Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 28th Sept., 1888
I, THEODORE TUTTLE WOODRUFF of 2130 West Norris Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer 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 propelling devices.
The object of my invention is to provide a more direct and constant application of
propelling force to the deep, dead, or quiescent waters, which is the agent of pro-
pulsion, or the abutments against which the propeller acts; a further object of the
invention is. to provide propelling devices of such construction as to enable their easy
and ready application to a vessel, the hull of which is coved, and bilged above the
coves; furthermore, the object of the invention is the provision of a screw-propeller
which shall be very light, strong, and durable in construction, easy of application to
vessels thoroughly efficient in operation, and inexpensive of manufacture.
To attain the desired objects, the invention may be stated briefly to consist in two
propeller shafts formed of hollow metal having an internal annular flange and inclined
stay or brace rods at one end; furthermore, in the hollow propeller shafts having the
internal annular flange and inclined brace rods at one end and a bevel gear wheel at
the opposite end; furthermore in the propeller shafts formed of hollow metal having
the internal annular flanges and the brace rods at one end the bevel gear wheel at the
opposite end and the flauges on the outer surfaces of the propeller shafts secured
thereon by means of angle irons; furthermore in the combination with a vessel the
hull of which is coved and bilged above the coves, of hangers depending from the
bilged sides having closed journal boxes in which the outer ends of the propeller shafts
are journalled and a central journal box in which the inner ends of the shafts and the
driving shaft are journalled; furthermore in the combination with a vessel having the
hangers provided with closed journal boxes depending therefrom of the propeller
shafts journalled at their outer ends in said journal boxes and, at their inner ends in a
journal box carried by the driving shaft; furthermore in the combination with the
propeller shafts having the bevel gear meshing with said bevel gear wheels and having
its shaft arranged at right angles to the journalled shafts; and finally the invention
רנס ...D

page_text: consists in the novel construction, arrangement and adaptation of parts for service as
hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which like
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures:
Fig. 1 represents an elevation of a longitudinal portion of the side of a steam ship
showing the employment of combined floating, tapering flange screw-propellers as
attached to the sides of the ship by a series of hangers.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical cross section of the ship taken at the line of the hangers
upon opposite sides of the ship's hull showing the configuration of the ship's hull with
coved sides, and bilged sides, above its coves, and having a deep narrow buoyant section
of the ship's hull below the axis of its longitudinal coves, and showing the screw
flanges of the ship's propellers, and also showing the attachments of the propellers to
the ship by the hangers.
Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal horizontal plan of the propellers showing the con-
nection of the driving gear to the ship by cogged wheels a portion of the ship's side
being broken away to show the position of the driving shaft.
Fig. 4 represents the exterior and interior construction of one of the floating
propeller shafts showing its connection with its driving wheel the annular flange of
the gear wheel, internal strengthening flanges and stay rods to hold the ends.
Fig. 5 illustrates the manner of attaching the screw flange to the hollow shaft.
Fig. 6 is a detail view of the central hanger.
Fig 7 represents two steam valve levers placed side by side and yet independent in
their mechanical application showing a method whereby two separate steam engines
can be operated and controlled at a local point by one engineer.
In the accompanying drawings A represents the ship's hull each side of which is
coved out in breadth equal, say to three-tenths of the breadth of the beam at midships
and bilged above the coves, and having a deep narrow buoyant centre section of the
ship's hull below the axis of the ship's longitudinal coves, see figure 2, this longitudinal
buoyant centre section of the ship's hull possesses great buoyancy and displaces but
little water and serves all the purposes of a centre-board or slip keel and will
measurably prevent lateral rolling of the vessel. To the said hull upon each side
thereof is permanently attached (centrally with the ship's length) a line of shaft.
hangers B the end ones of which have three arms the purpose of which is to brace
the ends of the shafts and prevent them from sidewise movement the central ones two,
this central one being further stayed laterally by a provision on the projecting driving
shaft as hereinafter more fully described, each hanger being provided with journal-
boxes and each being of such length that a line passing through the journal-boxes
upon the same side of the ship will hang longitudinally central to the axis of the said
cove. In the side of the ship the said journal boxes which are incased at C will
receive and carry the journals L on hollow or drum shafts D having tapering screw
flanges E and cogged gear wheels F the whole forming a line of propellers upon each
side of the ship. H represents the driving shaft and I its crank, G represents cogged
driving wheels which are rigidly and securely fastened to the driving shaft on each
side of the vessel. The shaft H is provided with journals having a shoulder / at the
outside of each, which will prevent lateral swaying of the central hanger E as this
has not a third or lateral arm to brace it sidewise. The said shaft will be placed and
carried in its journal-box in hanger B at O, and by a plumber-block within. It will
also be provided with a stuffing box where it passes through the side of the ship at Q.
The cogs of the driving wheel G will mesh with the cogs of its fellow wheels F F on
the propeller shaft and motion and force will be transmitted to the propellers through
the cogged driving wheels G which will revolve the propellers in opposite directions
the direction of action however being made the same for each that is to say each
propeller tending to drive in the same direction by reversing the lead, run or inclination
of the screw flanges, i.e. the screw flange of one propeller being right hand lead and
the screw flange of its fellow propeller being left-hand lead i.e. the lead of the screw
flanges of the two propellers being in the same direction though revolving in opposite
directions.

