IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS TO FACILITATE PRO-. PULSION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent in the City of Hamburg, Germany for an Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS TO FACILITATE PRO-.
PULSION Communicated to me by Gustaf de Laval, Doctor of Philosophy
of Stockholm in the kingdom of Sweden
:
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Friedrich Hermann Felix
Engel at the Office of the Cominissioners of Patents on the 20th December
1882.
•
FRIEDRICH HERMANN FELIX ENGEL Civil Engineer and Patent Agent in the
city of Hamburg Germany "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS TO
FACILITATE PROPULSION a communication to me by Gustaf de Laval Doctor of
Philosophy of Stockholm in the Empire [kingdom] of Sweden,
"
The object of this invention is to reduce the resistance experienced by a vessel
during its progress through the water and has for its purpose to attain a higher
rate of speed as well as to save coal or motive power generally.
The actual resistance experienced by a vessel arises in its main part from two
causes firstly from the friction between submerged surface and the water and
secondly from the resistance of the water that has to be removed in front of the
vessel as well as that to be restored at the stern to fill up the vacuim or free space
left by the proceeding body. The working power required to remove such quantity
of water, as well as to restore it in position, can be calculated as follows; A vessel
(at least one that is intended to be driven at a higher rate of speed) may theo-
retically speaking be compared to two pointed wedges placed end to end together
at their base the one or foremost for the purpose of removing the water in the way
of the vessel as gently as possible, the other or hindmost for the purpose of allowing
the water to fill as gently as possible the vacuim or free space which would
otherwise arise from the progress of the vessel. If v designates speed of the vessel
relative to the water, 2 length of vessel, 2 b its beam and d its depth and if for

page_text: sake of simplicity the wedge angles at bow and stern be taken to be of equal size,
the water in the way of the vessel is pressed aside to the right and left by the
front wedge with a speed of 2 for which the requisite work is (I)'a'='/, M. V²=
212
b. d. v. 1000 kilogramm. ( 17.v) ² where 9 designates acceleration or 9.81 metres,
g
M mass and V the speed of the displaced water.
In order that the vessel be
enabled to move forward, an equal volume of water must fill up the space
or vacuum at the sterm of the vessel that would otherwise arise from the
progress of the same through the water and for which the requisite work is
(II) a² = 212 b. d. v 1.000 kilogramm (k.) .v)² where k is a coefficient that lies between
1 and near 2 according to length and shape of vessel. From this is apparent
that under unfavorable conditions, the work to fill the space after the vessel
exceeds considerably in some cases 4 times, the work requisite for pressing
the water aside in front of the vessel. According to this the work requisite
for removal and restoring of the water under most favourable will be :-
(III) a¹=2
1000 bad
"
فرح
T
g
g
whilst under unfavorable conditions such work will approach in a greater or lesser
degree to
63d
(IV) a²=(1+k²) {1000 bad. 23)
where
lies between 1 and nearly 2
This removal and restoring of water can be effected in such manner that the
required work is almost caused by friction only and I carry it out as follows:-
The vessel's exterior dimensions are constructed below water line as a surface
that is parallel to the vessel's longitudinal axis in which case no removal of water
takes place outside the vessel. The submerged part of the vessel is formed in shape
of a funnel or funnels through which the whole volume of water removed by the
vessel's beam or front part is passed through during the progress of the vessel
By widening the orifice of the funnel or funnels conically the water is partly
pressed and partly sucked through the funnel or funnels during the progress of the
vessel in accordance with a well known hydro-mechanical law after which such
shaped tubes or funnels discharge a greater quantity of water than openings
furnished with cylindrical tubes or funnels.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent_filed
by the said Friedrich Hermann 'Felix Engel in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th June 1883.
FRIEDRICH HERMANN FELIX ENGEL Civil Engineer and Patent Agent in the
City of Hamburg Gerinany "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS TO
FACILITATE PROPULSION" a communication to me from abroad by Gustaf de Laval,
Doctor of Philosophy, of Stockholm in the kingdom of Sweden
The object of this invention is to reduce the resistance experienced by a vessel
during its progress through the water and has for its purpose to attain a higher
rate of speed as well as to save coal or motive power. The actual resistance
experienced by a vessel arises mainly from two causes, viz, Firstly from the friction
between submerged surface and the water and. Secondly, from the resistance of
the water in front of the vessel which has to be displaced as well as that which
has to be restored at the stern to fill the vacuum or free space left by the pro-
ceeding body. The working power required to remove such quantity of water as
well as to restore it in position can be calculated as follows: A vessel (at least
one that is intended to be driven at a higher rate of speed) may theoretically
speaking be compared to two pointed wedges placed end to end together at their
base, the one or foremost for the purpose of removing the water in the way of the
vessel as gently as possible, the other or hindermost for the purpose of allowing
the water to fill as gently as possible into the vacuum or vacant space which would
otherwise arise from the progress of the vessel.. If designates speed of the vessel
relative to the water, 2 length of vessel 2b its beam and d its depth and if for
sake of simplicity the wedge angles at bow and stern be taken to be of equal size
the water in the way of the vessel is pressed aside to the right and left by the front
made with
'b
:

page_text: required work is almost caused by friction only and this is carried out as
follows:-
The vessels exterior dimensions are constructed below water line as a surface that
is parallel to the vessel's longitudinal axis in which case no removal of water takes
place outside the vessel. The submerged part of the vessel is formed in shape of
a funnel or funnels through which the whole volume of water removed by the
vessel's stem or front-part is passed through during the progress of the vessel. By
widening the orifice of the funnel or funnels conically the water is partly pressed
and partly sucked through the funnel or funnels during the progress of the vessel
in accordance with a well known hydro-mechanical law after which such shaped
tubes or funnels discharge a greater quantity of water than openings furnished
with cylindrical tubes or funnels.
In the drawings Fig 1 is a front view, Fig 2 a longitudinal section at line a b
and Fig 3 a longitudinal section after line cd (both of Fig 1) of the outlines of a
vessel furnished with a rectangular funnel shaped opening A formed after the
improved construction, nearly all water removed by the vessel during its progress
through the water enters funnel A at the front end a passes through the funnel
and passes out at the hinder.end a¹
Fig 4 is a front view of a circular funnel A instead of a square or rectangular
one as before described.
"
Having now described the said invention in such wise that the same may be
readily carried into practical effect I claim.
The construction of the lines of a vessel below the water-line parallel or nearly
parellel to the vessels length or direction of the longitudinal axis thereof and the
application of a funnel or of funnels A as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel have hereunto
set my hand and seal this sixteenth day of June in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
T
TI
T ENCEL
F, HE, ENGEL