US1328122A - Safety-compartment for ships - Google Patents

Description

Patented J an, 13,1920

lllit ll m '1 W/TNESSES IUTORNE/S UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

YOUNG K. BUELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

'SAFETY-COIEPARTMENT FOR SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, 13, 1920,

Application filed April 14, 1917, Serial No. 162,027. Renewed July 10, 1919. Serial'No. 309,969.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I YOUNG K. BUELL, a citizen of China, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Safety-Compartment for Ships, of which the followingis'a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to means for preventing the sinking of a boat if the hull becomes torn open or punctured by shells.

The invention has for its general objects to provide means for inflating the compartments of the ship by compressed air, so that the entrance of water will be excluded and.

the ship maintain a floating buoyancy.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a plurality of air-holding bags in the compartments of a ship, which bags are normally deflated and are provided with; valves so designed that when air is supplied;

from a suitable source one bag will be inflated, and when completely filled the valve therefor is closed and the valve for the other bag in the same compartment will be auto-" matically released so that in case of leakage and deflation of the first bag the second bag will be automatically filled.

Still another object is the provision of an auxiliary tank through which air is supplied. to the bags in a compartment, the tank serv ing to hold a supply of air for the second bag to fill the same in case the first bag ispunctured, 831d tank or reservoir havlng means for automatically cutting ofl the sup-- ply of air thereto when the pressure reaches a certain point, and at thesame time a signal I will be operated to indicate the condition of the particular compartment.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a side view of a ship havlng a portion of its hull broken away to 1nd1cate a plurality of compartments and a1r-supplying means therefor;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of one of the compartments with the mechanism for controlling the supply of air to the bags therein, the first bag being in the act of inflation; and i v Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the first bag in punctured condition and the second bag being inflated.

Referring .to the drawing, A designates a ship of any type which is provided with a plurality of compartments 1 in which are arranged safety appliances for preventing sinking of the boat in case the hull is hit by shells or otherwise injured. In each compartment are bags B and C which are connected respectively with separate branches 2 and 3 of a pipe 4:. The pipe 4t is connected with a tank 5, which in turn receives air under pressure from any suitable source through a pipe 6. The connections 2 and 3 are controlled respectively by slide valves 7 and 8 so arranged that when one is open the other is closed. The valve 7 is provided with a spring 9 which'tends to hold the port 10 of the valve in open position, so that air can flow from the tank 5 into the bag B, which is limited in its expansion by a fleXible network 11, as is also the bag 0. The lower end of the valve 7 is provided with a plate 12 whereby the inflating bag 13 can act on the valve to raise the same and cut off the flow of air through the connection 2. A spring latch 13 on the valve 7 passes upwardly through a catch or bracket 1% so that when the lower end of the latch engages the top of the catch the valve 7 will be held in closed position againstthe tension of the spring 9. Thus the supply of air to the bag B will be automatically cut off when the bag is properly inflated.

The valve S'has a port 15 normally held out of registry with the conduit 3 by a hookshaped stop or latch 16 that engages the hook-shaped catch or projection 17 011 the valve 8. A spring 18 urges the valve 8 downwardly so that when the bag B loccomes deflated the valve 8 will move to open position and permit air to pass from the tank 5 into the bag C. When the bag B is inflated it engages a plate 19 under the plate 1:2 and causes the plate 1 9 to move upwardly and carry with it the plate 12 to close the valve 7, and also to disengage the catch from the latch 16, whereby the spring 20 of the latch 16 moves the latter to one side so as to be out of the Way of the catch 17 when the valve 8 descends upon the deflation of the bag 13, and when this takes place the parts will shift from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, wherein the bag C is being inflated.

When the air is supplied from the main source through the pipe 6, the pressure builds up in the tank 5 and eventually it acts on a plunger 21 to overcome the tension of the spring 22, whereby the plunger throw the port 23 of the valve 24 out of registry with the pipe 6, and consequently the tank 5 will be cut off from the source of supply. This movement of the valve 2% causes the contacts 25 and 26 to engage, whereby the signal circuit 27 is closed to thereby indicate the condition of the safety device in the compartment for which the signal is designated.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A ship having compartments, a bag in each compartment, means for supplying air to the bags, and means for each bag and operated automatically by its respective bag to out oil the supply thereto when such bag is fully inflated.

2. A ship having a plurality of compartments, a pair of bags in each compartment, means for supplying air to the bags, a nor.- mally open valve for one bag, a normally closed valve for the other bag, means for causing the normally open valve to close when the bag supplied therethrough becomes inflated, and means for permitting the other valve to move to open position to fill the second bag when the first bag becomes deflated.

3. A ship having compartments, a pair of bags in each compartment, an air tank, means for supplying air to the tank, and connections between the tank and bags whereby one bag. is first inflated and then the second bag if the first bag becomes deflated.

4:. A ship having compartments, a pair of bags in each compartment, an air tank, means for supplying air to the tank, con nections between the tank and bags whereby one bag is first inflated and then the second bag if the first bag becomes deflated, and an automatic valve for cutting ofl the supply of air to the tank when the pressure therein reachesa predetermined point.

5. A ship having compartments, a pair of bags in each compartment, an air tank, means for supplyin'gair to the tank, connections between the tank and bags whereby one bag is first inflated and then the second bag if the first bag becomes deflated, an automatic valve for cutting oil" the supply of air to the tank when the pressure therein reaches a predetermined point, and a signal operated when the said valve is closed.

6. A ship having a compartment, a pair of bags therein, air supplyconnections to the respective bags, valve in the connections, means for holding one valve open and the other valve closed, means actuated by one bag to close the normally open valve when such bag becomes inflated, means for holding the normally open valve in closed position, means for normally holding the other valve closed and adapted to be automatically released by thefirst. bag being inflated, and means for opening-the normally. closed valve to inflate the other bag when the first bag becomes deflated.

YOUNG K. BUELL.

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