Improved Means for Automatically Closing Bulkhead and other Water-tight Doors.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Automatically Closing Bulkhead and other
Water-tight Doors.
I, AXEL VON KNORRING, of 3, Andregatan, Helsingfors, Finland, 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:-
My invention relates to automatic apparatus for closing bulkhead and other
water-tight doors in ships when the water rises beyond a predetermined level in
one or other of the adjacent compartments of the ship; and my said invention is
chiefly designed to simplify and improve the construction and increase the
efficiency of such apparatus.
One feature of my said invention is the employment of a hinged or pivoted
bulkhead-door connected with a closed pivoted tank or float which works in a suit-
able open tank let into one or other of the decks of the ship for the purpose of
closing the said door when water enters the corresponding compartment of the
ship and fills the said tank, the whole being so arranged that, when the door is
completely closed, the lower part of the said closed tank or float will be below the
lower edge of the opening in the bulkhead, which is situated a considerable dis-
tance above the level of the deck. These floats are connected, either directly, or
through the medium of levers, linkwork or other suitable gearing, with the water-
tight doors to be closed, in such a manner that, when the said floats are raised by
the water, they will close the said doors. Therefore the inrush of water to either
compartment of a ship will close all the doors leading from the said compartment.
My said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter
described.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be con-
veniently and advantageously. carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 2 a section on the line, Figure 1, showing one form of my improved
apparatus.
Figure 3 is a section on the line c¹,
Figure, 4 is a midship section of a
¹, Figure 2.
vessel, illustrating diagrammatically the
method of installing several sets of my improved apparatus therein.
Figure 5 is a front elevation, and
Figure 6 a plan, showing another form or modification of my said invention.
Figure 6 is a plan showing another form of modification of my said invention.
Figures 7 and 8, and Figures 9 and 10 are similar views to Figures 5 and 6
espectively, showing further modifications of my improved apparatus.
Figure 11 is a front elevation showing a still further modification of my said
nvention.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
In each deck A of the vessel are arranged open tanks B of ausdrental

page_text: one on each side of the bulkhead C. In each of these tanks is arranged a corre-
spondingly-shaped closed tank or float 1) which is adapted to turn about a hinge-
joint or pivot D¹ at one of the upper edges thereof; and is so connected with the
door E that, when water enters and fills the tank B, the float D will be raised and
the doorway or opening F in the bulkhead closed as hereinafter described.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 3, the door E is attached to the outer
or upper radial surface of the float D so that, when the door is open it will be
flush with the deck as shown on the left in Figure 2, and as the said float rises in
the tank B, the door E will be raised thereby and ultimately pressed against the
bulkhead C so as to close the doorway F, a strip G of india-rubber or other suitable
packing being provided around the said doorway to make a water-tight joint.
The tank B is made of ample size to receive the float D so that any dust or
rubbish which may enter the space between the float and the sides of the tank
may fall to the bottom thereof, whence it should be regularly cleared away. For
this purpose I provide a scraper H which is mounted on arms H' turning about the
pivot-pin and approximately fits the annular space between the bottom of the
tank B and the curved surface of the float. To one of the arms H¹ is pivoted a
curved rod H2 extending up to the level of the deck, where it is provided with a
handle H³. By pulling the handle H³ upward, the scraper H can be moved along
the annular space beneath the float D, and the accumulated dust or rubbish thus
raised to the top of the tank, where it will fall into a channel or recess B¹ pro-
vided for its reception and from which it can be readily removed.
I sometimes provide a catch or button J on the bulkhead C in such a position
that it can be swung or turned so as to lock the door E in its closed position when
desired.
It will be seen on referring to the drawing, that the lower edge of the opening F
in the bulkhead is a considerable distance above the level of the deck, and that,
when the door is closed, the lower part of the float D is below the lower edge of
the said opening. This arrangement ensures the closing of the door before the
water in the compartment rises to the level of the lower edge of the said opening.
To ensure the efficient protection of each doorway F, two doors E, tanks B and
floats are arranged in combination therewith, one on each side of the bulkhead
as shown, so that the doorway will be closed whether the water enters the com-
partment on one side or on the other side of the bulkhead.
