US76416A - Peterg phototuthographer - Google Patents

Description

gleiten tstrs. datent @Hiss Letters Patent Nb. 76,416, dated April 7, ISGS.

IMPROVED APPARATUS POR RAISING SUNKEll VESSELS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, COUNT ARTHUR DILLoN, of Paris, in the Empire of France, have invented a new and improved Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels; and I do herebydeelare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those s'k'illed in the art to make and use tho same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the pneumatic shell.

FigureQ is a longitudinal section of air-cylinder.

.Figure `3 isa modification of ig'. 2.

Figure 4 is a plan of pontoons in position. v

Figure 5 isa longitudinal vertical section of my improved pontoon through'the'lineffcf, iig. l..

Figure 6 is a cross-section through the line y y', rig. 1. I

Figure 'l' is a diagram of the chains.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts `in the gures 1, 2,*and 3, collectively, and 4, 5, and 6, collectively,

This invention'relates to certain improvements in pontoons for raising sunken or grounded vessels; and consists in constructing the pontoons with an internal cylinder, having pistons, by the action of which the displacement of the pontoon is augmented or diminished, and thus the raising and sinking of the pontoons is effected;` also providing the said poutoons with ballast-compartments, having trap-bottoms for discharging the ballast, together with other devices, perfecting the whole apparatus, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

. In figs. 4, 5, and 6,1'th`e pontoons, A, are long, keelless vessels, and may be built of wood orplate iron. The compartments B are located.on each side of a central cylinder, C, and are furnished with hinged bottoms or traps, D, which are hinged at d, and held closed by links or rods e. These links are attached to eye-bolts in thebottoms D, and their upperl ends have eyes, z', for slipping on to pins p, projecting from long rodem, running foreand aft on the deck of the pontoon, near the' inboard edges of the compartments B. These rods nt have' secure bearings, qt, bolted to thedeck, as shown. Larger and longer arms, P, projecting from the -side opposite those otp of the same rod m, serve to hold the arms A7J irmly horizontal, and thus enable them to support the bottoms D; for. the rods mhave a partial rotationY in their bearings, whereby, when the pinsp are deflected downward by the partial rotation o'f thesaid rods, the eyes of the links e slip o from the said pins p, and the bottoms a-re liberated and permitted to swing downward, and discharge their ballast.'

One or both rows of compartments may be emptied. '.lhe'former ease is sometimes requisite, to alter the centre of gravity when the pontoon is to be keeled over or otherwise brought out of trim, the better to accommodate the pontoon to the position of the wreck'. v

The arms P are held in position'by a horizontal bolt, Pf, which passes through eyeebolts a, and over. the arms P, thus confining them. Chain cables, E, are attached to strong eye-bolts, f, in the stems, F, at each end- Vof the pontoons. These chains` are rove crosswise .through ringbolts G, firmly bolted through the stems F, as shown. Thesecha'ns serve to enclose the hull or wreck to. be raised within Vthe two poumons, as Shown in iig. 4.

Both pontoons being'enactly alike, the construction and princip'leoi` one only willb e described.-

The internal cylinder, C, is placed longitudinally within the pontoon, as shown. Pistons H flt with smooth, nirtight contact within the section ofthe said cylinders, and canbe force'd along back and for-th in any partei' the same by the introduction of air or gas within the cylinder, or the pressure of the water without, according as the force of either preponderates. The mechanicalmode and appliances for getting the p'ontoons attached tothe grounded or sunken vessel will be hereinafter described.

I will now explain the pneumatic action-of my' improvement. In iig. I, A. B C D represents a section of a metallic pontoon-shell, furnished with aueduction-valve, S', within a chamber, P', and an induction-valve, S, within a chamber, P. The valve S opens inward from external pressure, and the valve S opens outward from internal pressure. A set-screw, as shown, 4contines the valve S against the internal pressure. v

When this shell is to be sunk, a ring-and rope, as shown, guide the shell to its destination 20u the bottom; for the lowei` end of the rope is to be secured to an anchor, and the rope stretched tight, whereby the shell in' sinking will, by means of the-ring attached to it, follow the rope to the anchor, which would be placed suitably in contiguity to the wreck. y v v Before sinking, a quantity of air is forced into the shell through the chamber, P, until the pressure within thc shell is expressed by N+1, (N being the pressure in atmospheres which a body would sustain when immersed at the depth to which the shell is to descend.) Then, through the same chamber, a sufficient quantity of water is forced to make the shell sink'. The shell descends, andfguidedby the rope, reaches the wreck, to which it is secured by any means known to submarineengineering. The aforesaid set-screw is then turned, and the valve, S', being thus liberated, permits the escape of the water within the shell,` which escape is due to the aforesaid pressure, -N-l-l. When the said water is ejected, the shell ascends to the surface, and, it`made sutiiciently large, will bring with it the wreck. Y

The method just describen 1s attende-:l with some diiiicultics, as, first, the great thickness'of the metal required 'in a shell of large diameter te sustain the desired pressure; second, the diiiiculty of forcing water into a bulk of highly-compressedair. A I v To obviate these diiiieultics, and render thisprinciple more practically available, a pontoon provided with an internal cylinder is adopted, and the said cylinder` to have movable pistons and other connections, as shown at igs. 2er S, where P and l)l are the pistons, SS val-:cs in the same, opening outwards, E Fa chamber connectingwith the cylinder at some central point ol1A the same, by means of the pipe 0 Tand cock R. Opposite to this pipe is another, lettered H G, provided withra cock, X. i l

Within the chamber E are placed chemicals for 0c ncrating gas, as bicarbonate of soda and snlphuric acid, which materials, thou-gh comparatively small in bulk, will evolve by their chemical reaction a gas of great expansive tension. v-

The ends of the pontoouarcopen, as shown at m 1t' m" it', fig. 2, and also as exhibited,.unlettercd, in the drawingof gs. 5 and G, whereby the water caifcxert its pressure directly upon the pistons.

