Improvements in Apparatus for Scraping and Cleaning the Bottoms of Marine Vessels while the same are Afloat.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1895-4ccepted, 28th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Scraping and Cleaning the Bottoms
of Marine Vessels while the same are Afloat.
I, ALBERT WILLIAM BRYCE of 80 Broadway in the City of New York in the
County of New York in the State of New York in the United States of America,
Printer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved device for scraping
and cleaning the bottoms of marine vessels while the same are afloat so as to avoid
the expense of placing the same in a dry dock and the consequent loss of time, and
which device permits of scraping and cleaning the vessels in such localities where
no means are at hand for docking the vessels.
In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this Specification, like letters
of reference indicate like parts in all the figures and
Figure 1, is a side view of part of a marine vessel, provided with my improved
device for cleaning and scraping the hull.
Figure 2 is a side view of the power transmitting frame, parts being broken out
and the rotary brush being shown in perspective.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the brush on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 shows a modified arrangement of the cleaning device.
The frame A which may be made of wood or metal, is from 20 to 30 feet long
and is provided with eyes a at the ends, for attaching cables for suspending the
frame at the side of a marine vessel I as shown in Figure 1.
This frame may be placed in either perpendicular, horizontal or oblique positions,
as may be necessary.
Within said frame, a grooved pulley B, is mounted at each end, and over said
pulleys an endless driving cable, C passes; which also passes around a grooved
pulley D, mounted to turn in a suitable frame, E, arranged between the top and
bottom bars of the frame A and provided with rollers d, which run on the inner
edges of the top and bottom bars of said frame A, and serve to guide the frame E
and to reduce the friction.
A flexible power transmitting shaft F, of any well known construction, is
fastened to one end of the shaft G, of the pulley D, so that when the pulley D is
rotated the said flexible shalt F is also rotated.
A casing H contains two parallel rotating brushes J provided at the ends with
cog wheels O both of which engage with cog wheel P which is connected with the
free end of the flexible shaft F so that when said shaft is rotated both brushes are
also rotated.
The casing H is provided with a suitable handle h for holding the brushes
against the hull.
If desired a single cylindrical brush J may be used and connected with the free
end of the flexible shaft F, so that said brush and its shaft can be rotated by means
of the said flexible shaft F.
A belt pulley M, is attached to one of the pulleys B, and over the same, a
driving belt or cable N passes, which also passes over a pulley O¹, on the deck of
the vessel; which pulley O¹, can be driven direct from a motor, as shown in
Figure 1, or can be driven in any other suitable manner.

page_text: By means of the belt or cable N, the pulleys B and the cable C, are driven, and
said cable C rotates the pulley D, from which in turn, by means of the flexible
shaft, the brushes J, are rotated.
A diver holds the rotating brushes J against the sides of the vessel I below the
surface and thus scrapes off all weeds, barnacles, etc.
As the diver moves in the direction of the length of the vessels he draws the
frame E along, as the same is mounted to slide in the frame A.
The pulley D is rotated in all positions of the frame.E, as the driving cable C
passes around the pulley D.
The diver can thus clean the vessel for a distance greater than the length of the
frame A before said frame A need be shifted in the direction of the length of the
vessel.
The frame A is suspended directly above the surface of the water so as to
permit the diver to operate upon the lowest parts of the hull without requiring a
flexible shaft of undue length. The diver may stand on a weighted frame W,
lowered into the water.
The brush may have bristles of copper or steel wire, cane, rattan or whale bone;
and said bristles may have greater or less length according to the nature of the
material to be scraped from the hull.
In case the vessel is not to be cleaned to a very great depth a handle lever R
can be mounted to the casing H of the brush J by means of which handle lever
the brushes can be pressed against the side of the hull from the float S adjacent to
the hull, which float then contains machinery for operating the flexible shaft F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
1. An apparatus for cleaning and scraping the hulls of vessels composed of a
rotating brush, a flexible shaft connected with said brush for the purpose of
rotating it and a motor for operating the flexible shaft, substantially as herein
shown and described.
2. In a device for scraping and cleaning the immersed parts of vessels' hulls, the
combination with a frame, of power-transmitting devices, mounted to move length-
wise in said frame, a rotary brush or scraper, and means for operating said brush
or scraper from said power-transmitting devices, in the frame, substantially as set
forth.
3. The combination with a marine vessel of a frame to be held adjustably on the
Bide of the same, power-transmitting devices in said frame, means for operating
said power-transmitting devices in the frame from a source of power on the vessel,
a rotary brush or scraper, and means for operating said brush or scraper from the
power-transmitting devices on the frame, substantially as set forth.
4. In an apparatus for cleaning and scraping ships' hulls the combination with a
casing, of two parallel rotary brushes mounted in the same, a cog wheel on one
end of each brush, a driving cog wheel with which the cog wheels of the brushes
are engaged, a flexible shaft for operating said driving cog wheel and a motor for
operating the flexible shaft, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 27th day of April 1895.
ALBERT WILLIAM BRYCE.
Tongue & Birkbeck,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.