Apparatus for Supporting Stationary or Moveable Loads.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2. th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Supporting Stationary or Moveable Loads.
I, BERTHOLD GERDAU, of Neander Strasse 13 Düsseldorf-Grafenberg
Germany, 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 consists of an apparatus for carrying moveable or stationary
loads, which I will describe with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of the apparatus and Figs. 2 to 8 shew various
applications of the same.
°
The apparatus consists of a strong chamber a into which are led liquids, or gas
or air under pressure so as to constitute a fluid pressure column that bears against
a flat even surface or way d. These columns of liquid, gas or air are enclosed by
means of annular pistons b, that work fluid tight in the open lower ends of the
chambers a that carry the load, the pistons being made to bear with their lower
edge upon the surface d, suitable packing e being provided on the piston for
working fluid tight both in the chamber a and on the surface d.
When arranging several chambers a under one load they are preferably
connected together by means of pipes f Figs. 6 and 7. The supporting chambers a
are supplied with fluid by a pump. If the fluid be discharged from the chambers,
which may be effected by opening a valve in the pressure supply pipe, the pistons b
will be forced by the load into the chambers, until these rest with their lower ends
upon the level surfaces d.
g
At the point where the chamber a is provided with a lateral opening for
communicating with the supply pipe f, a valve chamber is provided whose valve k
is held away from its seat by a roller r on its stem bearing against the surface d
until sufficient pressure fluid has been forced into the chamber a to raise this above
the surface d, whereupon the valve will close automatically, the seat thereof
being raised up against it. The pressure fluid passing through the channel in
the valve chamber i then forces the valve down on its seat. If, in consequence of
a change in the load, or in consequence of a small loss of pressure fluid on account
of its adhesion to the slide surface d, the pressure of the fluid column becomes less
The
than that in the pipe the chamber a will sink, and with it the valve seat.
latter will consequently be removed from valve supported by its stem and roller r
from the surface d, and pressure fluid will again pass through the opened valve into
the chamber a until this has again been raised to the normal height.
The spring e insures that the roller r shall always bear upon the surface d, so
that a decrease in the height of the fluid column will always cause a fresh supply
of fluid pressure to the chamber a.
The above described invention is applicable to all kinds of apparatus for
carrying stationary or moveable loads. Figs. 2 to 7 show by way of example a
variety of such carrying devices.
Fig. 2 shews the application to a turntable; Fig. 3 to a travelling platform;
Fig. 4 to a sliding bridge; Fig. 5 to a swing bridge; Fig. 6 to a raising device;
Fig. 7 to a ship railway.
In the turntable at Fig. 2 the supporting chambers a are arranged beneath the
turntables and slide upon the circular path d.

page_text: The construction of the support a is the same as described with reference to
Fig. 1.
When the turntable is to be used, fluid pressure is forced into the chambers a
by a pump which is connected with these by means of a supply pipe. The
turntable is thereby raised so that it rests upon the columns of pressure fluid.
It is then turned, and, after allowing the pressure fluid to escape, the turntable
again rests upon the bodies a.
°
In most cases a liquid such as water will be used as the pressure fluid, as the
pressure of this does not vary so much under changes of temperature, as gases or
air do.
In order to prevent freezing in cold weather, glycerine or other unfreezable
liquid may be used with advantage as the pressure fluid.
Also with travelling platforms such as at Fig. 3, the carrying bodies can be
applied. They are so arranged under the platform n that they rest upon the
parallel ways d d. Also in this case the platform is moved along after the bodies a
have been raised, and when brought into position, the fluid pressure is allowed to
escape.
A similar arrangement is shown in the sliding bridge at Figure 4.
In this case
there are provided on the one shore parallel ways d d lying in the direction towards
the opposite shore on which ways the supporting bodies a for the bridge bodies o
slide.
The working of the sliding bridge is analogous to that of the travelling
platform.
In the application of the supporting. bodies a to a swing bridge, Figure 5,
supporting bodies a¹ are arranged symmetrically round the pivot of the axis of the
bridge body, so as to slide upon a circular way d'.
The end of the swing bridge which turns over the land also carries supporting
bodies a which slide upon the circular way d. The working of the swing bridge is
the same as with the turntable Figure 2.
In all these constructions the fluid columns in the bodies a can be connected by
pipes in order to ensure a uniform pressure in all the bodies.
The valve construction shewn and described with reference to Figure 1, can also
be used in connection with these supporting bodies.
In the raising apparatus Figure 6, ships which for example have entered a lock
can be raised together with the latter along an inclined way and be thus conveyed
from a channel at a low level to one at a higher level or in like manuer it may be
lowered from a high level to the low level. The lock is supported upon bodies a
provided with chambers and pistons as above described, made to communicate with
each other and resting upon the inclined ways d. By this means the lock is
provided with an elastic support, the charge of which is maintained at constant
pressure owing to the inter-communication of the chambers by means of the pipe f
through which any inequality of pressure that may arise in the one or the other
chamber is at once equalised from the other chambers.
Figure 6 shows both a side view and a cross section of the lock. These are shown
supported on four supporting bodies a which are constructed as described with
reference to Figure 1 and, as before stated, communicate with each other by pipes.
The mode of working with this raising or lowering apparatus is as follows. The
lock is situated in its position of rest at the lower station. After water tight
connection has been made between the lock and the canal at this station, the lock
gates are opened and the vessel passes into the lock. The lock gates are then
closed again and the lock having been disconnected from the canal, the pressure
pumps are set in motion for forcing sufficient pressure into the chambers of a until
these have been raised away from the inclined ways d, whereupon the lock resting
upon the fluid columns in the bodies a can be raised up along the inclined ways.
Arrived at the upper station, the motion of the lock is stopped and the pressure
fluid is discharged; water tight connection is made between the lock and the upper
canal, and lastly the lock gates are opened so that the vessel can pass into the
upper canal.
į

