Improvements in Diving Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 8th day of July 1898.
Date of Application, 31st July, 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Diving Apparatus.
We, JOHN BUCHANAN, of Broken Hill Chambers, 31, Queen Street, Melbourne,
in the Colony of Victoria, Civil Engineer, and ALEXANDER GORDON, of Broken
Hill Chambers, as aforesaid, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of our
said 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 consists of an improved construction of the dress which is made
sufficiently strong to withstand the difference in pressure between the water out-
side of it and the air within, the objects of the improvements being to relieve
divers from excessive internal air pressure when diving at great depths and to
enable them to work at greater depths than have been previously attempted.
In order that our invention may be well understood we will now proceed to
describe it by a reference to the attached drawings.
Fig. 1 of which is a front view of a complete diving dress constructed according
to our invention, a part of the body piece and a part of one of the legs having the
outer covering removed to shew the metallic core and the method of embedding
it in the watertight dress material;
Fig. 2, a side view of the diving dress with the outer watertight covering
removed from part of the arm, the body piece and one of the legs:
Fig. 3, a section drawn to an enlarged scale of the joints between the metallic
jacket and the body piece and between the latter and the upper part of one of the
legs and shewing the metallic core as arranged in the dress material and the
method of securing the latter to the joint pieces and also shewing an arc-shaped
distance piece;
Figure 4, a half plan of a metallic crutch plate which has holes through it for
the legs and also supports the arc-shaped distance pieces.
Figure 5, a sectional side view of a metallic boot, shewing the joint between it
and the leg:
Figure 6, a general view of a complete diving apparatus as at work and showing
the position of the air supply and the exhaust pipes; and
Figure 7, a section of the exhaust relief valve."
Our improvements comprise providing a sufficient strong watertight diving
dress flexible where required and capable of withstanding the difference between
the pressure of the water outside the dress and the pressure of the air within it
when the vitiated air is exhausted at a suitable distance under the surface of
the water so that the body and limbs of the diver may be relieved from the
excess of the water pressure outside the dress over the air pressure within it
and yet have sufficient freedom of motion inside of the diving dress. Further
our improvements comprise constructing the diving dress at positions where con-
siderable motion is required of flexible watertight material made up in folds

page_text: and having a metallic spiral wire core firmly embedded with india rubber or
other suitable solution between the said several folds and again where no consider-
able motion is required we provide certain metallic cylindrical and other shaped
plates, all made of sufficient strength to withstand any excess external water
pressure under which it is desired to work.
In the drawings A is the helmet connected by an ordinary helmet and corslet
joint A with a metallic jacket D which forms the upper part of the body of
diving dress. Bis the exhaust pipe leading from back of helmet to front of
dress whereat it is furnished with a stop cock B to which is connected exhaust
hose 132 the upper or free end of the latter being furnished with an escape
valve B³. Cis the air supply pipe which is also brought from back of helmet
to front of dress and it has a stop cock C which in turn is attached to the air
supply hose C. The metallic jacket D has short metallic arm pieces I secured
to it the openings of which, as shown, face directly forwards. are as wide as
necessary to allow of the insertion of the arms of the wearer and are as near
together as necessary to enable the hands of the wearer to be brought well to
the front whilst to said arm. pieces tapering flexible sleeves E are attached by
watertight screw joints and said sleeves are constructed of waterproof material
having a spiral metallic core firmly embedded between them in a manner similar
to that of the body piece. E are india rubber cuffs attached to the sleeves and
over said cuffs gauntlets may be drawn to protect the diver's hands. F is the
fiexible body piece made up of a number of folds f' of prepared watertight
material fixed together with india rubber or other suitable solution or cement
and having a metallic spiral wire core f firmly embedded between the said folds.
