US352124A - goubet - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0.1).G0U-BET.

SUBMARINE' TORPEDO BOAT.

No. 352,124. Patented Nov. 9, 1886'.

INVENTOR= NESSES: I

WTZZFW 7 By his Attorneys N PETERS. PhnluI-ilhngnhcr. Waihinglnn. I)v C.

(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. D. GOUBET.

SUBMARINE TORPEDO BOAT.

Patented Nov; 9, 1886.

l l l l INVENTOR WITNESSES m- 9M By his Attorney ,8.

H. mm mwmm n w. wamn D c librium of the boat when submerged.

UN iron S ATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE pr sms GOUBET, or PARIS, FRANCE.

SUBMARINE' TORPEDO-BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,124, dated November 9, 1886.

Application filed November 27, 1885. Serial No. 184,078. (No model.)

do-boats for naval warfare which are designed to run under water; and the principal object of my invention is to increase the stability of the boat when submerged.

One of the principal obstacles tothe movement of submarine boats is their lack of stability. Indeed, when a boat is completely submerged its equilibrium may be destroyed by the least displacement of the interior weight. By reason of the Velocity required the dis placements of the boat are accentuated in ascending or descending, according to the angle of inclination. r

I realize perfect equilibrium of the boat by means of my construction, which I will now describe with referenceto the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my improved torpedo-boat, and Fig. 2 is a plan, with the shell partly broken away to show the interior. Fig. 1 is a view of the screw-propeller-driving mechanism detached, and illustrating how it may be driven by hand through the medium of cranks. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a side elevation and plan on a larger scale, showing the screw and the mechanism for shifting the angle of its axis of rotation. Figs. 4. and 5 are views showing a mechanism detached and enlarged for illns-;

trating the principle of preserving the equi- Fi 4. is in elevation at the left and in section at the right. Fig. 5 is a central transverse section of Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are detachedand enlarged fragmentary views designed to illustrate the mode of mounting cars on the sides of the boat, to beoperated from the inside. This device may be denominated an hermetic rowlock.

diagrams illustrating the form of the boat. Fig. 11 is an enlarged and detached View illustrating the preferred form of friction-clutch employed. V

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the boat has a cigar shape and is de Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are geometrical signed to be propelled by a screw, W, which may be driven by a motor, M, as seen in Fig. 1, or by cranks, as seen in Fig. 1; or in case of injury to the screw or its driving mechanism, the boat may be propelled by cars X.

In the bottom of the boat are formed tight water-chambers h h, supplied by pipes from a three-way cock, P, which admits water to either or both of these chambers, as desired. A pump, 0, driven by motor M, serves to remove the water from these chambers. On the chambers h h is mounted the compressed-air chamber b, and on this chamber are the seats for the officer and steersman, who form the entire crew. On the top of the boat is a dome, the cap a of which is hinged and removable to admit the crew. The margin of this cap rests on a rubber ring ina channel, 10, to form an airitightjoint. The admission of air to the boat from chamber b is controlled by a valve,

6, Fig. 2. The air passes first to chambers h h by a pipe, J, whereby it is moistened,'and

it escapes thence to the interior of the boat by a pipe, 70, which discharges in the dome near thelevel of the heads of the crew. The viti ated air is removed by an air-pump, d.

The trimming device whereby the co uilibrium of theboat is maintainedwill now be de- 0 scribed.

A is a pendulum suspended in the center of the boat and connected to a clutch-shifting bar, 4.,which act's,wl1en the pendulum swings, to shift a clutch,5,so as to set a double pump, 8 5 V, (seen in plan in Fig. 2,) in motion, either to the right or left, depending on which way the boat inclines with respect to the pendu lum A. This pump V is connected by pipes (not shown) with two reservoirs, A and A 0 one in the stern and the other in the bow of the boat,in such a manner that when running in one direction the pump will force water from reservoir A to reservoir A and when its motion is reversed it will force the water 5 from A to A". WVhen the boat sinks at the bow, the pendulum A will swing in that direc tion, and through bar 4. shift the clutch 5,so as to set pump V in motion to pump water'from reservoir A? to reservoir A. When the boat roo sinks at the stern, pendulum A swings in that direction and 'setspump V to work to force water from A to A In point of fact,the action is so quick and the pump so powerful that the boat will be righted before it can reach any considerable degree of inclination, and in practice this governing device will always maintain it in a horizontal position, or on an even keel, whatever may be the depth at which it may be submerged.

