Improvements in Steering-apparatus for Navigable Vessels.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steering-apparatus for Navigable Vessels.
I, JAMES DIXON CHURCHILL, of 32, Portland Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is well known that the steering-apparatus of navigable vessels as at present
usually constructed are very liable to be broken by heavy seas striking their
rudders. Now the chief object of this invention is the construction of steer-
ing-apparatus that will be free from this dangerous defect. For this purpose
suitable ropes, chains, or the like (hereinafter referred to as ropes) connected with
the quadrant on the rudder-head so as to be adapted to pull the rudder to star-
board and to port respectively are wound at their other ends upon drums con-
taining powerful spiral springs, which are connected on the one hand to axles
on which the drums are loose, and on the other hand to the drums, so as normally
to keep the drum pressed against buffers or stops fixed to the drums and wheels
which are rigidly secured to the axles and by means of which the axles are con-
nected to the main driving and controlling shaft through suitable gearing, the
arrangement being such that if the main shaft be turned so as to wind the rope
or ropes upon either of the spring-drums the axle of the other drum will be turned
in the direction to unwind the rope or ropes therefrom and that if a heavy sea
strike the rudder in any position the respective spiral springs will allow it to
yield to the force of the blow and will bring it back into its original position
after the pressure has sufficiently reduced, the rope or ropes on the other spring-
drum being meanwhile kept taut by suitable tension apparatus, such as a pulley
or pulleys mounted on a carriage adapted to move along suitable guides and
attached to a rope wound at its other end upon a subsidiary spring-drum.
The springs in the main drums are coiled up, when placed in position, so that
they do not come into operation until the strain on the rope or ropes exceeds
that which is solely due to the ship going ahead at full speed with the rudder
hard over.
Any strain in excess of that, such as a sea striking the rudder, or
wreckage, ice, or in passing through shallow or narrow waters where they are
liable to touch the ground, &c. In the above mentioned cases the springs can
be adjusted to slack off to any required extent.
The subsidiary spring drums, are adjusted so as to take up a little more than
the slack of the rope or ropes, when the main spring drums ease off from any
such causes as mentioned above so as to retain the ropes in the grooves on the
quadrant.
The wheels of the shafts on which the spring-drums are mounted are con-
nected with the main driving engine by any suitable means, such as worm-gearing
or spur-gearing the latter, however, is preferred, as it is not liable to cutting
and excessive wear such as occurs in worm-gearing. Means are preferably pro-
vided for enabling the drums to be rigidly connected to the wheels should the
spiral springs break. The main driving and controlling shaft may be driven

page_text: by any suitable means, such as an ordinary steering-engine. Hand driving-gear
may also be provided for use when required.
The ropes may be secured to a sector which may conveniently be of about
240° fixed on the rudder-head and having grooves in its periphery to receive the
ropes, which normally pass upon it, at points approximately diametrically oppo-
site to each other and in almost direct lines from the spring-drums, and extend
round it, being connected at their ends to suitable tightening-devices, attached,
it may be, to the boss of the sector. With such an arrangement, the same pur-
chase obtains throughout in moving the rudder from hard aport to hard astar-
board. The ropes are preferably employed in pairs, each rope being made strong
enough to work and control the rudder alone, so that either can be tightened,
repaired, or removed and another substituted therefor, when required, without
interfering with the working of the apparatus.
By the use of duplicate flexible connections with springs as set forth injury
to the steering gear may be obviated even should the rudder be carried away;
likewise injury to the rudder may be prevented even should the steering gear be
shot away or violently displaced.
I, JAMES DIXON CHURCHILL, formerly of 32, Portland Road, in the County of
Middlesex, but now of "Rockhills," St. Brannock's, Ilfracombe,_in_the_County_
of Devon, 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:―
It is well known that the steering-apparatus of navigable vessels as at present
usually constructed are very liable to be broken by heavy seas striking their rudders.
Now the chief object of this invention is the construction of steering-apparatus
that will be free from this dangerous defect. For this purpose steering-apparatus
is constructed as will now be described with reference to the accompanying draw-
ings, which represent an example thereof, Figs. 1 and 2 being respectively a plan
and a sectional elevation of the entire apparatus, Figs. 3 and 4 respectively a
sectional view of one of the main drums hereinafter referred to and a plan of
the same with its cover removed, and the remaining figures are detail views.
