Year: 1886

page_text: We, JOHN. HARVARD BILES, Naval Architect, and JAMES MCKECHNIE, Chief
Draughtsman, both of Clydebank Ship Yard, Dumbartonshire, 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 improvements in combined steam and hand steering
gear wherein, when steering by power, driving engines controlled by a handing
wheel are employed to actuate bow and stern rudders either together or inde-
pendently as required, the arrangement being such that the engines may be
disengaged from the steering apparatus and coupled or connected to drive a winch,
capstan or windlass.
As represented in end elevation by figure 1, in side elevation by figure 2, in
longitudinal vertical section by figure 3, and in sectional end elevation at figure 4
the combined hand and steam steering gear constituting the invention comprises a
hand shaft A provided with a handing wheel B, and an engine shaft C, journalled
in a framing D, D, and operated from a steam engine or engines E by means of a
worm wheel F keyed on the shaft C and gearing with a worm G, on the crank-
shaft G', of the engine. Upon the shaft C is a loose sleeve H on which are fitted
sprocket wheels or "gipsies” I and I, the former carrying the chain for operating
the stern rudder and the latter being similarly connected to operate the bow
rudder. These sprocket wheels I and I', are loose upon the sleeve H, but are
made fast by means of clutches i and i¹ levers and screw shafts is and i³ provided
for the respective wheels and operated independently so that either rudder may be
used alone or both may be used together in steering the vessel to which the
apparatus is applied. The sleeve H has keyed or formed on it a spur wheel J,
adapted to gear with a spur wheel J, which is fitted to slide upon the hand
shaft A, and when as represented in figure 2 the spur wheels J, J, are 'in
gear the sleeve H and sprocket wheels I, I, and with them the rudders are
operated directly by the handing wheel B, the engine shaft C being free to rotate
independently of the sleeve H, and being then connected by a clutch k, to a
shaft K serving to drive a winch, capstan or windlass. In operating the steering
gear by the steam engine the wheel J, is shifted upon the shaft A, out of gear
with the wheel J, as represented in figure 3, a clutch h keyed upon the shaft C
being at the same time thrown into engagement with clutch prongs on the end of
L

