Improved Means for Elevating and Lowering Heavy Bodies such as Ships, Bridges, or Railway Trains.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Elevating and Lowering Heavy Bodies such as
Ships, Bridges, or Railway Trains.
I, ADOLF PRUSMANN, of 55, Hoher Wall, Dortmund, in the German Empire,
Architect, 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 apparatus for elevating or lowering heavy bodies, such
as ships, bridges or railway trains; the platform or sluice-chamber of the
apparatus, upon or in which the heavy bodies are carried, being mounted on air-
chambers which float in reservoirs containing water or other liquid.
In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1 to 6 are diagrams serving to explain my
invention. Figs. 7 to 10 are views shewing the details of the mechanism which I
prefer to employ for operating the valves by means of which the ascent or descent
of the apparatus is controlled; Figs. 11 and 12 being diagrams for enabling the
movement of the reversing gear to be more readily understood.
a is the platform or sluice-chamber. The floating chambers are furnished with
compartments & into which water flows from the reservoirs, or vice versa, by way of
passages controlled by valves e.
In Fig. 1, where several chambers 6 floating in reservoirs d', d², etc., are used for
the support of a single platform or sluice-chamber a, which has to be maintained
in a horizontal position both when in motion and when stationary, each reservoir
has a narrow opening at the top; the reservoirs being connected with each other
in a suitable manner, as hereinafter explained. Each opening f is of such
dimensions that the platform is not prevented from expanding or contracting under
varying influences of temperature. The normal line of water-level in the
reservoirs d², d², etc., is at the centre a (Figs. 3 and 4) of the narrow openings f.
These narrow openings prevent (when the valves e are closed) violent oscillations
of the platform a, because, on account of the narrowness of each opening, the
slightest movement of the chambers & produces a considerable change in the level
of the water in the reservoirs. Thus, when the platform is not horizontal, the
water-level is highest in the reservoir containing the, for the time being, lowest
chamber, and lowest in the reservoir containing the, for the time being, highest
chamber. The lower end of the platform has, therefore, a tendency to rise and the
higher end to sink. Consequently, both ends of the platform, when level, have a
tendency to remain level.
Each floating chamber is preferably subdivided into many cells. The
apparatus may be balanced by admitting water to one or another of these cells
until the platform lies horizontally. Leakage may be guarded against by means
of apparatus for ejecting the leakage water.
The reservoirs d', d², etc., are connected by pipes, as indicated in Fig. 2, in order
that all the reservoirs may have the same water-level, and that the quantity of
water in the reservoirs may be increased or decreased as desired. Communication
between the reservoirs at one end and those at the other end of the apparatus may
be cut off, so that oscillations of the platform may be better prevented, or so that
the platform may be caused to assume an inclined position. In Fig. 2, the
reservoirs d' and d² on the left-hand side and the reservoirs d' and d³ on the right-
hand side are connected to the four-way cock k by means of the pipes h; the
reservoir d³ being connected thereto by a small pipe i. The cock is normally
closed. Either the inlet pipe or the outlet pipe may be placed in communication with
the cock k by turning the stop-cock l or m, as the case may be. The respective
diameters bear such relation to the respective lengths of the pipes ¼ and i that

page_text: equal volumes of water flow at the same time into or out of the reservoirs d', d², etc.
The two small pipes o serve to maintain the water in the various reservoirs at
the same level. These pipes, on account of their small size, do not prevent
oscillations of the platform being counteracted in the way previously described.
An overflow pipe, furnished with a stop-cock, may be fitted to the central
reservoir at the height of the,, normal water-level, in order to permit surplus
water such as any rain-water which may have drained into flow away from
the reservoirs.
When the 'apparatus is not loaded and the valves e are open, the water in the,
compartments is at the same level as the water in the reservoirs d', ds, etc. When
the valves are closed and the apparatus is depressed by a weight, such, as a
railway-train on the platform or a ship in the sluice-chamber, the level.of the water
in the compartments is brought below the level of the water in the
resérvoirs d, d², etc. Therefore, if the valves e be opened, water, under the
influence of gravity, will flow from the reservoirs into the compartments; thus
gradually decreasing the buoyancy of the apparatus and causing it to continue to
descend until the water in the compartments is at the same level as the water in
the reservoirs. Upon the valves being closed and the weight removed, the
apparatus ascends. The water in the compartments is thus brought to a higher
level than the water in the reservoirs. On opening the valves, water will,
therefore, flow from the compartments into the reservoirs.; thus gradually
increasing the buoyancy of the apparatus and causing it to continue ascending
until the water in the compartments reaches the level of that in the reservoirs.
The following apparatus may be employed for automatically opening. the
valvese are fixed screw-rods. are screw-threaded collars working thereon..
The collars p.are connected by means of levers with rods attached to the valves e.
Each lever turns about a centre d while the apparatus is descending, and about a
centre B while the apparatus is ascending.
