IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE REVERSING GEAR OF STEAM ENGINES, HOISTS, AND OTHER MACHINES.
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Watson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for the Inven-
:
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS, APPLICABLE ALSO
TO THE REVERSING GEAR OF STEAM ENGINES, HOISTS, AND OTHER MACHINES.".
Sealed the 4th February 1879, and dated the 6th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Watson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th August 1878.
MICHAEL WATSON, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR STEERING SHIPS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE REVERSING GEAR OF STEAM.
ENGINES, HOISTS, AND OTHER MACHINES."
J
My Invention relates more particularly to steering apparatus, but is also applicable
to the reversing gear of steam engines, hoists, and other machines, and it consists of
a peculiar arrangement of the ports and mode of operating the valves for admitting
steam, water, or any other liquid or gas under pressure into the working cylinder.
According to my Invention I arrange the ports leading from the valve chest to
the opposite ends of the cylinder in such a manner as to cross each other, that is to
say, I arrange the port communicating with the right-hand side or end of the valve-
chest so as to conduct steam, gas, or liquid to the left-hand end of the cylinder, and
the port communicating with the left-hand side or end of the valve chest I arrange
to conduct steam, gas, or liquid to the right-hand end of the cylinder, by which
arrangement it is necessary to move the valve in the reverse direction to that in:
which the piston is required to travel.
The piston rod is made to project outside either one or both ends of the cylinder,
as may be necessary, and the ends are connected by any suitable means to the helm
or rudder of a vessel, or to the reversing gear of a steam engine or other machine
to which it is applied, so that the same will receive a motion in one direction or
the other, according to the direction of motion imparted to the piston.
The valve rod is continued at one end outside the valve chest to an extent at
least equal to the full stroke of the piston, and is provided with a screw thread,
which works in a non-rotating nut carried by the cross head, or by a bracket fast
on the piston rod. This valve rod is fitted so as to be capable of being rotated on
its axis by means of gearing from a hand .wheel or otherwise, and when so rotated-
the said rod is caused to travel longitudinally in the nut, and thereby open the
valve to admit pressure into the cylinder. The piston will then travel in the
cylinder (in the reverse direction to that in which the valve was moved), and carry
31
;

page_text: with it the cross head and the valve rod, thereby causing the valve to return to the
position from which it was moved. This operation may be repeated until the
desired extent of motion of the piston has been obtained, or if desired until it has
travelled to the full extent of its stroke.
In order to reverse the motion of the piston the gearing for imparting rotatory
motion to the valve rod is worked in the opposite direction. It will thus be seen
that the helm or rudder of a ship may be caused to turn to any desired extent in
either direction by imparting through the gearing a succession of motions to the
valve so as to maintain the ports open to admit pressure from the valve chest into
the cylinder.
It may be necessary when using steam power in order to obtain great steadiness
in the working of the apparatus connect the piston rod of the working cylinder to
another piston fitted to work in a cylinder containing water, oil, or other liquid,
and provided with properly regulated passages (which may be opened and closed by
the action of the machine), through which the water is caused to pass as the piston
moves therein.
The arrangement herein-before described may be employed as a hydraulic valve
by connecting the cross head of the steam piston by means of a rod to a piston
fitted to work in a cylinder maintained full of water, and provided with ports, and
a valve arranged in a similar manner to the steam cylinder herein-before described.
By admitting steam into the steam cylinder a constant pressure will be obtained,
but the piston cannot travel until the valve of the water cylinder is moved so as to
admit of the water passing out of that end of the cylinder into the other end, and
vice versa.
