US3279704A - Variable nozzle - Google Patents

Description

1966 T. M. ENGLEHART ETAL 3,279,704

VARIABLE NOZ ZLE Filed May '7, 1964 Fig.3.

IN VENTORS. 771E000RE M. ENGLEHART, BY M/mmv M. DELAO and 772w G. HUMPHREY ,fzwz Wsm WM Affor ngvs United States Patent 3,279,704 VARIABLE NOZZLE Theodore M. Englehart, Martin M. Delao, and Troy G.

Humphrey, Indianapolis, Ind., assignors to The Buehler Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed May 7, 1964, Ser. No. 365,716 3 Claims. (Cl. 239265.43)

The present invention relates to jet propelled watercraft.

One form of jet propelled boat incorporates an engine operatively connected to a pump located within a conduit extending through the boat from an intake opening at the bottom of the boat to an exhaust at the rear of the boat. Water is drawn into the conduit through the intake opening and is exhausted in a jet stream from the rear of the boat causing it to move. It has been found that the relative velocity of the jet stream as compared to the velocity of the boat has a controlling effect on the propulsive effic'iency of the boat.

Consequently, one object of the present invention is to provide a jet boat nozzle arrangement which can be operated to propel the boat at relatively high propulsive efiiciency at various boat speeds.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a jet boat nozzle arrangement which can be controlled to cause the engine of the jet craft to operate at a relatively high miles per gallon of fuel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a control system for a jet propelled watercraft which can be operated to shut off how of water from the jet whereby water pressure can be diverted for fire fighting and related purposes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved control system for a jet craft.

Related objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

One embodiment of the present invention might include a control system for jet propelled watercraft comprising a conduit mounted on the craft and having a converging exit opening away from the craft, means for pumping water through said conduit to exhaust from said exit, a control element mounted centrally within said conduit and providing an annular passage between said control element and said conduit, and means for projecting said element toward and away from said converging exit to vary the size of the annular passage.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a jet boat embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the rearward portion of the jet boat of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a jet boat having a hull 11, the hull being provided with an intake opening 12 communicating between the bottom of the boat and a pump 13. The pump 13 has a passage therethrough communicating between the intake 12 and a passage 14- through a tail pipe 16 secured to the rear or the transom 17 of the boat. The pump 13 is driven by a conventional marine engine 18 by means of a shaft 20 and functions to pump water from the intake 12 to and out of the rear of the boat. The water is constricted into a stream by the converging surface 21 of the tail pipe 16. The converging surface 21 3,279,7M Patented Oct. 18, 1966 forms a part of a nozzle arrangement 22 which also includes a-control member 23.

The jet, after being formed by the nozzle arrangement 22, passes through a housing 25 secured to the rear of the boat and passes between a pair of deflectors 26 pivotally mounted on the housing 25. Since the housing 25 and the deflectors 26 form no part of the present invention, they will not be further described herein. For further details regarding the suitable housing 25 and deflectors 26, reference is made to the copending application of James W. Reynolds et al., Serial No. 23 6,292, now Patent Number 3,241,770 entitled Jet Boat Steering Deflectors and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

The pump 13 includes a rotor 27 which is rotatably mounted within the conduit 28 and is driven by a shaft 29. For further details regarding a suitable pump for use in the jet boat of the present invention, reference is made to the copending application of Martin M. Delao et al., Serial No. 337,206, entitled Jet Boat Pump and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. After the water being pumped moves through the conduit 28 and is acted upon by the rotor 27, it is provided with a rotating as well as a longitudinal component. That is, the water leaving the vanes of the rotor 27 has a tendency not only to move rearwardly but also circle around the axis of the shaft 29.

Fixedly secured to the inside surface of the conduit 28 at spaced intervals therearound is a plurality of stator vanes 30. The stator 'vanes 30 each project radially inwardly and fixedly mount at their inner ends a ring 31. The vanes 30 and ring 31 are positioned between the pump 13 and the converging surface 21 of the member 16. It will be appreciated that the vanes 30 remove the rotating component from the water as it leaves the pump 13 and cause the water to move directly rearwardly. Slidably mounted within the ring 31 is a rod 32 having a rack 35 on the external surface thereof. The rod 32 has a reduced threaded end 36 which mounts the control element 23. A pinion 37 is fixedly mounted on the distal end of a shaft 40 which extends through the ring 31 and the conduit 28 and is rotatable by suitable means to project the rod 32 and to cause the control element 23 to move from the solid line position to the dotted line position and back again.

