US1539814A - Ship-propelling device - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1.925. 1,539,814

E. KlTTELsEN SHIP PROPELLING DEVICE Fned'sept. 18, 192s -ZF/7 rer? for" Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,539,814 PATENT OFFICE.

ING XLTTLSEN, OF EIDSVLD VERK, NORWAY; ASSIGNOR TO LLOYD PROPUL- SIGN lLTD., OF EIDSVOLD VERK, NORWAY.

SHIP-PROPELLING DEVICE.

Application lcd September 18, 1923. Serial No. 663,472.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERLING KirrELsEN, subject of Norway, residing at ,Eidsvold Verk, Norway, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Ship-Propelling Device, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the propulsion of ships and has for its object the provision of an improved propelling means for ships, and particularly for craft which are intended to navigate relatively shallow waters. The invention is especially adapted for use in the driving of tow or tug boats used on rivers and other shallow waters.

In the propulsion of ships, it has heretofore been customary to derive the propelling force from the acceleration of sections or masses of water collectively of a breadth, at the region of contact vices, not exceeding that of the ship, the propelling devices being located at the stern. Propelling devices, such for example, as paddle wheels, have also been placed on the sides of the ship. In some cases it has also been proposed to employ propelling devices disposed at the stern in combination with side paddle wheels located amidships. In this latter arrangement, however, the side propelling devices and the propelling devices located at the stern operate on independent and separate masses of water, and

there is, therefore, little,'if any, increase in the efficiency of propulsion.

River tug boats, particularly, must frequently work in shallow water and-great difficulty is met with in developing sufficient power, or in other words, sufiicient'propelling force to conveniently and economically handle the load which is being towed. Not infrequently in tug boats of this type the propelling devices now employed are driven at excessive speed, which causes a relatively lar e slip of -the propelling devices. Accor ingly, the efficiency of opera- 'tion is low, a relatively large amount of power being necessary in order to drive the propelling devices at these high and inefficient speeds.

According to my invention, a relatively large amount of water is acted upon by the propelling means without increasing the draft of the ship. The propelling means is operatively mounted in a supporting structure extending across the stern and beyond of the propelling de-A both sides of the ship, the propelling means acting upon a substantially unbroken mass of water at the rear of, and of greater width than, the ship. The propelling devices employed are preferably in the form of paddle wheels arranged side by side and preferably in staggered relation so that each wheel acts upon a section of water which is untouched by the wheel in advance thereof. In this way a relatively large mass of water is accelerated to a relatively low velocity and the losses ordinarily produced by molecular friction and surface tension of the water are greatly reduced. I have found that by emplaying the principles of the present invention the amount of motive power required to drive a ship of given size and weight can be remarkably reduced. Moreover, the wash on the bottom of the canal or e, which the tug boat may be op"` least no reater than when hauling a smaller load wit a given sized tug equipped with the ordinary propelling devices commonly employed at present.

In the drawing various constructions are shown for carrying out the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan of a tugboat partly in section in which paddle wheels are use.

Fig. 2 is a side view, and

Fig. 3 a plan of a tugboat fi propellers. n

Flg. 4 is a cross Section il 4--4 of Fig. 2.

In the construction shown in Fig. l a plurality of paddle wheels 1 are lmounted as one compact propelling device at ships stern and arranged side by side in siege-ered position with regard to the ion" l di rection of the ship in such V operatively extend over the whole available @5 normal breadth of the ship and beyond both sides of the same, whereby they act on a compact stream of water surpassing the normal breadth of the ship. The transmission of the power for every shaft 2 of the paddle 100 wheels derived from the main driving source, such as the motors 3, can be so small, that worm gears 4 can be used with advantage in groups.

Instead of making use of paddle wheels 05 screw propellers 1 may be employed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These propellers are likewise arranged side by side, and the stream of water, on which they act, surpasses ven by screw the line additional frames 6 may be mounted laterally on the stern of the ship. These frames can be of any conventional form, and merely aforda bearing of any suitable kind for the outermost screw propellers. The shafts 7 are journaled in these frames at an in` oline, so as to allow them to be operatively connected with the main shaft 5 by couplings 8 for instance cranks and connecting rods above the water. Thelarge cross section and the breadth of the driving stream of Water produced by all modes of construction naturally strainsthe complete construction of the shi considerably. For-this rea son itis of a vantage to construct one or more ofthe longitudinal walls 9 extending into the superstructure of the deck as a beam, which reaches down to the bottom of the ship, Fig/1. The longitudinal strains are in this case transmitted to the inner carrying surface to the desired degree. This has also the advantage, that the deck may be arranged so low as may be permitted with bridges or similarobstacles for high vessels are met there will be difficulties in constructing the boats, for instance on account of the hindrance in passing below the bridge deck or conning bridge, and such diliiculties are obviated by the construction shown in Figs.

`2 and 4. This construction has also the advantage that the free space under deck allows of an undisturbed arrangement of the system of a plurality of shafts.

I claim:

1. The combination in a ship, of a propeller-supporting structure extending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and propelling means yoperatively mounted in the supporting structure to accelerate a substantially lunbroken mass of water at the rear of, and of greater width than, the ship.

2. The combination in a ship,v of a propeller-supporting structure extending across' the stern and beyond bothsides of the ship, and a plurality of propelling devices mounted side by side in the supporting structure and acting tif m; a substantially lunbroken vmass of Water at the rear of, and of great-er width than, the ship.

3. The combination in a ship, of a propeller-supporting structure extending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and a plurality of propelling devices mountedside by side in staggered relation in the supporting structure and acting upon a substantially unbroken massof Water at tie rear of, and of greater width than, the snp. 'i

4. The combination in a ship, of a propeller-suppo'rting structure extending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and a plurality of paddle wheels mounted' side by side in the supporting structure and acting upon a substantially unbroken mass of water at the rear of and of greater'width than, the ship.

5. The combination in a ship, .of a propeller-supporting structure extending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and a plurality of paddle wheels mounted side by side in staggered relation in the supporting structure and actinr upon a substantially unbroken mass 'of water at the rear of, and of greater width than, the ship.

6. The combination in a shi of propellin means operatively mounte at the stern an acting upon a substantially unbroken mass of water at the rear of, and of greater width than, the ship, a superstructure on the deck of the ship, and a longitudinal beamrunning lengthwise through the ship and reaching into the superstructure. 7

7. The combination in a ship, of propelling devices operatively mounted at the stern and acting upon a substantially un-- mi,l

broken mass of Water at the'rearof, and of greater width than, the ship, additional rames mounted at the ships stern` for car-- rying the outermost pro ellin devices, a superstructure on the" ec of t e ship, and

a longitudinal beam running .lengthwisef f through the ship and reaching into the superstructure. ERLINGKITTELSEN.

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