When the pontoon is ready for snbmerging, the cocks X and Pt are closed, andthe pistons are at the extremities of the cylinder, The ballast-compartments are duly filled with stone, and the cock, X, opened. The displacement ot thcpontoon is diminished by the recession ofthe pistons, which 'yield to the pressure of the water,

and are brought finally in contact with each other in the middle of the cylinder. The pontoon having sunk to some desired position contiguous to thc wreck, it is attached thereto by means of the chains, before described,

" and thc sponson-timbcrs T on the exterior ofthe pontoons, (see iigs. 6 and 7.) When allis ready, the cock R,

communicating with thc generating-chamber EF, iigs.,2 and 3,is opened. .The sulphuric acid'is then,- by suitable device, brought in contact with thc bicarbonatev ot' soda,and the gas evolved enters-the cylinder and vdrives thc pistons'outward again, thus increasing the displacement of the pontoon,wh ich, having dischargedits n ballast by themcchanism before shown, rises to the surface, bringingwith it the -wrcck to which it was attached. Atmospheric air maybe substituted for any chemically-evolved `gases, and pumped into `the cylinder at some middle point, as the pipo O T. -it will force out the pistons, and produce the same effect as above shown by the gas.

The 'pistons are formed with iianges, as shown in the gs. 2, 3,5, and 6, so `that their inner surfaces shall not comcccmpletely in contact, but leave u space for the ingress ofthe gas or air that is to actuate them outward. Any mechanical device, as a ring or projection pla-ced within the cylinder at its middle point, will prevent -thc passage of either vpiston beyond the middle, if by friction the other piston is retarded from reaching the middle position ofthe cylinder contemporaueously with the first.

In order to maintain the equilibrium of both the internal and external pressure, the pistonsP P', fig. 2, are provided with ,valvcs,;,S S', opening from' within outwards, so as to let thc gas within escape, if its pressure exceeds. that of the water without, wlien` t he pistons have reachcdthefends of the cylinder. Each pontoon contains such a cylinder substituted for the shcllshowu atsiig. 1, in which water and compressed air were introduced. The principle is still the same, the only diffcrcncebeing the separation of thc-two uids (gas and water) by a solid medium acting as a piston.

Fig. 3 exhibits amodiiicationlot the cylinder for the purpose of producing a. lesser volume of gas.- A B is a secondary cylinder within the iii-st. This is completely closed, and its purpose will now b c described. Supposeit is required to sink the pontoon to a depth of'fii'ty yards, at which a body sustains an external pressure of about sixv atmospheres. I make the secondary cylinder of such thickness as will.sustain an external pressureof threel atmospheres. I then compress air or gas within thc-cylinder to a tension of three atmospheres, which gives the aggregate resistance of six atmospheres. The pipes from tlre gcneratinglchamberextend beyond the secondary cylinder, as shown at iig. 3. Previous to the immersion, the excess of the internal strain over the external pressure will be two atmospheres, but as the cylinder sinks down, the external pressure increases, until', at about twenty yards, the internal and external pressure will be in equilibrio. Beyond this point the external exceeds the internal pressure, and at a depth ot fifty yards -it exceeds it by three atmospheres, which was the force for which the'said cylinder was constructed. i v A l By this device I am enabled topartially replace the metallic by the gaseous resistance, and at the same time t0 employ a much less heavy and yet quite as much resisting cylinder. Incase this constant cylinderA B is used, the ballast in the pontoon should equal in weight that of the volume of water displaced by this'cylinder, so as'to render the immersion possible.

In the employment of these pontoons for recovering sunken vessels, one or more ropes, each'having one end.

suitably fixed at the wreck, und the other on bourdthe tug-boat or boats are employed in the work. These ropes serve as guides when the pontoons are sunk, as before described. The pontoons are brought to embrace the wreck in the manner shown at figs. 4 and 6. The ballast is discharged, and the chemicals employed in the generating-chamber brought into intimate contact. vThe gas thus evolved augmente the displacenient of" the pontoohs, as before shown,and they rise to the surface, `bringing with them the wreck.

Mechanism for discharging the ballast', opening the cocks, and bringing about the chemical action, can he arranged, so as to be operated from the surface by lines or ropes, or from diving-bells sunk on er near the wreck or pontoons. p

A flexible pipe, E, communicates with the compressed gas or air within the cylinder, for the purpose of clearing the pontoon or Wreck from the sand which may drift and impinge against its sides when remained sunk for a time in a. tidal or other current. `By means of the cock R the pressure can bc liberated, and the pipe, as shown, directed against thejunction ofthe sand and sides ofthe Wreck or pontoon. This action can beassistcd by the explosion of a'ny proper, amount of nitro-glycerine at a distance from the wreck. The surge or undulation thus producedwill act to loosen both or either from the sand in which it is partially embedded, by the surges impact against the exposed broadside' surface. u

The advantages of this improvement consist in its simplicity, facility of practical application, and the thorough accomplishment of the purpose intended in a short space of time, and at a comparatively small cost.

I claim as new,land desire tosecu-re by Letters Patentl i 1. The ballast-compartments B, with the hinged traps D, for discharging the ballastfrom a submerged pontoon,` substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

2.V The apparatus, as shown and described, consisting of a cylinder, with pistons and generating-chamber,

for employing the buoyant force for raising the pontoon after it has been carried down in a latent state, all substantially as shoivn and described.

' CTE. A. DILLON.

Witnesses DEMOS.

A. GrUIoN

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