Year: 1885

page_text: I, FREDERICK BRANDON SHUTTLEWORTH of Erith in the County of Kent Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention I fix a toothed are on to the tiller or quadrant to
gear with a toothed rack on the exterior of a cylinder which can be made to
traverse to and fro on suitable guides. The cylinder is fitted with a piston from
which a rod passes out through a stuffing box on each end of the cylinder. The
rod at its ends is secured to fixed abutments. One piston rod is made hollow and
divided by a longitudinal división into two channels-one channel has an opening
formed through it into the cylinder close up to one side of the piston and the other
has a similar opening close up to the opposite side of the piston.
One passage is also connected at one end of the rod to a pipe to which water
under pressure can be supplied and the other passage to another similar pipe.
Both pipes are led to ports in a valve face which valve is formed in any suitable
way so that by moving the valve water under pressure may be supplied from a
reservoir of water under pressure either to the one pipe or to the other and so that
when water under pressure is being supplied to one the other is opened to an
exhaust so that water may pass off from it. In this way by shifting the valve the
cylinder can be made to travel endwise either in one direction or the other and the
cylinder and consequently the rudder can be held in any position into which they
may be brought. To prevent the rudder being subjected to excessive strains
I provide each end of the cylinder with a relief valve loaded to any extent
required.
The requisite supply of water under pressure for working the steering gear I take
from any one or more of the steam boilers used for supplying steam to the engines
of the vessel and preferably from the bottom thereof.
The advantage of taking the water from the bottom is that the water is then
drawn off from the boiler at a point where it is always at a much lower temperature
than the water at the upper part of the boiler and where it is frequently below the
boiling point.

page_text: The comparatively cold water drawn off will be replaced by hotter water and in
this way the bottom of the boiler will be kept hotter than it otherwise would be
and the evils arising from unequal contraction and expansion of the boiler will be
avoided.
The water which passes off from the steering apparatus may be led to the
condenser or hot well from which it will be again pumped back to the boiler.
I, FREDERICK BRANDON SHUTTLEWORTH of Erith in the County of Kent
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:-
According to this Invention I fix a toothed arc on to the tiller or quadrant to
gear with a toothed rack on the exterior of a cylinder which can be made to
traverse to and fro on suitable guides. The cylinder is fitted with a piston from
which rods pass out through a stuffing box on each end of the cylinder. The piston
rods at their ends are secured to fixed abutments. They are made hollow and one
passage in one piston rod opens into the cylinder close up or through one side of
the piston and the other passage in the other piston rod opens into the cylinder
close up to or through the opposite side of the piston.
One piston rod is also connected to a pipe to which water under pressure can be
supplied and the other piston rod to another similar pipe.
Both pipes are led to ports in a valve face which valve is formed so that by moving
the valve, water under pressure may be supplied from a reservoir either to the one
pipe or to the other and so that when water under pressure is being supplied to
one the other is opened to an exhaust so that water may pass off from it. In this
way by shifting the valve the cylinder can be made to travel endwise either in one
direction or the other and the cylinder and consequently the rudder can be held in
any position into which they may be brought. To prevent the rudder being
subjected to excessive strains I provide each end of the cylinder with a relief valve
loaded to any extent required.
:
i
The requisite supply of water under pressure for working the steering gear
take from any one or more of the steam boilers used for supplying steam to the
engines of the vessel and preferably from the bottom thereof,

