US27629A - Propeller - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATS PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. HERBERT, OF HERBERTSVgILLE, VIRGINIA.

' MARINE PROPELLER.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 27,629, dated March 27, 1860.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY W. HERBERT, of Herbertsv-ille, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Propellers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact ldescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partv of this specication, in whicl Figure l, is a side view of the forepart and a longitudinal vertical section through the rear part of the ship. Fig. 2, is a vertical cross section through the rear part of the ship. Fig. 3, is a similar section through the central part of the ship. Fig. t, is a side View of the rear part of the ship, and Fig. 5, a front View of the propeller.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in adapting the outer form of the submerged portion of a vessel and the surface of the body of the propeller, to each other so that both together shall form a graceful and continuous outline, and at the same time only one portion of the propeller be exposed to the water, the other portion being closed in within the body of the ship; second, in providing each side of `the ship with a curved shield in combination with a system of braces for the purpose of protecting the propeller blades and o-f bracing together the main body of the ship and that portion of it which is behind the propeller; third, the application in a propeller such as hereinafter described, of the removable blades, the tongues of the blades tting into dovetail grooves in the surface of the body of the propeller; fourth, in coi'istructing the main side braces of the ship so that they may be used as coal-bunkers.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The lower part of the vessels stern is open at B, Fig. 4f, and propeller I, is arranged in this opening, the horizontal shaft M, of which propeller has its bearings in the rear and front faces of this opening at m, m.

The outer surface of the body I, of the propeller has the form of a frustum of a cone so as to form the continuation of the outline of the submerged portion of the vessel. Fig. 4, represents the outline of the body of the propeller at 2, 3, (in red) which it will be seen is a continuation of the keel line 3, 4, in front and l, 2, in rear of the propeller. In the same manner, the outlines of the submerged portion of the vessel coincide with the surface of the propeller from the keel up to the shields H, H, the faces N, N, and N N, of the opening B, having a semicircular outline coinciding with .the smaller and larger circle respectively of the frustum of a cone above described.

Fig. 2, shows the semi-circle l N, which corresponds to .the circular outline of the propeller I.

The portions of the keel in front and behind the propeller are firmly held together by a long iron brace E, E'. Two Vertical braces C, C, extend upward from the upper edge D, of the brace E, E, .and are fastened to the front and rear face of the opening B. Iron bands F, are made fast to the upper edge Q, of the vessel and pass in an oblique direction around the lower part of the upright rear edge of the stern, one or more of the lower bands F, being also fastened to the rear end of brace E, E, as seen at n, Fig. 4. Other bands G, are arranged across the bands F, to increase the strength and solidity of the whole construction.

A strong shield H, the outline of which forms an easy curve so to offer the least possible resistance to the propulsion of the vessel is fastened to each side of the vessels stern and serves not only in addition to the bands F,) as a powerful brace, to the portions of the vessel in front and in rear of the propeller, but also as a protection to the blades of the propeller (where they are near or above the water line) when the vessel is alongside a wharf or happens to pass close by another craft or through ice or the like.

It will be seen that the piece E, C, C, bands F, and shields H, constitute a powerful system of braces that serves to hold firmly together the stern and main-body of the ship, the first being in rear and the latter in front of the propeller.

'I he blades J, of the propeller have broad flanges which fit the surface of the body of the propeller. The bottom surface of the flanges of each blade is provided with a tongue O, which fits into a corresponding dovetail groove in the surface of the body of the propeller. This dovetail connection prevents the blades from coming off the body of the propeller in a radial direction,

while bolts L, L, (passing through the flanges of the blades into the body of the propeller) secure the blades from giving way sidewise in the direction of the tongues and grooves. Thus the blades are firmly fastened to the body of the propeller and yet they can easily be removed (the hole T, in the floor of the gun deck S, serves to approach the blades for the purpose of unscrewing the bolts L, and slipping the blades out of the grooves) whenever it is desired t0 stop the machinery and proceed under sail.

It will be understood from a preceding part of this specification that after the removal of the propeller blades, the sub merged portions of the propeller and the vessel, form a continuous surface which allows it to pass through the water with the same ease as a sailing vessel, the propeller offering no additional resistance whatever.

To increase the stiffness of the vessel and furnish an additional brace connecting the stern and main body of the same, a main side brace P, extends along each side of the vessel below the gun-deck Hoor to combine great strength with economy of metal, these main side braces are constructed hollow as seen in Figs. 2 and 3 and they are of such dimensions that the hollow spaces serve as coal-bunkers large enough for men to enter and remove the coal. The coal or other fuel may be introduced through port-hole U in the sides of the vessel.

The body of the propeller I, is made hollow in order to diminish its Weight. This hollow space K, of the propeller is filled with a composition of coal-tar and cork shavings so as to secure it from accidental leak and rust, and at the same time give buoyancy to the propeller.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Adapting the outer form of the submerged portion of a vessel and the surface of the body of the propeller, to each other so that both together shall form a continuous outline, and at the same time only a portion of the propeller be exposed to the water, the other portion being inclosed within the body of the vessel, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Providing' each side of the ship with a curved shield H, in combination with a system of braces F, E, D, C, for the purpose of protecting the propeller blades and of bracing together the main body of the ship and that portion of it which is behind the propeller, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The application in a propeller such as described, of the removable blades J, the tongues O, of the blades fitting into dovetail grooves in the surface of the body of the propeller, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

t. Constructing the main side braces P, of the ship so that they may be used as coal bunkers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

The above specification of my improvement in propellers signed by me this 17 th day of February 1860.

H. lV. HERBERT. l/Vitnesses:

GOODWIN Y. AT LEE, T. F. ALLEN.

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