US851111A - Apparatus for cleaning ships. - Google Patents

Description

J No. 851,111 PATENTED APR. zs l isov.

C.E.ARNOLD.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.17, 1905.

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CHARLES E. -ARNOLD, OF BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA.

APPAlRATUS FOi? CLEANING SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907 Application filed November 17, 1905. Serial No. 287,811.

To all whom, it 111/1151 concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bruns wick, 1n the county of Glynn and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usei in Apparatus for Cleaning Ships, of which the following is a specification. The present invention relates to hull cleaning devices for ships of that type which are designed to perform the cleaning opera tion without the necessity of dry-docking the vessel, but which are adapted to clean the hull in a thorough and easy manner While riding at anchor.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a hullcleaning device which may be moved over the hull surface to be cleaned. with little exertion on the draft-tackle for shifting it, and withoutdanger of catching and being stopped by any structural protuberances, such as plate rivets, seams, and the like, or foreign excrescencesadhering to the hull surface; this result being attained by providing the frame of the cleaning device with supporting runners having rounded edges, so that these runners will slide freely this result is attained over the surface of the hull without engaging any structural protuberances or excrescences thereon, thus relieving the shifting tackle by means of which the device is moved to and .fro from undue strain.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining the cleaning de vice always in close relation to the hull sur-.

face, so that the active cleaning element (a rotary brush in the present case) will be held in operative position relative to the hull, and by providing magnetic holdfasts which, in the form herein shown, are the supporting shoes above referred to said shoes forming the pole pieces of electromagnets which may be energized from any suitable source with which they are properly connected, and which magnetic supporting runners will stick to the iron or steel hull of the vessel to be cleaned and hold the cleanin tool or brush in close proximity always with the side of the vessel.

In. order that the invention may be clear to those skilled in the art, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing one embodiment of my invention, and in said drawings- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view-of the cleaning tool or device to'show the position of the eleetro-magnets, the mounting for the brush, and the cross-sectional construcwithdrawn from the hon of the supporting frame. Fig. 2 is a plan view looking from the left in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view to show the osition of the cleaning device relative to the vlull of the ship; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the brush cylinder,- Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the cylinder shown in Fig.4 and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a part of one of the cleaning brushes with which the cylinder is provided.

Referring 'to the drawings by numerals,

- like numbers indicating like parts in the several views, 2 designates the main frame of the cleaning device, which, as shown, is rectangular, and is made of channel iron, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. At each end of the said frame 2 are supporting standards 3, secured in a proper manner to the end rails of the rectangular frame 2, and in said standards are mounted sliding bearing-blocks 4, said blocks 4; bcing supported on either side by yielding springs 5, which will permit the bearing blocks 4 and the cleaning tool, presently to be described, and which is supported by said blocks 4, to yield and move standards 3, an adjusting follower and setscrew'fi bein'g'fixed in the upper end of each of said standards 3, so that the bearing blocks 4 maybe adjusted in the standards 3. The said standards braced by means of triangular struts 7' (see Fig. 1) which pass over the top of the stand- 3 are preferably side-.

in their slotted ards and are secured at their ends to the rectangular frame 2.. g

Mounted in the sliding bearing blocks 4 is the cleaning tool proper, which in this instance, is shown as a rotary brush made up of a cylinder 8 having spirally arranged undercut slots 9, adapted to receive brush strips 10 carrying steel bristles 1 this construction being a valuable one for the reason that the brush strips 10 inay be readily inserted or T-headed slots 9 in the cylinder 8. The said brush projects through t 1e open frame 2 so that as the frame is drawn up along the side of the vessel the brush, if rapidly revolved, 'will engage the fouled surface of the hull and the steel bristles will sweep the same clean of all adhering particles or growths. The said. cleaning brush may be revolved in any suitableimanner; for exam le, as hereh shown, through the medium of a flexible shaft 12 secured to one end of the brush shaft as shown in Fig. 2,

and connected at its other end with any suitable moto 13;

. the utensil always in proper working pos1- .tion.