The boat is provided with a weight or mass of metal, X, on its bottom to serve as ballast. This weight is fixed to the boat by a bolt, 9, on the lower end of which is screwed a nut,6, which rests in a recess in the weight, X. The bolt g, in entering the boat, passes through a box, 8, fixed to the boat-bottom and provided with a conical seat to receive a. cone, 7, on the bolt. This prevents leakage around the bolt. On its upper end the bolt 9 has a suitable head, as shown in Fig. 1.

The boat is submerged by allowing water to flow in and fill the partitioned reservoirs h h, and it is brought to the surface again by expelling this water by means of the pump 0; but should the pump break down or fail to operate from any cause, it will be sufficient to turn the screw 9 by any means, and this will run off the nut 6 from its lower end and permit the weight X to fall off. The boat will then rise to the surface, despite the water in chambers h h.

The motor M, which drives the screw-propeller and the several pumps, is an electric motor, and the electro-motive force is furnished by accumulators stowed in lockers in the forward part of the boat, as seenin Fig. 1.

My boat is provided with a screw-propeller. W, driven from the motor through a universal joint, whereby the axis of the propellershaft may be made to assume an angle, laterally, with the axis of the boat. This enables me to steer the boat without the aid of a rudder, The mode of mounting the propeller and changing the angle of its shaft in order to steer the boat, will now be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3, wherein \V is the screw-propeller, the shaft of which has a long bearing in a frame, B. This frame B is hinged at O O to two links, D D, which links are hinged at E E to a stern-piece on the boat. The propeller-shaft is coupled to the motorshaft F by a universal joint, G, and the jaws in which the links D D are coupled are toothed at H H, so as to compel the frame 13, carrying the propeller, to swing on the axis of the joint G. The inner end of the upper links, D, is provided with teeth like a toothed gearwheel, and these teeth mesh with the thread on a worm or screw, H, which is rotated by means of a chain and sprocket-wheels from a steeringwheel, m, under control of one of the crew, as seen in Fig. 1. Thus, the propeller may be swung from side to side on its hanging axis in the same manner as a rudder.

Referring now again to Fig. 1, S represents a long fixed bearing for the motor-shaft, with suitable packing to prevent entrance of water. The motor-shaft is divided or cut inside the clutch-sleeve 12, the sleeve being splined on the motor part or end of the shaft. The miterwheel 13 is loosely mounted on this part of the shaft. The miter-wheel 14: is keyed on the propeller part of the shaft. The intermediate wheel, 15, is mounted loosely on a hearing below. By shifting the clutch-sleeve the propeller may be arrested, or may be made to revolve in either direction. This is effected by means of a reversing-lever, a, which connects (see Fig. 2) by a bar, 16, with the shifting lever or fork.

My boat is managed as follows: The officer and sailor descend into the boat at the dome, which is afterward closed hermetically by the cap or hinged cover a. The dome is provided with glazed peep-holes in front of the men. which holes are protected by gratings, and have wickets or caps, whereby they may be quickly closed in the event of the glass being broken. The torpedoYis mounted on the boat back of the dome and is connected by a bayonet fastening, detachable from the inside. it is connected to an electric exploding-wire wound on-a drum, 11, and connected with the electric source by means of a commutator. The pressure of air in the boat or shell, and in the reservoir, is indicated by manomcters.

