US68763A - lyons - Google Patents

Description

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T0 ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERNz' t Be it known that I, J. C. LYQNS, of New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Fog-Alarms; and I do hereby delare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of -the same,.rei`erence being had to the accompanying drawings, in which` Figure 1 is an elevation of my apparatus, with air-pump.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the air-reservoir; in which the form of the flexible reservoir when collapsed is shown in black, and its form when expanded is shown in red.

My invention consists in the construction and use of an elastic and `iiexible air-chsmber or'reservoir, in connection with an air-pump or its equivalent, and some. sonorific device', for the purpose of forming en airtrumpet or whistle which admits of use on board of sailing vessels where it would be inconvenient to accommodate a rigid and unyielding reservoir, suchV as have hitherto been used'.4 Y

That others may understand my invention, its construction and use, I will particularly describe it.,

A Vis an ordinary whistle, or its equivalent, in producing a loud sound when exposedto s. strong current of" air. 'The ordina-ry form, known as the steam-whistle, I consider to be the best known device for the purpose, though, as concerning the subject of Ithis patent, the construction of the sonoriticl device is immaterial." f

-B is an air-pump, for the purpose of compressing the air within the reservoir, to produce the desiredblast. Its construction is immaterial, asy regards the invention herein described.V i

C is a iiexible and expansible sack, forming the reservoir, into which airis forced under pressure by the forcing pump, and from which it may escape only through the whistle, to produce -the desired sound. I will particularly describe the construction of this reservoir and its advantages. I first provide two head-blocks, F and G, which should beconstructed of metal. Through these head-blocks are inserted the tubes I and J, which unite the whistle and the forcing pump to the reservoir. The head-blocks F and G are connected by the rods H H, which are secured to said blocks by screws or otherwise. The'l rods may be-twoor more in number, as vmay be found to be necessary to give the required strength and stiiIness-to ths structure. After securing-the head-blocks to the connecting-rods HH, I place them within the cylindrical sack C, which isppen at eaclrend, and secure said ends firmly to the headblocks, as shown, by winding wire or cord tightly about that part which covers the heed-block, or by some other reliable method. Thereservoir C. is constructed, as I prefer, of India rubber, formed in a. seamless open-ended tube of proper size, though I do not confine myself to -the use of that material, nearly the same result being produced :by any other iiexble material which may be rendered impervious to air. When air is vforced into this reservoir its sides yield and expand in proportion to its thickness of i material and its tensile strength, so that the desired quantity, as welles the required pressure, `'may be'ebtained with a reservoir which, when 'the apparatus is not in use, willoccupy but very little space; `As it is practically impossible to manufactureA Indial rubber with a uniform tensile strength 'throughout its mass, and owingto extreme elasticity and mobility of compressed air, an unprotected rubber reservoirwould be constantly liable to injury and over-straining when fully inated, I therefore deem it expedient to Vcovermy reservoir with a cylinder, K, of leather` or canvas,which,' being of definite form and unyielding, will limit the possible expansion of the India rubber and render its accidental fracture unlikely. In `constructing the reservoir C of India.: rubber should be formed with a greater thickness of sides midway from end-'to end, as shown in the dra-wings,4

iig. 2, and a gradual decrease of thickness from that point toward each end, because, in expanding, the cent-ral.

portion is more elongated than those parts nearer the ends, and the strain will be more perfectly equalized ifV the central parts be made .with greater.` thickness. YThe reservoir C may bc Aconstructed of leather or canvas,

varuished or otherwise, made impermeable to air, but I prefer to usethe combined structure of rubber and leather or canvas, the former to retain the air and the latter to secure the desired strength.

In apparatus hitherto made for the purposcsof a fog-alarm the reservolr has been constructed with solid and unyielding wells of sheet metal. A reservoir has been required in orde-r to produce a prolonged sound from the whistle, extending over the space of time when the cranks which worklthe air-pistons arepassing the dead-centres, but it is manifest that such a. reservoir, of Suicient size,would be highly inconvenient on the deck of a vessel. With my apparatusjhe reservoir, being le'irible, may be made tol occupy n space. n ot much `larger than the diameter of the head-blocks F G, and may be permanentlystored'behind the rack at the foot of the mest. An advantage in the use `o' rubber, in constructing my reservoir, is, that the natural capacity of such :t reservoir is very snall, and hence expansion under pressure would commence as soon the operation of the pump should commence, Whereas, with reservoir of' vornished canvas or leather, it would l'be necessarily fully inutcd-before pressure could commence-eu difference which might frequently be of great importance.

It may sometimes he inconvenient to usemetallic tuliingfor the entire connection between the air-pump and reservoir. In suoli' case the connection may be made -by iiexible Indiwruober tubing, protected and covered by short sections ofmetallic tube,'L, as shown in the-drawings, which, while they do not reduce in any important'degree the flexibility of the tube, will protect it externally and prevent'its undue expansion under the power ofthe force-pump. On board a. sailing or other craft the pump may he a. fixture in some convenient place below decks, or the Whole apparatus, being light und portable, may be kept in :1, convenient place, :md brought upon d eck only to be operated. I

it is evident that this apparatus is equally applicable to land-stations as'at lighthouses or life-bont stations, but the restrictions es to size will not be so importent on lanci as on ses.

Hoving described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure By Letters Patent, is--` 'n combination with on air-pump and whistle, as set forth, a exible und elastic air-chamber or reservoir, for the purposes set forth. l

The reservoir, constructed with the head-hloeks F G, rocls H H, and-.covering C, in combination with the whistle .A and pump B,'substantielly as set forth. l v

Covering tlleexibl-tube connection with short sections of metallic tubing, as and for the purpose set forth.

J. Gt LYONS.

Witnesses: y

It. D. O. SMITH, ANDREW Wnrmnnnr.

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