US1596845A

US1596845A - Torpedo

Info

Publication number: US1596845A
Application number: US414889A
Authority: US
Inventors: Scott B Macfarlane; Eppley Marion
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-10-05
Filing date: 1920-10-05
Publication date: 1926-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 1943-08-17

Description

Aug. 17 1926.

S. B. MACFARLANE ET AL TORPEDO Filed Oct. 5, 1920 UWEIVTOR 5 JEMcFAeM/YE M EPPLEY WITNESSES ./////U(ZMIMUUXUJ- I 1 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 17, 1926.

UNTITED STATE'S PATENT OFFICE.

soorr B. MACFARLANE, .01? THE mm STATES NAVY, A'ND MARION nrrnny, or

NEWPORT, nnonn ISLAND.

ronrnno.

Application filed October 45, 21:920. :Serial IND, 414,889..

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in torpedoes, and pertains more particularly to torpedoes of auto mobile type. L

It is a well-known fact that torpedoes in their run heat up to such a degree that certain parts of the turbine motor expand thereby rendering the motor incapable of further use until the same has been overhauled and reconditioned. It often happens that these expanded parts are thrown by centrifugal action from the turbine with suliicient force to puncture the shell, in which event the torpedo fills with water and submerges, becoming :a total loss.

It is one of the primary objects of the present invention to so construct .a torpedo that its turbine will be incapable of heating beyond a predetermined temperature, which temperature will be sufficiently low to prevent injury to. its turbine.

In the accompanying drawings tormi-ng a part of the specification, three methods by which this result is obtained, are shown and 2 said methods consist of the following: #(19 means .aifecting the pressure by which the fuel and water are fed to the combustion pot; means for controlling the pressure by which the fuel line is fed to the combustion pot, and a backing up in the entire system of the pressure equal to the pressure before it reaches the reducing valve, said pressure being preferably tapped from the main line of the gyrospinmotor.

It is a further object of the invention "to provide a controlling device in the form of a thermal plug or other device, said plug being aifected by the heat generated at the turbine nozzle and being adapted to actuate 4.0 the various pressures as above stated.

,A further object of .the invention is to provide a torpedo with controlling means of this character in such a manner that the present known construction is not materially 4.5 varied, thus making the device of the present invention adaptable to torpedoes already in use by merely slightly changing the con struction thereof.

WVith the above and other objects in view,

no reference is had to the accompanying draw ings, in which i Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in .section of a torpedo, (said figure illustrating one form of the present invention;

Fig. '2 is a detail sectional view of a portlon of the other end of the torpedo showmg modified form of the invention-,-

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a still further modified term of the invention.

.Fzl'glllfi 4: is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the check valve and its casing.

Figure 5 .is an elevation part-1y :in section and on an enlarged scale of time turbine, and showing the pipe having a farsible plug connected with the nozzle thereof.

Referring .to the drawings, the referenc character .5 designates a torpedo, and p6 designates the air flask or tank thereof. In the common form of torpedo, a fuel tank 7 i provided and said fuel tank 7 is placed concentrically within water tank 8 as more clearly shown in Fig. 1. The air flaskvis chargedby means of a charging valve from which a pipe 10 extends to the interi r of the flask. v

ill'he reference character 11 designates the reducing valve and leading from the valve 9 into the reducing valve ll is a main airline 12, by mean 02E which the air of the flask is introduced to the reducing valve 11. The reducing value 11 has leading from its high pressure side two lines .13 and let, the line .13 being the high pressure line to the distance gear (n0tishow-n),and the line 14 being the high pressure line to the gyrospin (not shown in the present case).

Leading from the .low pressure side of the reducing valve .11, is a line 15., and said line .15 leads to the housing 1 6 of the check valves 16. Leading from the check valve housing 16 are two lines 17 and '18, the line 17 being the pressure line for feeding the fuel from the fuel tank 7, while the line 1.8 is the pressure line for feeding the Water from the water tank 8.

