IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING GEAR FOR SHIPS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Daniel Davis of 669 Commercial Road Stepney
and 24 Moorgate Street City of London Engineer for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING GEAR FOR SHIPS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Daniel Davis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1883.
GEORGE DANIEL DAVIS of 669 Commercial Road Stepney and 24 Moorgate
Street City of London Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHIPS
"
STEERING GEAR FOR
This Invention of improvements in steering gear for ships relates to the gear for
actuating the rudder by hand or steam power and is intended to combine the use
of steam power and manual power together for actuating the rudder though the
apparatus can be so disconnected from the steam mechanism as to be used entirely
by hand power only, though this does not form part of the invention.
The invention consists in so combining the hand gear with the steam mechanism
that the one ordinary hand wheel suffices for all the movements to be given to the
ship by the helmsman and by the movements of which he can avail himself of the
steam power in one direction say to put the helm to starboard or to port or even
close the steam ports of the engine. When the steam is on the steering engine and
the steersman puts the wheel in one position to actuate certain parts of the
mechanism to be hereinafter described the steam is shut off the act of turning the
wheel either to port or to starboard puts the steam gear to work to help the man
at the wheel but the steam itself can not act unless the wheel is actuated by the
man so that he has invariably a certain amount of work to do to avail himself of
the help of the steam power which therefore becomes more as an auxiliary to him
than actually self acting.
One of the advantages of the method will be that the sailor has no novel gear
to learn the use of, he has the ordinary wheel he is accustomed to and he uses it in
the ordinary manner without knowing that he is helped by the steam power
beyond the fact that he has less work to do than he would with the ordinary hand
gear

page_text: The apparatus is applicable to almost any form of steering gear that is worked
with a worm wheel and screw and is easily combined with the apparatus for
which I obtained Letters Patent 1875 Number 2469 and I will therefore describe
this present invention as applied to that form of steering apparatus, shewn in said
Patent Blue Book Fig 10. D.
The steering wheel axle carries a mitre wheel gearing into another mitre wheel
on a shaft carrying a screw gearing into a worm wheel the worm wheel axle
carries the chain barrel or barrels.
Suitable gearing from any suitable steam engine is arranged to actuate the
chain barrel and in this train of gearing is a suitable clutch to disconnect the
action of the engines from their action on the chain barrel.
So far it will be seen that as arranged and the rudder moving to port the steam
is constantly acting on the chain barrel but owing to the break action of the screw
and wheel the steering wheel being stationary the steam has not sufficient power
to turn the apparatus but directly the steering wheel progresses the steam acts
and comes to help as an auxiliary. To reverse the action the motion of the
steering wheel must be reversed and in doing so naturally the man would have to
overcome the full power of the steam engine acting against him and herein comes
into use one of the features of the present invention.
Upon the axle of the steering wheel is keyed a spur wheel and underneath this-
wheel is a rack with one-tooth having a to and fro motion and gearing into the
spur wheel the to and fro motion is continued by connecting links and couplings
to the steam valve gear. The valve gear is so fitted that when this one tooth
is vertically ander the axis of the steering wheel axle then the valves of the
engine are inoperative but when to port or starboard (supposing the steering
_wheel axle to be in line with the length of the vessel) then the action of the
engines is continuous that is the pressure is on the engines and according to the
direction wanted to act on the rudder that is to port or starboard.
=
To obviate the force of the steam acting as described against the man at the
wheel this contrivance is applied similar in action to the old loose eccentric of the
steam engine that is at some portion of the gearing from the steering wheel axle
to the worm wheel one of the wheels shall be feathered or keyed to allow of
partial rotation on its axis independently of its axle this loss of time enables the
man to reverse the wheel sufficiently to carry the one tooth of the rack to the line
of the axis of the steering wheel when the action of the steam is arrested then
beyond it and then as explained the valves of the engine are reversed and the
steam acting conversely.
There are many ways of carrying out this principle of the invention namely that
the action of the wheel shall act upon the valves when turned to port or starboard
but shall be inert when in midway of the two valve positions and in conjunction
with the loss of time mentioned in some one wheel of the set of gearing. For
instance the pinion on the steering wheel axle may actuate a pendent lever in
connection with the valve gear which when vertical will leave the valves
inoperative and actuate them when inclined to either side by the action of the
pinion, the point of the lever entering into the spaces between the pinion teeth
when it is required to bring the valves to rest and when the wheel is turning the
pinions on the point of the lever keeping the lever inclined and the valves open,
and the engine acting. The lever may be made singly or in pairs and springs
may be employed or gravity only so in the rack I prefer to have coiled springs or
other kinds to keep the rack with a tendency to find the mid line section.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Daniel Davis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th August 1883.
