IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS
Year: 1882

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEERING APPARATUS Communicated to him from abroad by John
Christopher Lake of Tom's River, Ocean County, New Jersey in the
United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office.
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd December 1882.
JOHN IMRAY of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS" [Communicated to him
from abroad by John Christopher Lake of Tom's River, Ocean County, New Jersey
in the United States of America
This Invention; has for its object the automatic locking of a steering tiller so as
to prevent the rudder from being moved by the water or wave pressure and yet to
leave it free to be moved by the steersman who by means of the locking apparatus
is protected against the strains and shocks resulting from impact of waves against
the rudder. For this purpose the rudder head is enclosed within a casing securoly
fixed to the deck, and has fixed on it a circular toothed segment with which gears
a pinion on a horizontal shaft that can be turned by a hand steering wheol. The
shaft turns in bearings in an arm which is fixed with a little play on the casing.
Under this arm is a block pivotted to the interior of the casing, this block having
a groove through which passes a circular toothed segment, and having on each side
of it wedge pieces pressed by a spring so as to hold the rack with strong friction.
Theso wedge pieces are so arranged in combination with checks which bear against
the arm of the tiller shaft that when the circular rack owing to wave action on the
rudder tends to move in either direction, the wedges become tightened and the
rack is firmly held in position, but when tho tiller wheel is turned by hand, the
initial part of its movement tends to slacken the wedges thus leaving the tiller
rack free to be moved. The grooved block above mentioned has a little freedom of
motion relatively to the casing and is pressed on each side by springs which take
off the shocks that would result from sudden movement of the rudder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th June
1883.
"
JOHN IMRAY of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS A communication to me!
from abroad by John Christopher Lake of Tom's River, Ocean County, New Jersey
in the United States of America
This Invention has for its object the automatic locking of a steering tiller so as
to prevent the rudder from being moved by the water or wave pressure, and yet to
leave it free to be moved by the steersman who, by means of the locking apparatus, 1
is protected against the strains and shocks resulting from impact of waves against
the rudder.
For this purpose, steering apparatus according to this invention is constructed and
arranged as represented in the accompanying Drawings. Fig. 1 is a side elevation,
Fig. 2 is a plan, Figs. 3 and 4 are partial sectional plans, Fig. 6 is a vertical section,
Fig. 6 is a front view, and Fig. 7 a partial front view of one form of the apparatus.
Figs 8 and 9 are perspective views of details to an enlarged scale.
A is part of the rudder and A' the rudder post; B is the tiller, made in two
sections B¹ B³. The upper soction B' is loosely swivelled on the post A', while the
lower section B, is firmly fastened to the post so as to move with it. O is tho
hand wheel fixed on the shaft c, which has a swivel bearing c¹ in the top of the
rudder post A², and carries a pinion c³ gearing with a segmental rack c³, which
rests upon standards o'c' having liberty of vertical movement on pins cc. D is a
circular rail carried on standards d d' d². The bearing d³ on the standard d³ is a
friction bearing, so adjusted that it will, up to a certain strain, prevent circum-
ferential movement of the rail D, but will permit such movement when the strain
is excessive. E E are clamps, consisting of metal plates ee having openings e' e'
for the passage of the rail D, and slides e³ for adjusting the size of these openings
or taking up "lost motion" therein. F F are springs fastened at ff to the tiller-
section B², their outer ends f¹f¹, exerting pressure against the clamps E E so as to
hold the same in the necessary relation to the section B' and rail D. G G are
Lshaped brackets secured to the sides of the section B³, and affording step-supports
for the rear ends of the clamps E E, which rest thereon. H is a staple fastened in
the under side of the section B', and forming a mortise for the tenon b, on the
outer end of the section B³. The mortise-opening his, however, of greater lateral
extent than the tenon, so that the latter has liberty of side motion to a limited
extent in the former. I is a plate or head provided with lugs ii, whereby it is
firmly secured on the upper tiller-section B². This plate I forms a bearing at i' for
the shaft c, and extends downwards in front of the lower-tiller section B', and
between the clamps E E.
The vertical sides of the tiller section B' approach towards each other in the
direction of the front or outer end of the section, so that when the clamps E E
rest against B³, they do not form radii to the circular rail D and thus the sides e³
and of the openings e' in the clamps bind against the rail D, as shewn in Fig. 4.
When however the clamps open out as shown in Fig. 3 they do not bind on the
rail D.
The operation is as follows:-The hand wheel C being turned, moves the outer
extremity of the tiller-section B' through the medium of the pinion c² and rack c³.
The edge of the plate or head I is thus brought into contact with one of the
clamps E, bringing this clamp into such position (as shewn in Fig. 3) that it will

