Improvements in Mechanism for Closing and Opening Collision Doors on Shipboard.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1892.
Complete Specification Left; 30th May, 1893-Accepted, 1st July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Closing and Opening Collision
Doors on Shipboard.
I, ALEXANDER WILLOUGHBY MONTGOMERY-MOORE, of 12 Cathnor Road
Shepherds Bush, London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
"
At the present time in the case of collision at sea the doors in the water tight
bulkheads have to be closed by men told off for this duty and the safety of the ship
depends on each of these men retaining his presence of mind under very adverse
conditions.
-
According to my invention I provide for the control of all the collision doors
mechanically by means of a hand lever or key upon the bridge within easy reach
of the officer in command. I connect this lever or key with gear extending to each
of the doors and so arranged that a single movement will cause the closing of all
the doors simultaneously.
This may be done in different ways according to the circumstances and arrange-
ments of the ship. If the ship be fitted with electrical appliances a small electro
motor may be provided at each collision door and so coupled with it that by the
working of the motor the door is closed. The lever or key on the bridge closes
the electric circuit of each of these motors.
If the ship be provided with hydraulic gear, then each of the doors may be fitted
with a small hydraulic cylinder to close it and also to open it if desired. The lever
or key on the bridge in this case serves to open a valve to admit water under
pressure to the small cylinders which move the doors. Or the door closing cylinders
may receive their supply from a small accumulator or steam pump provided
expressly to serve them.
Or the doors may be arranged to be closed by the action of gravity or by a
weight set free by the hand lever or key.
The arrangements are such as to prevent the doors closing with undue
violence.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Closing and Opening Collision
Doors on Shipboard.
I, ALEXANDER WILLOUGHBY MONTGOMERY-MOORE, of 12 Cathnor Road,
Shepherds Bush, London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
At the present time in the case of collision at sea the doors in the water tight
bulkheads have to be closed by men told off for this duty and the safety of the ship
depends on each of these men retaining his presence of mind under very adverse
conditions.
According to my invention I provide for the control of all the collision doors
mechanically by means of a hand lever or key upon the bridge within easy reach
of the officer in command. I connect this lever or key with gear extending to cach
of the doors and so arranged that a single movement will cause the closing of all
the doors simultaneously.

page_text: This may be done in different ways according to the circumstances and arrange-
ments of the ship.
The arrangement which in most cases I prefer is as follows:-I arrange the
collision door to slide vertically between guides fixed upon the bulkhead; the door
descends to cover and close the doorway. The door is fitted to slide freely between
guides but in the last part of its descent as it closes, the door is brought into close
and water tight contact with the frame around the doorway by inclines upon the
door at its four corners (and also it may be at intermediate points) which come
against corresponding inclines upon the guides. Chains are attached to the door
near its upper corners and by these when the door is open, it hangs suspended.
The chains pass over pulley's and are led in a horizontal direction to a cylinder
fixed against the bulkhead. A piston is fitted in this cylinder upon a rod which
passes out from the end of the cylinder by a gland and the chains by which the
door is suspended are made fast to the piston rod.
The cylinder is connected with a pump either a small hand pump in the immediate
neighbourhood of the door or it may be a pump at a distance worked by steam or
otherwise. By either of these or by other suitable means water or liquid under
pressure is admitted to the cylinder until the door is fully raised. In this position
if there be no leakage the door will be supported for an indefinite time and even
should the gland and connections not be perfectly tight, any leakage which may
occur is easily made good from time to time. From the cylinder which by means of
its piston and the liquid within it thus serves to support the door a quill-like copper
pipe passes to the bridge of the steamer or it may be to some other place where a
responsible officer is always in attendance and here it terminates in a small valve or
stop cock. In case of collision or other emergency the officer opens the stop cock
and thus the liquid is permitted to escape from the cylinder and all being properly
adjusted the door closes at a sufficiently rapid but not at a dangerous speed. Pipes
from all the bulkhead doors in the ship (or from as many of them as may be
considered desirable) are brought together in this place and if considered advisable
a simple mechanism is provided for opening all the cocks simultaneously. Or the
cocks may be arranged in groups so that the officer at his discretion may be able to
close a certain group of doors leaving others open or with scarcely an appreciable
delay he may open in succession the cocks in connection with all the doors under
his control. The opening of the doors is effected by again forcing water or liquid
into the cylinders by means of the pumps.
When it is not convenient to arrange for the doors to be closed by gravity,
springs may be provided to close them and they may be opened and held open by
hydraulic apparatus as above described. Or in place of springs a constant hydraulic
or other pressure may be provided tending to close the door.
It is advisable to provide each door with an indicator to show to the officer in
charge when each door is properly closed. The simplest method is to fit an electric
press button, similar to that used for electric bells, for the door to close against and
to provide a corresponding indicator or drop shutter within sight of the officer.
The door closing presses the button making an electric contact, the circuit thus
completed contains an electro magnet which attracting its armature lets fall the
indicating shutter and the shutter in its movement at the same time that it conveys
the information desired, again opens the circuit.
The end at which I aim is that an officer may without moving from place to
place or any undue exertion and without the aid of any other person control the
closing of a group of doors and preferably of all the collision doors in the ship.
Although the arrangements above described I believe to be the most suitable, still
the same end may be attained by other means; thus if the ship be fitted with
electrical appliances a small electro motor may be provided at each collision door
and so coupled with it that by the working of the motor the door is closed. The
lever or key on the bridge closes the electric circuit of each of these motors.
If the ship be provided with hydraulic gear, such that a supply of water under
heavy pressure is always available and may be drawn off from an hydraulic

page_text: accumulator, then each of the doors may be fitted with a small hydraulic cylinder
to close it and also to open it if desired. The lever or key on the bridge in this
case serves to open a valve to admit water under pressure to the small cylinders
which move the doors. Or the door closing cylinders may receive their supply
from a small accumulator or steam pump provided expressly to serve them.
The arrangements in every case are such as to prevent the doors closing with
undue violence and also such that they will not be prevented from closing by any
trifling obstacle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Mechanism substantially as described for closing and opening collision doors
on shipboard.
2. Mechanism substantially as described for closing collision doors on shipboard
such that from a station suitably situate the closing of a group of doors may be
controlled and simultaneously effected with small manual effort but by the aid of
power previously stored by the raising a weight, compression of a spring or the like
as herein set forth.
3. The combination with collision doors of hydraulic mechanism substantially as
described by which groups of collision doors may be simultaneously allowed or
caused to close as herein set forth.
Dated this 26th day of Anril 1893.
A. W. MONTGOMERY-MOORE.