GEORGE DANIEL DAVIS of. 669. Commercial Road Stepney and 24, Moorgate
Street, City of London, Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING GEAR FOR
SHIPS"
This invention of "Improvements in Steering Gear for Ships relates to the
gear for actuating the rudder by hand or steam power and is intended to combine
the use of steam power and manual power together for actuating the rudder
though the apparatus can be so disconnected from the Steam mechanism as to
be used entirely by hand power only, though this does not form part of the
Invention.
The invention consists in so combining the hand gear with the steam mechanism
that the one ordinary hand wheel suffices for all the movements to be given to the
ship by the helmsman and by the movements of which he can avail himself of
the steam power in one direction, say to put the helm to starboard or to Port or
even close the steam ports of the engine. When the steam is on the steering
engine and the steersman puts the wheel in one position to actuate certain parts
of the mechanism to be hereinafter described the steam is shut off the act of
turning the wheel either to Port or to Starboard puts the steam gear to work
to help the man at the wheel but the steam itself cannot act unless the wheel is
actuated by the man so that he has invariably a certain amount of work to do to
avail himself of the help of the steam power which therefore becomes more as an
auxiliary to him than actually self acting
One of the advantages of the method will be that the sailor has no novel gear
to learn the use of-He has the ordinary wheel he is accustomed to and be uses
it in the ordinary manner without knowing that he is helped by the steam power
beyond the fact that he has less work to do than he would with the ordinary hand
gear
The apparatus is applicable to almost any form of steering gear that is worked
with a worn wheel and screw and is easily combined with the apparatus for
which I obtained Letters Patent of the year 1875 N° 2469, and I will therefore
describe this present invention as applied to that form of Steering apparatus as
shewn in Figure 10 of the drawings accompanying the Specification of the said
Patent.
The Steering wheel axle carries a mitre wheel gearing into another mitre
wheel on a shaft carrying a screw gearing into a worm wheel, the worm wheel
axle carries the chain barrel or barrels
Suitable gearing from any suitable steam engine is arranged to actuate the chain
barrel and in this train of gearing is a suitable clutch to disconnect the action of
the engines from their action on the chain barrel
So far it will be seen that as arranged and the rudder moving to Port the Steam
is constantly acting on the chain barrel but owing to the break action of the
screw and wheel the steering wheel being stationary the steam has not sufficient
power to turn the apparatus but directly the steering wheel progresses the steam
acts and comes to help as an auxiliary. To reverse the action the motion of the
steering wheel must be reversed and in doing so naturally the man would have to
overcome the full power of the steam engine acting against him and herein comes
into use one of the features of the present invention.
Upon the axle of the steering wheel is keyed a spur wheel and underneath this
wheel is a rack with one tooth having a to and fro motion and gearing into the

page_text: spur wheel the to and fro motion is continued by connecting links and couplings
to the steam valve gear-The valve gear is so fitted that when this one tooth is
vertically under the axis of the steering wheel axle then the valves of the engine
are inoperative but when to Port or Starboard (supposing the steering wheel axle
to be in line with the length of the vessel) then the action of the Engine is con-
tinuous that is the pressure is on the Engines and according to the direction
wanted to act on the rudder.that is to Port or Starboard.
To obviate the force of the steam acting as described against the man at the
wheel this contrivance is applied similar in action to the old loose eccentric of the
steam engine that is, at some portion of the gearing from the steering wheel axle
to the worm wheel-One of the wheels shall be feathered or keyed to allow of
partial rotation on its axis independently of its axle this loss of time enables the
man to reverse the wheel sufficiently to carry the one tooth of the rack to the line
of the axis of the steering wheel when the action of the steam is arrested then
beyond it and then as explained the valves of the engine are reversed and the
steam acting conversely.
+ There are many ways of carrying out this principle of the invention namely that
the action of the wheel shall act upon the valves when turned to Port or Starboard
but shall be inert when in midway of the two valve portions and in conjunction
with the loss of time mentioned in some one wheel of the set of gearing-For-
instance the pinion on the steering wheel axle may actuate a pendent lever in con
nection with the valve gear which when vertical will leave the valves inoperative
and actuate them when inclined to either side by the action of the pinion, the point
of the lever entering into the
to bring the valves to rest and spaces between the pinion teeth when it is required
wheel is turning the pinions on the point
of the lever keeping the lever inclined and the valves open, and the engine acting
The lever may be made singly or in pairs and springs may be employed or gravity
only so in the rack I prefer to have coiled springs or other kinds to keep the rack
with a tendency to find the mid-line section."
