Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 15th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Apr., 1887.
We, DRUITT HALPIN, of No. 9 Victoria Chambers, Westminster in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and RICHARD CRISTOPHER RAPIER of No. 5 Westminster
Chambers in the County of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our
invention to be as follows:-
:-
Our invention has mainly for its object the construction of a floating breakwater
that shall have a rising and falling action in the water, so that by the rising motion
the breakwater will effectually repel or neutralize the advancing waves.
For this
purpose we construct hollow vessels or pontoons of rectangular or other shape and
having the upper surface inclined at an angle to the water level, or formed with an
upward curvature, so that on a wave impinging upon such surface it will depress the
vessel into the water, and the vessel in rising again will operate with an upward and
forward thrust against the next advancing wave, thereby repelling or neutralizing its
action.
The angle at which the said inclined surface should be presented to the sea in order
to act most efficiently, would depend upon the size of the waves, and in order to
enable this angle to be adjusted as may be required, we provide the breakwater with
closed compartments or pontoons in front and at the rear, so that should the upper
surface require to be presented at an increased angle, this may be effected by filling
the front compartments more or less with water or other ballast, and discharging
more or less ballast from the rear compartments, while for lessening the angle of the
breakwater the reverse operation would be effected. Furthermore, when the floating
breakwater has served its purpose, it may be converted into a static breakwater by
filling its compartments entirely with ballast and thus sinking it down on to the bed
of the sea.
The said floating breakwaters may be suitably moored either to screw piles or
anchors, in such manner as to admit of the before described up and down motion
thereof, and they may also be made to work up and down between piles serving as
guides.
ABEL & IMRAY,
28, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Floating Breakwaters.
We, DRUITT HALPIN, of No. 9 Victoria Chambers, Westminster in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and RICHARD CRISTOPHER RAPIER of No. 5 Westminster
Chambers in the County of Middlesex 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 :—
Our invention has mainly for its object the construction of a floating breakwater
that shall have a rising and falling action in the water, so that by the rising motion
the breakwater will effectually repel or neutralize the advancing waves.
For this
purpose we construct hollow vessels or pontoons of rectangular or other shape and
having the upper surface inclined at an angle to the water level, or formed with an
upward curvature, so that on a wave impinging upon such surface it will depress the
vessel into the water, and the vessel in rising again will operate with an upward and
forward thrust against the next advancing wave, thereby repelling or neutralizing its
action.
The angle at which the said inclined surface should be presented to the sea in order
to net most efficiently, would depend upon the size of the waves, and in order to
enable this angle to be adjusted as may be required, we provide the breakwater with
a charge of ballast contained in closed compartments or pontoons in front and at the
rear, so that should the upper surface require to be presented at an increased angle,
this may be effected by filling the front compartments more or less with ballast, and
discharging more or less ballast from the rear compartments while for lessening the
angle of the breakwater the reverse operation would be effected. The said ballast will,
also afford the breakwater the requisite degree of inertia for offering such a resistance
to the impact of the waves as will insure efficient action in the manner above indicated.
Furthermore when the floating breakwater has served its purpose, it may be converted
into a static breakwater by filling its compartments entirely with ballast and thus
sinking it down on to the bed of the sea.
The said floating breakwaters may be suitably moored either to screw piles or
anchors, in such a manner as to admit of the before described up and down motion
thereof, and they may also be made to work up and down between piles serving as
guides.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a front view of the breakwater
constructed according to our above described invention, Fig. 2 shews a cross section
of the same in the highest position which it will occupy in the water. Fig. 3 shews
the same view, the breakwater being depressed by a wave. Fig. 4 shews a plan, and
Fig. 5 an enlarged section.
The breakwater consists of a sheet metal casing A, suitably stayed internally by
frames B and water tight bulkheads CC the casing being of flat rectangular shape on
its under and rear sides D, E, while the front and upper sides F G are made with a
curvature as shewn, so that when the breakwater is moored by chains H in the position

page_text: indicated, with its curved sides facing the sea, and it is loaded with ballast I to such
an extent that under ordinary circumstances it floats in the position shewn at Figs. 2
and 5 then the weight and impact of an advancing wave will depress it into the
position shewn at Fig. 3, the force of the wave being expended in rolling up the
curved surface G. The force of the impact being thus spent in depressing the
breakwater, this will afterwards rise again into the position shewn at Figs. 3 and 5
and in doing so the upward and forward thrust exerted by the upper and front surface
will effectually stop or neutralize the action of the next advancing wave, while the
succeeding wave will again be expended in depressing it, and so on.
The breakwater is by preference provided with a certain mass of fixed ballast I,
such as concrete, to afford it sufficient inertia to offer an effective resistance to the
waves, and in addition to this it may have a quantity of loose ballast confined in
water-tight compartments formed by the bulk heads CC accessible by means of suitable
man holes, so that by shifting such ballast the upper surface of the breakwater may
be made to assume a greater or less degree of inclination according as the size of the
waves to which it is subjected may require it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
Constructing a floating breakwater of a hollow vessel or pontoon the upper surface
of which inclined at an angle to the water level or formed with an upward curvature
so that the waves on impinging on such surface will have its force expended in
depressing the vessel which in rising again will repel or neutralize the next wave,
the vessel or pontoon being provided with ballast both for adjusting the inclination
of the upper surface and for affording it sufficient inertia to insure effective action,
substantially as herein described.
1
1711
1 1037
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.