US2151004A - Retractable water propeller for airships - Google Patents

Description

March 21, 1939. w L. BARCLAY 2,151,004 RETRACTABLE WATER PROPELLER FOR AIRSHIPS rim 1 v .1- 3 .Y'EY' N L I 3 J J M wl-Lum L. bAlzcLAY Gttomcg Jmxntor March 21, 1939. w BARCLAY 2,151,004

RETRACTABLE WATER PROPELLER FOR AIRSHIPS Filed April 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [ff-g 5 4. Zhwmtor: WILLIAM L. BARCLAY (Ittomeg Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES RETRACTABLE WATER AIRSHIP PROPELLER FOR S William L. Barclay, Arlington, Va. Application April 5, 1938, Serial No. 200,255

8 Claims.

This invention pertains to hydroplanes and is concerned most directly with flying ships or seaplanes.

To facilitate efficient and economical naviga- 5 tion of seaplanes upon the surface of water, it has been provided with an auxiliary or 1 water propeller which may be retracted into the hull when not in use.

But this progress has not fully solved the problem of surface navigation of seaplanes. Eflicient marine navigation requires the use of a keel or center-board to increase the lateral resistance of the hull. This need is particularly great because 1.) of the inherent nature of hydroplanes.

A corollary requirement is that the keel or stabilizing means must not detract from the streamline efficiency of the hull in taking off, landing or in the air.

It might be said, therefore, that the practical solution of the problem outlined above is the essence of the objects of the present invention.

A principal object of the invention is to provide the hull of a seaplane with a retractable water 35 propeller and retractable keel or stabilizing means.

Among the other important purposes of this invention is the provision of means for retracting the propeller and stabilizing means at the 0 same time.

3 droplane hull.

In addition to these, other objects which'the invention comprehends will appear from the enof the invention.

l Reference will now which like characters lar parts.

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a present day flying s p;

Fig. 2 represents a fragmentary plan view of be made to the drawings in of reference designate simithe application of the invention thereto, and is I plane bottom I2 with successive steps I4 and I 6 is illustrated in Fig. l.- The hull I 0 tapers rearwardly'from the steps l4 and [6 to a tail portion [8. The ship generally is completed by'wings such as 20 and air-propelling motors like 22.

In the lower section of the hull l0, within that joint 28 to a tailshaft 29 extending from a conventional change speed mechanism or transmission 30. The transmission 30 is provided with reversing gear.

A prime mover 32, which is shown as an internal combustion engine, drives the propeller shaft 26 through the transmission 30, separated from said shaft by a watertight bulkhead 34. ing through the bulkhead 34, and arranged to discharge below the waterline WL of Fig. 1 is an exhaust pipe 36. I

To raise and lower the propeller shaft 26,'there is provided a large screw 38 having a sliding shaft joint 28.

By way of illustration, an internally-threaded hand wheel 44 is of the screw 38.

members 50 and 52 carried by the hull i0 (Fig. 2). observed in Fig. 3 that the screw through the collar 46 and hand wheel 44.

pair of keel- With the bulkhead 34 ing members 54 and 56 provide a compartment or housing 6| for the propeller 24 and its shaft 26.

and step IS the stabiliz- I bers l and ll elevation; they may have the section which the drawings show. It is preferred to place them inboard of the bottom I! and parallel. with the propeller shaft 26 extending midway therebetween (1'18. 4)

the middle of the length of the upper edges of the stabilizers N and 50, inwardly extending lever arms '2 and N, respectively, are firmly attached at an angle such that they are substantially vertical when said stabilizers are in closed position; Fig. 4 shows this relationship in dotted lines.

A pair of operating links or rods 66 and I! are connected pivotally to the free ends of levers 62 and M, respectively. Immediately above the pin connection 4! of screw ll and shaft bearing 50, an additional collar or sleeve 10 encircles said screw. By means of diametrically opposed connections l2 and H, the operating rods .ti and 68 are joined to the sleeve II. The connections at both ends of the rods it and I are pivotal and of a nature to permit limited universal movement.

In this fashion the vertical movement of the screw II in response to turning of the screw wheel 44 is employed for the double purpose of extending and retracting the propeller shaft 26 and opening and closing the housing 6! therefor as represented by the stabilizing members 54 and 80. A single operating means co-ordinates the actuation of the propeller shaft 20 and stabilizing means 54, ll.