To permit of the apparatus being tested from time to time to ascertain whether
it is in working order, and, at the same time, to enable the doors E to be closed at
any time, at will, I provide a system of pipes K in connection with a tank K' on
the upper deck, or, if desired, with the sea, which pipes are arranged in such a
manner that any of the tanks B containing the floats 1) may be filled with water,
through branch-pipes controlled by valves or cocks K2. The levers K³ for opening
and closing these cocks are so arranged that the doors E, as they reach their closed
position, will engage therewith and thus close the said cocks when the tanks B
are full. The doors having thus been closed, can be opened again by draining
away the water from the tanks B into the bilges through pipes L controlled by
valves or cocks L', which are adapted to be actuated from the level of the deck by
means of rods L2 provided with handles L³.
The valves or cocks for filling and emptying the tanks B may be placed close to
each tank as shown, or the said valves or cocks may be arranged to be worked from
the main deck or any other part of the ship so as to enable each tank to be filled
separately or simultaneously.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6, the doors E are arranged so as to
move parallel with the bulkhead C and are rigidly connected to the floats D by
means of bars or angle-irons D2, the packing G being arranged at a slight angle
to the bulkhead so that the door can be brought tightly up against the same and
thus form a water-tight joint. When the doorways F are open, the upper surfaces
of the floats D are protected by means of gratings M which are pivoted at M¹ along
one edge to the deck A so that they will be lifted by the said floats when the latter

page_text: rise. A grating of this kind is shown in its lowermost position on the left-hand
side of Figures 5 and 6, and in its raised position in dotted lines on the right-hand
side of Figure 5.
In Figure 6* I have shown a modification of the arrangement shown in Figures 5
and 6, in which a single door is employed adapted to be operated from either side
of the bulkhead. For this purpose, the bulkhead C is provided with an outer wall
or casing C³ arranged so as to form a chamber which is closed on all sides except
at the doorway F. On the inner sides of the walls C C3 of the said chamber are
provided inclined joint-pieces G to engage with the similarly inclined surfaces of
the door E so as to form a water-tight joint on both sides. The said door E* is
mounted on a shaft D₁ which passes through the bulkhead walls C C and has the
floats D D keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereto at its ends. By these means
the door E* will be closed by one or other of the floats D whichever side of the
bulkhead the water may enter. If desired, the floats 1) can be arranged so as to
turn freely on the shaft D₁ and be connected thereto be pawls engaging with
ratchet-wheels on the said shaft so as to allow the inoperative float to remain at
rest in its tank B when the door is closed by the float on the other side of the bulk-
head.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 7 and 8, the doors E turn about vertical
hinge-joints, and the floats D are provided with arms D³ which extend from the
opposite side of their hinge-pins D. These arms are each provided with a forked
or slotted end D adapted to engage with collars E2 on the rod or hinge-pin E
of the door, which is capable of turning and of sliding longitudinally in bearings C¹
on the bulkhead C. To this hinge-pin E3 the door E is rigidly secured by means
of brackets E, and to one of the said brackets is secured a partial screw-thread or
inclined piece E5 adapted to engage with a similar inclined piece (2 secured to
one of the bearings C in such a manner that the door E will be turned about its
axis to open and close the doorway E as its hinge-pin E³ rises and falls in the bear-
ings C. The weight and buoyancy of the float D are so adjusted that the door E
will be overbalanced and raised to its uppermost position as shown on the left-hand
side of Figure 7 and thus opened, when there is no water in the tank B, but, when
the said tank is full of water, the arm D³ will be depressed and the door E allowed
to descend and close the opening F as shown in dotted lines on the right hand side
of Figure 7. The floats D are, in this case, protected by fixed gratings M.
In Figures 9 and 10, I have shown a further modification of my improved
apparatus, in which the floats D are provided with arms D3, which are secured in
brackets 1 on the said floats in such a manner as to be capable of turning freely
therein, and are provided with counterbalance-weights D. The doors E are hinged
at E3 to the bulkhead C and are connected to the floats D by links E which are
connected to the arms D3 and to the doors E respectively by means of universal
joints at D and E7. A guard-rail M³ is, in this case, fixed on the deck to protect
each float D.
