IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Randolph, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS."
Sealed the 4th June 1867, and dated the 15th December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Randolph at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th December 1866.
I, CHARLES RANDOLPH, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to the propelling of vessels by means of improved
and simplified apparatus, which comprises a centrifugal fan or pump arranged
in a novel and peculiar manner in a casing, in communication with which
there are two passages or ducts leading one to the bow and the other to the
stern of the vessel. The fan is upon a shaft disposed horizontally or in any
other convenient position, and is driven always in one direction by any simple
kind of steam engine which does not require reversing gear.

page_text: The principal feature in the improved arrangement is the altering of the
direction in which the water is propelled along the ducts by changing the
position of the fan in the casing. There is in the casing an annular diaphragm
at right angles to the axis, the inner edge of which diaphragm is just cleared
by the fan, and the ducts communicate with the circumferential parts of the
casing on opposite sides of the diaphragm. The fan is shifted by moving its
shaft in the direction of its axis, and when the fan has its circumferential
openings to that side of the diaphragm which communicates with the stern
duct the water will be forced out by that duct and drawn in by the other, and
the vessel will be propelled ahead. When the fan is shifted to the other side
of the diaphragm the action will be reversed, whilst if the fan is in its middle
position the ship will not be propelled in either direction although the
engines may be working at full speed. For the purpose of steering the
vessel a deflecting plate is fitted like a throttle valve at the outlet of each
duct.
The details of the improved arrangement may obviously be varied, but the
essential feature is the moving of the fan in its casing in order to determine
the. direction in which the water is propelled along the duct.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Randolph in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES.
RANDOLPH, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Randolph, Her special licence that I, the said
Charles Randolph, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles Randolph, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS," upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Randolph, 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 aud immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Randolph, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the propelling of vessels by means of improved
and simplified apparatus, which comprises one or more centrifugal fans or
pumps arranged in a novel and peculiar manner, each fan being in a casing,
in communication with which there are two passages or ducts, leading one to
the bow and the other to the stern of the vessel. The fan is upon a shaft
disposed horizontally or in any other convenient position, and is driven always
in one direction by means of any convenient kind of steam engine, which may
be of the simplest construction and which does not require reversing gear.
The principal feature in the improved arrangement is the altering of the
direction in which the water is propelled along the ducts, by changing the
position of the fan in the casing. There is in the casing a diaphragm or
partition, the inner edge of which is just cleared by the fan, and the ducts or
passages communicating with the bow and stern respectively open into the
circumferential parts of the casing on opposite sides of the diaphragmn. The
fan is shifted by moving its shaft in the direction of its axis; and when the
fan bas its circumferential openings to that side of the diaphragm which is in
communication with the stern, duct, or passage, the water will be forced out
by that duct and drawn in by the other, and the vessel will be propelled
ahead. When the fan is shifted to the other side of the diaphragm the
action will be reversed, whilst if the fan is in its middle position the water
will move in circles by the eye and circumference on each side, and the ship
will not be propelled in either direction, although the engines may be working
at full speed. The fan has an open central eye on each face, but the move-
ment which brings the circumferential openings to one side of the diaphragm
in the casing causes the eye of that face to be closed against the side of the
casing, whilst the eye of the other face is drawn away from the other side of
the casing and the water has thus free access by it into the fan.

page_text: The details in connection with the improved arrangement may obviously be
varied in different cases to suit different requirements, but a few modifications
are shown upon the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings by way of example.
Figures 1 and 2, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, are diagrams showing
a vessel in longitudinal, vertical, and horizontal section as fitted with one
modification of my improved apparatus, and Figures 6 and 7 on Sheet 2
are longitudinal, vertical, and horizontal sections of the apparatus. In this
example there is a single centrifugal fan or pump F, disposed in a casing C,
and fixed on a horizontal shaft S, which passes through stufling boxes in the
sides of the casing, and has fast on it a pinion P in gear with a spur wheel W,
driven by an engine which is not shown, as it may be of any convenient kind
as herein-before stated. The engine might be arranged to act directly on the
fan shaft S, if preferred. The pinion P is made of extra length, so as to
admit of the movement of the shaft S to one side or the other without its
getting out of gear from the spur wheel W. The spur wheel W and pinion P
are indicated by red circles in Figures 1 and 3. The casing C is divided by
a partition or diaphragm D into two compartments, which may be termed the
starboard and larboard compartments respectively, the bow being supposed to
be towards the right hand in the Drawings. In Figure 7 the fan F is repre-
sented as having its circumferential openings in the starboard compartment, in
which position it will propel the vessel ahead. The water enters a passage A
at the bow, which communicates with the larboard compartment of the
casing C, and thereby has access to the larboard eye of the fan F, being
driven by the fan out of the starboard compartment along the discharge
passage B leading to the stern. The sides of the passage B merge into those
of the starboard compartment of the casing C, with curves suitable for a
proper delivery of the water from the fan into it; and the passage A also joins
This arrange-
the larboard compartment of the casing in the same manner.
ment gives sufficiently free access for the water to the fan, with at the same
time the best form for its delivery therefrom in whichever direction it may be
propelled. The propelling action is reversed by shifting the shaft S, with the
fan F to larboard, when it will drive the water out of the larboard compart-
ment towards the bow, and the water will enter from the stern by the
starboard coinpartment. This shifting of the fan shaft S may be effected by
means of any convenient appliance, which will depend on the size of the parts.
In Figure 7 a rack-toothed bush or tube y is fitted on the shaft S, but so as
not to be turned thereby, and in gear with this rack-toothed bush there is a
pinion z, on a vertical shaft passing up to the deck to be actuated by a
hand wheel, and with intermediate gearing if required.

