being that the lesser angle obtained on the larger
diameter of screw coupled with additional weight and friction will prevent the door
from running down.
The said bracket may be cast in one piece with and form part of the "hanging
bracket" upon which the weight of the door is suspended.
In some cases it may be necessary to make the wedging bracket act on the front
side of the lifting screw instead of the back. Horizontal doors may be improved in
a similar manner to the above described inasmuch as a frame may be cast in steel
containing the toothed racks (which are at present cast in brass in separate pieces
also the wedge pieces and stiffening bars) after which a steel plate may be pivotted to
it in the usual way thus making a much stronger door, besides there being a great
reduction in the number of pieces in the door.
Dated this 18th day of November 1886.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the said Messrs. Rogerson & Downie.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Water Tight Doors or
Appliances for Closing Bulkheads and Water-tight Compartments
in Sea-going Vessels or for the like.
We, JOHN ROGERSON of Croxdale Hall in the County of Durham Steel Manufacturer
and ALEXANDER DOWNIE of the Ashes House Stanhope in the County of Durham
Engineer 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:
In the ordinary way of making water tight doors and their adjuncts for bulk heads
water tight compartments or the like, the frame is made of cast iron which is very
easily snapped asunder so that there is danger of the frames breaking in case of
collision and preventing the doors closing at that most critical time. The method of
securing the frame to bulkheads or the like is by means of collar bolts which also
answer the purpose of securing the cheek plates to the door frame. The grooves on
each side (which keep the face of the door against the frame and prevent
shaking about when the door is relieved from the wedging action of the
cheek pieces) have hitherto been cut out of the solid frame, entailing great trouble and
expense in planing and in fitting on board ship, owing to the frame having to be fixed to
the bulkhead or the like in the first place, after which the door must be lifted to the
top of the frame to enter it into the said grooves, a matter of much difficulty in any
case, while in many instances it is altogether impossible from want of head space in
the ship, consequently in that event the door has to be inserted in the frame before
fixing the frame in its position on the bulkhead or the like and both have to be fixed
up together which prevents the door from being taken out for the purpose of fitting
the water tight faces during the time of erecting the door and also when in use for the
purpose of cleaning and overhauling from time to time. In no case can the door be
taken out of the frame without breaking the joint and removing both from the bulk-
head or the like. The object of this Invention is to overcome the foregoing difficulties
and objections.
We will describe the said Invention with reference to the accompanying Drawings
whereon Figure 1 is a front view shewing part of a bulkhead (or the like) and a door
frame, and cheek pieces secured thereto, and arranged according to this Invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the frame and cheek pieces. Figure 3 is a transverse vertical
section of the same but shewing the door in place. Figures 45 6 and 7 are largo
sections shewing various shapes of the cheek pieces and also shewing clearly the way
in which the grooves for the door are formed according to this Invention-Figure 8
shews the door in front elevation the boss at top being in vertical section-Figure 9
is a plan with the said boss shewn in horizontal section. Figure 10 is a side view of
the wedging piece for retaining the door in position when raised.
According to this Invention the danger of the breaking of the frames is obviated or
to a great extent obviated by making them of cast steel. The forging and turning of

page_text: collar bolts is dispensed with by using a screwed but otherwise plain rod of iron as
the bolts for securing the cheek pieces and frames to the bulkhead or the like and to
each other and the holes in the frames can be easily tapped at a drilling machine by
means of a simple combination of drill and screw tap-The bolts thus made are clearly
shewn in the drawings especially in Figures 4 to 7 where they are marked D the two
ends being screwed for the reception of the nuts d and the mid portion being also
screwed at d and engaging in the screw hole made through the frame-In the several
figures the part of the bulkhead or the like shewn, is marked A the frame B and the
cheek pieces C the door being marked E-The cutting out of the groove, which in
the hitherto used forms of door are employed to keep the door against the face of the
frame, are done away with thereby saving a considerable amount of planing and Smiths
and Fitters time and the expense of the tools hitherto specially provided for the
purpose. This is effected by making the groove between the frame B and the cheek
pieces C as shewn clearly in Figures 4 to 7 the one side of the groove being formed
on the frame and the other side by the cheek pieces-Two bolts f pass through the
upper ends. of the frame and the heads or nuts project beyond it to the same distance
as the tongue piece on the doors and these nuts answer the purpose of grooves or
guides for the door sufficiently well at the upper end of the frames. These bolts f
also assist in securing the frame to the bulkhead or the like-According to the
methods in use for making water tight doors they are made of steel stiffened by means
of a large angle piece rivetted to the head of the door to which the nut for the lifting
screw is fixed by means of bolts and nuts. AT bar is rivetted across the middle of the
door and a stiffening bar is rivetted across the bottom face of the door which is planed
sufficiently on the sides to receive the wedge pieces which are machined from bars of
square iron and are rivetted or screwed to the door plate. Another method in vogue
is to make a picture frame kind of forging with a large clamp piece at the head which
is bored out to receive the brass lifting nut this forging is planed all over and rivetted
to the steel plate. In both methods the wedges tongue pieces and a margin have to
be planed all round the door to receive the brass faces.
