US3051119A - Marine propulsion units - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 28, 1962 P. M. HAMLYN ETAL 3,051,119

MARINE PRoPULsIoN UNITS Y PETE/ MHA/WL YN J2e/nf E. .SA/f4 4A/ I Bf w-/v 6" #ORS/*Www Aug. 28, 1962 P. M. HAMLYN ETAL 3,051,119

MARINE PRoPULsIoN UNITS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 18, 1961 Aug. 28, 1962 P. M. HAMLYN ETAL. 3,051,119

AMARINE PROPULSION UNITS Filed Dec. 18, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent O Peter Morton Hamiyn, Totney House, Kingsdown, Bath, Somerset, England; .lohn Edwin Snelliing, Woodiea House, Stockwood Vale, ieynsham, near Bristol, Somerset, England; and Bevan Graham Horstmann, 1 Fersfeld, Perrymead, Bath, Somerset, England Fiied Dec. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 166,940

3 Claims. (Cl. 11S- 35) This invention relates to marine propulsion units of the type adapted to be attached to the transom of a boat, and including a main casing containing a main driving shaft geared to drive a propeller shaft with the propeller mounted on the bottom of the casing, and a rudder also mounted on the casing astern of the propeller, said casing being supported by a transom bracket so that the Whole unit is capable of tilting in a vertical plane should underwater obstacles be encountered when moving ahead. Marine propulsion units constructed according to the foregoing description are referred to herein asy of the type described.

While it is reasonably simple to provide for operating the rudder of such a unit from a rudder post mounted on the stern of the boat if the tilting action is omitted, it becomes a complicated matter when the unit is movable in relation to the rudder post. The object of the invention isto provide a simple and elicient device for transferring transom-located rudder post movements to the rudder without having to uncouple the steering arrangements when providing for tilting.

According to the invention in a marine propulsion unit of the type described the main casing houses a rudder mounting shaft projecting therefrom at its lower end which carries the rudder, and the unit is combined with a separate rudder post outside the main casing adapted to ybe mounted on the boats transom, the post and mounting shaft each having an arm (the post arm and shaft arm respectively) projecting therefrom and turnable therewith, and over the main casing there is mounted, concentrically with the units axis of tilt, an arcuate frame of channel section the mounting of said arcuate frame being on a pivotal axis upstanding from the casingapproximately radial of the frame from near its middle, the respective free ends of the post and shaft arms being freely located in the channel of said arcuate frame whereby movement of the arm from the said post is communicated to the mounting shaft arm.

By this construction the partial rotation of the rudder post causes the arcuate frame to perform a swivel movement rotating on the main casing by means of the engagement of the post arm with the frame, and the frame in turn causes the rudder mounting shaft to .rotate through its shaft arm with which the frame is engaged. Notwithstanding this steering connection between the fixed axis rudder post located outside the main casing and the rudder mounting shaft, the unit comprising the main casing with its rudder, rudder mounting shaft and pivoted arcuate frame, may be freely tilted on its tilting axis because the arcuate frame will be carried with the main casing and describe a movement about its arcuate centre, whereupon its channel will run over the free end of the rudder post armwhich is non-movable in the vertical direction.

In order that the said invention may be readily understood an embodiment thereof will be described, by way lof example, with the aid of lthe accompanying drawings in which:

.FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the unit attached to the transom of a waterborne vessel;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section of the unit on ya plane passing through the axis of the propeller shaft, and

FIGURES 3 and 4 are respectively sections on the lines i 3,55 1,1 i 9 Patented Aug. V28, 1962 CCN III-III and IV-IV 'of FIGURE 2 drawn to a larger scale.

- The general view `depicted in lFIGURE l shows a marine propulsion unit embodying the invention and from this illustration there will be noted a main casing of a general T-shape designated as a whole by the numeral 1 having a top casing part 2 (the top bar of the T) and a 4depending part 3 (the leg of the T). This casing is mounted on a transom bracket 4 adapted to be secured to the transom 5 of a waterborne vessel 6. The transom bracket 4 has a pair of spaced apart parallel plate parts 7 constituting `trunnion bearings between which the top partV 2 of the main casing is mounted, being pivoted on a horizontal axis x-y which coincides with the axis of the nut 8 and a shaft 14 (FIGURE 2); One of the said plate parts 7 is seen in FIGURE 1 the other being hidden behind a casing 17 also carried by the transom bracket 4. There is a Vertical rudder post 9 rotatable in lugs 10 on the base plate part of the transom bracket 4, externally of the casing and within the tubular stern part 11 of the leg 3 of the T-shape main casing 1 there is rotatably mounted a rudder mounting shaft 15 (see FIGURE 2) operating the rudder 12. In the larger body part of the depending leg 3 of the main casing there is a sub-shaft 16 (see FIGURE 2) for the propeller 13. The main casing 1 can swing about the axis x-y in the fore and aft direction when the unit encounters an obstacle.

Across the interior of the top 2 of the casing 1, and mounted at each end in suitable bearings is the aforesaid shaft 14 which is a tubular horizontal power-driven shaft, i.e. the main shaft of the unit, .and this extends out of the casing at one end thereof into the aforesaid fixed casing 17. This .contains a chain-sprocket arranged to drive the main shaft 14 through a suitable disc clutch. The latter iS normally held in the engaged condition by springs adapted to press an end plate `of .the casing against vthe disc assembly, so that -declutching can lbe eected by means of an internal push rod passing through the cen-tre of the clutch assembly and into the main shaft. The fixed casing 17 containing the chain sprocket and clutch is continued through the transom 5 as indicated at 18 (FIGURE 1), and at the inboard end 19 there is mounted a second chain sprocket mounted in suitable bearingsV within the casing and formed with a central splined hole through which the driving shaft of an internal combustion engine can be passed for driving engagement. A driving chain connects the two `sprockets .so Ithat the engine can transmit its power to the aforesaid main shaft 114 of the propulsion lunit via the clutch just described. 'Ilhe construction of the shaft, push rod, clutch and general driving and control mechanism forms no part of the present invention, and details thereof can be seen in co-pending application No. 160,762 tiled December 20, 1961.

