Improvements in Steering Gear.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1891-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1891
INVIDIONAL DI MOTIVATIO
Improvements in Steering Gear.
I, GENNARO AZZERONI, of No. 8, Trinity House, Bath Terrace, in the Borough
of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in steering gear, and its object is to effect
automatically the locking of the rudder after the put, at the same time making a
sufficient provision for allowing the rudder to yield a little to wave or swell-shocks
for the purpose of preventing the gear being smashed thereby.
In carrying my invention into effect, the top of the rudder-post is provided with,
or terminates in, a ring the opposite external sides of which are excentric, both
eccentrics being towards the same side of the ring. The said side and the one
exactly opposite are provided with arms from which a horizontal yoke is taken to a
horizontal arm projecting from the rudder-post, to which it is joined. As the yoke
lies above the arm, a slight curvature of the extremities of each is necessary for
making them meet in the plane of junction. The end of the yoke is forked and
receives the end of the arm. Between each side of the arm-end and the adjacent
side of the yoke-end, there is interposed a spring cushion of suitable strength. A
bolt is passed through the yoke-ends, the arm-end, and the spring cushions; or
other equivalent means for joining the yoke end to the arm end are adopted.
The ring above mentioned lies within a circular box or casing. The cover of
this box is moved about its axis in the act of steering, and is, in fact, the first
motion member of the gear which forms the subject matter of the present invention.
It has two notches in its under face, and these embrace the above mentioned arms
of the ring on the top of the rudder-post, but each notch is wider than its relative
arm; and it is these two excesses of width, in conjunction with the pair of spring
cushions in the fork of the yoke-end already mentioned, that I rely on for
allowing the rudder to give against a sudden wave or swell-shock sufficiently to
prevent the force of said shock smashing any member of the steering gear.
The connection between the first motion member already referred to and the said
ring upon the rudder-post is by two studs on the said member and a loose ring with
two arms. The studs are opposite to each other, and so are the arms, but not
diametrically so, each pair being aligned to one side of a diameter, and both studs
engage with the same sides of their respective arms.
Each of the said arms has pivotted to it a frame in which two wings.are pivotted,
their pivots being vertical. The two wings are kept normally close together by an
internal spring. There is a stop on each arm and a spring adapted to keep the said
frame up to the said stop.
is
The wings therefore move in arcs between the eccentricities on the ring on the
rudder-post and the internal face of the box or casing. When the steering gear
worked, one stud on the under side of the cover presses upon the pair of wings,
which were previously locking the rudder by bearing against the said internal face,
and disengages them so that the rudder can be put about, but as soon as this has
been effected, one of the pairs of wings is forced out against the said internal face
and the rudder is locked fast, excepting of course the amount of free motion
permitted to it by the excess widths in the notches of the box cover and the spring
cushions in the yoke-fork before referred to.
Dated this 29th day of May 1891.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steering Gear.
I, GENNARO AZZERONI, of No. 8, Trinity House, Bath Terrace, in the Borough
of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in steering gear; and its objects are, first,
to automatically effect the locking of the rudder in any position, either during or
at the end of its being put over to either port or starboard; second, to make proper
provision for allowing the rudder to yield a little before the shock of a wave or of
a swell; and third, to make it capable of gradually absorbing the force of such shock
and to practically nullify it, so as to prevent the gear and rudder, or either of them,
being smashed.
It can be used in combination with any tiller or steering gear, and to any of
thëse it is an addition as distinguished from a substitute or alternative gear and
moreover the way in which the tiller or gears at present in use are operated will
not be changed by the present invention being fitted to them.
I attain the objects of my invention by the mechanisms illustrated in the
accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of this Specification.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating my invention as adapted to be worked
in the horizontal plane by an ordinary hand tiller. It is taken on the line A-B
of the next figure.
Fig. 2 is a plan corresponding with Fig. 1, but with the left hand half of the
cover removed.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the cam and its arms.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the locking device.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of a pair of wings.
Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of a frame and its pair of wings.
Fig. 8 is a rear clevation of a frame.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of one wing.
Fig. 10 is a front elevation of a pair of wings.
Fig. 11 is a reversed elevation of Fig. 10.
Fig. 12 is a part sectional plan of a pair of wings and the frame in which they
are carried.
Figs. 13 and 14 are, respectively, sectional elevation and plan of a modification
of my invention.
Fig. 15 is a side elevation of a further modification according to which the
invention is adapted to be worked in the vertical plane by the ordinary steering wheel.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 12, a is the top of the rudder-post, i.e., the rudder-head.
It projects up through a rudder-port a¹ in the deck a² as heretofore.
b is a fixed circular box or casing. This is shewn as supported above the rudder-
head by suitable standards, and this is the most suitable position for it to occupy;
but I do not confine myself in this respect. The internal side or periphery of the
box shewn as vertical in Figs. 1 and 2 is the operative surface of the box. Fig. 1
shews the rudder-head as stopping short of the box b, but it may enter it-the
plane of the latter being adjusted accordingly-and provide the practical centre
about which the cam works.
is the cover of the box. It is of a sufficient diameter and proper shape to
keep the interior of the box weather-proof. This cover is the first motion member
of the gear which forms the subject matter of the present invention. is a hand-
tiller. It radiates from the cover to which it is fixed in any convenient way for
moving the said cover about its axis in the act of steering. The seat, 63, of the
cover is provided by a shoulder in the ring of the locking device described further

page_text: on.
is the axis of the cover. It is a pin fast to the latter, and is continued
downwards through the bottom of the box where it receives a holding nut 4.
are two slots diametrically opposite each other. They embrace the arms of
the cam next described, but are wider than the said arms for a reason which is
explained further on. 686 are two studs on the under surface of the cover.
function is described further on.
Their
It is
is a ring provided with two eccentricities thus constituting it a cam.
adapted to move about a fixed axis. This axis is shown as provided by a central
stud or boss, c', projecting upwards from the bottom of the box. c², ³ are the two
eccentricities of the cam, and both trend towards the same side of the ring. c, c³ are
two arms of equal length. They are aligned with the major axis of the cam,
with which latter they are firmly incorporated. Each arm terminates in a pivot c³.
The function of these pivots is to establish an operative connection between the
cam and the yoke next mentioned.
d is the yoke or double fork, the function of which is to establish a connection
between the tiller d' and the cam c. One fork d', d, is bored to receive the pivots co
of the cam c.
Any other method of connecting the extremities d', ', of the fork
to the arms c, c, may be adopted, for I do not confine myself to making the
connection between the yoke and cam a pivotal one, inasmuch as it may be a rigid
one, but prefer it to be pivotal so that the outer end of the yoke may rise and
fall, as may be required, for instance, to enable it to follow the motion of the tiller
of a rudder-head, as explained more fully further on, or when the rudder is suddenly
pushed up and down.
³ is the tiller of the steering gear. It is an arm projecting laterally from the
rudder-head to which it is made fast as heretofore. It lies centrally under the
yoke d, and its outer end is bent upwards until it stands aligned equidistantly
between the fork dd. Between each arm of this for kand the tiller-end dª,
I interpose a cushioning spring d. These springs are shown as of the helical type,
but may be of any other possessed of the necessary resilience. They are held in
operative position by a bolt d which is passed through suitable holes in the fork-
arms and the tiller-end. It is these springs by which the second and third objects
of my invention are attained.
When the rudder-head rakes or inclines aft, as illustrated in Fig. 1, it is self
evident that the tiller ³ cannot move in a horizontal plane but must, when the
gear is worked, move in either of two planes, both inclined upwards but in opposite
directions from the horizontal or amidship position of the tiller. But a yoke
rigid from end to end is capable of only two motions, one in the horizontal plane
about the box b, and a second one in the vertical plane about the pivots c. To
allow of these two motions (at right angles with each other) being merged in a
single one, inclined at the necessary angle to enable the fork d² to move with the
tiller-end d', a swivel joint is introduced into the yoke near the said fork d² ².
