US1568716A - Grapple - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 5,1926. I [1,568,716

(5. E. QOULTON I I i GRAPPLE i Filed June 12. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIINVENTOR.

BY y i'zoaltm ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5 1926. I G. E. BQULTQN v I GRAPPLE 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1924 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

GEORGE E. BQULTQN, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

GRAEPLE.

Application filed June 12, 1924. Serial No. 719,488.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. BOULTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Grapple, of which the following is a specification.

i This invention relates to wreck salvaging apparatus, and a particular object of the invention is to provide an improved and efficient grapple for the salvagingof wrecked vessels of a character enabling a device to be seized onto the hull of a sunken vessel or similar object-which it is desired to raise at a distance below the surfaceof the water, and the features of the invention are involved in the construction of a grapple adapting it to be used with sunken wrecks or other objects of various sizes, the device being adjustable betweencertain limits, and

means being provided to bring the grapple irons in contact with the side of the vessel to electrically holdrthe gripping device in contact with the vessel while fastening pins or prongs 'are driven into the hull of the vessel and in the means for holding the I showing the magnets for holding these mem-c bars in contact with the side of a yessel. Fig. 4: is aisection taken on line 4-4 of grappling arms in substantially parallel relation irrespective of the distance to which they may bespread apart. These objects and the various novel features of construction of an apparatus embodying myiinvention is shown in the accompanying drawings in wh1ch-- v Fig. 1 is an elevation of a grappling vice embodying my invention ingits preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a detail'ipartly in section of means em loyedto adjust the. grappling arms for 0 jectsof various sizes.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the grapple member Fig.3. I r

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the motor for counteracting the force of current.

It is'to be understood that this device is of a character to be lowered from the vessel at the surface to contact with the sunken vessci or other object to be raised.

The particular purpose of this invention is to' provide a device that can be lowered -to depths'beyond that at which divers 0rdiusually used with a Windlass on, a vessel or other structure from which the cable is to be manipulated as will be readily understood. This cable is attached to a block 2 having arms 3' and 4 pivoted thereto, which arms extend at an angle one to the other. At the lower end of each of these arms 3 and 4 are arms 5 and 6 pivoted at 7 and 8 to the arms 3 and- 4 respectively; These arms 5' and 6 at their respective lower ends carry the magnets and driving pins which are hereinafter more specifically described and termed the grapple member indicated generally at 10. Pivoted to each arm 5 and 6 respectively is a bar 11 and 12 which extends from below the pivot point 8 on the respective arms 5 and 6 to above the pivot point on the arms 3 and 4 at which point is provided a roller 13 and .11 for the respective bars 11 and 12 riding in slots in the said bars. To these bars 11 and 12 is connected the means for spreading or bringing toa vessel or other" object. This s reading or closing of the arms is provided y a hollow member 15 plvotally connected at 16 to the barll and on the member 15 is mounted an electric motor 17 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A screw threaded member 18 is pivotally attached to the bar 12 andextends into the hollow member 1:5 through a rotatable nut 19 held at the end of the hollow member 15 by a split collar 20 secured to the member 15 and having an inturned flange 21 engaging over anoutturned flange 22 on the nut.

Preferably any common type of thrust hear ing, indicated at 23, may be utilized on each side of the flange of the member 21 to relieve -the same of undue friction. ()n the nut is provided a gear 24 which meshes with a gear 25 on the shaft 26 of the motor 17.

It is to be understood that l[ have here shown merely a spur gear connection but this may be any type of gearing and may be what is termed back geared to secure the necessary power if so desired. This motor and gearing is preferably housed within a metal shell 27 in a manner to protect the same from water. By operation of the mo tor the nut 19 is rotated and, due to its connection with the member 15, the screw 18 is threaded in or out depending upon the direction of rotation of the nut. It is to be understood that the motor should be of the reversible typewhereby the nut may be retated in either direction with equal facility. This movement of the screw in or out of the member 15 draws the grapple arms toward each other or spread the same apart as will be readily understood and, due to the connection of the members 15 and 18 with the bars 11 and 12, the grapple arms 5 and 6 are maintained in substantially parallel relation irrespective of the relative distance apart of the two arms. Thus, when the device is to be lowered to engage a vessel of known beam, the arms are spread a greater distance apart and an attempt is made by the operator to drop the rapple arms over the hull of the vessel for instance or other object and the motor is then operated to draw the arms together to grip the same and as the gripping devices are placed bringing the wreck up with it.

