GB191508760A - Improvements in Methods of Damping the Rolling and Ships or the Angular Motion of any Body by Means of Gyroscopes. - Google Patents

Abstract

8760. Henderson, J. B. June 14. Gyroscopic apparatus.-In the gyroscopic damping of the angular movements of bodies, the velocity of the gyroscopic precession is controlled wholly by means of a single mechanism consisting of a continuously-variable speed gear of the variable-stroke pump type, or of the mechanical type, or of the viscous-fluid resistance type. Fig. 1 shows the mounting of a gyroscope 1 and its hydraulic connexions with the ship, and Fig. 4 shows a controlling-means comprising a variablestroke pump. The gimbal ring 3, carried on trunnions 4 in brackets 5 bolted to the ship's deck, is connected by rods 9 to the pistons of hydraulic cylinders 6, 7 having freely-opening suction valves and delivery valves loaded like safety-valves. The precession of the gyroscope 1 is controlled by means of the hydraulic cylinders 31, 32 of which the pistons are connected as shown to a crank 38 on the trunnion 2 of the gyroscope casing. The hydraulic cylinders 31, 32 are connected to the pump 25, the arbor 29 of which is adjusted to vary the stroke of the pump by its connexion with the piston 41 moved in the cylinder 42 in accordance with the difference of pressures in the cylinders 6, 7 connected to the cylinder 42. The arbor 29 may alternatively be controlled by means of the elastic strain in some part of the gyroscope mechanism or ship's structure. A dash-pot 51 is connected to the piston 41 in such a manner as to resist only the outward movement of the piston. Alternatively, an inertia governor as shown in Fig. 4<c> may be employed. A balanced fly-wheel 50 is connected to a throttle valve 53 connecting pipes 59, 60 connected so as to provide a by-pass between the supply and delivery pipes of the pump 25, Fig. 4. The valve seat consists of a sliding sleeve 56, and the valve 53 has long grooves 58 of such length that one end acts as the throttle when the sleeve 56 is at one end of the cylinder 57, and the other end acts as the throttle when the sleeve is at the other end. The sleeve 56 moves according as the supply transmitted through the pipes 59, 60 modifies the throttling. In another modification, the main hydraulic cylinders supporting the gyroscope ,are used to drive controlling hydraulic cylinders connected to the gyroscope casing, the pipes connecting the main cylinders to the controlling-cylinders being of small bore to give " steady " viscous flow. A variable-speed gear comprising a viscous-fluid brake is illustrated in Fig. 6. The pistons of cylinders 31, 32 connected by large-bore pipes 27, 28 to the main cylinders 7 are coupled by means of a viscousfluid brake 78 to the gyroscope casing. The apparatus may be constructed with two gyroscopes rotating in opposite directions, geared so as to be capable of precession only in opposite directions.