The function of this joint is to allow of the fork d² de turning in either direction in
the vertical plane, and so long as this function is provided for, any type of joint
may be used. The one illustrated consists of a pin which projects axially from
the yoke and enters a hole bored longitudinally through the boss in which it can
rotate freely about its axis.
"
The rudder-locking device-and- this in combination with the cam and the
operative face of the box is the principal feature of my invention-is illustrated in
Figs. 1 and 2, and in detail in Figs. 5 to 12. It consists of the following members.
is a loose ring adapted to move about the pin 6, and having its seat upon a surface
a little above the came. This surface is shown in Fig. 1 as provided by an anti-
friction ring lying upon the bottom of a cavity in the top of the cam c as well as
upon the top of the stud e'. The ring e moves about the same axis as the cover ',
i.e., about the pin which passes through a central cavity in the ring, e², e² are a
pair of arms projecting from opposite sides of the ring e. The addenda to one arm
are counterparts of those to the other, so that a description of one set thereof is a
description of both. e is a frame. Its top and bottom edges are bent at right

page_text: angles in the same direction. e³ is a distance piece to which both of the said bent
edges are made fast. The outer faces of the two distance pieces are the surfaces
with which the operative faces of the studs 686 on the underside of the cover
respectively engage. They occupy relative positions accordingly. The frame is
pivotted, or hinged, by means of a socket e" on its inner edge, on a pin e depending
in a plane parallel with the side of the box but stopping short of the bottom of the
latter. In point of depth, the frame is less than that of the box, and is prevented from
dropping on to the bottom thereof by an enlargement on the end of the pin e, eg., a
stop pin e'. is a stop depending from the end of the arm, and is the seat up to
which the frame is normally held by a suitable returning spring, e', which has a
fixed base of operation, e, on the arm. The figures illustrate the use of a crossed
V spring. One of its arms bears upon the outer extremity of the respective arm
of the loose ring e, and the other enters an eye el on the frame. The spring is
then in tension. Within the frame slides the locking piece or bolt. This consists
of two leaves of equal size, e, e¹³. Their outer edges are adapted to engage,
respectively, with the internal side or periphery of the box a and the opposite
eccentricity of the came for the purpose of locking the rudder. The inner edge of
each is rounded off for the purpose of facilitating the motion of the leaf about its
vertical axis (which is close to the said edge) when it is required to unlock the
rudder. The direction of this motion is clearly indicated by the dash-and-dot lines
in Figs. 6 and 12. e, e¹ are a pair of extensions upon the backs of the leaves.
el is a chamber formed in them, and in it lies a spiral spring el, always in tension,
and which is adapted to keep the leaves aligned, i.e., in the position illustrated in
Figs. 5, 6, and 12, the extensions acting as stops one against the other.
I prefer
that the locking piece or bolt should be inclined to the diameter of the ring e as
shewn in Fig. 2. The spring e6 is a spiral one for the double reason that it is
adapted thereby to keep the leaves aligned and that its ends can follow the motion
of the leaves about their respective axis. The leaves have no practical axis, their
rounded adjacent edges rolling upon each other, and are therefore free to move
radially in either direction within the frame. The locking device lies in the box b
with the distance pieces e in the direction of the projections of the eccentricities of
the cam.
The operation of my invention constructed as above described with reference to
Figs. 1 to 12 is as follows.
Any motion of the tiller d³ is communicated to, and controlled by, the eccentricities,
or c³, which force the respective locking bolts e¹, e¹³, outwards, and wedge them
between the said respective eccentricity and the opposite side of the box ; so
that the rudder is always locked on both sides of the cam, excepting when it is
being moved in the act of, and for the purpose of, steering. Both locking bolts are
operative at a time. If an adverse blow is delivered on to the rudder by a wave or
a swell, the effect of that blow is absorbed by the cushioning springs, whereby the
twisting strain ordinarily falling on the rudder-head is greatly relieved.
