IMPROVE- MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Oswald Papengouth, of No. 46, Russell
Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND VESSELS."
Sealed the 3rd July 1866, and dated the 10th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Oswald
Papengouth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 10th January 1866.
I, CHRISTOPHER OSWALD PAPENGOUTH, of No. 46, Russell Square, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing ships and
vessels, and consists in the application of corrugated iron or steel plates
at the back of external armour plates, as hereafter explained. The con-
struction of the framing of a ship or vessel and the application of a skin or
plating thereto may be greatly varied, and backing of wood or of other
material may be employed when desired. The manner of using corrugated
iron or steel plating may be varied, and the corrugated iron or steel may be

page_text: When the
employed in one, two, or more thicknesses or layers. When two or more.
thicknesses of corrugated iron are used, it is generally preferred that the
corrugation of one thickness or layer should cross the next thickness or
layer at an angle, generally at right angles. The armour plates may be in
small sections so as to admit of each block or plate being fixed by means
of a single stem or bolt, or the armour plates may be of larger dimensions
and such as to require several bolts in order to fix the same.
armour plates are small I arrange them in such manner that each plate or
block may be supported by four other plates at the back. Between the
surfaces thus pressed together I interpose vulcanized india-rubber or other
suitable elastic material. The stems of the armour plates are by preference
fixed by screw nuts to the interior of the corrugated plating where only one
layer or thickness thereof is employed. I employ blocks of vulcanized india-
rubber of like dimensions with the armour plates and the plates which are
at the back thereof, so that these elastic blocks at their outer ends produce
a complete elastic surface, the edges or sides butting together so as to
produce water-tight butt joints. In the interior of each elastic block I
sometimes introduce a strong spring of steel, and these elastic blocks,
together with the steel springs, are fixed by screw bolts and nuts to the
body of the ship. When using two or more layers or thicknesses of corru-
gated plating with armour plates fixed by one stem or bolt to each, then I
prefer that the stem or bolt of each armour plate should pass through both
corrugated plates where the corrugations cross or intersect each other, and
I fix the stems or bolts of the armour plates by screw nuts.
I also use
similar arrangements of elastic blocks or masses of vulcanized india-rubber
and other metal plates at the backs of the armour plates, as before explained.
In some cases I employ more than two thicknesses or layers of corrugated
plates, and in some cases the corrugations of one layer or thickness in place
of crossing the others at angles, as before described, the corrugations of
one partially enter the spaces between the corrugations of the plates next
'to them. I also use in combination with one or more layers or thicknesses
of corrugated plates armour plates of large dimensions and fix them with
screw bolts and nuts, and I employ therewith elastic blocks or thicknesses
of vulcanized india-rubber, which may when desired have steel springs
therein, as before mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
OSWALD PAPENGOUTH, of No. 46, Russell Square, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth, Her special licence that I,
the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVENENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing ships
and vessels, and consists in the application of corrugated iron or steel
plates at the back of external armour plates as hereafter explained. The
construction of the framing of a ship or vessel and the application of a skin
or plating thereto may be greatly varied, and backing of wood or of other
material may be employed when desired. The manner of using corrugated
iron or steel plating may be varied, and the corrugated iron or steel may

page_text: When two or
be employed in one, two, or more thicknesses or layers.
more thicknesses of corrugated iron are used, it is generally preferred
that the corrugation of one thickness or layer should cross the next thick-
ness or layer at an angle, generally at right angles. The armour plates
may be in small sections so as to admit of each block or plate being fixed
by means of a single stem or bolt, or the armour plates may be of larger
dimensions and such as to require several bolts in order to fix the same..
Wheu the armour plates are small I arrange them in such manner that,
each plate or block may be supported by four other plates at the back.
Between the surfaces thus pressed together I interpose vulcanized india-
rubber or other suitable elastic material. The stems of the armour plates
are by preference fixed by screw nuts to the interior of the corrugated
plating where only one layer or thickness thereof is employed. I employ
blocks of vulcanized india-rubber of like dimensions with the armonr
plates and the plates which are at the back thereof, so that these elastic
blocks at their outer ends produce a complete elastic surface, the edges or
sides butting together so as to produce water-tight butt joints. In the
interior of each elastick block I sometimes introduce a strong spring of
steel, and these elastic blocks, together with the steel springs, are fixed by
screw bolts and nuts to the body of the ship. When using two or more
layers or thicknesses of corrugated plating with armour plates fixed by one
stem or bolt to each, then I prefer that the stem or bolt of each armour
plate should pass through both corrugated plates where the corrugations
cross or intersect each other, and I fix the stems or bolts of the armour
plates by screw nuts. I also use similar arrangements of elastic blocks or
masses of vulcanized india-rubber and other metal plates at the backs of
the armour plates, as before explained. In some cases I employ more
than two thicknesses or layers of corrugated plates, and in some cases the
corrugations of one layer or thickness in place of crossing the others at
angles, as before described, the corrugations of one partially enter the
spaces between the corrugations of the plates next to them. I also use in
combination with one or more layers or thicknesses of corrugated plates
armour plates of large dimensions, and fix them with screw bolts and nuts,
and I employ therewith elastic blocks or thicknesses of vulcanized india-
rubber, which may when desired have steel springs therein, as before
mentioned.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
more fully to describe the manner of verforming the same.

