US839162A - Automobile torpedo. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTE) BEC. 25, 1%6.

F. M. LBAVITT.

AUTOMOBILE TORPEDO.

APrLIoATIoN FILED umzo. 190e.

INVENTOR:

To LZZ whom/it may oncern:

f OFFICE.

"EEANK M. LEAviTT, OE NE'W YORK, N; Y., ASSIGNOR To E. w. BLISS COMPANY, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OE `WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMOBILE TGRPEDO.

Beit known that I, FRANK M. LEAVITT, a

`oiti'zeno the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State-'of New York, have invented certain new and luseful Improvements in Automobile Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification. i

VIt)

This invention relates to automobile torpedoes driven by compressed air which is conducted from a storage reservoir or iask to a suitable engine which drives the propellershaft carrying the propelling-screws.

purpose a reducing-valve is (provided. OwingA approximatingl to the high pressures use two thousand two hundred'. pounds per square inch, dicultyis experienced in'the construction of such' valves. Such a reducing-valve is required to deliver the air to the engine at a determined pressure, which in practice may vary from about four hundred to about six hundred pounds per square inch, as Vmay be desired. Such torpedoes are vdriven either by a multiple-cylinder reciproeating engine or by a turbine, and in either g for lubrication.

case the problem of lubricating the wearing parts of the motor and of the propeller-shaft and. of the ruiter-gears through which reverse motion is communicated to the second propellerescrew involves serious difficulty.

My invention aims to'improvethe means for reducing and regulating the air-pressure and at the same time provide superior means In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 a longitudinal vertical midsection.` of the after-body of a torpedo, illustrating the application of my invention. Fig. 2A is a verti- E E the propellers.

fed from the iiask B through a' stop-valve a by cal mid-section, on a lar er scale, showing the combined reducing-va ve and lubricator. 45.

Fig..3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 in Figa. 2. l A

' eferring to Fig. l, let A designate the hull `or shell of thetorpedo; B, the compressed-air reservoir'or as'k, a fragmentonly of which is shown; C, the engine or motor, which in this case is a turbine; D, the propeller-shaft, and The compressed air is Specification of Letters Patent. Appnmonmed 'January 20,1906. serai No. saab93.

through any suitable channel,

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

gine or turbine, from which it exhausts The exhaust maybe into the after-body of the torpedo and out through openings e into the hollow tail portion f'of the propeller-shaft, as set forth in my United States `Patent No. 748,759, dated January 5, 1904, or it may be otherwise provided. It is customary to mount the rear propeller E directly on the shaft and to drivethe ropeller E in the contrary direction throu miter-gears g h i, the vlatterbeing on a tubiar shaft y', to which the propeller E is fixed. All these parts are movable in suitable bearings, which require very perfect lubrication.

Referring to Fig. 2, the ressure-regulator F comprises an outer she or casin G, the lower part G of which is formed wit one -or more valve-seats 7c 7c', a ainst which seat one or more flan es or faces lZ of a moving valve H. Prefera ly the valve is balanced and has two seating-faces seating againsttwo seats, as shown, the .admission from pipe cbeing between these seats and the discharge to pipe c communicating With the opposite sides of the seats from one directly and from the other indirectly through a hollow or tubular portion of the valve H, as shown. Within the shell G is a chamber I, in which is inclosed a heavy'spring J, the pressure of which is communicated to the valve H in such direction as to tend constantly to -open it, while the pressure on the outlet side of the valve tends constantly to close it. The spring J is preferably a helical spring and may'act by compression or. distention, its

stress being such as to correspond with and oppose the desired pressure on the outlet s1 e ofthe valve. The spring is shown as arranged to act by compression and to'communicate its stress `to the valve through a stem K, which connects with a cylindrical portion or' neck H of the valve. This neck moves with a close working fit through a sleeve L, forming part of a artition L', separating the passage throng the valveshell G beneath from the chamber I above. The neck. H of thevalve of any suitable diametenit being understood that the pressure on the outlet sidey c of the valve acting i againstthissdiaxneterf must beresisted by the stress of the spring'J. The 'fit' of lthe neck H in the sleeve L is not so close as to prevent I, and from the instant the compressed air-is admitted by 'the opening of the startingvalve b this leakage occurs until the pressure in lthe chamber I is equal to that onthe outlet side of the vaive at c. The chamber 'i is at starting 'filled nearly full of oilleaving,

y however, an air-space l above the oilband space.

the air which leaks into the chamber beneath bubbles up tlnoughthe latter into this air The spring l lis Wholly immersed 1n the body of oil, whereby it is eil'eetually vprotected yagainst rusting.

For adjusting as desired the stress of the vspring'J', I provide means for raising or low ering the abutnient J, against which theV s ring reacts. This abutment is shown as a ange formed on a screw-threaded collar J2, which may be turned in a stationary threaded sleeve M, the upper part of which is shown ashav'ing a ground cone-joint M with a top opening through the sheli Gr and drawn to leak-tight "lit therewith a nut M2. By. this-or'any suitable Construction the sleere Mis locked fast to the shell, so that by turn- I ing the collar J2 the latter may be screwed 3o wup or down to vary the stress of the spring.

For so turning the coliar J2 a connection is provided withjthe exterior'. The connection., as shown, comprises a squared. stein K ii ttin g a square hole in the collar, and extending up through the sleeve M to4 the exterior at K2,

.where it may be turned by engaging it in any suitable manneras, for example, by means l of a key or wrench.

