IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS AND IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR UTILISING THE " RESISTANCE OF DISPLACEMENT
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Denton Abel at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st September 1882. Communicated
to him from abroad by Emmanuel Lavarenne of Paris in the French Republic.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of N° 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR
VESSELS AND IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR UTILISING THE
"
RESISTANCE OF DISPLACEMENT [Communicated to him from abroad by Emmanuel
Lavarenne of Paris in the French Republic.]
The present invention has for its object to utilise as motive power the great
amount of resistance offered by the water when being displaced by the ship in
passing through it, which resistance in the ordinary construction of ships causes
such a very great loss of propelling power or speed.
The invention consists mainly in forming in the angle of the bows on each side
of the stem two recesses in which are placed paddle wheels rotating on vertical
axes, or other apparatus of a similar nature, so arranged that the pressure of the water
due to its resistance in being displaced by the advancing vessel, causes them to
rotate, developing an amount of force in proportion to the pressure of the water,
which force in being transmitted through their shafts may be utilised either in
aiding the propulsion of the vessel or for other purposes.
Various arrangements may be employed for carrying this invention into practice,
thus according to the arrangement employed by preference, the angular sides of
the bows are made equal in length to about two thirds of the greatest width of the
ship, and such greatest width is situated immediately behind the termination of
the angular sides, which are united thereto by an easy curvature. In the surface<
of the angular sides are formed recesses extending vertically from near the wat
line to the bilge and horizontally from near the stem to beyond the junction of
the angular sides with the extreme width of the ship, and of a depth nearly equil
to the semiwidth of the ship, so that the inner sides of the two recesses nearly
touch the centre line of the ship. In each of these recesses are placed two paddle
wheels, the vertical shafts of which are carried in bearings in decks or floors
forming the top and bottom of the recesses, and passing through the upper deck,

page_text: are connected by cranks, toothed wheels or other suitable gearing to the motor or
mechanism to be worked thereby. The one paddle wheel is formed of larger
diameter than the other and is situated in the rear of the latter, its axis being
about in line with the junction of the bows with the sides of the ship, while the
smaller wheel is situated near the stem. The diameter of the blades or paddles is
such as to approach with their outer edges very near to the curved line representing
the angular surface of the bows, the lower parts of the blades being consequently
rounded off in a corresponding manner to such curvature. The inner surfaces of
the recesses are formed so as to surround closely the edges of the blades of each
wheel at their inner sides to an extent nearly equal to one half the circumference,
so that the pressure of the water can only act on the outer half of the circumference
and thus effect the rotation of the wheels.
The paddle wheels are protected from injury by a series of horizontal curved bars
at suitable distances apart enclosing the recesses.
The power developed by the above described apparatus may be utilised by being
made either to assist in driving the ordinary propeller of the vessel, or one or more
auxiliary propellers, or to compress air or drive a dynamo electric machine or for
any other purpose. If utilised in assisting the propulsion of the vessel, it will be
evident that while employing one and the same amount of propelling, power, ships
constructed according to the present invention will attain a greatly increased speed
as compared with vessels of ordinary construction.
The invention may not only be applied to ships specially constructed for the
purpose but also to ships already constructed, and it is applicable as well to sailing
vessels as to steam ships.