Having thus described the nature of my said invention I will proceed to indicate
. more in detail means adapted for carrying the same into practical effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shews by front view and Figure 2 by side view parts of steering
apparatus for Ships with my improvements adapted thereto
Figures 3 and 4 shew by side view and plan respectively one form of my invention
in which the pinion on the Steering wheel axle actuates a pendent lever or rack
piece connected with the valve gear
Figures 5 and 6 shew by side and end views another form of the parts in which
the part carrying the tooth of the rack in which the pinion of the steering wheel
axle works is constituted by a sleeve or barrel having formed within it a piece or
stop capable of sliding on a rod or continuation of the valve rod as such tooth and
the sleeve or barrel carrying it are moved in one or the other direction by the valve
pinion until that piece comes in contact with and operates the rod / by means of
its end blocks. Springs 18 are provided having a constant tendency to bring the
barrel with its tooth back to a central position.
Figures 7 and 8 shew by side and plan views another arrangement of these parts
but in which two pendent levers or rack pieces are employed the one lever or rack
piece being engaged by the teeth of the pinion i in its motion in one direction and
the other lever or rack piece in the other direction, during the desired range of
operation imparted to the rod of the steam valve
Figure 1 shews by a separate view the wheel i upon the steering wheel axle,
such wheel being feathered or keyed on such axle so as to allow of a certain
amount of lost motion or partial rotation on its axis independently of its axle by
the keys or feathers taking into grooves or Slots on the inner surface of such
wheel of greater width than those keys or feathers on that axis.

page_text: The operation of the parts is as follows. The steering wheel axle a carries a
mitre wheel b gearing with another mitre wheel c affixed on a shaft c¹. this shaft c
carries a screw or worm d which gears into a worm wheel e on an axle ƒ which
axle f also carries the chain barrel g for operating the rudder or helm.
Supposing the rudder to be moving say to Port and the Steam acting constantly
on the chain barrel g owing to the break action of the screw or worm d and worm
wheel e the steering wheel being stationary the steam has not power to turn the
apparatus but directly the steering wheel progresses the steam acts and comes to
aid and in reversing the operation the following parts come into play in order to
obviate the helmsman having to overcome the full force of the steam power
On the steering wheel axle a is keyed a spur wheel i and under this wheel i is a
one toothed rack ; or pendent lever, oscillating on a centre or axis of motion 1
carried by horns or projections m¹ from a bracket or guide m which serves to guide
and support the slotted link or loop l' formed on the end of the valve rod. This
spur wheel i in its revolution engages with the tooth 1 of the pendent lever or rack
piece j causing that piecej to oscillate on its centre and thereby give a to and
fro motion to the slotted link or loop within which loop or slot the lower or
pendent portion of that lever ; swings. This movement of the slotted link l¹
imparts motion by its rod 7 to the valve gearing of the steam mechanism
In Figures 5 and 6 the tooth operated by the wheel i is caused to move with
its supporting sleeve or barrel * to and from the valve box k drawing with it the
rod or thrusting that rod back as such barrel j' by means of its inner stop piece jo
in its traverse on the rod 2 (upon which rod it slides freely) reaches and operates
the blocks or affixed at either end thereof. The springs 1 and 2 serving to
keep the tooth engaged with the pinion The extent of traverse in either
direction of the tooth j' and the parts moved thereby, before movement of the rod
in either direction correspondingly takes place will be dependent on the strength of
the springs and other circumstances
In Figures 7 and 8 there are two pendent levers or rack teeth 1* the tooth
(being operated to withdraw the valve rod whilst the tooth j₁* serves in turn to
give the reverse motion thereto. Stops serve to control the motions of the rack
pieces or levers j
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and means adapted for
carrying the same into practical effect I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details shewn and described so long as the peculiar
characteristics of my invention be retained But what I do claim is the Improve-
ments in Steering gear for Ships whereby the hand gear and steam mechanism are
so connected or combined that the action of the Steering wheel shall act upon the
valves controlling the steam power employed, when turned to Port or Starboard
but shall be inert when in position midway of the two valve positions enabling the
steam power to be employed as an auxiliary to the hand power without entirely
dispensing with hand labor substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof I the said George Daniel Davis have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Fourth day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
Witness
ALFRED G. BROOKES
59 Chancery Lane
London.
G. D. DAVIS (LS)