As the normal condition of the apparatus inside the box is that of being doubly
locked, as already explained, it follows that. before the rudder can be moved again,
it must be unlocked. The unlocking is effected in the following way.
When the
tiller b² is moved in either direction, one of the studs on the underside of the cover,
68 or, as the case may be, is brought to bear upon the respective distance piece e
before the slots 66 and 7 can come into contact with the respective arms e, c, the
slots being made wider than the arms to allow of this unlocking being effected.
The pressure of the said stud upon the respective distance piece causes the two
leaves of the locking bolt to roll upon their axes, thereby destroying the wedging
of the bolt between the eccentricity of the cam and the side of the box opposite.
Immediately after the bolt has been unlocked, the slots 6, 7, come up to the cam-
arms, e, and, through them move the rudder-tiller d. In the act of moving the
rudder, both the cam and the locking device are kept moving, the former through
the slots 6, 7, bearing against the cam-arms cc, and the latter through one of

page_text: the studs, 6 or ³, as the case may be, bearing against the respective distance
piece e. As soon as the hand-tiller 62 is 'stopped, the rudder becomes automatically
locked by the wedging of the locking bolts in the way already described.
Referring to. Figs. 13. and 14, the modification therein illustrated consists,
comparing it witli. the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in ...
(a). The cover of the box is inoperative as the first motion member of the .
apparatus, that function being discharged by a special disc.
(). The slots are in the arms of the cam instead of in the under face of the.
cover.
(c). The yoke is pivotted on the cover instead of on the arms of the cam.
(d). The yoke and tiller are led forward instead of aft.
The said modifications are as follows. 610 is the cover of the box b. b is a
disc. This disc is the first motion member of the modification now under description
and in so far replaces the cover of Figs. 1 and 12. The hand-tiller is
accordingly made fast to it: It has its seat on a shoulder formed upon a central
tube standing up from the bottom of the box b.
1213 are slots in the arms of the cam c, and it is through them that the motion
of the hand-tiller 2 is communicated to the said cam by means of studs 16, 616,
depending from the disc 6 and entering the respective slots. The latter are in
the ends of the arms of the said cam, instead of in the first motion member of
the apparatus, viz., the cover or the disc 6" 618 and are a pair of studs.
These are the equivalents of the studs 8, 6, of the previous construction, and,
depending from the under side of the disc ", engage with the respective distance
pieces e.
It is to be noted that the disc 11, the ring e, and the cam c, are held a short
distance apart by their respective seats to prevent the motion of one being
communicated to the adjoining one by contact between their adjacent faces.
17, 17 are studs projecting from the edge of tlie cover 10. They form the pivots
of the yoke, the shape of which is slightly modified so far as to crank it for the
purpose of keeping it out of the way of the hand-tiller.
The modifications just described are so immaterial that the practical operation of
the invention constructed according to them is the same as described with reference
to Figs. 1 to 12, and are introduced only to shew how the details of the invention
may be varied without departing from its substance or principle.
Fig. 15 illustrates the application of my invention to a wheel steering gear. The
hand-tiller and yoke are therefore dispensed with.
g is the well known steering wheel. 18 is the cover. Both it and the steering wheel.
are fast on a cominon axis, 61, so that both move together. 20 is the box within
the end of which the cover rides, and to which it is held by any suitable device, e.g.,
set screws, 21, projecting at opposite points through the cover and engaging in a
groove in the outer periphery thereof. c is the cam. c is the pulley round which
the rudder-chain is led. The cam c is fast upon the shaft 8, but the pulley c' is
loose thereon. is a boss fast upon the shaft c near to the pulley c. co is a fork
projecting radially from the said boss. The fork embraces an arm on the
adjacent face of the pulley, and between its opposite faces and the fork there is
interposed a pair of cushioning springs' d. The said arm and fork are respectively
the equivalents of the tiller-end, d', and fork, P, of the constructions illustrated in
Figs. 1, 2, 13 and 14.