The gripping devices are illustrated in Figs. 3 and a and consist of a book 28 which extends across the face of each beam 5 or 6 and rearwardly thereof on opposite sides providing plates 29 and 30 which may be bolted directly to the beam as will be understood from Fig. 4. The blocks 28 are recessed to receive the magnet coils 31 211M132,

the cores of which extend from the inner surface to the blocks 28 on the arms 5 and 6 facing each other. Provision is made for driving pins 33, of which there are several in each block on opposite sides of the member 5 or '6 as the case may be. normally are practically in the position shown in Fig. 2 when the device is lowered and when the operator in the manipulation of the device brings it into contact with an object, current is supplied to the electromagnet by a circuit (not here shown), which causes the magnets to adhere to'the sheathing of the vessel. The magnets, however, are not of themselves of sufficient strength to lift the vessel, therefore I provide driving pins 33 which may be driven into the hull of the vessel so that a forcible engagement of the grapple with the vessel is secured. Subsequent to the grapple devices being brought into contact with the vessel and electric current is supplied to the electromagnets, the pins are driven. For this purpose I provide on the rear of each arm guide members 3%- formed by a rectangular shaped metal strap near the top and the bottom of the grapple member as will be understood from Fig. 1. The pins normally project from the rear of the arm 5 or 6 as shown and are 'vessel and are not efficient in use.

These pins weaves engaged by a wedge 35 to the lower end of which is attached a weight 36 and to the upper end of which is attached a cord or cable 37 extending along the grapple arms to the surface where the operator, after positioning the grapple devices on the vessel, releases the cable allowing the wedges to drop, which operation is repeated for a number of times. The contact of the face of the wedge with the rear edge of the driving pins with the drop of the weight causes the pins to be driven into the hull of the vessel and thus the grapple devices are securely fixed in the hull and the motor having drawn the grapple device into forcible contact with the vessel through operation of the screw and nut thereon, the vessel may be readily raised by the cable 1, without possibility of the grapples becoming released. I am aware of hook devices having been used as grapples to be lowered on opposite sides of vessels but such devices merely catch under the sheathing and strip the same from the body of the By the actual driving of the pins into the hull for a distance such defect is overcome. As previously stated a'number of pins may be used and preferably I use a series of pins 33 on opposite sides of each grapple arm 5 or 6 which necessitates the use of two weights 35 and 35 as will be understood from Fig. 4;. A. single weight may be used for each pair of wedges. i

It is oftentimes necessary to lower the grapple in a more or less rapidly flowing current of water which would tend to deflect the same from the object to which the grapple is to be fastened. To obviate such result I provide on the lower end of each beam 5 and 6 a motor device having propeller blades as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. These motors are mounted directly on the beam by means of the bars 50 and 51 bymeans of the bolts 52 which pass through the ends of the bars and the rearwardly extending part of the casting 28 as will be understood from Fig. 1. These motors are preferably of the reversible type and are mounted in a casing to prevent their being damaged by water and are operated from a circuit (not shown) extending directly to the surface from which the grapple is operated. In the event the grapple is being swung out of position by current encountered in the lowering thereof, these motors and propellers are rotated in one direction or the other to counteractthe current flow and maintain the grapple in substantially vertical position. The motor propellers are indicated by the number 53 and the motor at at with its enclosing case 55.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A grapple for salvaging wrecked vessels and other objects in deep water consisting of a pair of arms, a block to which the arms are pivoted at an angle one to the other and a second pair of arms pivotally connected with the lower-end of the first 'pair'and extending in substantially parallel relation one with the other, said second pair of arms being' fprovided- .with electro-magnets, a series o object to be raised, means for driving the, pins operable from the surface, and means pins adapted to be driven into the for drawingitlie arms together mto engagement with the ob'ect while driving the pins. 2. A grapple or salvaging wrecked vessels and other objects below the surface of 'the'water comprising a block, apair of de-'- pendingarms extending at an angle one to the other pivoted-to the block, 'a second pair of arms pivotally supported to the lower end of the, first pair. of arms,' power-o erated means for spreading the arms or the same together, a gra lower end :of each; of sal' second pair'of arms, and power-operated means at the grapple end of each of the saidsecond'pairrawing le device at the ofarms for moving the grapple'in the water.

, 3. .A gra pie for salvaging wrecked ves sels and ot er objects. below the surface-of in pairs, a bar pivoted to one of one pair of arms and having a slot, means on the other of the pair riding n the said slot, poweroperate air of arms for engaging the object to be sa va d, and a series of pins carried at each en adapted to object to'beraised;

4; In. a grapple for salva 'ng wrecked vessels and the like, the com ination with arms and means for spreadin or drawing the water, comprising arms pivoted together 4 means extending between thes'aid ,bars of 'thetwo pairs of arms by which the 1 said airs may be s read apart or drawn. tofget fir, a grapple eviceat the lower end 35 ,0 eac be driven into the the arms together, of a grapp e member at the ends of the arms consistinof an electro-magnet by means of which t e said ples are sustained when in contact witfi t l 'ze object, pins for each grapple device adapted to be driven into the ob'ect to be raised, and power-operated means or holding the gra pledevice forcibly in contact with the ob- In testimony whereof Isign this specifica tio'n. 1 w I GEORGE E. BOUL-TONI

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