AN IMPROVED METHOD OF REDUCING THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF SHIPS AND PROPELLERS
Year: 1884

page_text: DIECIFICATION,
I JOSEPH WHITLEY of Railway Works Leeds in the County of York Engineer
and, Founder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF REDUCING THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF SHIPS AND PROPELLERS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Whereas Ships of every description have hitherto been propelled through water
whilst in direct contact with it the object of my Invention is to relieve the
propeller especially and the ship generally from the friction of pressure developed
by the displacement of the water when the ship is in motion. To accomplish this
object I form a blower force pump or pumps or other equivalents to be driven by
hand steam or other power for the purpose of forcing air also animal vegetable or
mineral oils or other substances through pipes or otherwise to the respective
positions where the greatest frictional force and other impediments such as
barnacle life exist for the purpose of destroying all such mollusk life cleansing.
the ships bottom and sides and relieving the propeller by lubrication from a
portion of the great torsional strain as well as the frictional forces upon the
respective blades whilst rotating at high speeds in deep columns of water. For
this purpose I cause animal vegetable or mineral oils and air or other substances
to be projected separately or when compounded or mixed together upon the
propeller and other parts of the ship for the purpose of relieving the engines
as much as possible from the friction caused by the ships transit through the
water and by the same arrangement I force naptha Benzoline Paraffine and other
poisonous liquids gases or other substances upon the bottom and sides of the ship
for the destruction of mollusk life and for the purpose of cleansing the sides and
bottom of the ship whilst sailing by discharging the oil and air in immediate
proximity to and under the bottom of the vessel these in their ascent to the
surface will exert their respective forces upon the propeller and the water in which'
it rotates acting as a lubricant which will still the water relieve the vessel of the
cohesive force upon it ease off the friction thus caused and give more bouyancy to'
the ship. By this invention the efficiency of the engines will be exerted for the
direct propulsion of the ship and in the same proportion the speed of the vessel
will be increased. For the further facilitating of the latter object I convey by like
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page_text: For
means as above to various parts of the ships' keel prow and sides oil and air or
other substances for the purpose of easing off the adhesive and frictional forces of
the water upon the bottom and sides of the ship. The whole of the before
mentioned apparatus inay be worked by the engines which propel the boat or by
other means through the medium of a blower force pump or pumps or their
equivalents and direct from the engine room or other parts of the ship the speed
of which blowers or pumps may be adjusted to any given quantities according to
the stress of weather for the time being through which the ship is passing and may
be placed under the immediate control of the officer in charge of the ship.
this purpose I make special nickel Bronze pumps which may be either compound
or separate and which are specially adapted to the separate discharge of oil and air
alteriiately or at the same time through drawn steel bronze copper or iron pipes or
other tubes fixed for the conveyance of the respective substances: The discharge
pipes may be supplied from a tank or tanks and may have simple open ends or be
perforated on the sides. The latter form I prefer in some instances for the purpose of
giving a greater spreading power whilst in some cases a simple open end or Tended
terminus is preferable when projecting the mollusk life destroying agent immediately
under the bottom of the vessel whether the same be a solid gaseous or liquid
ingredient. The discharge pipes may be conveyed to any part of the ship along
the angles of the general plate work internally or externally or immediately under
the respective decks or along the floor of the bottom hold the pipes being coupled
up at the respective bends or angles and passing through the ships prow stern
sides or bottom as may be required. For the special purpose of lubricating the
propeller I prefer to discharge the lubricant immediately below the centre of the
boss and in close proximity to it. But I do not confine myself to these precise
methods hereinbefore described as it is evident the pipes and other apparatus and
ingredients might be applied on the outer surface and from the ships deck or
otherwise without departing from the principle of my invention.
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 application of a lubricant upon the propeller of a ship when in motion
substantially as herein before described.
2. The application of ingredients for the destruction of mollusk. or barnacle life
on the outer surface of a ship substantially as herein before described.
3. The supply of air to a ships propeller and to other parts of a ship's outer
surface substantially as herein before described.
4. The increasing of a ship's speed by reducing the friction of the water upon the
propeller and the ship generally substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The destruction of barnacle and other mollusk life when attached to ships
whilst in motion substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this eighth day of February 1884.
.