My said invention can also be applied to doors sliding either horizontally or
vertically by the use of suitable levers to work the door from the hinged float.
My said invention may also be applied in other ways for example, as shown in
Figure 11. In this arrangement the door E is supported on one arm N of a bell-
crank-lever N N¹ pivoted at N2 to the bulkhead C and having its other arm N¹
connected to the float D by means of a link or connecting-rod P so that, when the
tank B is empty, the parts will be in the position shown in full lines in this
figure, and when the tank is filled with water, the parts will be in the position
shown in dotted lines with the door closed.
A similar system of floats to either of those above described may also be applied
for closing any or all of the hatch or companion ways in a ship, thus preventing
the water from penetrating from an upper deck down below or from a lower deck
up to the next.
The openings or doorways in the bulkheads are arranged so as not to commence

page_text: at the deck-level but to commence about one foot above the deck-level as shown,
so that, before any compartment has been filled to such a height that the water
could pass through the doorways into other compartments, the doors will be closed.
It is most convenient to have two doors to each opening, as shown, one door coming
into operation when the water enters on one side of the bulkhead, and the other
door serving the same purpose when water enters on the other side of the bulk-
head.
If desired one float may be arranged so as to close two or more doors on the same
or different decks.
The doors may be made water-tight in various ways. In some instances it may
be most suitable to have the doors and their seats carefully machined, but in most
cases it is better to use india-rubber or other suitable packing as shown. As a
rule the pressure of the water on the door when closed will assist in making a
water-tight joint.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;-
First. A hinged or pivoted bulkhead-door connected with a closed pivoted tank
or float which works in an open tank sunk beneath the deck for the purpose of
closing the said door when water enters the corresponding compartment of the
ship, the whole being so arranged that, when the door is completely closed, the
lower part of the said closed tank or float will be below the lower edge of the open-
ing in the bulkhead, substantially as, and for the purposes, herein before described.
Second. A bulkhead-door attached to the upper side of a sector-shaped closed
tank or Hoat which is pivoted at or near the axis of the sector to the deck or to
the bulkhead, below the lower edge of the opening in the said bulkhead, and which
works in an open tank sunk beneath the deck, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Third. The combination, with the open tank and the float working. therein, of
a scraper movable about an axis coincident with that of the float, in the space
between the said float and the bottom of the tank, substantially as, and for the
purposes, hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The combination, with several sets of my improved apparatus, of a
water-tank in the upper part of the vessel, a system of pipes for conducting water
therefrom into the tanks in which the movable floats are situated, and valves or
cocks in the said pipes adapted to be closed by means of the said floats when the
latter rise to or nearly to their uppermost position, substantially as described.
Fifth. The improved apparatus for automatically closing bulkhead doors, con-
structed substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 or to
Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, above 4
specified.
Sixth. The modification of my invention in which a single bulkhead-door is
adapted to be operated by floats arranged in tanks on both sides of the bulkhead,
substantially as described with reference to Figure 6 of the accompanying draw-
ings, for the purposes specified.
Seventh. The modification of my invention wherein the float is provided with
an arm adapted to raise and lower the hinge-pin of the water-tight door, which
hinge-pin has inclined or helical surfaces for engaging with similar surfaces fixed
on the bulkhead, substantially as described with reference to Figures 7 and 8 of
the drawings and for the purposes above specified.
Eighth. The modification of my invention wherein the bulkhead-door is con-
nected with the bulkhead by hinge-joints at the side thereof and the float is pro-
vided with a weighted arm connected to the bulkhead-door by a rod or link, sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings.
5
Ninth. The modification of my invention wherein the bulkhead-door is mounted 5

page_text: on an arm of a bell-crank lever pivoted to the bulkhead and having its other end
connected to the float by a link or connecting-rod, substantially as described with
reference to Figure 11 of the drawings, for the purposes specified.
Dated the 12th day of Ant 1000
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.