Before submerging the boat the officer sights the object to be attained, (as a vessel of the enemy, for example,) getting the proper alignment with the aid of the mast or jack-staff U. (Seen in Fig. 1.) When properly headed for the object, he notes the bearing on the compass O placed directly before him; This observation made, he opens the cock P, which admits water to the reservoirs hit. This sinks the boat below the surface, and when it has reached the proper depth, as indicated by a manometer, s, in. the dome, he closes the cock 1?, and directs the boat by the compass toward the object to be attained. \Vhen the boat has reached the vessel, which can be ascertained very readily through a glazed aperture in the cap a of the dome, the boat may be manneuvered to secure the best position, and may be made to ascend or descend by operating the lever r, Fig. 1, which controls the clutch which connects the pump 0 with the motor. When the proper position under the vessel has been reached, the torpedo Y is liberated. It rises in the water, and the points on its crown fix themselves in the bottom of the vessel to a sufficient extent to hold it in position.

Vhen the torpedo has been set free, the wire from the reel or drum 11, Fig. 1, is payed out or unwound as the boat moves off, the revolutions of the drum indicating to the pilot the distance moved. Vhen the boat has moved away a distance of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty meters, the electric circuit is closed and the torpedo exploded.

Referring now to Figs. 4: and 5, which are designed to illustrate the principle of my device for maintaining the equilibrium of the boat automatically, I is a receptacle or housing which is supposed to be placed in the cen ter of the boat, and K K are two tubes or hollow arms, bearing at their ends, respectively,

'the globular reservoirs N N. Pipes Q Q, re-

spectively, connect these reservoirswith. a

double pump, R, arranged in the receptacle 1. This pump is of such a character that when revolving in one direction it will force the water from reservoir ,N to reservoir N, and when revolving in the other direction it will operate inversely and force the water from 'N to N. The pump is driven from a shaft, 1,

arranged below it, on which are loosely mounted two bevel-wheels, 2 2. These mesh with another bevel-wheel, 3, which is driven constantly by a spring-motor. (Not shownin the voir N, for examplethe pendulum swings toward N and sets the pump R in motion to pump water frommeservoir N to N, thus restoring the equilibrium. Weights may be suspended from the reservoirs to test theapparatus, which may be suspended from the pivotal point of suspension of the lever 13.

The boat is supplied with oars for hand propulsion, as before stated. These are seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Figs. 6 and 7-1 have shown on a larger scale the construction whereby the oars may be operated from the inside of the boat and leakage of water is prevented. Referring to these figures, Fig. 6 isa section through the side of the boat in the plane of the oar and Fig. 7 is an exterior elevation. 0 represents the handle or arm of an car which projects within the boat through'an opening in its sides, and p is'the hinging fork of the car exterior to the boat. Both of these are fixed to a pivotal bolt or axis, g, which has bearings in a housing, j, bolted to the outer side of the boat. Where the axis passes throughthe upper and lower sides of the casing or housing j, 1t passes through packed apertu res or stuffingboxes, asclearly shown; whereby leakage is prevented. The blade of the car is composed of movable wings, which close on each other when the blade is forced backward, but which open when theblade is moved forward. This construction I have notshown, as it is not important.

In Fig. 1 I have shown an adaptation to the propeller-shaft of cranks, whereby the two men may propel the boat. This is a simple application of cranks and gear-wheels, and will require no detailed description.- 1n Fig. 11 I have shown the formof automatic clutch I prefer to employ. This clutch comprises a cone, Z, splined on the shaft, and

a conical plate or disk, t, fixed on the shaft.

This latter may be a pulley or toothed wheel. The cone Z is forced up to the disk t by a Spring which abuts against a ring, '0. The

tension of the spring is regulated by making the ring 1) movable on a collar, to, fixed on a shaft. The cone Z has recesses y, in which rest the hook-like heads on the splines, which latter terminate at and are connected to the grooved collar 2. By actuating this collar by means of the fork I one can engage or disengage the clutch; but the force exerted by the flanges of the grooves Z on the fork is considerable. To relieve the strain I hold the collar z in its disconnected position by latches A A, which are hinged to z, and hook over a collar, H,'fi xed on the shaft. A counter-lever,

2, is coupled to and moves a ring, 52. When the latter is moved to the left, it raises the latches A A, the collar .2 is freed, and the spring presses the cone 2 up to the disk 25. This device permits, as may be seen, the regulation at' will of the pressure of cone Z on disk t. The retaining-latches prevent the friction that-would the tension of the spring.