page_text: My improvements may be practically carried out with various kinds of
centrifugal fans, but the construction I prefer is shown in the Drawings, and
will be sufficiently well understood therefrom, particularly as my present
Invention does not relate to that part of the apparatus, excepting so far as
regards the shifting of it transversely to reverse the propelling action. When
the fan is in the position shown in Figure 7 for propelling ahead the edge of
the starboard eye is in contact or almost in contact with a circular partition a
cast or provided in the casing C to prevent the access of water to the eye of
the fan on that side, and similarly when the fan is moved into the position for
propelling astern its larboard eye comes into contact or nearly.into contact
with a corresponding partition w at the other side of the casing. Slightly
different forms of the partitions w, x, are shown in horizontal section in
Figures 8 and 9 on Sheet 2, which Figures also show variations in the forms
of other parts inside the casing C.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 7 the circumferential openings of
the fan F communicate with both starboard and larboard compartments of
the casing C when the fan is in the middle position, but in that shown in
Figure 8 a cylindrical belt d is formed in the diaphragm in such a way that
the circumferential openings of the fan are entirely withdrawn from one
compartment before they begin to open in the other compartment.
In the modifications of the fan shown in Figures 7 and 8 both eyes
communicate with the same circumferential openings, but in that shown in
Figure 9 each eye communicates with separate circumferential openings,
whereby a more nearly radial motion will be given to the water with less
liability to form eddies.
.
Sluices V are provided to admit of the casing C being shut off from the
'fore and after passages A, B, when access is wanted to the inside, such access
being obtained through a manhole door. The casing C has also fitted in
connection with it various pipes or passages to admit of the action of the fan
being availed of in various ways. Thus a pair of pipes U with lift valves is
fitted at each side of the casing for withdrawing water from the ship's bilges
For hold, whilst two larger pipes T having sluices are fitted in communication
with the top of the casing to be used for clearing the ship of water entering
at a leak or shot hole, or for leading water to any part of the ship in case of
fire. When the fan is used for drawing water from the ship by the pipes U
or T, or both, the sluice V on the inlet side may be more or less closed; and
if in the case of a serious leak it is entirely closed, the entire power of the
´apparatus can be availed of for discharging the water from the vessel, and that
whilst still continuing the propelling action.

page_text: Figure 3, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, is a diagram showing in plan a
modification in which two fans are employed in separate casings C, C. When
two fans are used in this way they may be both fixed on one shaft, having
fast on it, by preference in the middle space between the casings, a single
pinion driven by a spur wheel on the engine shaft; but in the modification
shown in Figure 3 a different arrangement is adopted in order to obtain
increased steering or turning power, the fans being on separate shafts in the
same line, each with its pinion P. The pinions P, P,. are at the outer
sides of the casings, and are actuated by separate spur wheels W, W, on the
engine shaft. The inlet passages A, A, forward and the outlet passages B, B,
aft are for the most part close together, merely diverging near the casings.
When the two fans are, on one shaft so as always to act together the forward
passages A, A, may merge into a single one, as may also the after passages
B, B.
Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams showing another modification in which the
casings C, C, with the fans and the passages A, A, and B, B, are arranged at
the sides of the vessel instead of being in the middle, as in the modification
shown in Figure 8.
For the purpose of steering the vessel one or more deflecting plates are
fitted at the outer ends of the water ducts or passages A, B, and these
deflecting plates are by preference arranged like common throttle valves or
balanced rudders.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 there is a single deflecting
plate E at each end, and when turning the vessel these are set as shown, so
that both assist in the action.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 3 there are are two deflecting plates E
at each end, and if the four are set in such positions as they are shown in in the
Figure, whilst the fans are so placed as respectively to cause the water to
traverse the ducts in the directions indicated by the arrows, the vessel will be
turned in a very small circle or on its centre.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 5 deflecting plates are not required,
.as the vessel can be steered or turned by simply moving the fans into different
positions, or an ordinary rudder may be used.
Finally, water-propelling apparatus constructed and worked substantially
as herein-before described may be applied independently of the main pro-
pelling apparatus of the vessel, and for steering or turning her, in which case
the ducts will be disposed transversely at the bow or stern.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict

page_text: myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
The propelling of vessels by means of centrifugal fans in connection with
water ducts in the vessel, such fans being arranged to reverse their action on
being shifted transversely in suitably formed casings, substantially as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Randolph, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
CHARLES RANDOLPH. (L.S.)