When the shaft 2. is in its normal extended position. as in Fig. 4, the angle betweenthe rods 86 and II will be small enough effectively to prevent any rising of the sleeve Ill due to side thrust on the stabilizing members 54 and 50.

In Fig. 4, the numerals l6 and II refer to the forward portions of the hull bottom i2 which mate with the forward edges of stabilizers M and it to form the closed compartment or propeller housing I which preserves the streamline of the bottom II. The rear edges of these stabilizing members 54 and I similarly fit the hull when the compartment ii is closed on the retracted pro peller.

Those skilled in this art will recognize the independent utility of the stabilizing means which this invention provides.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various modifications can be made inthe details thereof without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a hydroplane, a propeller retractable within the hull of said hydroplane, stabilizing means forming part of the bottom of said hull and connected thereto for relative movement into and out of stabilizing position, extending the propeller and for moving the stabilizing means into operative position, said stabilizing means being of sufficient extent to close the bottom of the hull adjacent the propeller and arranged to do so when in inoperative position.

2. In a flying ship having a hull with a hydroplane bottom, a water propeller retractable within the bottom of said hull, a pair of stabilizing members connected to said hull on opposite sides of the propeller for relative movement with respect thereto into and out of stabilizing position, and means for concurrently extending the propeller and moving the stabilizing members into operative are generally rectangular in side will be suitably reinforced and tapering or wedge-shaped cross-' peller shaft,

opening downwardly;

and means for' position, said stabilizing members being arranged completely to close the bottom iacent the propeller when the latter is retracted.

3. In an airship having a hull for marine navigation, a downwardly opening compartment in the bottom of the hull, a propeller shaft and a propeller retractable within said hull, a keellike stabilizing member hingedly connected to the bottom of said hull adjacent the compartment for transverse swinging movement with respect thereto, and means for moving the propeller shaft and stabilizing member relatively to each other and in synchronism to close the compartment when the shaft and propeller are retracted and extend the keel-like stabilizing member downwardly from the hull when the propeller and its shaft are protracted.

4. In an airship having a hull for marine navigation, a propeller shaft, a propeller secured to one end thereof, a prime mover having speed changing means associated therewith, connections which include a universal joint between the prime mover and the other end of the propeller shaft, a compartment in the hull for said shaft and propeller, means for moving the propeller shaft from a retracted position within the hull below said hull, stabito an operative position llzing means connected to said hull for swinging movement withrespect thereto adjacent the proand means for moving the propeller shaft and stabilizing means into and out of opera tive position, said stabilizing means when in inoperative position lying below theretracted propeller shaft so as to close the form a streamline continuation of the bottom of said hull.

5. In an airship having a hull for marine navigation, a downwardly opening compartment in said hull, a propeller retractable in said compartment, a pair of rectangular, keel-like stabilizing members hinged to the bottom of said hull on opposite sides of its longitudinal center line to extend longitudinally thereof adjacent the comcompartment and of the hull adpartment, and means for moving said stabilizing I members into vertical position depending from the hull and for swinging them together so that their free or lower longitudinal edges coincide and the outer lateral surfaces of the members thereby form a fair continuation of the bottom of the hull and close said compartment.

6. In an airship having a hull with a hydroplane bottom, a compartment in said bottom a keel-like stabilizing member connected to an edge of the bottom opening for swinging movement with respect to the hull, said member extending longitudinally of the hull and vertically downward therefrom when in an operative or stabilizing position; a retractable propeller and propeller shaft mounted within said compartment; and means for extending said propeller and shaft outside the compartment or retracting it therein and for swinging said stabilizing member into an inoperative position in which it underlies the propeller and shaft and forms a closure for the compartment.

'7. In a hydroplane having two steps, a propeller located between the steps and retractable within the hull of said hydroplane, stabilizing means forming part of the bottom ofsaid hull and connected thereto for relative movement into and out of stabilizing position, and means for extending the propeller and for moving the stabilizing means into operative position, said stabilizing means being of suillcient extent to close 15 the bottom of the hull adjacent the propeller and arranged to do so when in inoperative position.

8. In an airship having a hull for marine navigation, said hull being provided with a downwardly opening compartment in its bottom, a propeller retractable through the opening in said hull, means connected to the hull for completely closing the opening of said compartment when the propeller is retracted and stabilizing the airship-in the manner of a keel when the propelier is protracted, and actuating means for moving the first means to a compartment closing position as the propeller is retracted and to a stabilizing position depending from the hull as the propeller is protracted.

WILLIAM L. BARCLAY.

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