The reference character 20 designates the combustion pot, and leading into the 00 .1 bustion pot from the valve chest :21, are two

lines

22 and 23, the line 22 being the fuel line to the combustion pct :20, while the line 23 is the water line to the combustion pot 2.0- Tlhe fuel is supplied to the valve chest 2i by means of a pipe .24 and Water is supplied to the valve chest 21 by means of a pipe 25., it being understood that these pipes 24 and 25 extend from the valve chest into the fuel tank and the water tank, respec' tively. Branching off/from the gyrospin The several parts above described are commonly known in certain types of torpedoes as at present constructed, and 1t'1s in combination with these parts that the i present invention iS adaljtedwo' operate In thepreferred form of :the invention, a thermal device to'behereinafter referred to is positioned adjacent thenozzle 31, and leading from the thermal device at the noz- T zle31tothe point 35in the line 15 between means of fusible solder.

thereducing' valve 11 and the check valve 16, is a line 36. As shown the thermal device consists of a plug 36securedin the end of the pipe within the nozzle; 31- by Assuming now that the I torpedo has started on its run and the turbine thereof begins to heat up to a degree in excess of that to which the thermal device is set: the thermal device operates to open the line 36 and upon opening the line 36 to the interior of the torpedo,the low-pressure line 15 will be bled and the pressure passing through thecheck valve 16 tothe fuel and water tanks will be decreasedandwill thereby decrease the amount of'fuel and water fed to the combustion pot QOQ-WVhen the supply of water and fuel to'the combustion pot 20 isreduced, it will be apparent that the degree of temperature to which the air is superheated will be materially reduced, thereby providing for an automatic cooling ofthe turbine. lVith such a device in operation, it is obvious that the turbine will not "heat to a degree of temperature which will afljectits running qualities and that all'that is necessary to again place the torpedo in operative condition is the installation of new thermal devices at the nozzle. 1

In that form of the invention shown in Fig. '2, the line 36 leads from'the-nozzle 31 to the pressure line 17 of the fuel tank 7. *By this construction, it will be apparent that when the fusible device at the nozzle 31 fuses, the line 17 will'be bled through the medium of the line 36, thus causing a cessation of feeding of the fuel tothe-combustion pot 20. Under these conditions, the

turbine will operate under flask pressure until said flask pressure has been spent, at

which time the turbine will cease operation.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 8, the line 36 istapped intothe nozzle 31, and its other end is connected'to the line 1 1 of the gyro-spin. T :In this form of the invention when the fusible element of the nozzle 3l fuses, it will beseen that the {high pistol of the com= pressure air in the line 14: will be allowed to pass by way of the products of combustion line 32 to the combustion pot 20, and owing to its excessive back pressure will prevent proper combustion in thecombustion pot 20 and back up the whole system with an excessive air pressure which will render the same inoperative.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides means for protecting the turbine of an automobile torpedo in such a manner as to prevent its overheating and therefore prevent a rupture of pressures therein in such a manner as to render the torpedo inoperative when any or all of its working parts have reached a predetermined degree of temperature,- and we therefore do not limit ourselves to the precise methods shown but may resort to any means for obtaining the end toward which this invention aims, i. e.,'the render ing of certain parts of a torpedo inoperative upon the generationby said parts of a predetermined degree of temperature.

VVe claim:

1. In a torpedo, a propelling engine, pressure generating means for supplying motive fluid to said engine, supply means for the generating means and thermal means operated by a generation of a predetermined degree of temperature of the enginefor reducing the pressure in the supply means for the pressure generating means to render the motive fluid supply to the engine inoperative.

2. In a torpedo, a driving engine, a combustion pot, a connection between the combustion pot and the engine, fuel containers, means connecting the containers with the combustion p ot, means for supplying pressure to the containers, and a thermal device in the connection between the combustion pot and engine and operated by a generation of heat in the engine to render the supply of motive fluid tothe engine inop-f erative. I

3. In a torpedo, a driving engine, a combustion pot, a connection between the pot and engine, a water tank, a fuel tank in the water tank, means connecting the tanks with the combustion pot, means for supply-' ing air under pressure to said tanksgand including a check valve, a pipeconnecting' the engine with'the air supply means, and a thermal device in the said pipe 'and opdegree of gheat in said engine;

4. In a torpedo, a torpedo body having an air flask, a driving engine, a combustion pot, means connecting said pot with the engine, a water tank, a fuel tank in the water tank, means connecting the combustion pot with the tanks, means for connecting the combustion pot with the engine, a charging valve connected with the air flask, a reducing valve connected with the charging valve, a valve casing connected with the reducing valve, a check valve in the casing, connections between the valve casing and the said tanks, and a pipe having a thermal device therein and leading from the engine to the connection between the reducing valve and valve casing.

SCOTT B. MAGFARLANE. MARION EPPLEY.