Apparatus for Detaching Barnacles, Crustacea, and Growths from Vessels when at Sea or otherwise.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Detaching Barnacles, Crustacea, and Growths from
Vessels when at Sea or otherwise.
EDWARD BRAILSFORD BRIGHT, of Hope Villa, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire,
Civil Engineer, and BENJAMIN NASII, of No. 11, Poultry, in the City of London,
Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
To effect the object of the title of our patent we employ a frame or carrier to
with a strong scraper or a metallic brush is attached. Several scrapers or brushes
may be fixed side by side.
The carrier is guided along the surface of the vessel by a chain or rope (prefer-
ably of galvanised wire) attached to each end, which is passed outside the bow and
stern respectively through a sheave or pulley at the lower end of a strong
iron rod.
The rod at each end of the vessel is moved up or down, as required, by means of
a rack upon it worked by a pinion and handle fixed to an outer frame or cylinder.
This outer frame or cylinder is held in position at or near the cut water and
stern, respectively, by two or more ropes or chains; passing, for instance, at the
bow through a hawse hole or port below, and also fixed to a bollard, deck ring,
or stanchion above-so that the frame, in which the rod with its rack moves, may be
held firm.
By means of a steam winch or other tackle the leading rope draws the carrier
along the vessel's side or bottom, and its scraper or metallic brush thus cleans a
given breadth of the surface. The other end of the rope behind the carrier is
veered out from a reel with a brake adjusted so as to keep the carrier with its
scraper or brush firmly against the side or bottom of the vessel while it is being
drawn over the surface between the two rods.
The carrier is then drawn back to its starting point, and by means of the rack
and pinion at each end the rods are moved to the extent required to bring the
carrier in line for covering a fresh breadth.
When the use of a dynamo-electric machine or other source of electrical power
is obtainable, either on board ship or in harbour, we attach to the front of the
carrier a metallic pole plate or metallic brush connected by an insulated conductor
to one pole of the machine; and the hull of the vessel, if of iron or other metal,
is connected to the other pole. If a wooden vessel, then its copper or other
metallic sheathing is similarly connected.
The pole-plate or brush being drawn along in front of the carrier administers
strong shocks to the barnacles and crustaceae, paralysing or killing them. An
alternating current machine is the most efficacious. The pole-plate or brush
should be fixed in front of the carrier by a wooden frame so as to insulate it as
much as possible.
Or, in place of employing electricity to facilitate detachment, a flexible pipe or
hose may be similarly attached in front of the carrier to deliver hot water, steam,

page_text: or other deleterious fluid upon the barnacles, when if parboiled they will not need
much scraping.
When the brush or scrapers are used alone, their effect may be much enhanced
by making them rotary in connection with a strong train of clockwork on the
frame of the carrier, the brush or scrapers being set to rotate in the opposite
direction to the movement of the carrier.
The carrier either runs on small wheels, or, as we prefer, short thick spokes;
and it is desirable to allow a little lateral play along the axle ends.
In place of passing the cleansing carrier between bow and stern, it may be
passed by means of a winch and rope down one side, across the keel, and up the
other side, but this would entail far greater trouble and difficulty in shifting the
carrier to fresh breadths of surface.
The importance of a comparatively inexpensive means on board ship, or in any
harbour, of enabling barnacles to be cleared off at any time desired, must be
apparent. The speed of vessels, particularly on foreign stations is often reduced
by these sailors pests by a third or more—entailing great extra consumption of
coal, besides the loss of time, extra pay, and other added expenses. The cost of
dry docking, where such a convenience exists, coupled with the shoring up, the
army of scrapers, and loss of time, is also very great.
All this together with the expense of antifouling paints, are obviated by the
occasional use of this simple appliance so as to prevent the barnacles, seaweed, etc.
making head.
As a case in point, the "Northampton" the flagship at the Nore, owing to
barnacles, was only able to make 3 miles an hour at sea, under steam and sail,
and on being dry-docked at Chatham over fifty tons of barnacles were scraped off
her sheathing.
T
1000
Apparatus for Detaching Barnacles, Crustaceæ, and Growths from
Vessels when at Sea or otherwise.
EDWARD BRAILSFORD BRIGHT, of Hope Villa, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire,
Civil Engineer, and BENJAMIN NASI, of 11, Poultry, in the City of London,
Accountant, 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:-
-
We employ a frame or carrier to which a strong scraper or brush (metallic or
otherwise) is attached. Several scrapers or brushes may be fixed side by side and
regulated by springs so as to adapt themselves under pressure to the curves of the
vessel's surface. The carrier is guided along the surface of the vessel by a chain
or rope (preferably of galvanised wire) attached to each end, which is passed
outside the bow and stern respectively through a sheave or pulley at the lower end
of a strong iron rod. The rod at each end of the vessel is moved up or down,
as required, by means of a rack upon it, worked by a pinion and handle fixed to an
outer frame or cylinder. This outer frame or cylinder is held in position at or
near the cutwater and stern, respectively, by two or more ropes or chains; passing,
for instance, at the bow through a hawsehole or port below, and also fixed to a
bollard, deck ring, or stanchion above-so that the frame, in which the rod with
its rack moves, may be held firm.

page_text: By means of a steam winch or other tackle the leading rope draws the carrier
along the vessel's side or bottom, and its scraper or metallic brush_thus cleans a
given breadth of the surface.
The other end of the rope behind the carrier is veered out from a reel with a
brake adjusted so as to keep the carrier with its scraper or brush firmly against the
side or bottom of the vessel while it is being drawn over the surface between the
two rods,
The carrier is then drawn back to its starting point, and by means of the rack
and pinion at each end the rods are moved to the extent required to bring the
carrier in line for covering a fresh breadth.
When the use of a dynamo-electric machine or other source of electrical power
is obtainable either on board ship or in harbour, we attach to the front of the
carrier a metallic pole-plate or metallic brush connected by an insulated con-
ductor to one pole of the machine; and the hull of the vessel, if of iron or other
metal, is connected to the other pole. If a wooden vessel, then its copper or other
metallic sheathing is similarly connected.
The pole-plate or brush being drawn along in front of the carrier administers
strong shocks to the barnacles and crustacea, paralysing or killing them. An
alternating current machine is the most efficacious. The pole plate or brush
should be fixed in front of the carrier by a wooden frame so as to insulate it as
much as possible.
Or, in place of employing electricity to facilitate detachment, a flexible tube or
fire hose may be similarly attached in front of the carrier to deliver hot water,
steam, or other deleterious fluid upon the barnacles to loosen them.
Figs. 1, plan and 2, side view, show the application of scrapers in a series of
four on each side A, A, with springs a, a. The scrapers are attached by hinges to
the frame B with cover B¹, and is drawn in either direction by the chains or
ropes C, C. The wooden frame work D carries the electrical connection d passing
from the dynamo machine on board to the metallic studs on the front of the
frame, with one pole-the other being connected to the side of the vessel.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the application by means of a brush or brushes, A, A, the
brushes;-B, the frame; and C, C, the guide ropes.
If suitable spars are available with blocks at each end, they may of course be
employed in place of the iron rods with racks and pinions.
The belt of barnacles does not as a rule extend more than seven or eight feet
below the water line; but if it is desired to clean further down, where the curves
are greater, then a guide rope should be passed along the side of the vessel near
the water line with a running rope attached to the carrier so as to prevent the
scrapers or brushes sagging.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
The various apparatus and their combination by means of which the requisite
graduated pressure is brought to bear on the scrapers or brushes, by hauling with a
winch or other source of power, and restraining by a brake.
E. B. BRIGHT,
BENJN. NASH.