It must be pointed out that in all the constructions, the cushioning springs
are between the rudder (represented by the tiller) and the cam. The details of
the construction of the cam are the same as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2
and 5 to 12. Its arms center slots 6 in the sides of the cover. Only one
arm and slot appear in the figure, the others being on the opposite side of the
apparatus, and therefore not visible.
The operative parts of the modification now under description are supported in
'suitable bearings in the tops of a pair of standards h h.

page_text: ú
My invention constructed as last described operates substantially in the same
way as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 12.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
1. The combination of rudder-head, tiller fast thereto, a cam, and a yoke or
double fork pivotted by one fork on arms projecting from opposite ends of the cam
and connected by the other fork to the outer end of the tiller, as set forth.
2. The combination of inclined rudder-head, tiller fast thereto, cam, and a yoke
or double fork pivotted by one fork on arms projecting from opposite ends of the
cam and connected by the other fork to the outer end of the tiller, as set forth.
3. The combination with either a hand-tiller or a steering wheel or their
equivalent, of the hereinbefore described first motion member of the apparatus, the
same being a cap or a disc adapted to engage, by means of either notches or slots.
with arms connected to a yoke through which the motion of the said cover may be
transferred to the tiller of the rudder, as set forth.
4. The combination of outer extremity of the rudder-tiller, fork on the end of a
yoke connected with the locking device, and a cushioning spring held between the
fork and the tiller-end on each side of the latter, as set forth.
5. The combination of a cam locking device adapted to automatically lock the
rudder and to keep it locked with a cushioning spring device interposed between
said device and the tiller of the rudder, as set forth.
6. The combination with a steering gear, of the internal side or periphery of a
circular box, a cam having two eccentricities and a corresponding number of locking
bolts adapted to be wedged or locked between the respective cam eccentricities and
peripheries of the box and to be unlocked therefrom, as set forth.
7. The combination of a cam, a locking device adapted to operate between the
eccentricities of the cam and the internal periphery of a circular box in which the said
cam lies, and cushioning springs adapted by virtue of their interposition somewhere
between the outer end of the rudder-tiller and the cam to absorb any shock delivered
on to the rudder and to take undue strain off the same, as set forth.
8. The combination with either a rudder-head or with a shaft in gear therewith,
of a cam fixed upon said head or shaft, said cam lying within a circular box, and a
locking device adapted to operate between the said cam and box, as set forth.
9. The combination with either a rudder-head or with a shaft in gear therewith,
of a cam fixed upon said head or shaft, said cam lying within a circular box, a
locking device adapted to operate between the said cam and box, and cushioning
springs interposed between the rudder-head or the rudder-chain pulley and the said
cam, as set forth.
10. The combination with a steering gear, of a locking bolt consisting of two
.leaves kept aligned by a spring and adapted to lock by automatically wedging
between adjacent circular and eccentric surfaces one on either hand and to be
released by pressure exerted so as to make the outer or operative edges of the two
leaves move towards each other, as set forth.
11. The combination in the locking device of a steering gear, of two leaves held
together in their normal position by a spring adapted to allow of them rolling upon
each other in one direction, a stop on the back of each leaf adapted to bear upon a
corresponding stop on the back of the other leaf, a frame in which the said pair of
leaves can slide linearly, a pivot by which the said frame is connected to the locking
device, and a spring adapted to keep the said frame in its normal position, as set
forth.
12. The combination in the locking mechanism of a steering gear, of the fixed
inner peripheral surface of a box, an eccentric surface opposite to it but capable of
motion about a common axis, an arm carrying a locking bolt capable of motion
radial or approximately so in respect of the said common axis within a frame

page_text: pivotted upon the said arm and adapted to be locked or wedged between the said
peripheral and eccentric surfaces and to be swung out of engagement with the
peripheral surface by pressure brought to bear upon the said locking bolt, as set
forth.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1891.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.