Suitable ropes, chains, or the like (hereinafter referred to as ropes) 1 and 2
suitably connected with the rudder-head 3 so as to be adapted to pull the rudder
to starboard and to port respectively are wound at their other ends upon drums 4
containing powerful spiral springs 5, which are connected on the one hand to
axles 6 on which the drums are loose, and on the other hand to the drums, so as
normally to keep the drums pressed against buffer-like stops 7 secured to wheels 8
which are rigidly secured to the axles 6 and by means of which the axles are
connected to the main driving and controlling shaft 9 through suitable gearing,
the arrangement being such that if the main shaft 9 be turned so as to wind
the rope or ropes upon either of the spring-drums 4, the axle of the other drum 4
will be turned in the direction to unwind the rope or ropes therefrom and that
if a heavy sea strike the rudder in any position, the respective spiral springs 5

page_text: will allow it to yield to the force of the blow and will bring it back into its
original position after the pressure has sufficiently reduced, the rope or ropes on
the other spring-drum 4 being meanwhile kept taut by suitable tension apparatus,
as a pulley or pulleys 10 mounted on a carriage 11 adapted to move along suitable
guides 12 and attached to a rope 13 wound at its other end upon a subsidiary
spring-drum 14.
The wheels 8 of the shafts 6 on which the spring-drums 4 are mounted are
connected with the main driving shaft 9 by any suitable means, such as worm-
gearing, or spur-gearing; the latter, however, is preferred, as it is not liable to
cutting and excessive wear such as occurs in worm-gearing; in the example
shown, both the wheels 8 are spur-wheels and engage with a common spur-wheel 15
fixed on the shaft 9. Suitable means are preferably provided for enabling the
drums 4 to be rigidly connected to the wheels 8 should the spiral springs break.
The main driving and controlling shaft 9 may be driven by any suitable means,
such as an ordinary steering-engine. Hand driving gear may also be provided
for use when required.
The ropes 1 and 2 may, as shown, be secured to a sector 16 (which may con-
veniently be of about 2400) fixed on the rudder-head 3 and having grooves in its
periphery to receive the ropes, which normally pass upon it, as shown, at points
approximately diametrically opposite to each other and in almost direct lines
from the spring-drums 4, and extend round it, being connected at their ends to
suitable tightening devices 17, attached, it may be, to the boss of the sector
or to a portion of the sector near thereto. With such an arrangement, the
same purchase obtains throughout in moving the rudder from hard aport to
hard astarboard. The ropes 1 and 2, which are shown round but may advan-
tageously be flat wire ropes, are preferably employed in pairs, as shown, each
rope being made strong enough to work and control the rudder alone, so that
either can be tightened, repaired, or removed and another substituted therefor,
when required, without interfering with the working of the apparatus.
The springs 5 in the main drums 4 are coiled up, when placed in position, so
that the springs of neither drum will yield until the strain on the rope or ropes
connected therewith exceeds that which is solely due to the ship's going ahead
at full speed with the rudder hard over. Any strain in excess of that, such as
might be produced by a sea, wreckage, or ice, striking or acting upon the rudder,
or in passing through shallow or narrow waters where the rudder is liable to
touch the ground will cause the corresponding springs to yield. The springs can
be adjusted to allow any required extent of movement of the rudder in the case of
such excessive strains. To bring the springs 5 of the drums 4 into their proper
condition, each drum 4, after being placed on its shaft 6 with its springs 5 in
proper engagement with the drum and its axle, may be held still and its wheel 8
rotated until the required stress be given to the springs, whereupon the stop 7
of the wheel 8 is brought into engagement with the drum; after the drums have
been treated in succession in this manner the ropes 1 and 2 may be coiled round
the drums, carried round the sector 16, and secured to the tension apparatus 17
by means of which they will then be tightened, and the wheels S be then geared
together, as by putting the wheel 15 into position. It is advantageous to have
the springs such as to require several turns in order to attain the requisite stress,
for the more turns there are the less will the stress be increased above the normal
by the throwing over of the rudder. In the example shown, each drum 4 is
grooved on its outer periphery and is provided internally with four springs 5,
and a plate 18 is placed between each two adjacent springs so as to prevent
any spring from interfering with the action of its neighbour, especially in the
case of the breakage of the former: the drum has cast on its interior for each
spring 5 a number of lugs 19 provided with recesses 20 in each of which can
engage one end of the spring, the other end of which engages in a recess 21 in
a block 22 which fits on a hexagonal part of the axle 6. The axles 6 are sup-
ported at their lower ends in suitable footsteps 23 and are supported at their

page_text: upper ends by bearings 24 carried by girders 25 carried by standards 26, two
girders 25, being provided so that either drum can be removed for repairs without
disturbing the other. The drums 4 might, if desired, be filled with oil to pre-
serve the springs 5 from corrosion; the top and bottom bearings of the drums
would then be provided with glands and stuffing boxes and the bottom of each
drum would be furnished with a small cock for emptying the drum when necessary.
