Improvements in Ships' Propellers.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Ships' Propellers.
We, CARL VICTOR Suppán, of III, Dampfschiffstrasse No. 4, Vienna, Austria,
Chief Inspector of the Donan-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, and BÉLA SZENDI,
of II Eichengasse No. 17, Budapest, Hungary, Chief Engineer of the Donan-
Dampfschiffarts-Gesellschaft, of Budapest, Hungary, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved construction of ship's propellers which
combines the advantages of the paddle wheel and of the ordinary screw propeller,
without having their disadvantages.
As is well known, paddle wheels cannot be made to work efficiently for any
length of time when run at high speeds, as the parts thereof, in particular the
necessarily complicated construction of the paddles when made to feather soon
become defective.
Screw propellers on the other hand can be run at a high speed, but they only
work with a good useful effect if they have a considerable extent of immersion
in proportion to their diameter.
According to our present invention we construct a ships' propeller as a wheel
having a number of vanes or blades that are made of a helically curved shape,
the axis of such wheel being situated above the water line and parallel to the
ship's axis. Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing shews a front view of a screw
propeller wheel constructed according to our invention; Fig. 2 shews a diagram-
matic side view thereof. Figs. 3 to 7 shew diagrams of various arrangements of
such propellers on board ship.
On the shaft, which is situated parallel to the ship's axis above the water
line, and is driven by the ship's motor, is fixed the boss b provided with lugs
or ribs c for attachment of spokes or arms d.
On the latter are fixed the vanes or blades f which are formed with a helical
curvature of small pitch, running either to the right or to the left hand. In
the construction shewn the blades f are assumed to have a left hand pitch, and
are formed as the sectors of a ring. As will be seen, the points of attachment of
the vanes to the boss all lie in the same plane.
When the shaft a is rotated the blades f exercise a constant pressure in one
and the same direction upon the water, which has the effect of propelling the
ship in the direction of the shaft a. By this means a lateral thrust is also
produced in a direction opposite that in which the blades f revolve, and which
tends to produce a lateral displacement or turning of the ship.
If only a single screw propeller wheel is employed for propulsion, such tendency
to lateral displacement can be more or less neutralised by placing the propeller
in the neighbourhood of the centre of gravity of the displacement of the ship as
at Fig. 3, or it may be placed in a space between two ships as at Fig. 4, the
helical surfaces of the blades being made either with right-hand or with left-
hand pitch.

page_text: If, on the other hand, two propeller wheels are employed, the one can be
placed at the stem and the other at the stern of the ship as at Fig. 5, in which
case the blades of both wheels must be made with the pitch to the same hand;
or both propeller wheels, whose blades have opposite pitch may be arranged
at the stern of the ship as shewn at Fig. 6 or at each side of the ship mounted on
two shafts parallel to the ships axis, and driven in opposite directions; or again
the one propeller wheel may be mounted on a tubular shaft through which
passes a second shaft carrying the second propeller wheel as at Fig. 7, the two
propeller wheels having opposite pitch, and the two shafts being rotated in
opposite directions.
Dated this 16th day of November 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Ships' Propellers.
We, CARL VICTOR SUPPÁN, of III, Dampfschiffstrasse No. 4, Vienna, Austria,
Chief Inspector of the Donan-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, and BÉLA SZENDI,
of II Eichengasse No. 17, Budapest, Hungary, Chief Engineer of the Donan-
Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, of Budapest, Hungary, 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 an improved construction of ship's propellers which
combines the advantages of the paddle wheel and of the ordinary screw propeller,
without having their disadvantages.
As is well known, paddle wheels cannot be made to work efficiently for any
length of time when run at high speeds, as the parts thereof in particular the
necessarily complicated construction of the paddles when made to feather soon
become defective.
Screw propellers on the other hand can be run at a high speed, but they only
work with a good useful effect if they have a considerable extent of immersion
in proportion to their diameter.
According to our present invention we construct a ship's propeller as a wheel
having a number of vanes or blades that are made of a helically curved shape,
the axis of such wheel being situated above the water line and parallel to the
ship's axis. Fig. 1 of the drawings accompanying our Provisional Specification
shews a front view of a screw propeller wheel constructed according to our
invention; Fig. 2 shews a diagrammatic side view thereof. Figs. 3 to 7 shew
diagrams of various arrangements of such propellers on board ship.
On the shaft a, which is situated parallel to the ship's longitudinal axis above
the water line and is driven by the ship's motor, is fixed the boss b provided with
lugs or ribs c for attachment of spokes or arms d.
On the latter are fixed the vanes or blades f which are formed with a helical
curvature of small pitch, running either to the right or to the left hand. In
the construction shewn the blades are assumed to have a left hand pitch, and
are formed as the sectors of a ring. As will be seen, the points of attachment of
the blades to the boss all lie in the same plane.
When the shaft a is rotated the blades f exercise a constant pressure in one
and the same direction upon the water, which has the effect of propelling the
ship in the direction of the shaft a. By this means a lateral thrust is also
produced in a direction opposite that in which the blades f revolve, tending to
produce a lateral displacement or turning of the ship.

page_text: If only a single screw propeller wheel is employed for propulsion, such tendency
to lateral displacement can be more or less neutralised by placing the propeller
in the neighbourhood of the centre of gravity of the displacement of the ship as
at Fig. 3, or it may be placed in a space between two ships as at Fig. 4, the
helical surfaces of the blades being made either with right-hand or with left-
hand pitch.
If on the other hand, two propeller wheels are employed, the one can be
placed at the stem and the other at the stern of the ship as at Fig. 5, in which
case the biades of both wheels must be made with the pitch to the same hand;
or both propeller wheels, whose blades have opposite pitch may be arranged
at the stern of the ship as shewn at Fig. 6 or at each side of the ship mounted on
two shafts parallel to the ship's axis, and driven in opposite directions; or again
the one propeller wheel may be mounted on a tubular shaft through which
passes a second shaft carrying the second propeller wheel as at Fig. 7, the two
propeller wheels having opposite pitch, and the two shafts being rotated in
opposite directions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
A ship's propeller fixed on a shaft mounted above the water, parallel to the
longitudinal axis of the vessel, the propeller having helical blades of small pitch
fixed near to each other, substantially as described.
:16
TI
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.