Improvements in or Connected with Marine Engines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 5th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 6th July, 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Marine Engines.
I, JOHN MCLAREN of the Midland Engine Works Leeds in the County of York
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communicated
to me from abroad by Alexander Richard Mackenzio of Port Mackay Queensland
Australia Engineer to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of the addition to a marine Screw Engine of a fly wheel or
accumulator mounted on a shaft other than the Engine Crank Shaft being driven by
the latter at a higher rate of speed than the propeller or Engine Crank shaft.
The main object of this arrangement is to prevent Marine Screw Engines from
racing or running irregularly in rough water owing to the propeller being alternately
partially lifted out of the water and then deeply submerged as the vessel pitches.
This irregular running or racing may be prevented by the employment of a
sufficiently large and heavy flywheel keyed on the Engine crank shaft but as this is
generally impossible owing to the limited space in a vessel I employ a fly wheel on a
separate shaft driven at a higher rate of speed than the crank shaft. Frictional gear
such as Robertsons frictional gear is preferably employed to connect the fly wheel
shaft with the Engine or propeller shaft and the ratio of speed of the fly wheel to the
crank shaft is preferably about 3 to 1. To readily throw the high speed fly wheel in
or out of gear as may be desired the brasses carrying the journal of high speed shaft
nearest the friction wheel may be made to slide freely between two horn plates on top
of an arched support and a spring strong enough to support the weight on this journal
is placed under these brasses which are also connected to a screw fitted with a hand
wheel and locking nut and working through a cap piece on the top of the support or
horn plates. When the screw is screwed down the brasses carrying the journal of the
fly wheel shaft are depressed on the spring thus bringing the frictional gear into
contact and on turning the screw in the reverse direction, the spring lifts the brasses
07

page_text: and the friction gear goes out of contact. To allow the high speed or fly wheel shaft
to have the necessary vertical play the brasses carrying the journal at the further end
are hung upon trunnions or otherwise rendered capable of accommodating themselvos
to the different positions of the shaft by any suitable arrangement.
By means of this Invention the surplus power usually wasted when the Engine
tends to race as the propeller emerges from the water is stored up in the fly wheel and
is thus available for assisting the Engine when the propeller is deeply submerged.
Dated this 7th day of September 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Marine Engines.
I, JOHN MCLAREN of the Midland Engine Works Leeds in the County of York
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communicated
to me from abroad by Alexander Richard Mackenzie of Port Mackay Queensland
Australia Engineer and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention consists of the addition to a Marine Screw Engine of a fly wheel or
accumulator mounted on a shaft other than the engine crank shaft and driven by the
latter at a higher rate of speed than the propeller or engine crank shaft.
The main object of this arrangement is to prevent marine screw engines from racing
or running irregularly in rough water owing to the propeller being alternately partially
lifted out of the water and then deeply submerged as the vessel pitches.
a
This irregular running or racing may be prevented by the employment of a
sufficiently large and heavy fly wheel keyed on the engine crank shaft but this is
generally impossible owing to the limited space in a vessel. According to this
Invention I employ a fly wheel on a shaft separate from the crank shaft and driven at
higher speed than is the crank shaft. Frictional gear such as Robertson's frictional
gear is preferably employed to connect the fly wheel shaft with the engine or propeller
shaft and the ratio of speed of the fly wheel shaft to the crank shaft is preferably
about 3 to 1. Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 an end view (with the fly wheel
removed) of an arrangement according to this Invention. A is the crank shaft of the
engine mounted in bearings on a bed plate as usual. B and B² are standards carrying
bearings for the shaft C on which is fixed the fly wheel D. On the shafts A and C are
the frictional gearing wheels E and F for transmitting motion from the shaft A to the
shaft C so as to give a relatively high speed to the shaft C and to the fly wheel D
carried by it. To readily throw the shaft C and fly wheel D in or out of gear with
the engine shaft as desired the brasses carrying the journal of the shaft C in the
standard B are made to slide between horn plates bb on the standard B and a spring G
strong enough to overcome the weight resting on it is placed under these brasses.
H is a screw fitted with a hand wheel and locking nut h and working through a
screw nut in the cap piece 62 on the top of the horn plates bb. The screw H is
furnished with a bearing piece ³ upon which the upper brass bears with the inter-
vention of a piece of cork i or other material of a yielding or elastic nature. When
the screw His screwed down the brasses carrying the journal of the shaft C are
depressed against the spring G thus bringing the frictional gear E F into contact and
on turning the screw H in the reverse direction the spring G lifts the brasses and the
friction gear wheel E leaves contact with the wheel F so that motion is no longer
imparted from the shaft A to the shaft C. To allow the shaft C to have the necessary
play for this purpose the brasses of the standard B are hung upon trunnions as at i³
so as to be capable of accommodating themselves to the different positions of the shaft ;
this may however be effected by any other suitable arrangement.

page_text: By means of this Invention the surplus power usually wasted when the engine
tends to race as the propeller emerges from the water is (when the wheels E and F
are in contact) stored up in the fly wheel D and thereafter assist the engine when the
propeller is deeply submerged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In connection with marine screw propeller engines a fly wheel or accumulator
mounted on a shaft separate from the engine shaft and driven therefrom at a higher
speed than is the engine shaft substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
2nd. In combination with marine screw propeller engines the arrangement substan-
tially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.