Ships – Steering mechanism – Rudders
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-13
2001-11-13
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Ships
Steering mechanism
Rudders
C114S162000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314900
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns a rudder for water vessels of the kind comprising a main body and one or more rudder wings arranged to be turned with respect to the main body.
Problem
At low speeds the rudder must have a certain size and angle of attack in order to steer a vessel efficiently. However, such a rudder may be unnecessarily large for higher speeds, and cause unwanted drag in the sea and thus lost speed and unnecessarily high fuel consumption. Conventional rudders tend to increase their effect almost proportionally with speed. Large forces are exerted on a rudder that is turned away from the vessel's direction of movement when at high speed. This may lead to damage on the rudder, the rudder stem and the steering engine. During a sudden change of course with a vessel with a conventional rudder at high speed, a loss of speed occurs.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Several devices comprising ship rudders and centreboard-like rudders with rudder wings are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,508: “Emergency bow rudder” describes a jury rudder arranged in the bow of a vessel and arranged to be thrusted through the bow by means of hydraulics. This jury rudder is arranged to be used in critical situations, e.g. to avoid collision at sea, or if the main rudder is out of order. The present invention differs from U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,528 which does not have a fixedly anchored main body during active use, in that the embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body which may be drawn in to a fixedly anchored centre position, and in that the active use of rudder wings causes change of the total rudder profile and thus a hydrodynamic rudder effect giving a change of course at high speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,168: “Retractable rudder for a barge” describes a barge rudder which may be retracted inside an open keel whrereby the rudder is hindered from rotation. Thus the rudder does not work when drawn inside the fixed keel. The purpose and the effect in U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,168 thus completely differs from the present invention whereby the steering effect is entirely present and prepared for high speed, with the main part of the rudder main body partly drawn back into a rudder blade lock attachment on the hull. U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,168 neither shows nor mentions any kind of movable rudder wings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,275: “Fin rudder for ships” deal with an ordinary ship rudder with one or more flaps at the trailing or astern part of the rudder blade, with the flaps arranged to be rotated about a vertical axle, and arranged to be locked in a fixed position in the main rudder blade.
Norwegian patent 162 452 “High-effect fin rudder for water vessels”, describes a ship rudder with an additional flap which by means of a pivoted gear connection to the flap automatically provides an additional movement of the flap with respect to the rudder blade. The flap may also be locked to the rudder blade.
Solution of the Problem
The present invention relates to a rudder that when used at high speeds is arranged to be attached with its nearest part of the rudder blade fixedly retracted to the vessel's hull, and where the rudder effect produced by changing the rudder profile by turning the leading flap and trailing (astern) flap in the direction of the desired turn of the vessel's bow, instead of turning the whole rudder plate to an attacking angle with respect to the direction of speed. In the mentioned retracted position the turning of the leading and trailing (astern) flap will guide the water current past the rudder in such a way that the water speed past the rudder on its two surfaces become different. Thus the pressure effects of the two water currents are that a resultant force component arises, the force component being normal to the rudder side and athwart of the water current on the most convex surface at every instant. The rudder is fixed to the hull at high speeds by means of a telescopic rudder stem, possibly by additional attaching means. This gives the rudder a reduced area within the water current,
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention defines a rudder device of the kind of which the one end is connected to the hull and comprising a main rudder body and one or more rudder flaps which may be turned with respect to the main rudder body. The new and unique feature of the invention resides in that the main rudder body has a fixedly anchored centre position with respect to the hull, with a rudder flap providing the steering effect at high speeds, and that the main rudder body may be loosened from its fixedly anchored centre position and arranged to be turned as a whole in the known way, especially for steering the vessel at low speeds.
More details on new and distinctive characteristics of the embodiment according to the invention are found in the patent claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 31845 (1861-03-01), Winans et al.
patent: 367771 (1887-08-01), Witmer
patent: 398900 (1889-03-01), Martin
patent: 682476 (1901-09-01), Marolf
patent: 1128508 (1915-02-01), Quartermaine
patent: 1364961 (1921-01-01), Thompson
patent: 1582391 (1926-04-01), Flettner
patent: 3080845 (1963-03-01), Pollak
patent: 3326168 (1967-06-01), Swiggart, III et al.
patent: 3467045 (1969-09-01), Broehl
patent: 4307677 (1981-12-01), Jastram et al.
patent: 4342275 (1982-08-01), Brix et al.
patent: 4434738 (1984-03-01), Barkemeyer
patent: 5150661 (1992-09-01), Rudolf
patent: 162452 (1985-07-01), None
Den Norske Stats Oljelskap A.S
Foley & Lardner
Morano S. Joseph
Wright Andrew
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