page_text: The propeller shaft D has at one end a cogged wheel F which meshes with the
cogged driving wheel G. This shaft is made preferably of plate steel of cylindrical
form, and has leads to which the journals L are attached. The cogged wheel F has
fixed to it an annular flange f and the end of the shell of the cylindrical shaft will
be rivetted to the annular flange on the cogged wheel F as shown in figure 4, thus
firmly fixing the cogged wheel upon the shaft. The cylindrical shaft may be
strengthened by the employment of internal annular flanges d rivetted to it, and by
the employment of lateral stay rods d¹ the whole to be rivetted and made water-tight.
The screw propeller flanges are made preferably of steel plate cut to the proper
diameter and swaged to a tapering screw form and to suit the diameter of the drum
shaft and rivetted to it by the employment of angle-iron c upon one or both sides of
the said screw flange.
The weight of water displaced by this drum propeller shaft will be in excess of the
weight of the material employed in the construction of the propellers hence it will be
a compound cylindrical floating flange screw propeller.
SS and s s represent two hand steam valve levers each of which are mechanically
and independently connected with their throttle valves located in their steam pipes
between the boiler and the cylinder of the engine by means of their valve rods S' STS¹
which connect the said levers with the said valve. Each of said levers is provided
with a circular lever holder F which is provided with graduated notches by means
of which the said levers can be held in place similar to the valve levers of a railway
locomotive so that the vessel may be steered or run at sea in an event of the loss of
the rudder by application of the valve levers which will increase or diminish the
force of the steam applied on opposite sides of the vessel thus the vessel may be steered
or run at sea by varying the revolutions of the propellers on opposite sides of the
vessel or the vessel may be steered with but slight application of the rudder which
will materially reduce the resistance to propulsion when compared to constantly
holding the helm "hard over as is the case with the stern screw propeller and again
the vessel may be by reversing the propellers on opposite sides swung around in port
as on a pivot in an area of space not greater in diameter than the length of the
vessel.
"
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. A compound screw propeller consisting of two screws in line, with their flanges
inclined in opposite directions substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. A compound screw propeller consisting of two screws in a line, with their
flanges inclined in opposite directions in combination with gearing constructed to
drive the propellers in opposite directions and thus cause them to drive the ship in same
direction substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of two buoyant or floating screw propellers having their flanges
inclined in opposite directions with a gear wheel on each end driving them in opposite
directions whereby the driving power will be advantageously applied and as the
direction of motion at the point of application is opposite the strain it will be relieved
there substantially as shown.
4. Two screw propellers in line, with their flanges inclined in opposite directions
and held in suitable hangers in combination with gearing for driving them in opposite
directions substantially as described.
5. Two screw propellers in line having their flanges inclined in opposite directions,
held at their outer ends in hangers, having each a lateral arm as well as other arms
and at their inner ends in a hanger, having no lateral arm in combination with a
driving shaft provided with shoulders forming collars whereby the driving shaft acts
in addition as a lateral arm substantially as described.
6. The hollow shaft in combination with the gear wheels on one end having an
annular flange, the gear wheels being applied upon the shaft by rivetting the flange
thereto, substantially as described and shown.

page_text: 7. The hollow shaft strengthened by internal flanges and by stay rods at the ends
substantially as and for the purpose described.
8. A hollow closed shaft provided on its exterior with a flange or with flanges
tapering toward the ends attached as described the whole constituting a buoyant screw
propeller substantially as described.
9. The configuration of the ship's hull having coved sides with bilged sides above the
coves and having a deep, narrow, buoyant section of the ship's hull below the axis of
the ship's longitudinal coves in combination with screw flange propellers substantially
as described.
10. The configuration of the ship's hull having coved sides with bilged sides above
the coves and having a deep, narrow, buoyant section of the ship's hull below the
axis of the ship's longitudinal coves in combination with propelling devices substantially
as described.
11. The valve levers S S and ss as described, or their equivalents for the purposes
set forth and described.
Dated this with t
L
1000