The buffer-like stops 7 employed in the example shown are dash-pot apparatus,
one of them being illustrated in horizontal section in Fig. 5, in elevation in
Fig. 6, and in cross section in Fig. 7. It comprises a casing 27 which is pro-
vided with a gudgeon 28 engaging in an aperture 29 (Fig. 3) in the corresponding
wheel 8 and with an internal cylinder 30 containing a piston 31 whose rod 32
is forked at its outer end (Fig. 1) and bears against and engages with a pin 33
projecting from the corresponding drum 4; the forked end of the rod 32 is
connected to an arm 33ª loose on the axis 6 (Fig. 1) in order to be kept in position
to engage again with the pin 33 after the disengagement of the latter from the
former by the pull of the corresponding rope or ropes. The piston 31-is acted
upon by a spring 34 just powerful enough to force the piston-rod 32 outwards
when there is no pressure against it, so that when the corresponding springs 5
are overcome by the pull of the corresponding rope or ropes, the piston 31 is
moved outwards by the spring 34 towards the position shown in Fig. 5 and forces:
a suitable liquid (not subject to being thickened by cold likely to be met with,
as oil) with which the cylinder 30 is filled, along a passage 35 (Fig. 5), past a
non-return valve 36, and through a passage 37 to the rear end of the cylinder 30;
when the pin 33 returns against the forked end of the rod -32, it drives-the-
piston 31 rearwards until it is gradually stopped by the combined action of the
spring 34 and the fluid, which is driven by the piston back from the rear end of
the cylinder 30 to the front end thereof by way of a by-pass 38, the effective
cross sectional area of which_is_controlled by a valve 39 that can be adjusted
as required by a hand wheel 40. 41 is a chamber which is open at its rear end
only, where it is connected by a pipe 42 with the rear end of the cylinder 30,
and which contains air to be compressed by the entry of the fluid due to the
rearward motion of the piston 31 and the restricted passage for the fluid to the
front of the piston. In lieu of the bye-pass, the cylinder 30 may be provided
with a fixed longitudinal taper rod and the piston with a corresponding hole which
will be gradually closed by the said rod on the rearward movement of the piston
so as gradually to increase the resistance presented by the liquid to the backward
-motion-of-the-piston, -the-rear-end-of-the-taper-rod-being-cylindrical-and-adapted-
nearly to fill the hole in the piston, which may be central and communicate with
a chamber in the piston rod having outlet at the front of the piston.
The subsidiary spring drums 14 are adjusted so as, on sudden movement of
the rudder by an external cause from hard aport to hard astarboard, or vice versa,
to keep the respective ropes 1 or 2 in the grooves of the drums and the sector.
In the example, the spring drums 14 are similar to the drums 4 except that
they are smaller and have weaker springs and that their casings are spirally
grooved and conical so as to take up the slack of the ropes 1 and 2 as required,
notwithstanding the reduction of the forces of the springs of the drums 14 as
the carriages 11 are drawn inwards, the ropes 13 passing off the drums 14 at
points gradually approaching the smaller ends of the drums 14 as the springs
of the drums 14 become weaker. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal view of a portion of a
way formed by the guides 12 for the carriages 11, showing also the carriage 11
and the conical drum or fusee 14 at one end thereof. Figs. 10, 11, and 12 show
one of the carriages respectively in elevation, in vertical section, and in plan and
to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2; the carriage shown by way of example is
a casting provided with rollers 42 to bear against the guides 12, a pair of per-
forated lugs 43 for the attachment of the corresponding rope 13, and a vertical
spindle 44 that carries the pulleys 10 and is supported at its upper end by a
bridge piece 45. Dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicate the positions assumed by the

page_text: ropes 1 and 2 and the corresponding pulleys 10 when the rudder is suddenly
forced by an external and accidental cause respectively hard astarboard and hard
aport.
By the use of flexible connexions with springs as set forth, the breaking away
of the rudder from its head would be prevented from injuring the steering gear;
and likewise the shooting away or violent displacement of the steering gear would
be prevented from injuring the rudder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. Steering-apparatus for navigable vessels in which the rudder is connected
by flexible connexions with two drums containing powerful spiral springs con-
nected on the one hand to axles on which the drums are loose and on the other
hand to the drums so as normally to keep the drums pressed against buffer-like
stops attached to wheels rigidly secured to the axles and connected to the main
driving shaft, the arrangement being such that the rudder can be operated in
the ordinary way by the main shaft and that if a heavy sea strike the rudder in
any position the respective spiral springs will allow it to yield to the force of
the blow and will bring it back into its original position after the pressure has
sufficiently reduced, the flexible connexions of the other spring-drum being mean-
while kept taut by suitable tension-apparatus, substantially as set forth.
2. Steering-apparatus according to the preceding claim, in which the apparatus
for keeping the flexible connexions taut comprises, in the case of each drum,
a pulley or pulleys mounted on a carriage adapted to move along suitable guides
and attached by a flexible connexion to a subsidiary spring-drum, substantially
as set forth.
3. Steering-apparatus constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as
herein before described with reference to and shown in the accompanying draw-
ings.