IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATS FOR PADDLE WHEELS
Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE RODGER of Michaelson Villa, Barrow-in-Furness in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATS FOR PADDLE WHEELS to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to floats for paddle wheels, more particularly to feathering
floats and consists in a novel construction of float board, or plate, whereby the
strength and rigidity of a wooden float board is obtained with reduced thickness
and the objections attendant upon steel, or other metal floats, namely their
tendency to strain and twist is obviated.
A.float according to my Invention consists of two metal plates preferably of
steel, which may be plain, or dished and, which are kept apart by any suitable
means, thus forming a space between the two plates which are rivetted, or other-
wise suitably connected together A suitable means of keeping the plates apart is
effected by inserting a wood liner, or other distance pieces may be employed. The
side edges of the float are finished off either by simply passing the rivets, or bolts
through the two steel plates and separating medium, or by setting the edge of the
back steel plate down to meet the steel plate forming the face of the float and
rivetting or bolting it thereto.
The floats thus constructed are connected to the float brackets, or feathering
mechanism in the usual way.
The back plate of the float is preferably made of bowed, curved, or arched form
the front plate being flat, or nearly flat.
D

page_text: I, GEORGE RODGER, of Michaelson Villa, Barrow-in-Furness, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to floats for paddle wheels, more particularly to feathering 5
floats, and consists in a novel construction of float board, or plate, whereby the
strength and rigidity of a wooden float board is obtained with reduced thickness
and the objections attendant upon steel, or other metal floats, namely their
tendency to strain and twist is obviated.
A float according to my invention consists of two metal plates preferably of 1
steel, which may be plain or dished and which are kept apart by any suitable
means, thus forming a space between the two plates, which are rivetted or other-
wise suitably connected together. A suitable means of keeping the plates apart is
effected by inserting a wood or equivalent liner, or other distance pieces may be
employed. The side edges of the float are finished off either by simply passing 1
the rivets, or bolts through the two steel plates and separating medium, or by
setting the edge of the back steel plate down to meet the steel plate forming the
face of the float and rivetting or bolting it thereto.
The floats thus constructed are connected to the float brackets, or feathering
mechanism in the usual way.
The back plate of the float is preferably made of bowed, curved, or arched form,
the front plate being flat, or nearly flat,
That my invention may be more clearly understood I have hereunto attached a
sheet of drawings which makes a part of this specification and which is marked
with figures and letters corresponding with those in the following explanation
2
t
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a. float according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan through X. X. Figure 1.
Figure 4 shows a varied form of joining the edges of the plates.
In the drawings A is the float, of which a is the front plate and a¹ the rear
plate, the latter being bowed. In the example here shown the plates are kept
apart by an enclosed liner of wood b.
In Figure 4 of the drawings the edges of the plates at the sides of the floats are
drawn together and rivetted.

page_text: 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
First. A float for paddle wheels consisting of a front plate and a rear plate of
metal and spaced apart substantially as set forth.
Second. A float for paddle wheels consisting of a front plate and a rear plate of
metal and a liner, substantially as set forth.
Third. The construction of the float A. substantially as set forth with reference
to the drawings.