page_text: Figure 7 shows a similar arrangement for supporting a ship upon a number of
the supporting bodies a which rest upon an inclined way along which a ship-can
either be raised or lowered. This arrangement can be applied either on ship-
railways or for conveying ships into or from docks for effecting repairs.
•
Figure 8 shows the application of my invention as a bearing for a heavy shaft
or for trunnions and the like. The chamber filled with fluid pressure is in this.
case provided both above and below the shaft so as to act as a bearing therefor, either
for an upward or downward thrust. In many cases however only a lower supporting
chamber may be used. The housing bearing as also the cover contain hollows or
chambers into which are fitted the hollow pistons which are fitted fluid tight both,
against the shafting m as also against the housing and cover by means of suitable.
packing c.
The previously described valves i are provided in the pressure supply branches.
and have the effect that the shaft m will always be held in the same position by the
following means. When the shaft m has a tendency to sink, the upper valve will
close and the lower valve will open automatically so that through the latter the
pressure fluid will enter below the shaft from the supply pipe and will thus.
prevent the sinking of the shaft. In the same way any change in position in a
upward direction will be prevented. In all the above described constructions the
same letters of reference indicate the same parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
-
1. Apparatus for supporting stationary or moving loads consisting of bodies.
arranged under the load and containing chambers a open at bottom in which
chambers slide annular pistons 6 that work fluid-tight both against the chamber c
and the supporting surface or way d, into which chambers fluid pressure is force.!
so as to raise the chamber bodies off the supporting surface and thus to support.
the load upon fluid columns, so that it can be moved over the supporting surface
with a small amount of friction, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for supporting loads such as is referred to in the first claim, the
combination with the chamber bodies a supporting the load, of a valve apparatus.
serving to regulate the height of the column of pressure fluid in the chamber, and
consisting of a valve body k the stem of which bears with a roller r against the
supporting surface d, upon which it is also pressed by a spring e, so that when the
pressure in the chamber a decreases and this together with the valve chamber i
sinks, the valve k is raised from its seat, and allows a fresh supply of pressure fluid.
to enter the chamber a from the supply pipe until the chamber a and valve
chamber i have been raised again so as to cause the valve k to close, substantially
as described.
3. The application of the supporting device referred to in Claims 1 and 2 to turn
tables consisting in the provision of supporting chambers a arranged under the turn-
tables and sliding upon a circular way d, substantially as described with reference
to Figure 2.
4. The application of the supporting device referred to in Claims 1 and 2 to.
travelling platforms and sliding bridges, consisting in the provision of supporting
chambers a arranged beneath the platform or bridge and resting upon the parallel
ways d substantially as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.
5. The application of the supporting device referred to in Claims 1 and 2 to
swing bridges, consisting in the provision of supporting chambers a sliding on a
circular way d surrounding the pivot axis of the bridge, and of other supporting
chambers a under the land end of the bridge and sliding over a curved way d
substantially as described with reference to Figure 5.
6. The application of the supporting device referred to in Claims 1 and 2, to
raising apparatus arranged on inclined ways, consisting in the provision of the
supporting chambers a under the load, which chambers are connected with each.

page_text: other by pressure pipes and which slide up or down inclined ways a substantially
as described with reference to Figures 6 and 7.
7. The application of the supporting device referred to in Claims 1 and 2 to the
hearings of shafting, axles or trunnions consisting in the provision of hollow
bearing supports a in which slide annular pistons 6 working fluid tight against the
chambers of a and against the shaft m, and which contain a column of pressure
fluid whereby the friction of the shaft in its bearings, is greatly diminished.
8. The connection of two or more of the supporting devices referred to in
Claims 1 and 2 by means of communicating pipes f for the purpose of distributing
the pressure of the load uniformly over all the columns of pressure fluid substantially
as described.
Dated this 27th day of February 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.