Referring, now, to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the boat is provided at its prow with a lance or pike, s, which may be projected by means of a lever, T. This lance in holding the cone out of engagement against plays in and through a ball-and-socket bearing in the prow of the boat, whereby it is capable of being vibrated in all directions, as Well as moved lengthwise. This serves to cut the wires be brought on the rollersin the fork of lever F of any torpedoes placed in the path of the boat 7 and the field in which the lance 8 plays. The path of the boat may be illuminated by means of an incandescent electric light, as clearly Shown.

In order that the boat may make known its position by signals, a vertical'tube, Z, is fixed in the upper part of the shell, Fig. 1, and provided with two wickets or gates, one above the other, and operated by very simple mechanism. This forms a sort of lock. The upper gatebeing closed and the lower gate opened, a signal-cartridge is inserted and the lower gate closed. The upper gate being now opened, the cartridge rises by virtue of its feeble specific gravity. Its construction is such that when it reaches the surface of the water it ignites, and the explosion will notify the vessel or the port to which the boat belongs. Golored fires may be sent to the surface in the same way to indicate the depth of the boat and its position. A buoy, carrying a telephone, may belaunched from the boat, whereby the crew of the boat may be communicated with from the outside.

7 As showing the present state of the art, I may say that I am aware that submarine torpedopeep-holes, with screws or propellers mounted on universal joints for steering, with waterchambersand pumps for water-logging, and with means whereby an occupant of the boat, clad in a divers. suit, may get outside of the boat while it is submerged. Therefore I do not claimthese features.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A submarine torpedo-boat having reservoirs at bow and stern containing a liquid, and means automatically controlled by a pendulum for transferring the liquid or a portion thereof from one reservoir to the other, in order to preserve the equilibrium of the boat.

2. A submarine torpedo-boat provided with reservoirs of liquid at its bow and stern, pipes connecting these reservoirswith a pump, mechanism, substantially as described, for operating said pump, a shifting mechanism for changing the motion of said pump, and a pendulum connected with said shifting mechanism, whereby said pendulum automatically controls the motion of said pump, substantially as set forth.

3. A submarine torpedo-boat provided with a water-reservoir in its bottom, a cock for admitting water to said reservoir to submerge the boat, a motor for expelling the water from said reservoir to permit the boat to rise, reservoirs at the bow and stern to contain a liquid, and means, automatically controlled by a pendulum, for transferring the liquid in wholeor in part from one of these latter reservoirs to the other to trim the boat or preserve its equilibrium, as set forth.

4. A submarine torpedo-boat provided with a weight, X, carrying a nut, and a rotating bolt, 9, extending down through the boat bottom and screwed into said nut, said bolt having a head on its inner end, and a cone, 7, fitting into aseat, whereby the bolt is stopped from endwise movement, leakage is prevented, and the weight made detachable from inside the boat, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the propeller and its shaft, of the hinged frame in which said 0 shaft ismounted, the motor-shaft, the universal joint which couples the two shafts, the hinging-links, toothed as shown, and the screw or worm which meshes with the teeth of one of the links, substantially as set forth.

6. A submarine torpedo-boat provided with housings j, mounted exteriorily on its sides and provided with packed bearings in which are mounted axes (1, to which are secured the arms 0 of the oars, and the oars, with their hingingforks 1), attached to the exterior ends of said axes q, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A submarine torpedo-boat p rovided with a rotatively-mounted spindle arranged vertically in its roof, with a bayonet-fastening on its outer extremity whereby the torpedo is secured thereto, and means for rotating said spindle from inside the boat in order to release the torpedo therefrom, as set forth.

8. A submarine torpedo-boat provided with a lance, s, at its prow mounted to play through a ball-andsocket bearing in the prow of the boat, whereby the said lance may be protruded and vibrated lateral-1y and vertically, and an electric lamp on the prow to illuminate the field in which said lance vibrates, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing 70 witnesses.

CLAUDE DESIRE GOUBET.

\Vitnesses:

EDWARD 1?. MAoLnAN, GEORGES CHAPINS.

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