US1917528A - Hydraulic steering gear - Google Patents

Description

July 1L 1933.

HYDRAULIC S TEERING GEAR Filed March 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l A. R. KuzELEwsKl 1,917,528

July 11? 1933. A. R. KuzELEwsKl HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR Filed March 25. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July l11, 1933 PATENT OFFICE ALBERT B. KUZELEVWSIKI, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR Application led March 25, 1931. Serial No. 525,310.

This invention relates to improvements in hydraulic mechanism, and more particularly in hydraulic steering gears of the type employing amotor comprising two rams simultaneously actuated by hydraulic pressure in opposite directions.

One object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of the stated character in which unbalanced stresses and strains are reduced to a practical minimum.

Another object of the invention is to pro,

vide an apparatus of the stated character having in itself an inherent stability and which is not dependent upon the foundation structure to provide this essential characteristic.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the stated character, characterized by an extreme compactness of form, affording for any given installation a substantial economy in space over that required for a corresponding prior installation.

The invention further resides in mechanical features and details hereinafter more fuly described and illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic plan view of an hydraulic steering mechanism made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational, partially sectional, view of the motor assembly; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modification within the scope of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, 1 and 2 are ams which operate in two pairs of aligned cylinders, 3 4 and 5 6 respectively, the cylinders 3 and 4 embracing the opposite ends of the ram 1, and the cylinders 5 and 6 the opposite ends of the ram 2. By suitable mechanism, the details of which` form no part of the present invention, fluid pressure is applied to the cylinders 3, 4, 5 and 6 through suitable )iping 25 and valves 26 and 27 to simultaneously actuate the rams 1 and 2 in opposite directions, and in a desirable installation said Huid pressure ma be delivered from one or both of a pair o pumps 7 and 8,'which to advantage may be of the reversible discharge 7 and 8 are individually actuated in the present instance by'electric motors 9.and 10. The mechanism as a whole further comprises various devices constituting no part of the present invention for controlling the operation of the pumps and the passage of the fluid pressure to the ram cylinders.

My invention has a particular utility in its application to steering gears, and I have .shown the rams 1 and 2 as connected respectively through rods 11 and`12 with the oppositely projecting arms of a yoke 13 Acarried by a rudder post 14. The rods 11 and 12 are pivotally connected to blocks 15 and 16 respectively, freely adjustable in longitudinal slots 17 in the op ositely projecting arms of the said yoke. pposite movement of the rams 1 and 2, as described above, accordingly results in an oscillation of the rudder post 14.

It has been customary in apparatus of this type to form the ram cylinders separately and to secure them individually to a base, or foundation, structure by means of bolts, the aligned pairs of cylinders being connected by tie rods. These individual cylinders, or the aligned pairs of cylinders, were inherently unstable and re uired relativel lar e foun` sures used in the ram cylinders and the heavy 'loads applied to the rams, the unbalanced strains and stresses upon the foundation structure were extremely high, and the structure was necessarily made -heavy and bulk7 in order to adequately withstand the heavy pressures.

By reason of these requirements, the overall bulk of the ram yand cylinder assenbly was relatively great and -was correspondingly undesirable for use in vessels Where space is at premium. Another undesirable feature of the prior construction lay in the fact that the heavy unbalanced strains had a tendency to shear the foundationv bolts.

By the present invention, I take advantage of the simultaneous opposite movements of the rams 1 and 2 to effect a balanced condition which largely eliminates the aforesaid eX- cessive unbalanced stresses and permits the use of a relatively light foundation structure with a resultant material economy in space. My invention provides an apparatus of the stated character of great colnpactness oft' form and correspondingly desirable for use with the steering gears of vessels.

ln accordance with my invention, I may forni each pail` of adjacent cylinders 3 5 and 4--6 in an integral body, preferably forged, see Fig. 2, and in assembly may unite the two integral cylinder' bodies in alignment by tie rods 1S passed through lugs 19 at the inner ends of the c \'linde1s. The Cylinder assemblies ma)v be mounted as illustrated in Fig. 2, upon a pair of standard I-beams 20, Q0,

-which are inturn suitably secured by bolts to the base structure.

In operation. one cylinder of each integral pairs is under pressure` while the. other c vlinder is being exhausted, and by reason of the integral constrlu'tion of the c vlinders as described above. the pressures and reactions in one longitudinallyY aligned pair ot' cylinders oppose and balance the pressures and reactions in the other aligned pair ot' cylilnlers` with the result that the major portion of the unbalanced strain placed upon the structure as a whole` and particularly upon the founda tion. is relieved. The combining of the cyl inders in integral bodies as described has the natural effect of bringing the cylinders of the aligned pairs relatively close together, and the neutralizing or balancing of the strains. as described, further makes it feasible to re-. duce the weight and size of the apparatus as a whole and particularly of the supporting umler-structure. The cylinder assembly also is inherently stable which permits a still further reduction in size and Weight of the foundation structure. This combined effect results in a substantial decrease in the bulk of the ram and cylinder assembly, and as illustrated in Fig. 1, permits the pump and motor assemblies and the associated mechanism to be located immediately adjacent the cylinder assembly within a relatively small space. As

previously set forth, this conservation of space is of vital importance in vessels in which the aforedescribed apparatus is primarily adapted for use as a steering mechanism.

In Fig. 3, I vhave illustrated a modification of the construction in which the adjacent parallel cylinders are formed separately, but are bolted together through flanges 2l to form what in effect is an integral structure comprising the two parallel adjacent cylinder bores. There may be other modifications without departure from the invention.

I claim In an hydraulic steerer, a pair of substantially parallel rams, a Working cylinder operatively associated with each end of each of said rams, means for applying Huid pressure selectively to the cylinders to simultaneously 4reactions within the 4ram and cylinder assembly.

ALBERT R. KUZELEWSKI.

Images