The said main shaft 14 is adapted to drive the aforesaid sub-shaft 16 disposed at right-angles to the main shaft 14 and extending downwardly within the leg 3 of the T shaped casing l. It terminates near the foot of the casing in a bevel drive 20 to Ia propeller shaft 21 which extends out of the casing to drive the propeller 13.

Astern of the sub-shaft, the main casing 1 is formed downwardly from the crossdbar 2 of the T-shape along the leg 3 of the T with the aforesaid tubular housing 11 for the rudder mounting shaft 15 journalled therein at top and bottom and extending out at the bottom to carry the rudder 12.

Over the .top of the main casing 1 there is pivotally mounted an arcuate frame 22 (roughly .a semi-circle). The centre of the arc of this frame lies approximately on the axis of ltilt x-y of the main casing, and its pivotal axis a-b passes through a swivel pin 23 upstanding from the casing and iapproximately radial of the frame extending from near the middle of its larcuate length to a point near the axis of tilt, Y'llhersaid frame 22 is of channel section with the channel facing outwardl 'Ihe pivotal mounting arrangement on the axis a-b isv such that the Vframe may be turned independently of the casing 1 with its wperiphery moving on a path generating approximately a ,of theframe, assuming the same is llying in its central (fore-Vand-aft) position, is in a vertical plane normal toV thelaxis x-y of tilt: c v

"As previouslyidescribed, from the bracket plate 4 at- Y tached. to; the transom 5Vthere extends the pair of spaced parallel-arms# constituting trunnion supports for the casing; The said bracket isalsoformed with the lafore-V said spacedrco-.axial mounting lugs and a socket 10a for -the rudder post. 9. Y

dder post is a sleeve 24tiixedly carry- Y Splined on the I Y Y ing ani-arm 25 -extending radially outwards and then upwards towards the aforesaid arcuate frame 22. Y Its'rend terminates ina spherical knob 26 constituting Ia ball joint housed in a slipper 27 disposed within'the channelof the frame. i a On the aforesaid rudder mounting shaft rotatably carried in thecasing tubular part 11 and where it extends out of the Itop of its tubular housing 111, there is also splined an iarm 28 similar to arm 25 carried by the rudder post 24, and' this :arm extends yaway astern ofthe main casing and its knobbed end 29 pivoterL-to a slider is located inthe channel of the arcuate frame diametrically opposite the location of the end 26 of the rudder lpost arm 25.

Operation of. the rudder post25 will turn the frame 22 swivel-wise about the axis a--b and lasia result will cause .the ruddermountingV shaft 15 to--turnby means of itsrarm 28. 'Should the unit swing upwardly' away from the transom, thegframe 2 2 will move with the casing in al `clockwise direction with reference to FIGURE?, and Vthere will berelativesliding movement between it and thejarm ZS-of -therudder post.

f The partsfmarked comprise .a locking arrangement associated withthevtilting ofthe unit, and form no part of the present: invention. Details vthereof are described in eo-` pending applicationNoi 160,041 tiled December 18, 1961.

We claim: v f Y Y l.u Marine 'propulsion unit attachablerto boats, including a main casing containing apmainrdriving shaft geared to drivea propeller mounted on the bottom of thecasing,

4 a rudder also mounted on the casing asternrof the propeller, said casing being supported by a transom bracket in a manner whereby the unit is capable of tilting, a rudder mounting shaft housed within said casing and carrying the rudder, the unit beingcombined'with a .separate rudder post outside the main casingradapted to be mounted yon a boats transom, the post and mounting shaft each having an arm (the Vpost arm and shaft arm respectively) projecting therefrom and turnable therewith, an arcuate frame ofY channel section mounted over the main casing Vconcentric with the units axis of tilt, the mounting of said arcuate frame being on a. pivotal axis upstanding from the casing approximately radial of the frame, the respective free ends of the post and shaft arms being freely located in the channel of said arcuate frame whereby movement of the arm from said post is communicated to the mounting shaft arm. Y Y

v2. A marine propulsion unit as claimedrin claim V1 in which the transom bracket by which the unit is supported is formed with lugs in which the rudder post is rotatable, the arm projecting from said post terminating in arslipper slidable in the groove of the arcuate frame and connected to the arm byV a ball joint whereby the arm can turn the Y frame about its pivot swivel-Wise on the main casing,

While the unit can swing about its tilting causing relative sliding movement between the arcuate frame and the said slipper. y v

3. A marine propulsion unit according to claim 1 in which the main casing is of general T -shape having a top casing part (the top bar of the T) and a depending part (the leg of the T), the latterpart of the casing housing a sub-shaft geared to the main shaft and drivingv the propeller, and also having a tubular stern part in'which is journall'ed the rudder mounting shaft extending out of the bottom to carry the rudder and out of the top to carry the shaft arm, the said shaft arm being fitted With a pivoted slider to engage in the groove ofthe arcuate frame.

References Cited in the iile of this patent( Y UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany May 14. 1958

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