page_text: the sleeve H so that said sleeve is made fast upon the shaft and the movements of
the engine are thereby communicated to the sprocket wheels I, I', to operate the
rudders. The engagement and disengagement of the spur wheels J, J¹ and clutch h
are effected simultaneously by levers L, L', which are acted on by a screw
shaft M, the screws m and m³, on which may be right and left handed or both
right or left banded and connected by suitable levers to throw out of gear the
clutch k, for disengaging the capstan shaft K, when the clutch his shifted into
gear with the sleeve H, to bring the engine shaft into engagement with the sleeve
and the chain wheels of the steering apparatus and the spur wheel J¹ on the hand
shaft is thrown out of gear. As is usual in steering gear of this class the engines
are operated by the movement of the handing wheel through the medium of
controlling gear acted on from the hand wheel and the engines, the controlling
gear in the present instance being of improved construction. A steam admission
and exhaust valve E¹ connected to the engines is actuated, to admit steam to either
end of the slide valves of each of the cylinders E, and to cut off the steam supply,
by means of a screwed sleeve n to which the valve spindle e is connected by a
collar thereon, the sleeve n being secured by a key and long key way, permitting
of end-wise movement, to a vertical shaft N, on whose upper end is a bevel
pinion a¹ in gear with a bevel wheel a on the hand shaft A. The rotation of the
shaft A, on turning the handing wheel B, is communicated through the bevel gearing
to the shaft N and sleeve n which latter by turning within a screw nut O, is raised
or lowered and correspondingly acts on the valve E¹ according to the direction of
movement of the handing wheel. Steam being thus admitted to the cylinders E
motion is thereby communicated to the engine shaft C whereby. the rudder
operating wheels I and I¹ are rotated. At the same time a bevel wheel P on the
end of the shaft C gearing with a bevel pinion P¹ connected by a hollow boss p
and a key p¹ to the nut O rotates the latter and by acting on the screwed sleeve n
within it brings it and the valve E¹, back to the normal position in which the
valve closes the steam ports and thereby stops the movement of the engines. The
rudder gear is prevented from re-acting upon the engines by the worm G which
by locking the worm wheel F holds the engine shaft C stationary until a further
movement of the engines takes place. When the engines are disengaged from the
steering gear and connected to the capstan shaft K by shifting the clutches h and k,
and throwing the wheels J, J¹ into gear as shown in figure 2, and the hand shaft A
is thus brought into action to operate the steering gear by hand the controlling
gear is taken out of action by lowering the bevel wheels a¹ and P¹ out of gear with
the wheels a and P. This is effected by turning a hand wheel q formed on a screw
barrel fitted loosely upon the boss p and engaging with a stationary nut R
whereby said boss and with it the shaft N is lowered, the latter sliding within the
screw sleeve n. In a guide bracket S at the upper end of the shaft N is a feather s
which is pressed into a key way in the shaft and serves to prevent the shaft
turning when the bevel gearing is disengaged. The feather and key way are
beveled at one end in order that when the shaft N is again raised the feather may
be forced out of the key way. To provide for actuating the steam valve E¹ when
the controlling gear is disconnected from the hand shaft A and engine shaft C a
handing wheel Ŏ¹ is formed on the nut O, and by turning said nut the sleeve n
and with it the valve E¹ may be moved into position to admit steam to operate
the engines in either direction or to cut off the steam.
As means for indicating the position of the bow and stern rudders two
pointers vand v are provided the one serving for the bow rudder and the other
for the stern rudder. These pointers are carried the one v¹ on a hollow spindle U
and the other von a solid spindle passing therethrough and said spindles are
operated independently of each other by separate trains of gearing V and V₁, the
one train V being operated from a toothed rim on the side of the sprocket wheel I
and the other V¹, in a like manner from the sprocket wheel I'.
A screw sleeve T upon the hand shaft A and fitted in the standard D is
provided with stops t to limit the extent of movement of the handing wheel B

page_text: when operating the steering gear by means of the steam engines. To make
provision however whereby any relative sizes of the geared wheels J, J¹, may be
used in order to obtain sufficient power for operating the steering gear by hand
and the hand shaft may be free to be turned through a greater number of
revolutions than is necessary in operating the controlling gear of the engine, the
screw sleeve T is fitted with a key way having in it a movable key or wedge t¹ by
which the sleeve is prevented from turning with the hand shaft while the engines
operate the steering gear but which is withdrawn by means of a screw t, in order
that the sleeve may turn with the shaft and prevent the limiting action of the
stops t, when the gear is operated by hand. Index marks are formed upon the
sleeve T to correspond with the marks over which the pointers of the bow and
rudder indices travel, and a hand wheel T¹ is formed on the sleeve T in order that
said sleeve may be turned by hand to bring it into a position in which the
index marks thereon correspond with the rudder indices before connecting the
steering gear to the engine shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination of parts constituting the combined steam and hand steering.
gear herein described, with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. The combination of parts forming the improved controlling gear for steam
steering apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings
annexed.
3. In combined steam and hand steering gear the combination of the shaft C,
the sleeve H, sprocket wheels I, I', and clutch devices arranged to operate bow and
stern rudders independently, substantially as herein described with reference to
the drawings annexed.
4. In combined steam and hand steering gear the combination with the engine
shaft and a sleeve thereon fitted with rudder operating gear, of clutch devices
adapted to simultaneously disengage the engine shaft from the rudder gear and
engage it with a capstan or windlass shaft, substantially as herein described with
reference to the drawings annexed.
5. In combined steam and hand steering gear the combination with the screwed
stop sleeve of means for preventing its rotation with the hand shaft while
permitting of endwise movement and for disengaging the sleeve in order that it
may be turned on or with said shaft, substantially as herein described and for the
purpose set forth.
" 1004