The control element 23 has a linearly tapering external periphery 39 which diverges from a forward diameter 41 equal to the diameter of the external surface of the ring 31. The surface 39 tapers to a maximum diameter 42 larger than the exit end 45 of the converging surface 21. The outer periphery of the member 23 tapers in a frusto-conical converging shape from the maximum diameter 42 to a distal end minimum diameter 46 approximately equal to the diameter 41.

It can be appreciated that when the member 23 is projected into the dotted line position, all how out the exit 45 of the passage 14 is blocked. This position of operation is particularly useful in causing the water pressure within the passage 14 to be divered for fire fighting uses. Thus, a passage (not shown) with suitable valve means can be provided leading from the passage 14 to the fire hose.

As is explained in detail in the copending application of Richard L. Cochran, Serial No. 265,136, now Patent Number 3,214,903 entitled Jet Boat Pump Nozzle and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, the efiiciency of the jet in propelling the boat is highest when the water exiting from the jet is moving at almost the same speed as is the boat. Depending upon the load within the boat, the speed of the boat will vary. Thus, a heavier load in the boat will cause the boat to move more slowly and if the speed of the jet was originally adjusted to conform to the unloaded speed of the boat, the speed of the jet will be too great for the loaded condition of the boat.

The control element 23 provides means for adjusting the speed of the jet to conform to the speed of the boat. If the jet is leaving the boat at too slow a speed, the control element 23 can be projected by means of the pinion 37 and associated structure so that the annular passage 50 surrounding the member 23 and within the surface 21 is made smaller or thinner whereby the speed of the water moving therethrough is increased. Of course, when the boat is more heavily loaded, control element 23 can be adjusted forwardly.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. The embodiment of FIG. 3 involves a control element 23' which is operated in the same manner and is identical to the control element 23 of FIG. 2 and its associated structure. The device of FIG. 3 is different than the device of FIG. 2 in that the device of FIG. 3 incorporates an annular flexible member 100 of rubber or the like which is adhered at 101 and 102 to the tail pipe member 105. The tail pipe member 105 has an internal hollow portion 106 within which fluid pressure can be varied to adjust the position of the flexible member 160 from the solid line position to the dotted line position, thus adjusting the thickness of the annular flow of water between the member 23 and the flexible member 100.

The above mentioned Patent Number 3,214,903 discloses an arrangement similar to the flexible member 100. FIG. 3 of the present application is intended, however, to illustrate the use of the projectable control element 23 or 23' in combination with an arrangement such as that disclosed in the above mentioned Richard L. Cochran application.

It will be appreciated from the above description that the present invention provides a jet boat nozzle arrangement which can be operated to propel the boat at relatively high propulsive efiiciency. It will also be evident that the present invention provides a control system which can be operated to shut off flow of water from the jet whereby water pressure can be diverted for fire fighting and the like.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. A control system for jet-propelled watercraft comprising a conduit mounted on the craft and extending and opening rearwardly thereof, said conduit having an interior hollow therethrough which is circular in cross section and converges to the rearward opening thereof, a flexible annular element secured to said conduit within the rearward opening thereof, means for inflating said flexible annular element for reducing the size of said rearward opening, a pump in said conduit, a plurality of stator vanes fixed to the conduit and extending inwardly in said passage between said pump and said opening, a ring fixed to the inner ends of said vanes and positioned coaxially of said passage, a rod having a rack on the side thereof and slidably received in said ring, a control element mounted on the end of said rod between said ring and opening, said control element engaging said ring and having an outer periphery which tapers from the outer periphery of said ring to a maximum diameter and converges from said maximum diameter in a frusto-conical shape, said maximum diameter being larger than said opening, a pinion meshing with said rack, and means for rotating said pinion to project said control element toward said opening to vary the size of the passage between said conduit and the control element from a relatively large annular shape through intermediate sized annular shapes to a complete closure,

2. A control system for jet-propelled watercraft comprising a conduit mounted on the craft and extending and opening rearwardly thereof, said conduit having an interior hollow therethrough which is circular in cross section and converges to the rearward opening thereof, a flexible annular element secured to said conduit within the rearward opening thereof, means for inflating said flexible annular element for reducing the size of said rearward opening, a pump in said conduit, a plurality of stator vanes fixed to the conduit and extending inwardly in said passage between said pump and said opening, a ring fixed to the inner ends of said vanes and positioned coaxially of said passage, a control element slidably mounted in said ring, said control element engaging said ring and having an outer periphery which tapers from the outer periphery of said ring to a maximum diameter and converges from said maximum diameter in a frusto-conical shape, said maximum diameter being larger than said opening, and means for projecting said control element toward said opening to vary the size of the passage between said conduit and the control element from a relatively large annular shape through intermediate sized annular shapes to a complete closure.

