Improvements in Apparatus for Closing and Opening Bulkhead Doors on Shipboard, and for such like purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1898--Accepted, 24th Sept., 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Closing and Opening Bulkhead Doors
on Shipboard, and for such like purposes.
I, ALEXANDER WILLOUGHBY MONTGOMERY-MOORE, of Holland Lodge, Eltham
Road, Lee, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
For the purpose of closing and opening doors in bulkheads and elsewhere I
provide in connection with each door a hydraulic cylinder and I connect the
door with a piston in this cylinder. By the admission of water under pressure
to one or other end of the cylinder I give the requisite movement to the door
or I make other equivalent arrangements as set forth in the Specifications of
the Patents granted to me No. 15645 of 1892, and No. 3133 of 1894.
I lead pipes from these cylinders to the apparatus which forms the subject
of my present invention. In this apparatus there is a valve chest which is kept
constantly charged with water under pressure by connection with an accumulator.
For each of the doors to be separately controlled a valve, preferably a slide
valve, is provided in the valve chest. The valve is connected by a rod to a hand
lever by means of which the valve can be placed so as to allow the fluid under
pressure to pass from the valve chest to one or other end of the cylinder which
controls the corresponding bulkhead door whilst the fluid is allowed to escape
from the other end of the cylinder. Thus any door can at pleasure be separately
closed or opened by a hand operation.
In addition to this I so arrange that all or any desired number of doors can be
simultaneously closed by mechanism which operates automatically in case of
accident.
In front of the range of hand levers I mount a shaft with arms upon it one for
each of the hand levers. These arms are capable of being clutched fast with
the shaft or they can be permitted to turn freely thereon.
If it be desired that the hand lever should be moved by the automatic mechan-
ism the corresponding clutch is made to engage with the arm and then on turning
the shaft the band lever is moved by the arm from one position to the other.
It has an
The shaft itself receives its movement in the following manner.
arm unon it which is connected with a piston in a cylinder. This cylinder is
At one end this
kept charged with liquid by a connection with the valve chest.
cylinder is coupled with a safety pipe which traverses throughout the ship in
such manner that if the ship should meet with any accident breakage of the
safety pipe ensues.
The breakage of the safety pipe releases the pressure upon one side of the
actuating piston whilst the pressure still continues upon the other side. This
unbalanced pressure causes the movement of the piston along the cylinder and
this movement by the connections described is transmitted to the hand levers
and the valves.
T
11007

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Closing and Opening Bulkhead Doors
on Shipboard, and for such like purposes.
I, ALEXANDER WILLOUGHBY MONTGOMERY-MOORE, of Holland Lodge, Eltham
Road, Lee, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
For the purpose of closing and opening doors in bulkheads and elsewhere I
provide in connection with each door a hydraulic cylinder and I connect the
door with a piston in this cylinder. By the admission of water under pressure
to one or other end of the cylinder I give the requisite movement to the door
or I make other equivalent arrangements as set forth in the Specifications of
the Patents granted to me No. 15645 of 1892, and No. 3133 of 1894.
I lead pipes from these cylinders to the apparatus which forms the subject
of my present invention. In this apparatus there is a, valve chest which is kept
constantly charged with water under pressure by connection with an accumulator.
For each of the doors to be separately controlled a valve, preferably a slide
valve, is provided in the valve chest. The valve is connected by a rod to a hand.
lever by means of which the valve can be placed so as to allow the fluid under
pressure to pass from the valve chest to one or other end of the cylinder which
controls the corresponding bulkhead door whilst the fluid is allowed to escape
from the other end of the cylinder. Thus any door can at pleasure be separately
closed or opened by a hand operation.
In addition to this I so arrange that all or any desired number of doors can be
simultaneously closed by mechanism which operates automatically in case of
accident.
In front of the range of hand levers I mount a shaft with arms upon it one for
each of the hand levers. These arms are capable of being clutched fast with
the shaft or they can be permitted to turn freely thereon.
If it be desired that the hand lever should be moved by the automatic mechan-
ism the corresponding clutch is made to engage with the arm and then on turning
the shaft the hand lever is moved by the arm from one position to the other.
The shaft itself receives its movement in the following manner. It has an.
arm upon it which is connected with a piston in a cylinder. This cylinder is
kept charged with liquid by a connection with the valve chest. At one end this
cylinder is coupled with a safety pipe which traverses throughout the ship in
such manner that if the ship should meet with any accident breakage of the
safety pipe ensues.
The breakage of the safety pipe releases the pressure upon one side of the
actuating piston whilst the pressure still continues upon the other side. This
unbalanced pressure causes the movement of the piston along the cylinder and
this movement by the connections described is transmitted to the hand levers
and the valves.
The annexed drawing shows apparatus in accordance with my invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation.
Figure 2 is a side elevation.
Figure 3 is a transverse 'section.
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 show a modification.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3
water under pressure by means of a
safety valve which may be provided
is a valve chest: it is kept charged with
pipe b leading to an accumulator.
c is a