page_text: Figure 1 shows part of the side of a ship; Figure 2 shows a transverse
srction; and Figure 3 a horizontal longitudinal section of the parts shewn
in Figure 1. In the construction and arrangement shown in these Figures
there are two layers or thicknesses of corrugated iron or steel, which cross
each other at right angles. These two thicknesses or layers of corrugated
iron or steel form a strong elastic structure between the inner skin and the
outer plating of the sides of a ship or vessel, and such layers or thicknesses
of corrugated iron or steel, in addition to presenting great additional power
to resist the effect of shot and other projectiles, also add greatly to the
strength of the framing of the ship. In the construction and arrangement
shown in these Figures there is wood backing employed, against which the
inner layer or thickness a, a, of the corrugated iron or steel rests, and is
fixed by screw bolts a', a', and nuts a², a³, as shown; but the fastening of
the corrugated iron or steel to the wood backing when used, and the wood
backing to the interior framing or to the skin of the ship or vessel, may be
variously arranged, or the backing of wood may be dispensed with when
preferred, and the corrugated iron or steel more directly combined with the
framing of the ship or vessel. b, b, is another layer or thickness of corru-
gated iron or steel, the corrugations of which are horizontal, whilst the
corrugations of the other layer or thickness a, a, are vertical, but this
relation may be varied. c, c, are armour or thick plates of iron or steel
forming the outer plating of the sides of a ship or vessel; each section c
of this outer plating is of comparatively small dimensions, and has a stem
or bolt c', which is fixed by the screw nut c² to the corrugations of the layer
a, a, of the corrugated plates of iron or steel, and washers are used, as
shown in the Drawings. If preferred larger plates of thick armour plating
may be used and fixed by screw bolts or otherwise. When the outer
plating of iron or steel is formed of sections of comparatively small dimen-
sions, as shown at c, c, it is preferred to employ therewith washer plates
d, d, as shown in the Drawings, by which each section c of the outer
plating is supported by four washer plates, and these washer plates are
again supported by four blocks e, e, of elastic packing, which enter into
the corrugations of the outer thickness or layer of corrugated iron or steel
plates, as is shown. This elastic packing may be of vulcanized india-rubber,
either alone or combined with cork or other matters, or such packing may
be of other suitable material or materials without india-rubber. f. f, are
other clastic packing blocks or washers which I prefer to use between the

page_text: outer plating and the loose washer plating. It is not essential that these
packings and loose washer plates should in all cases be employed, as the
outer plating of the sides of a ship or vessel may come more directly in
contact with the corrugated plates; and such outer plating may be formed
of greater or less thickness, and may be fixed in any convenient manner.
Figure 4 shows part of a side view of a ship or vessel; Figure 5 shows
part of a longitudinal section; and Figure 6 shows part of a vertical sec-
tion taken through the lines indicated in the Drawings. In this arrange-
ment long armour plates c, c, are used, and they are fixed by screw bolts
and nuts in the manner shown in these Figures. In this arrangement the
corrugated spring plates are arranged in pairs, systems of two sets of pairs
being used; the convex corrugations of one plate of each pair partly enter
the concave corrugations of the other plate of that pair, and the two sets
of pairs of corrugated plates are arranged to cross each other at right
angles. In the arrangements shown the outer or armour plating is formed
with angular grooves and ridges at the back or inner surface. In these
grooves the convex corrugations of the spring plates next to them are
received, and the armour plates are of considerable thickness; but these
forms and constructions of the outer plating may be varied, and it may
be stated that the construction and mode of fixing of the armour or other
outer plating do not separately form part of my Invention, the peculiarity
of which consists in the use of corrugated plates between the outer plating
and the framing of the ship or vessel. In the arrangement indicated in
the Drawings, Figures 4, 5, and 6, the framing is shown as consisting of
rolled, or it might be of built hollow, trough-like, sectioned iron, to which
a skin or outer plating is affixed by rivets; through this skin or plating the
through screw bolts which secure the armour plates pass; there are also
plates between the two systems of pairs of corrugated plates. In these
Figures c, c, is the outer plating; b, b, are the series of pairs of corrugated
plates which come next the outer plating; a, a, are the pairs of plates
which are arranged at right angles to the pairs of plates b, b. Between
the systems of corrugated plates a, a, and b, b, is interposed two layers of
plates a, a, crossing each other at right angles, whilst between the skin
and the systems of corrugated plates a, a, are other plates y, y, so that any
movement of the corrugated plates a, a, b, b, will be on the plates x, x
and y, 3.
It is not essential that the two or more layers of corrugated
plates should be of the same sections, or that the corrugations should con-
sist of portions of circles, as angular corrugations may be employed in like
manner to what has been above explained, or plates with angular corruga-

page_text: tions may be used in combination with curved corrugations such as are
shewn in the Drawing; and the thicknesses of the several corrugated
plates used together in forming a structure according to my Invention
need not be the same; on the contrary, the thickness of the corrugated
plates may be varied, and corrugated plates of different thicknesses may
be used in the same structure. In some cases instead of employing two
or more layers of corrugated plates, one riding on the other, as above
described, I use a series of narrow corrugated plates or bars bent or formed
into like corrugations, and I place these corrugated plates or bars side by
side, the convex corrugations of one coming opposite the concave corru-
gations of the next, and so on, thus making up and filling the space
between the skin and the outer plating of a vessel; and in other cases I
combine such narrow corrugated bars or plates with the wider ones above
described, so that the space before mentioned is filled by the combined
arrangements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Oswald Papengouth, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHRISTOPHER OSWALD PAPENGOUTH. (L.S.)