US883028A - Means for actuating submersion-rudders for torpedoes. - Google Patents

Description

A. E. JONBS.

MEANS FOR AGTUATINGJSUBMERSION RUDDERS P03 TOR-PEDOES. APPLICATION FILED APE. 4.1906.

In: NORRIS PETERS cm, wAsnnmroN, n. c.

PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES, OF FIUME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

MEANS FOR,ACTUATI1\TG SUBMERSION-R'UDDERS FOR TORPEDOES.

Specification a Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

' Application filed A riii, 1906. Serial No. 309,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT EDWARD JONES, engineer, citizen of the United Kingdom of England, residing at Fiume, Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Means for Actuating Submersion-Rudders for T orpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention has for its object an improvement in those devices which serve to maintain a traveling torpedo at a predetermined depth, and in which the movements of the horizontal rudder are initiated on the one hand by a membrane submitted to hydrostatic pressure and to the pressure of a spring, and on the other hand by the oscillations of a pendulum.

The invention has mainly for its object that in place of the spring pressure maintaining equilibrium with the hydrostatic pressure, the rotary moment of a weighted arm positively connected with the membrane is utilized, this arm being so adjusted that in the horizontal position of the axis of the torpedo, its moment is equivalent to the water pressure acting on the membrane at the normal depth of immersion.

As the rotary moment of the weighted arm increases or decreases with alterations in the horizontal position of the axis of the torpedo, the weighted pendulum also replaces the function of the submersion pendulum employed in the Whitehead torpedo.

In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing a governor constructed in accordance with this invention is shown in vertical section built in the torpedo, together with the rear end of the.

torpedo which contains the submersion rudder. Figs. 2 and 3 show a torpedo in posi tion deviating from the horizontal line of travel, t. c. Fig. 2 in ascending and Fig. 3 in descending travel.

As shown by Fig. 1, the membrane m is arranged on the lower end of the hydrostatic chamber a and forms part of the cover I) of a casing 0 extending into the chamber. The fixed part of the cover I) carries two brackets d and between them there is rotatably mounted an arm f provided with an adjustable weight g. Upon the shaft on which this arm rocks there is keyed an arm h which is connected with the center of the membrane by means of a connecting rod 7c, this membrane m actuating in the known manner the servo or auxiliary motor w of the submersion rudder 2 by means of an appropriate rod o. The length of the connecting rod is and also that of the connecting member v is adjusted in such a manner that the pendulum f assumes a slightly inclined position relatively to the vertical when the torpedo is in the horizontal position and the position of the membrane corresponds to the normal depth of immersion, that is to say to the horizontal posi- %ion of the submersion rudder as shown in The operation of the apparatus is as follows: With the axis of the torpedo in the horizontal position and the torpedo at the normal depth of immersion the rotary moment of the weighted arm f counterbalances the hydrostatic pressure acting upon the membrane; the positive connection between the membrane and the steering apparatus being such that the rudder .2 is horizontal in this position of the torpedo, so that no upward or downward steering takes place. If the torpedo is situated at less than the normal depth from the surface, the rotary moment of the pendulum will force the membrane outwards, by which means the rudder will be caused to rock downwards; if the depth of immersion however exceeds the normal, the membrane will be pressed inwards, overcoming the counter ressure of the rotary moment of the penduum and the rudder will be caused to rock upwards. Besides this function, which is analogous to that of a spring acting upon the membrane, such as has already been em ployed, the weighted arm f also serves as the submersion pendulum, because its rotary.

moment increases or decreases with the inclination of the longitudinal axis of the torpedo, that is to say with an ascending direction of travel (see Fig. 2) it exceeds the normal magnitude and with a descending path (see Fig. 3) it is less than the normal magni tude. In the first case therefore an outward pressure of the membrane exceeding the normal will take place the submersion rudder being thereby given a downward movement, while in the second case (Fig. 3) the membrane will be pressed inwards by the water pressure and an upward movement will be given to the horizontal rudder.

In the two typical positions of the torpedo represented in Figs. 2 and 3, the action of the weighted arm will be directed to rendering the longitudinal axis of the torpedo horizontal. Owing to the positive connection of the weighted arm f, which it is obvious will also act as a hydrostatic pendulum, with the membrane, the oscillation of the pendulum, caused by its inertia and. occurring at the moment at which it reaches the water, is smaller and is more speedily checked than with those devices in which (as for example in the Whitehead submersion governors) the depth or submersion pendulum acts quite independently of the membrane. Owing to this speedy checking of the oscillations of the weighted arm caused by the inertia, which checking results from the aforementioned positive connection, the locking means by which in the arrangements hitherto adopted the submersion governor is arrested during the first period of the travel of the torpedo, may be dispensed with. This locking entails as is well known, a number of inconveniences, as its duration and the position given to the locked submersion rudder should differ with the different launching directions which direction is selected at the moment of action, when it is not possible to make any adjustment.

As shown, the entire device is arranged in a box 0 adapted to be placed in the hydrostatic chamber a and closed on all sides, so that the action of the membrane mWill not be influenced by any leakage occurring in the hydrostatic chamber a and the whole apparatus may be withdrawn from the torpedo without the necessity for dismounting other arts. p Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in What manner the same is to be per formed, I declare that what I claim is:

In depth or submersion governors a hydrostatic chamber, a closed boX Within said hydrostatic chamber, a membrane forming one side of the box and being exposed to the wa ter pressure, a pendulum suspended in said box, and means for positively connecting the membrane with the pendulum and holding the pendulum inclined to the vertical position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES.

Witnesses VICTOR MONATH, ALvEsTo S. HOGUE

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