Said core before being placed between the folds is coated with a solution of
copper or other suitable material which will prevent corrosion. The top end
of body piece is connected to the metallic jacket D by a watertight screw joint
while its bottom end is made up of a metallic crutch plate F2 having leg holes
in it around which latter are screw joint pieces for connection to the upper
metallic joint rings of the flexible legs G which are made of layers of waterproof
material having
a metallic core between them in the same manner as described
for the body piece. The flexible or watertight material and core portions of the
dress are in all cases firmly secured over their metallic end connections with
copper wire or other lashings while shews one of a series of narrow clips
which are soldered to the metallic ring. F is one of two opposite plates of arc
shape in horizontal section and bolted at their lower ends to the crutch piece F
whilst their upper ends are free and determine the distance to which the body
piece will close to and thus they prevent any possibility of the diver being crushed
in a vertical direction whilst at a great depth under water. H are metallic
boots connected to the lower part of the legs by watertight union joints M.
Hare metallic slippers secured upon the boots by the straps h. H2 are wooden
soles bolted to the slippers and H lead weights fastened by wood screws or
otherwise to said wooden soles. I are metallic connections of the "helmet and
corslet joint type having in each case a leather or other washer I¹ to ensure
their being water tight and I are capstan headed stop screws to prevent the
unscrewing of the joint pieces. J and I are leather or other straps the former
for adjusting the length of body piece F and the latter for adjusting the legs G
to suit the diver wearing the dress and both having the effect of preventing the
flexible body-piece and legs from being extended longitudinally by internal air-
pressure in excess of the external pressure. L is an air escape safety valve with
spring attachment of the ordinary type used in diving dresses.
The diving dress when completed is properly adjusted and balanced with
weights to suit the diver who is going to use it and we prefer fixing the weights
on the top of cruteh piece F2 and on the soles H of the boots. It will be noticed
that the parts of the diving dress subjected to the most wear and tear viz. the
arms, body and legs are made separable and consequently they can be readily
renewed when worn out or damaged.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be
understood that we do not claim in a diving apparatus the combination of an
exhaust pipe or hose having a relief valve at its free end with the helmet of the
dress said exhaust pipe being so arranged that its point of discharge below the
surface of the water can be regulated or adjusted but we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a diving apparatus of the kind claimed in the second claim the helmet
of the dress furnished with two branches one for connection to an exhaust pipe
as specified in the disclaiming note and the other for connection to the air supply
pipe leading from an air supply source above the surface of the water and with
cocks to such branches substantially as herein described and as illustrated in
our drawings.
2. In a diving apparatus the body piece arms and legs of the dress or the
portions thereof where considerable motion is required constructed of several folds
of waterproof material secured together with india rubber or other solution or
cement and having a metallic spiral wire core firmly embedded between the said
folds and means for preventing longitudinal extension of the body-piece and the
legs and for preventing longitudinal compression of the body-piece substantially
as herein described and explained and as illustrated in our drawings.
3. In a diving apparatus as specified in Claim 2 a metallic jacket as D having
short metallic arm pieces as D₁ rigidly secured to it and having openings facing
directly forwards, in combination with the helmet as A to which it is attached
by a screw watertight joint substantially as herein described and explained and
as illustrated in our drawings.
4. In a diving apparatus the flexible body piece as F of the dress constructed
as specified in Claim 2 and having a metallic screw ring for connection to the
metallic jacket as D and a crutch piece as F2 at its bottom provided with two
screwed rings for connection to the legs substantially as herein described and
explained and as illustrated in our drawings.
5. In a diving apparatus the flexible legs as G of the dress constructed as
specified in Claim 2 and each having a metallic screw ring at its top end for
connection to the ring on crutch piece F and at bottom a screw ring for connec-
tion to the metallic boot substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in our drawings.
6. In a diving apparatus the metallic boot as H of the dress having a screw
connection at its top for attachment to the bottom of leg in combination with
the weighted slipper H1, H2, H3 and the strap h substantially as herein described
and explained and as illustrated in our drawings.
7. In a diving apparatus the dress constructed of the helmet, jacket with arm
pieces and arms, the body piece the legs the boots and the slippers and their
appurtenant parts in combination with the exhaust hose or pipe which exhausts
under the surface of water and the air supply pipe all secured together and
arranged substantially as herein described and explained and as illustrated in
our drawings.