page_text: The advantage of taking the water from the bottom is that the water is then
drawn off from the boiler at a point where it is always at a much lower temperature
than the water at the upper part of the boiler and where it is frequently below the
boiling point.
The comparatively cold water drawn off will be replaced by hotter water and in
this way the bottom of the boiler will be kept hotter than it otherwise would bé
and the evils arising from-unequal contraction and expansion of the boiler will be
avoided.
The water which passes off from the steering apparatus is to be led to the
condenser or hot well from which it will be again pumped back to the boiler.
The vessel is thus steered without any expenditure of steam or any loss by
radiation beyond that caused from the warm water in the pipes which is trifling
compared to the radiation from steam pipes in ordinary steam steering gears and
the trifling extra work which is thrown on the main feed pumps of the engines.
In order to prevent the water (should it be taken from the boiler at or near
boiling point) from turning into steam in the pipes when the valve is opened to
condenser or hot well, a weighted valve is fixed on waste pipe where it joins hot
well or condenser weighted to say a few pounds above atmospheric pressure, so
that the whole arrangement will always work against this pressure.
Figure 1 is a plan in section of steering gear arranged in the manner above
described. Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a section on the
line A. B. Figure 1 and Figure 4 shows a alide valve for controlling the admission
of water from the steam boilers to the steering gear.
A is the rudder post B the tiller with a toothed are C fixed upon it. D is the
rack gearing with the toothed arc and carried by the cylinder E-F is the piston
fitting within the cylinder. GG are hollow piston rods passing out through stuffing
boxes at the two ends of the cylinder. The rods at their outer ends are secured
to fixed abutments H. On the upper and under sides of the cylinder are longi-
tudinal projections I these work in guides in a fixed frame J as best seen in
Figure 3.
The piston F is as shown at Figure 2 made hollow and is divided by a partition
into two compartments-one hollow piston rod opens into one compartment and the
other hollow piston rod. into the other compartment. Through each face of the
piston are openings F¹ so that one compartment is open to one end of the cylinder
and the other compartment to the other end. From the outer end of each hollow
piston rod a pipe K is led-one pipe to one end port and the other to the other end
port of the valve box L. The central port opens to an exhaust passage M leading
to the hot well or condenser-N is a slide valve working over the ports-0 is a
pipe for admitting water from the boilers to the valve box. The valve is prefer-
bably formed as shown at Figure 4 in such a way that when the valve is moved
endwise in either direction one or other of the outer ports commences to be
uncovered before the other port opens to the exhaust.
In place of using a flat slide valve such as shown a circular rotating valve or
other suitable form of valve might be used.
5. The loaded relief valves at each end of the cylinder are not shown in the drawing
any ordinary relief valve held down to its seat by a strong spring may be used for
the purpose. If the water under pressure is at a pressure say of 130 to 160 lbs to
the square inch I should preferably load the relief valves to about 200 lbs to the
inch. P P are strong springs placed around the piston rods--the object of these
0 springs is to prevent a dead blow being given to the end of the cylinder when it
is at one or other end of its traverse should the rudder be struck by a heavy sea.
It is necessary to provide in this way for avoiding blows at the ends of the traverse
of the cylinder because at the ends of the traverse the relief valves carried by the
cylinder are inoperative against a following sea striking the rudder.
5
The position of the rudder may at all times be shown to the man steering the
vessel either by an indicator attached to the rudder head, or by suitable meters on
the pipes from the valve to the cylinder, which meters will indicate the position of

page_text: the rudder. If deemed necessary a reservoir may be attached to the pipes near
the piston rods and the cylinder may then be filled with glycerine, oil or other fluid
and the water from boiler will then drive the oil alternately in and out of the
reservoirs, into and out of the cylinder and the water from boiler will then only
traverse the pipes and never reach the cylinder.
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. In steering gear worked by water under pressure, taking the water from one
or more of the steam boilers of the engines used for propelling the vessel sub-
stantially as described.
2. The combination of toothed are C on the tiller, gearing into a toothed rack D
on a cylinder E which can move endwise to and fro along a fixed piston rod G
through which water under pressure can be admitted to or allowed to escape from
either end of the cylinder substantially as described.
3. The combination of the toothed are C on the tiller-the toothed rack D on
the cylinder E the fixed piston rods G and the relief valves and springs P at the
ends of the cylinder substantially as described.
4. The construction of steering gear substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the drawing annexed.
.
1000