In the construction shown the part K and the external part K2 are formed in one piel" with the stem il, to which latter is fixed tue disk J3, forming the lower abutment for the spring.

Where the stem K K2 passes out at .the top of the shell, it is formed nth a cylindrical neck K2 which makes a close l Working iit with the cylindrical inner surface of the sleeve M, so that this portion may rise i and fall' with the movements of the valve.

. No packing is needed for this neck K5* of the stem, because the duration of therun of the torpedo (usually not over two minutes) is so short that the quantity of air which can es' cape by leakage is insignificant. tant, however,y to :neutralize the eiiect upon the valve of the iiuid-pressure within the chamber I, and to this end the neck K3 should be made of precisely the saine diane eter as the neck H', so that the fluid-pressure Will exert itself'to equal effect in the two contrary directions. Thus the necks iii andK3 1 are cylinders presenting surfaces of equall areal Hence the? turning of the upper portion K2 turns the 1 It is iniporesame,

and working tin'ougliopenings of equal area through the sleeves L and M at the .top and bottoni of the oil-chamber. v leakage of compressed air into the chamber L F or introducing oil into-the chamber-preparatory to run ol' the torpedo,y and at which time there is no pressure or only an insignificant pressure of air therein, a filling-valve N is proifided. This is preferably a tappetvalve closing outwardly against a seat N', formed, preferably, on a ring or bushing screwed into the upper end of the. tubular portion K'l of the stem K. T he valve N has an upward projection N2, which can be pressed down to open it against thestress of avspring which vpresses the valve upwardly and normally holds it closed. The entering oil passes around theI valve N, thence throu h openings into its tubular body, and final y fiou's through'passages P P into the oilchamber.

Vvlhen the parts are at rest and before the impressed -air has `been admitted to the reducingvalve, the pressure ofthe spring J throws the valve Wide open, and to limit this movement a disk or Washer Q is provided, the .rim of which projects over the upper end ofthe sleeve L and forms a stop-shoulder. .is soon as the airpressure is turned on it acts against the valve H to press it up against the stress of the spring, and thereby vto close the, T ie stein K is preferably connectedl to the valve H or its neck H by a shackle ori valve.

s vi rel Q. The valve H is removable through the bo ttom of the shell by taking out a plug R and unserewing a sleeve R, which holds the seat 7c in place.

The oil-chamber i serves to hold oil not only for the innnersion and protection of the spring J, but also 'for the lubricating of all the main working parts of the torpedo. This chamber has an oil-outlet (one or more) at its lower part, an example of Whichis shown at S, Fig. 2, and. from which leads a duct or tube m, which extends thence, asshown in Fig. 1, rearwardly through the torpedo, and has branches m mleading to the several bearings p p for the propellenshaft, propellerscrew, gearing, and motor. The compressed air admitted to thechamber I by leakage around the neck H (or itinay be through a small special duct, if preferred) establishes instantly a pressure in the oil-chamber I, by which the oil is effectually fed through the duct m to all the bearings. Thus these bearings are lubricated in the most eiiicient manner by means of a forced fiood of oil, which continues during the entire run of the torpedo.

The exact construction and the arrangement and proportions of the parts described may be greatly varied, and the `described cle- 1. In an automobile torpedo, av pressure-- lOO IIO

esame reducing valve having a closed oil-chamber Vwith means for admitting compressed air. thereto, and a duct leading therefrom to the bearings, the combination therewith of a y pressure-reducing valve havin a' closed oilchamber with means for a mitting compressed air thereto, and. a duct leading thereto conduct oil thereto.

om to said bearin e 3. In VVan air-tomo reducing valve comprising a sbeil having air ,inlet and outlet passages and. a valve-seat, an

oil-chamber a partition between said passages and chamber, a movable valve having a neck passing through said partition, aiiording passage for air into said chamber, a spring in said chamber engaging said movable valve, and an oil-outlet irorn said chamber. 4. in an automobile torpedo a pressure reducing valve comprising a shell having arr inlet and outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, having an opening into said passages and; an opening at top, said openings of equal area, a movable valve having a stem 4passing through said chamber with necks of equal" areapassing through said openings, and a spring in said chamber engaging said stem. 5.71'11 an automobile torpedo, a pressurereducin valve comprising a shell having air inlet an outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, a movable valve having a stem entering said chamber, a spring in said chamie torpedo a pressure-V ber engaging said stem, an adjustable screwabutment for said spring, and an adjusting device for turning said abutment passing through the wall of said chamber and accessible on the exterior thereof for adjusting the stress oi' the spring, and thereby determining the reduced pressure at the valve-outlet.

6. In an automobile torpedo, a pressurereducing valve comprising a shell having air inlet and outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, a movable valve having a stem passing through said chamber, a sprin(Jr in said chamber engaging said stem, a stationary screw-threaded sleeve projecting into said chamber, and a movable abutment for said spring having screw-threads engaging said sleeve, and having a non-rotative connection with said stem, whereby the turning of said stem adjusts said abutment to var)r the stress oi"A the spring.

7. in an automobile torpedo, a pressurereducing valve comprising a shell having air inlet and outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, a movable valve having a stem entering said chamber, a spring in said chamber engaging said stem, and a filling-valve, through which to introduce oil into said chamber, seating outwardly, with a spring for pressing it to its seat..

In witness whereof i have hereunto signed myname in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK M. LEAVITT.

Witnesses: j

CHAs. J. ELLswon'rn, FRED. H. MCGAHIE.

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