Improved Apparatus for Cleaning the Exterior Surfaces of Ships.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 23rd Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Cleaning the Exterior Surfaces of Ships.
I, ERNST FRIEDRICH WILHELM AGATZ, of Neuhaus, a.d. Elbe, Germany, at present
at sea, Naval Officer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus designed for cleaning the bottoms and outside
surfaces of ships during their voyages. The apparatus is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings of which
Fig. 1 is a vertical section looking from the forward end of the apparatus, Fig. 2
is an side elevation at right angles to Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan.
The apparatus comprises a plate a which is bent to an obtuse angle at its forward
part, and in which two or more brushes bare rotatably mounted.
Upon the axle of each brush there are fixed two sets of radial arms or crosses c
between which flaps each on a bolt or pin fare arranged to move.
In this manner there are formed paddle wheels the movable paddles & of which
assume such positions in their backward movement that they offer but very little
or resistance to the water. y are guide blades arranged on the plate in such a
manner that the paddle wheels are subjected only on one side to the action of the
water pressure, and are caused to rotate in the opposite direction. Above and below
the paddle wheels there are mounted in the plate a, pressure plates h¹ which can
be set at any desired angle to the plate a by means of the supports i i¹ or other
means. The water pressure acting upon the said plates h h¹ serves to press the
apparatus up against the side of the ship. The lower pressure plate h¹ is shaped
after the manner of a ploughshare, whereby there is produced at the same time
a downwardly directed pressure upon the apparatus.
The pressure against the ship's side is taken up by bent springs arranged on
the rear side of the plate below and above the rotating brushes b, and which
serve to protect the latter from excessive load and unnecessary wear resulting
therefrom.
The apparatus is held in the vertical direction along the ship's side by means of
ropes or chains m m³. The upwardly leading rope m may for instance be fastened
to one railing and the downwardly leading rope m¹ may be passed under and round
the ship's bottom and fastened to the other railing of the ship or in some other
suitable manner. The forwardly leading rope n is fastened around the ship's bow on
deck in any suitable manner, and is drawn forwards to a suitable extent after each
operation of treating a part of the hull equal to the diameter of the brush, and is
then fastened again.
The brushes which are revolved at a high velocity by means of the paddle wheels,
are moved together with the apparatus slowly from top to bottom or vice versa, along
the ship's exterior, and remove all shell-fish and other incrustations.
When the ship is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 2), a
pressure current will be produced upon the paddle wheels in the direction of the

page_text: arrows y, which current is guided by the fixed blades g in such a manner that
the wheels and with them the brushes will be rotated in the opposite direction.
This oppositely directed rotation of the brushes has been found to be very effective
in practice, because every piace on the ship's side, during the slow up and down
movement of the apparatus, is operated on by the brushes twice in their opposite 5
rotation.
I, ERNST FRIEDRICH WILHELM AGATZ, of Neuhaus, a.d. Elbe, Germany, at present
at sea, Naval Officer, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus designed for cleaning the bottoms and outside
surfaces of ships during their voyages. The apparatus is illustrated in the drawings
filed with my Provisional Specification, whereof
Fig. 1 shows the apparatus as seen in vertical section from its forward end;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus; and
Fig. 3 is a plan thereof.
The apparatus comprises a plate a which is bent to an obtuse angle at its forward
part, and in which two or more brushes are rotatably mounted. Upon the axle of
each brush there are fixed two sets of radial arms or crosses c between which flaps d
each on a bolt or pin fare arranged to move.
In this manner there are formed paddle-wheels the movable paddles d of which, in
their backward movement, assume such positions that they offer but very little or no
resistance to the water. g are guide-blades arranged on the plate a in such a
manner that the paddle-wheels are subjected only on one side to the action of the
water-pressure, and are caused to rotate in opposite directions. Above and below the
paddle-wheels there are mounted in the plate a, pressure-plates h and h¹ which can be
set at any desired angle to the plate a by means of supports i and ¹ or other suitable
means. The water-pressure acting upon the plates h and serves to press the
apparatus up against the side of the ship. The lower pressure-plate h¹ is shaped after
the manner of a ploughshare, whereby there is produced at the same time a
downwardly directed pressure upon the apparatus.
The pressure against the ship's side is taken up by bent springs k, which are
arranged on the rear side of the plate a below and above the rotating brushes b, and
which serve to protect the latter from excessive load and unnecessary wear resulting
therefrom.
The apparatus is held in the vertical direction along the ship's side by means of
ropes or chains m and m¹. The upwardly leading rope m may, for instance, be
fastened to one rail, and the downwardly leading rope m¹ may be passed under and
round the ship's bottom and fastened to the other rail of the ship or be fastened in
some other suitable manner. The forwardly leading rope is passed around the
ship's bow and fastened on deck in any suitable manner, and is drawn forwards to a
suitable extent after each treatinent of a part of the hull equal to the diameter of
one of the brushes, and is then fastened again.
The brushes b, which are revolved at a high velocity by means of the paddle-
wheels, are moved together with the apparatus slowly from top to bottom, or

page_text: vice
versa along the ship's exterior, and remove all shell-fish and other
incrustations.
When the ship is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow x (Fig. 2), a
pressure-current will be produced upon the paddle-wheels in the direction of the
arrows y and will be guided by the fixed blades g in such a manner that the wheels,
and with them the brushes, will be rotated in opposite directions.
This oppositely directed rotation of the brushes has been found to be very
effective in practice, because every place on the ship's side during the slow up and
down movement of the apparatus, is operated upon by the brushes twice in opposite
directions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for cleaning the exterior surfaces of ships during their voyages
comprising two brushes adapted to be automatically rotated, by paddle-wheels or
other means, in opposite directions and about axes perpendicular to the surface to be
cleaned.
2. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claim, for automatically
rotating the brushes in opposite directions, paddle-wheels each formed of two set of
radial arms or crosses fastened on one of the brush-axles and paddles mounted
to rotate between these sets of radial arms or crosses, in combination with guide-
blades for producing the pressure-current to act on the paddle-wheels.
3. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claims, angularly
adjustable pressure-plates for automatically pressing the apparatus against the ship's
side.
4. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claims, bent springs
arranged to take up the pressure exerted upon the apparatus through the pressure-
plates referred to in Claim 3, and thereby to protect the rotating brushes against
excessive loading.
5. The improved apparatus for cleaning the exterior surfaces of ships, constructed,
arranged, and operating substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and
shown in the drawings referred to.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.