' vantage by reason of its sup of being readily manipulate "without danger of vexatious catching or ,ccnces on the hull surface.

the supporting jnetic 6o times maintained, and

V cleaning mechanism which is extremely elmsaid cleaning device is providedwith chaiti bridles 14 or other suitable hauling means secured to the frame 2, to which the draft ro es, by means of which the device is "hauled om watersed e to watersedge over the surface of thc h are attached, and it will be understood that any suitable winch or rope-hauling device may be used to pull the illevlice back and forth over the surface of the Obviously', thdl rectangular frame which supports the brushgwould be apt to engage and be caught by any protuberance or growthson the hull of the vessel as it is drawn over the hullsurface, and this would result in increasing the draft onthe hauling mechanism, and would also tend to make the brush work in an uneven and unsatisfactory fashion. To overcome these difficulties and rovide the cleaning device with frictiomreducin supports, which will ride over an'uneven hu l-surface with a smooth, even action and without imposing undue strain on the haul rope, I provide the frame 2 with supporting runners 15, which runners are preferably laced at each corner of the rectangular. anie, as shown in Fig. 2, the edges of the runners 15 being rounded so that the said runners will ride readily over structural or other protuberances on the vessel; and all danger of stoppage or catching of the device or uneven working of the brush is eliminated. In order that the cleaning brush may be held to its work, it is necessary that a close relation between the frame an hull be at'all this result I secure by making the runners 15 magnetic, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, in which figure it will be seen that the runners 15 are the poleieces of electro-magnets 16, so that the sai runners 15 in reality form magnetic sugporting 'feet or runnersfor the device, whic when ener ized by the current passing through the win ings 17 of the magnets from suitable leading-in wires 18, (see Fig. 2), will adhere to the side of the honor steel hull, and hold It will be seen that I have provided a liull and which has the adorting runners, I during its work ple in its construction,

stopping. because of the frame engaging protuberances or foreign excres- Furtliermore', runners, because of the ma ualities given them, have the add nction of keeping the device at all tional times in close. relation to the hull.

ticular construction,

.. While I have shown and described a parand that the best new I known'to me, it jwill be understood that this .1 is for. illustrative purposes only,

and since it 7 is obvious that the construction may be varied within the skill of the mechanician, and not depart from the spirit of my invention, I deem all such mechanical changesand expedients to be within the purview of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is 1*- r 1. In a hull-cleaning device for ships and in combination, a rectangular frame, magnetic supporting runners at the corners of said frame, spring-heldbearing blocks mounted'in suitable standards on said frame, means for adjusting said bearing blocks, a rotary cleaning tool mounted in said .ibearingblocks, and means for driving said tool.

. 2. In a hull cleaning device for ships and in combination, arectangular frame, mag netic supporting runners at the corners of said frame, standards extending from each end of the frame, struts for bracing the standards, spring held bearing blocks therein, adjustab e means for the b ocks, a rotary cleanmg tool having its shaft journaled in said blocks, leading in wires for said ma etic runners, and means for driving said too 3. In a hull cleaning device for ships and in combination a rectangular frame, mag netic supporting runners at the corners of said frame, standards extending from each end of the frame, strutsfor bracing the standards, s g held bearing blocks therein, adjustab e means for the blocks, a rotary cleaning tool having its shaft journaled in said blocks, leading in wires 1' or said magnetic runners, and a flexible shafting connected to the shaft of the tool fordriving it. v

4. In a hull cleaning device for shi s, a tool carrying frame, a rotary cleaning tooimounted within the frame, tool, an electro magnet secured to each corner of the frame and enlar ed and rounde said 'enlar ed and roun e d projecting ends of the po e pieces constituting suppm'ting runners or vice, and leading-in-wires for said-magnets.

'5. In a'hull cleaning device for ships, a

rectangular tool carrying frame, a rotary means for drivingsaid having one end of the pole piece thereof pro'eeting therefrom and the decleaning tool mounted therein, means for driving saidtool, an electro-magnetic element secured .to each corner of the frame and having the pole pieces provided with enlarged rounded ends constituting runners for the device, and leading-in-wires for said magnetic elements.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES ARNOLD.

Witnesses: I

J. M. Amus'rnoivc B. Wnrmntn.

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