US1803105A - Ship construction - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Shee l w. F. FLETCHER SHIP CONSTRUCTION Filed March 14, 1929 April is, 1931.

INVENTOR LUAN. F. FLETCHER April 28, 1931. w FLETCHER 1,803,105

SHIP CONSTRUCTION Filed March 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN'IOB WELUAM-EFLETCHER BY G ATTORNE 15 anism at the stern.

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 PATENT orries.

WILLIAM F. FLEroHnaoF MONTREAL, QUEBEC; CANADA i 3 SHIP CONSTRUCTION Application filed March 14, 1929, Serial no.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ship construction and -particularly .to ships for carrying loose cargo such as coal, grain and the like and the object of the invention is to provide a ship so constructed that. the cargo will be quickly discharged with the minimum amount of labour.

Another object is to provide a cargo carrying vessel which will have means to control the discharge of cargo from any part oft-he hold.

According to my invention I provide a vessel having conveyor controlling mechanism at the bow end and the propelling mech- Between the conveyor control space and the engine room a series of holds are provided. These holds communicate. with one another and are provided with a plurality of hoppers at their bottoms.

1 These hoppers are spaced on each side of the centre line and a working tunnel is provided therebetween extending the full length of the vessel to provide an inspection space and controlling means are mounted in the tunnels to control the opening of the hopper bottoms.

The hoppers discharge on to a conveyor which carries the cargo forwardly on to aseries of elevating conveyors which discharge the cargo over the sides of the vessel. The holds are of peculiar construction as the sides of the hopper provide one side of the ballast tanks and the root of the inspection or working tunnel.

In the drawings which illustrate one form of my invention;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cargo carrying vessel.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the vessel shown in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the vessel taken on the line 3-3 Figure 2 Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the hull of the vessel, 12 the bow, and 13 the stern. The propelling mechanism 141, boilers 15, and crew accommodation 16, are positioned at the stern. The crews quarters 17, and the bridge or wheel house 18 are positioned at the bow. Between the bow and the stern are the holds 19, 20, 21 and 22, which may be separated by.

tend intothe tunnel.

347,136, and in Canada January 16,1929.d

suitable partitions. Theholds are built in the manner disclosed in Figure '3. The bottom 23 of the hull is ofitlie fiat type extending the full length of the hold and midway between the sides is the working tunnel 24. The roof 25 of the tunnel is of the peakitype with. each side projecting beyondthe walls 26 of the tunnel to form one side of the hoppers into which the bottom of thehold ,is divided. Water'loal'lasttanks 27 are formed on each side'of the vessel. The top'p lates 28 of the said. tanks slope'downwardly from the sides of the ship and beyond the inner vertical wall 29 of the tanks. The upper edge 30 of the tank plates are spaced TlOHIillQ upper edge 31 of the hull plates,and are secured thereto by any suitable means. The walls of the tunnel the inner vertical walls of the tanks are spaced from one an other and form chann'elsfila on each side of the tunnel, saidchannelsfextendingthe full length ot the hold. Suitable bracingplates and angles 32 are positioned between the up per ed e ofthewater tanks and the upper lates 33 supedge of the hull plates. Deck p ported on angle and platebrackets 34 are provided. StiEening plates 35 extendf'between'the bottom of the tunnel roo'fi plates and thetop plates ofthe ballast tanks. These plates are arranged as shown in Figure 1, that is,. they slope downwardly towards the bow or the stern of the. vessel, so that the cargo is directed towards the channels. Suitable valves 35a shown diagrammatically in 'Figure 1 are provided in eaclrhopper bottom for controlling the movement of the cargo through the hopper. bottom. T'hese valvesare controlled by handles '36 which e2"- 7 Belt conveyors 37. are mounted in the channels to receive the cargo discharges through the valves. Theseconveyors extend the tullilength of the hold and are adapted to discharge the cargo on to second set of belt conveyors 38 positioned at the bow end. The belt conveyors 38 are provided with discharge'chutes 39 which guide the cargo towards a hopper 40 within which is mounted a vertically disposed bucket conveyorj il. The bucket conveyor is adapted to discharge' the cargo on to'a swinging conveyor 42 above the deck level. The conveyor 42 is positioned on the central longitudinal axis of the ship when not in use and 7 last tanks may be provided with stifl'eners or diaphragms 44. The usual hatchyor hold openings 45 are provided and suitable covers 46 are detachably secured thereto by any suitable means to protect the cargo. In operation; the hatch covers are removed and the holds are filled with granulous material, coal or the like. Each of the holds is provided 7 with a plurality of cargo discharging hoplit) pers each controlledby suitable valve mechanism operated from the 'working tunnel. To unload the vessel the hopper valves are opened and the sloping sidesvof the hopper bottoms discharge the cargo on to the conveyors positionedin the channels, on each side of the tunnel. These conveyors carry the cargo forwardly and the cargo is lifted Y and discharged over the side of the vessel by the other conveyors positioned atthebow end. The working tunnels alloweasy inspection of the conveyors and also allow the operator to move from one end of the hold to the other to control the discharge of the cargo from any desired part of the hold. It will be seen that the holds can communicate with one another as there is no fixed bulk head or diaphragms secured to the sides of the hold and extending from top to bottom thereof as in the usual types of vessel of this type. The cargo is discharged from this vessel with the minimum amount of handling and without the aid of wharf cranes, transporters or the like.

Having I claim is: I

1. Ina ship construction, a hull having transversely extending bulkheads in proximity to the bow and stern and forming a hold space therebetween, a working tunnel located centrally of the hold space and coextensive in length therewith, said tunnel including opthus described my invention, what posed side walls, ballast tanks arranged at opposite sides of the tunnel and spaced therefrom, and including vertical walls forming with the adjacent walls of said tunnel, longitudinally disposed channels coextensive in length with the latter, hoppers supported by said tunnel and tanks above said channels and having discharge openings in the bottom thereof, and valves controlling said openings and controlled from within said tunnel.

2. In a ship construction, a hull having transversely extending bulkheads in proximity to the bow and'stern and forming a hold space therebetween,a working tunnel located centrally of the hold space and extending throughout the length thereof, said tunnel including opposed side walls, and oppositely inclined roof sections, ballast tanks arranged at opposite sides of the tunnel and spaced therefrom todefine longitudinally disposed channels by the intervening spaces therebetween, each ballast tank including a vertical wall forming part of the adjacent channel, and an inclined top wall, said roof sections of the tunnel,and top walls of said ballast tanks being extended beyond the walls of their respective structures and into the adjacent tunnel to form part of a hopper arranged above said channels, and hopper forming plates arranged between the roof sections of the tunnel and'the inclined wall of said tanks and cooperating therewith to complete said hoppers, said hoppers having discharge openings in the bottom thereof, and valves controlling said openings and operable from within the tunnel.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM F. FLETCHER.

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