In Fig. 3, the water in the compartment c is lower than the water in the
reservoir. Upon the collar p being rotated and caused to move down,the rod r,
the valve e is raised and the chamber descends, water flowing from the reservoir
into the compartment until the valve e is again closed by reason of the valve-lever..
reaching a position in which such valve is not kept open by the collar p. Thus the
chamber descends to an extent controlled by the amount of travel which has
been imparted to the collar
'
In Fig. 4, the water in the compartment c is higher than the water in the
reservoir d. By screwing the collar p up the rod, the valve e is opened, and water,
flows from the compartment c into the reservoir d¹; the chamber ascending until
the collar p ceases to hold the valve open.
In Fig. 5, both collars pare rotated uniformly from one shaft. The chambers, 4
therefore rise evenly; the platform or sluice-chamber being thus kept horizontal:
If, however, the platform a be inclined, it has a tendency to become horizontal
by: reason of the valve or valves e at one end being more open than the valve or
valves e at the other end. The central valves e, not having so great an influence.
on the position of the platform, need not be connected to the, shaft which causes.
the outer collars to move equally.
Where several valves e have to be operated from one screw-rod r, it is
preferable to employ actuating mechanism in respect of each valve of the
following description:A worm-shafts (Figs. 5 to 9) for turning, the worm-
wheel u, which is connected by a coupling to the collar P is carried in suitable
bearing-brackets. The valve pertaining to a small hydraulic plunger G, working
in a cylinder Y, 'is actuated by the screw- rod r through connecting rods W' jointed
to the collar p at W. The sliding bracket B, which, is secured to the collar p...
prevents a lateral stress being put on the stationary screw-rod r. The worm-
wheel u is connected to the collar p by a feather, which causes the collar to rotate 5
with the wheel, but permits the collar to move independently on the rod to a
limited extent. is a reversing link. The connecting rods W gear at 7 with

page_text: the left-hand end of this link when the weight Z is in the position shewn in
Figs. 8 and 11 these rods, when the weight is in the position shewn in Fig. 12,
gearing with the right-hand end. The weight Z turns on a shaft 9. This shaft
carries an arm which is jointed at 2 to a connecting rod jointed at 3 to one arm of
a bell-crank lever carried by the shaft 5; the other arm of this bell-crank lever
being jointed at 4 to a connecting rod which is jointed at 6 6 to the connecting
rods W. The screw-rod r is so mounted in the brackets A, bolted to the
stationary frame A' at the side of the reservoirs, that it cannot rotate; sufficient.
vertical play to permit of expansion or contraction being, however, allowed. The
parts a' and a² are connected to the platform a.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When, by the rotation of the worm-
shaft s, the worm-wheel u causes the collar p to turn on the screw-rod r so as to
raise the centre W, the centre 7 is also raised. This moves the link and
consequently the shaft 13, thus pushing the slide-valve D to the right, thereby
opening the inlet passage F and permitting water, which is supplied from a
reservoir on the platform a, to enter the cylinder y and force out the plunger G.
The latter operates the valve e through the connecting rods E and E', etc.
The
movement of the plunger G draws back the slide D and opens the outlet-
passage H; thus cutting off the supply of water to the cylinder Y and permitting
the exhaust water to escape. If the centres W and 7 (instead of moving) remain
stationary and the centre 13 (instead of remaining stationary) moves with the
platform, the slide-valve D is also operated so as to open the passage F or H as the
case may be. The worm-shaft s is caused to rotate through suitable gearing by a
small motor on the platform of the apparatus.
The rods W gear with the link at 7 while the apparatus is ascending and
at 7 while the apparatus is descending. The weight Z in either position serves to
keep the rods W₁in engagement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. The improved means for elevating and lowering heavy bodies, such as ships,
bridges or railway trains, arranged or operating substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for raising and lowering heavy bodies, such as ships, bridges or
railway trains, the employment of several floating chambers provided with
compartments and connected to a platform a, the chambers b rising and sinking in
a series of water-charged reservoirs d', d, etc., having narrow openings fand
communicating through pipes 1, o, etc., with one another and with the inlet and
outlet pipes, water flowing from the reservoirs d', d, etc., into the compartments c,
and vice versú, by way of passages controlled by valves e, substantially as herein
described.
3. In apparatus of the kind herein described for raising and lowering heavy
bodies, such as ships, bridges or railway trains, actuating the valves e controlling
the passages through which water flows from the reservoirs d', d, etc., into the
compartments c, or vice versa, by mechanical appliances arranged substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In apparatus of the kind herein described for raising and lowering heavy
bodies, such as ships, bridges or railway trains, actuating the valves e controlling
the passages through which water flows from the reservoirs d', d, etc., into the
compartments c, or vice versi, by hydraulic appliances arranged substantially as
described with reference to Figs. to 12 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of January 1891.
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.