In cases where a cylinder and piston having a short stroke will effect the work
required, instead of crossing the ports, as herein-before described, I connect the cross
head (or other moving part of the engine) to one end of a lever, the opposite end
of which I connect to the valve spindle, and at an intermediate point to a hand
lever working on a fixed fulcrum. By moving this hand lever motion is imparted
to the lever which connects the slide rod and cross head, and which, working on the
latter as a fulcrum, opens the port so as to admit pressure to the cylinder. The
cross head is then caused to move, and (the free end of the hand lever being held
fast) the intermediate point where the lever is connected becomes the fulcrum, and
the valve is thus closed, or the reversing gear may, if desired, be worked by a lever
arrangement in combination with the arrangement of crossed ports herein-before
described, in which case I employ a similar arrangement of levers as that last
described, but I connect the slide spindle to the intermediate point instead of to
the end of the lever, the opposite ends of the lever being pivotted respectively to
the cross head and to an intermediate point in the hand lever.
The action will then be as follows:-By moving the hand lever the valve is
opened (through the lever connecting the slide rod and cross head), and pressure is
thus admitted to the cylinder. The cross head will then move, and the lever con-
necting it with the slide rod by being pivotted at its end to the hand lever will
then cause the valve to slide in the opposite direction, and thus closes the port.
Instead of forming a screw thread on the valve spindle, as herein-before described,
a separate screwed rod may be employed connected to the slide rod, so as to move
the valve mechanism, and in the case of reversing gear the valve rod instead of
being connected to the cross head may be connected to and worked from a lever on
the same shaft as that to which the piston rod is attached, or from any convenient
moving part of the engine or machine.
By employing a simple clutch arrangement in the case of steering gear, and in the
case of reversing gear by making the screwed spindle sufficiently strong, the
apparatus herein-before described may be worked alternatively by hand and
hydraulic or steam power, or by gas or liquid under pressure.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Michael Watson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th February
1879.
MICHAEL WATSON, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR STEERING SHIPS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE REVERSING GEAR OF STEAM
ENGINES, HOISTS, AND OTHER MACHINES."
My said Invention relates to apparatus for steering ships, but is also applicable
for the reversing gear of steain engines, hoists, and other machines, and it has
reference to that description of apparatus in which the movements of the steering
or reversing gear for the purpose of steering the vessel or reversing the motion of the
engine or machine are obtained by means of a piston working in a cylinder, and
actuated by steam or other motive fluid, the distribution of such fluid to the cylinder
being regulated by a valve, which is opened by hand and closed automatically.
An important feature of my said Invention consists in the arrangement of the
ports of the cylinder in relation to the valve in such a manner that the port com-
municating with one side or end of the valve chest conducts the motive fluid to the
opposite end of the cylinder, so that the valve requires to be moved in order to
open an induction port in the reverse direction to that in which the piston is
required to travel, but my said Invention also relates to improved arrangements for
working and regulating the valve, whereby more perfect control over the apparatus
is secured, and which admit, when pressure is not available, of the steering or
reversing gear being operated by hand with facility.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood. I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings
an end elevation, and Figure 2 a
sectional plan of so much of an apparatus for steering ships as is requisite to illus-
trate my said Invention.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 illustrate the application of my Invention to reversing gear,
Figure 3 being a side elevation and Figure 4 a sectional plan shewing its general
arrangement, and Figure 5 a sectional detail drawn to a larger scale of the reversing
cylinder.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, which illustrate a mode of carrying out my said
Invention as applied to steering apparatus, A is the cylinder, B is the piston, and
a its rod, which latter is continued beyond the cylinder at both ends, and is fitted
at each extremity with a cross head C carrying a sheave D. The left-hand cross
head is provided with a projecting arm b formed with a nut c, through which works
a screwed rod E, the latter being connected with the rod d of the slide valve F by
means of a swivel l, which admits of the rod E rotating freely; f, g, are the
induction ports over which the valve F works, and f¹, g, the passages leading from
the respective ports to the cylinder.