page_text: the
regulate the passage of water to the cylinders in immediate connection with
the bulkhead doors which have to be closed and opened by the apparatus, When
any valve is so placed that water is admitted to the corresponding pipe el,
bulkhead door closes, water at the same time returning by the pipe e and
passing by the pipe e to the waste water tank f. When on the other hand water
is admitted by the valve d to the pipe e the bulkhead door opens, water at the
same time returning by the pipe e and passing to the waste tank by the pipe e³.
For each door which has to be separately controlled a valve d and pipes e ee³
are provided. 9g are handles connected with the valve rods by which the valves
can be separately manipulated by hand if desired.
To work the valves automatically a cylinder h is provided and a pipe i leads
water from the valve chest a, to the lower end of the cylinder beneath the piston
This pipe is normally open but it can be closed by a valve i¹ and at the same time
the lower end of the cylinder is emptied through the pipe k into the waste
tank f. The upper end of the cylinder is connected by a pipe 7 with safety pipes
which are laid all over the ship to the places which need to be protected. The
safety pipes are so arranged as to ensure their breakage if damage to the ship
below the water line should occur. So it will be seen that the pipe is normally
closed at one end whilst it is in communication at the other end with the upper
end of the cylinder. is a valve on the pipe by which when required the
connection of the pipe with the cylinder h can be closed.
m is a small pipe branching out of the pipe i, it has a stop cock upon it and
its office is to fill the safety pipes and the upper end of the cylinder h whenever
required, also to restore the automatic piston to its normal position at the bottom
of the cylinder. n is a weigh shaft mounted in front of the valve chest a, it
has an arm upon it and the piston rod o when it rises operates on this arm and
so turns the weigh shaft, which also has other arms ² m² upon it, one for each
valve. These arms however are not fast upon the shaft but can at pleasure be
rendered fast thereon by clutches n³. Each arm is connected with the corre-
sponding handle g so that when the weigh shaft turns the valves corresponding
to the arms which are clutched on to the shaft are operative.
When the apparatus is ready for action the cylinder is full of water both
above and below the piston. The safety pipes are also full and the piston is
at the lower end of the cylinder. So long as the safety pipes remain full the
piston cannot rise but immediately a breakage occurs in the system of safety
pipes the pressure below the piston becomes effective and causes it to travel up-
wards, it then actuates the weigh shaft as already explained, the valves d are
thus shifted and the corresponding doors are closed. The link o¹ which connects
the piston rod with the arm ¹ is slotted to admit of the piston rising a short
distance before it moves the valves so that a slight breakage may take place in
the system of safety pipes without bringing the apparatus into operation. In
order to bring the piston back to the lower end of the cylinder when it has risen
in consequence of leakage or breakage, the valve at is closed to the pressure,
and open to the waste, and this having been done, the loss is made good, by
opening the stop cock on the small feed pipe m. When the leakage or loss
has been supplied, the feed pipe is again closed, and the valve at is opened
to the lower end of the cylinder, and the apparatus is then again ready for action.
is a gauge glass; it shews if there be leakage from the safety pipes. For
testing and the purposes of drill the apparatus may be made to operate by
manipulating the valves and the stop cock on the pipe m.
The apparatus shown by Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 differs but slightly from that
already described and principally in that instead of slide valves, valves or cocks,
of a semi rotary type are employed. Figures 6 and 7 show such a valve or cock
in the two positions it assumes. The leverage is slightly altered to accord with
the change in the movement of the valve and the clutches n³ is this case take
the form of pinching screws by which the levers n³ can at pleasure be made fast

page_text: with the shaft n or set free so that the shaft may turn without taking the lever
with it.
It will be observed that this apparatus may be used in warehouses and other
places to close doors automatically in case of fire. The safety pipes would be
of small dimensions and be made of some easily fusible metal.
I have spoken of water as the liquid with which the hydraulic system is
charged but in the higher latitudes it will be necessary to take precautions against
frost either by mixing with the water salts or materials which lower the freezing
point, or by substituting a suitable oil, or other liquid.
It is obvious that under some conditions, and in some parts of the
apparatus, air, or gas, might be employed in place of liquid. Also that the
arrangement might be so modified as to require a partial vacuum to be main-
tained in the system of pipes. The use of air pressure or vacuum is to be
recommended in positions where fittings or cargo might be injured by leakage.
The arrangements which I have described in detail are however simple and
efficient.
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. Valve controlling apparatus consisting of a cylinder and piston, a supply
to one end of the cylinder of fluid under pressure, a safety pipe connected with
the other end of the cylinder, and a shaft with suitable connections with the
piston and with the valves.
2. Valve controlling apparatus consisting of a cylinder and piston, a supply
to one end of the cylinder of fluid under pressure, a safety pipe connected with
the other end of the cylinder, a shaft with an arm upon it by which the shaft
receives motion from the piston and other arms by which the shaft moves the
valves.
3. Valve controlling apparatus consisting of a cylinder and piston, a supply
to one end of the cylinder of fluid under pressure, a safety pipe connected with
the other end of the cylinder, a shaft with an arm upon it by which the shaft
receives motion from the piston and other arms and clutches serving to lock
fast with the shaft such arms as are required to operate.
4. The combination of apparatus consisting of a valve chest containing a
series of valves d, hand levers g in connection with the valves, a weigh shaft n
for actuating the hand levers automatically and which is rotated by automatic
gear, arms 2 loose upon this shaft and connected with the hand levers and
clutches n³ upon the shaft connecting the same with the arms so that the arms
may be made fast upon the shaft when required.