page_text: slide freely along the rail D. The lower section B³, is thus free to move in the
direction of the released clamp, and is caused to move by contact of the staple H
with the tenon b. The two sections of the tiller thus move together, while the
spring on the side of the tiller opposite to that adjacent to the clamp which has
been released by contact of the head I, carries along with it the other clamp E,
which occupies the position indicated in Fig. 3, sliding freely on the rail D. Thus,
by turning the hand wheel, both clamps are released and both of the tiller sections
are caused to move together giving the desired movement of the rudder; but the
strain of the water will not produce movement of the hand wheel, because such
movement would cause one or other of the clamps to assume the position shewn in
Fig 4, the spring on the opposite side causing the other clamp to assume a like
position, binding on the rail D and preventing movement of the tiller. Should the
strain on the rudder be greater than the hold of the friction bearing d³ the rail
will slide circumferentially to.ease the strain whilst the clamps E retain their grip.
The rudder post may be made tapering at a, with adjustable clamps K, whose
edges are bevilled.
פן
The construction and arrangement may be modified as shewn by Fig. 10 which
is a plan with cover removed, Fig. 11 which is a vertical section, Figs. 12 and 13
which are plans of details, Fig. 14 which is a front view of an auxiliary tiller,
and Fig. 15 which shews the clamp blocks. In these Figs, L is the upper part of
the rudder post, which is surrounded by a hollow standard or casing M, surmounted
by a metallic rim m. On the post L is fixed a cap L' having a projecting boss l.
N is a
bearing plate formed with a flange n which rests upon the rim m, and
carrying a bearing N' for the boss adjustable by screws n¹. Above the boss ỉ is
a washer held by a bolt and nut or rivet . A weather cap O held by bolt or
screws o may be provided. The cap L' is secured on the rudder post L by keys
PP or otherwise, and is formed with a radial projection L³ which constitutes the
tiller. The upper side of this tiller has a transverse groove which receives a
segmental fixed rack Q, having its extremities secured at q q to the plate N.
Above the cap L¹ and between it and the bearing plate N is the "auxiliary tiller
consisting of an elongated plate R having an opening r for the passage of the boss 7.
This plate projects outwardly over the main tiller, and is formed at its outer end
with a downward projection R¹ having a mortice to receive the end of the main
tiller L. As the mortice r¹ is wider than the end of the tiller L the latter has
space for a little lateral movement therein. S is the hand wheel whose shaft S¹ is
supported on the auxiliary tiller R and held there by means of cross plates or
staples 8 8. This shaft carries a pinion s' which gears with the teeth on tho
segmental rack Q. TT are clamp blocks or clutches having openings t t for the
passage through them of the segmental rack Q. Their inner sides are grooved and
provided with slides t¹ t' to take up lost motion due to wear against the side of the
rack. These clutches are held against the sides of the auxiliary tiller by a C
spring U which surrounds the rudder post L with its ends bearing against the
clutches T near their inner extremities. The parts of both the main tiller and of
the auxiliary tiller that encircle the rudder post are made as broad plates, giving
an extended bearing surface, which are held together by bolts 11 passing through
slotted holes in the eye of the auxiliary tiller.
The operation of the apparatus described with reference to Figs. 10 to 15
inclusive is substantially the same as that previously described with reference to
Figs 1 to 9 inclusive.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim:-
First. The construction of steering apparatus wherein the tiller is made in two
parts, one fixed on the rudder post and the other swivelled theroon, and clamps
are so arranged that movement of the former section tends to bind them on a fixed
rail, and movement of the latter tends to release them, substantially as and for the
purpose herein set forth with reference to Figs 1 to 9 inclusive.

page_text: Second. The modified construction of steering apparatus wherein the clamps
referred to in the preceding claim act on a segmental rack fixed to a casing,
substantially as described with reference to Figs 10 to 15 inclusive.
In Witness whereof I the said John Imray have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twentieth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand &
eight hundred and eighty three.