It will be observed that the passages cross each other, that is to say, the passage
terminating at f¹ on the right-hand side of the piston B is in communication with the
left-hand portf, and the passage terminating at g¹ on the left-hand side of the piston B
is in communication with the right-hand port g. . By this arrangement when the slide
valve is actuated so as to open one of the ports it is moved in the reverse direction
to that in which the piston is required to travel. For example, if the rod E is
turned so as to cause it to move from right to left (by. working through the nut
at c), the slide rod d and the slide valve will be moved with it, and the port g
will be opened for the admission of steam (for example), and the port of will be
placed in communication with the exhaust. The steam then passes to the left-hand
end of the cylinder, and the piston is forced towards the right-hand end. In this
movement the cross heads and their appurtenances, with the slide valve F; are

page_text: conducted with the piston, and the port g is again closed, in which position the
apparatus is represented in my Drawings.
The motion may be repeated the requisite number of times until the desired
stroke of the piston, according to the required extent of motion of the rudder, is
attained.
It will be observed that by turning the rod E in the opposite direction to that
previously assumed the reverse action of the piston will be produced...
Motion is transmitted from the piston to the rudder by means of the sheaves D
in the following manner :-h is a chain, which is fast at its two extremities ¿, and
is carried round the sheaves D under guide rollers k, k, and over a messenger chain
sheave G, the latter of which is fast on a shaft H. On this shaft is secured another
sheave I, from which the motion is communicated to the rudder by means of a
chain l.
Rotary motion is imparted to the rod E in order to move the slide valve so as to
open the ports by means of a hand wheel K (Figure 1) fast, on a horizontal shaft L,
from which lätter motion is transmitted by bevel gearing M, M³, shaft N, and bevel
gearing 0, 0¹, to the said rod.
The bevel wheel O' is secured to the rod E in such a manner as to admit of the
latter sliding through it, whilst the wheel is prevented from moving laterally.
In order to admit of the steering apparatus being worked by hand when necessary,
the shaft L is connected by gearing P with the sheave shaft H, and provision is
made by means of clutches m, n, and gear o for engaging and disengaging the
apparatus, so as to enable it to be operated either by hand or power, as required.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 of my Drawings illustrate by way of example a mode of
applying my said Invention to reversing gear. It will be seen from an inspection of
the enlarged detail, Figure 5, that the ports and passages are arranged in a
similar manner to the ports and passages of the apparatus herein-before described
with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In the present example, however, the
piston rod a is made hollow, and itself forms a nut at c; through which works a
screwed rod E, carrying a hand wheel K by means of which latter the rod E
be turned, and thus moved through its nut c. The rod E is connected to the slide
valve rod d by means of an arm e, by the aid of which the slide valve is conducted
with the rod in its longitudinal movement.
may
The cross head C is connected by bars Q, Q, to segmental links R, which carry at
their extremities the eccentric rods p, and are connected at q with the rod S of the
main slide valve fitted in the valve chest T.
It will be understood that the subsidiary slide valve F is operated by the act of
turning the reversing hand wheel K in order to open one of the ports f, g, in the
valve chest of the subsidiary cylinder, and steam being admitted to the opposite end
of the cylinder the piston is moved in a direction the reverse of that of the pre-
vious movement of the valve carrying the cross head C and its appurtenances with
it, and bringing the valve back to its original position. By this motion of the
cross head the segmental links R have been caused to move through their segmental
slideway at q, and thus reverse the main slide valve, as will be perfectly under-
stood.
The rod E may be made of sufficient strength to admit of the main valve being
reversed by hand when required.
It is obvious that the apparatus may be slightly modified in its details without
departing from the principle of my said Invention.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,
i
First. In an apparatus of the description herein set forth the peculiar arrange-
ment of the induction ports and passages, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described.

page_text: Second. In combination with induction ports and passages arranged in the
manner herein-before referred to, the peculiar arrangement and combination of
parts for operating the subsidiary valve, whereby a more perfect control is main-
tained over the apparatus and facility is afforded for operating the steering or
reversing gear by hand when necessary, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Watson, have to this my Specification
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-nine.
MICHAEL WATSON. (L.S.)