According to our improvements we make a frame or door of steel in one casting,
in lieu of the separate angle bar T bar wedge pieces and stiffening bar hitherto used.
A square or equivalently shaped hole is formed in a boss g cast on the head of the
frame to receive the nut h for the lifting screw i the arrangement being such that it
presents the great advantage of automatically locking the screw and so retaining the
door at the right position when it is raised to its proper height securely holding it
until the screw has to be revolved in the opposite direction to close the door when it
is automatically released.
The clearance recesses on the wedge pieces are cast in, thus saving machine labour
-A plate may be rivetted to this frame in the usual way and the brass facing strips
may be attached to the plate in the same way as at present.
The action of locking the lifting screw i is performed as follows The nut h is made
square (to fit in the boss) on all its faces except one on which project lugs g³ passing
through the boss g
and projecting beyond the face of the door-After the thread has
been cut in the nut the said lugs and nut are split as shewn at 92 and at the same time
is planed to a wedge shape-A sinall bracket k of cast steel is rivetted to the bulkhead
at a point suitable to receive the wedging portion of the nut when the door is raised
to its proper height and thus nip the two sides of the nut h firmly against the screw i
by the simple action of opening the door-One method hitherto proposed to keep the
screw from revolving of its own accord is to considerably increase its diameter, the
idea having been that the lesser angle obtained on the larger diameter of screw
coupled with additional weight and friction would prevent the door from running
down, but it has not been found to answer well in practice. The bracket k may be
cast in one piece with and form part of the hanging bracket upon which the weight of
the door is suspended, if so desired.
In some cases, it may be necessary to make the wedging bracket k act on the front
side of the lifting screw i instead of the back thereof as shewn in the drawings.
Horizontal doors may be improved in a similar manner to the above, inasmuch as a

page_text: frame may be cast in steel, the toothed racks, wedge pieces and stiffening bars being
cast therewith and a steel plate may be rivetted to it in the usual way, thus making a
much stronger door than the ordinary one, besides there being a great reduction in
the number of pieces as against the old form of door.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :
First, In appliances for closing bulkheads, water-tight compartments and the like,
forming the grooves for the door by means of the frame and cheek pieces, substantially
as and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings.
Second, In appliances for closing bulkheads, water-tight compartments and the like,
securing the fraine and the cheek pieces to the bulkhead or the like and to one
another by means of bolts with a screwed central portion screwed into tapped holes
in the frame and having screwed ends for the reception of nuts, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, In water-tight doors for closing bulkheads, water-tight compartments or the
like, a recess in a boss at the top or one end, forming a box for receiving the nut of
the lifting screw, substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Fourth, In water-tight doors for closing bulkheads, water-tight compartments and
the like, a split nut and wedging piecos, operated upon by a counter-wedging piece
on the bulkhead or the like, substantially as heroinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth, The arrangement and combination of parts, constituting the doors and
appliances for closing bulkheads, water-tight compartments and the like, herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Sixth, The construction of doors for closing bulkheads, water-tight compartiments
and the like, consisting in casting them and their racks, wedge-piece or pieces and
stiffening bar or bars in one, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 16th day of September 1887.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
Agent.