3. A control system for jet-propelled watercraft comprising a conduit mounted on the craft and extending and opening rearwardly thereof, said conduit having an interior hollow therethrough which is circular in cross section, a tail pipe member secured to the rearward end of said conduit, said tail pipe member having an interior hollow therethrough which is circular in cross section and has a first forward portion converging from the diameter of said interior hollow of said conduit, a second portion of constant diameter adjacent to and rearward of said first portion, a third portion of yet greater diameter adjacent to and rearward of said second portion and a fourth portion forming the rear wall of said tail pipe having an opening therein of lesser diameter than said first, second and third portion, a flexible annular element having its forward edge secured to said first portion of said interior hollow of said tail pipe and having its rearward edge secured to said opening of said fourth portion of said tail pipe thereby spanning said second and third portions of said tail pipe and forming a continuous converging surface from said first portion of said tail pipe to said opening in said fourth portion of said tail pipe, means in communication with said second and third portion of said tail pipe for inflating said flexible annular element for further reducing the effective diameter of said converging surface, a pump in said conduit, a plurality of stator vanes fixed to the conduit and extending inwardly in said passage between said pump and said opening, a ring fixed to the inner ends of said vanes and positioned coaxially of said passage, a rod having a rack on the side thereof and slidably received in said ring, a control element mounted on the end of said rod between said ring and opening, said control element engaging said ring and having an outer periphery which tapers from the outer periphery of said ring to a maximum diameter and converges from said maximum diameter in a frusto-conical shape, said maximum diameter being larger than said opening in said fourth portion of said tail pipe, a pinion meshing with said rack, and means for rotating said pinion to project said control element toward said converging surface to vary the size of the passage between said converging surface and the control element from a relatively large annular shape through intermediate sized annular shapes to a complete closure.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited by the Examiner 2,948,111 8/ 1960 Nelson 60-355 Cochran 1,187,588 7/1916 White. FOREIGN PATENTS 2,408,099 9/ 1946 Sherman 6035.6 5 23,917 12/ 1918 Denmark. 2,409,433 10/1946 Hunter 138-45 126,425 5/ 1919 Great Britain. 2,570,629 10/1951 Anxionnaz et a1 6035.6 2 590 215 3 195 sausa X MARK NEWMAN, Exammer- 2,737,019 3/1956 Billman. AL SMITH, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 2. A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR JET-PROPELLED WATERCRAFT COMPRISING A CONDUIT MOUNTED ON THE CRAFT AND EXTENDING AND OPENING REARWARDLY THEREOF, SAID CONDUIT HAVING AN INTERIOR HOLLOW THERETHROUGH WHICH IS CIRCULAR IN CROSS SECTION AND CONVERGES TO THE REARWARD OPENING THEREOF, A FLEXIBLE ANNULAR ELEMENT SECURED TO SAID CONDUIT WITHIN THE REARWARD OPENING THEREOF, MEANS FOR INFLATING SAID FLEXIBLE ANNULAR ELEMENT FOR REDUCING THE SIZE OF SAID REARWARD OPENING, A PUMP IN SAID CONDUIT, A PLURALITY OF STATOR VANES FIXED TO THE CONDUIT AND EXTENDING INWARDLY IN SAID PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID PUMP AND SAID OPENING, A RING FIXED TO THE INNER ENDS OF SAID VANES AND POSITIONED COAXIALLY OF SAID PASSAGE, A CONTROL ELEMENT SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID RING, SAID CONTROL ELEMENT ENGAGING SAID RING AND HAVING AN OUTER PERIPHERY WHICH TAPERS FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID RING TO A MAXIMUM DIAMETER AND CONVERGES FROM SAID MAXIMUM DIAMETER IN A FRUSTO-CONICAL SHAPE, SAID MAXIMUM DIAMETER BEING LARGER THAN SAID OPENING, AND MEANS FOR PROJECTING SAID CONTROL ELEMENT TOWARD SAID OPENING TO VARY THE SIZE OF THE PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID CONDUIT AND THE CONTROL ELEMENT FROM A RELATIVELY LARGE ANNULAR SHAPE THROUGH INTERMEDIATE SIZED ANNULAR SHAPES TO A COMPLETE CLOSURE.

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