US2801605A - Submarine escape apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 6, 1957 H`. H. HQKE, JR

lSUBMARINE ESCAPE APPARATUS Filed sept. 4, 1951 sheets-sheet 1.

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ATTR N EY H. H. HOKE, JR

SUBMARINE ESCAPE APPARATUS Aug. 6, 1957 Filed Sept. 4, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTDRNEY H. H. HOKE, JR

SUBMARINE ESCAPE APPARATUS Aug. 6, 1957 s sheets-sheet 5 Filed Sept. 4, 1951` V -N VEN TOR. m35/59kg@ 54 msuumou aff P INSULATION ATTURN EY UnitedStates Patent O SUBMARINE ESCAPE APPARATUS Harry H. Hoke, Jr., Capitol Heights, Md.

Application September 4, 1951, Serial No. 244,919

3 Claims. (Cl. 114-16.7)

The object of the invention is to provide means for incorporation in submarine boats, whether for battle, or for transport, or for merchant service, so that, in the event of sinking, the crew and all other persons aboard may escape with facility; to provide an escape apparatus susceptible of operation by the escapee in the event he be the last to leave the vessel; to provide an escape apparatus in which the escaping operation consists of a plurality of functions coordinately performed; and to provide, in such an apparatus, a construction of comparatively simple form and susceptible of cheap manufacture, considering the functions to be performed.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the improved apparatus showing the trap door in closed position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the trap door in open position with the escape cylinder rismg;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the escape cylinder showing the door elevated;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the cylinder door;

Figure 6 is a diametrical sectional view of the upper end of the escape cylinder and door illustrating the adjustable latching means;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic View of the wiring for coordinating the operations of the several parts; and

Figure 8 is a view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Speciiically, the invention contemplates a cylindrical compartment 10 within the equipped vessel, and exteriorly exposed door 11 closing the cylinder at the upper end and made water-tight, when in closed position, by a gasket 12 interposed between the cover and the upper edges of the cylinder. The cylinder opens on an exposed deck 13, a part of the equipped vessel, and the cover is raised and lowered through the instrumentality of a motor 14 carried by bracket 15 mounted on the wall 16. Carried by the motor shaft is a knuckle member 17 which is formed with bearings right-angularly spaced but lying in parallel planes, so that one pair of bearings surrounds the motor shaft on opposite side of a worm 18 thereon and the other pair similarly embraces a worm wheel 19 which is secured to a sleeve 20 journaled in the bearings, This sleeve is interiorly threaded and receives an exteriorlv threaded rod 21 which is pivotally connected with the door 11 at the center between ears 22. The door h-as a hinge mounting 23 consisting of an ear on the door and spaced ears on the deck 13 together with a pin mounted in the latter ears and journaled in the door ear. A fixed part of the hinge consists of a vertical member 24 which serves as a stop for the door when in open or raised` position, as indicated in Figure 2.

Obviously, the motor 14 functions to raise and lower 2,801,605 Patented Aug. 6, 1957.

the door. Upon being energized, it will rotate the sleeve in one direction and therefore causes the rod 21 to traverse the sleeve, thus raising the door until the latter abuts the stop 24. Rotating in the opposite direction, thereverse direction is communicated to the sleeve with the result that the rod 21 moves in the opposite direction, thus lowering the door. As hereinafter described, means are provided for eiecting the operation of the motor in opposite directions and controlling its interval of operation. Since the cylinder obviously must open exteriorly to the vessel, the door actuating apparatus is exteriorly exposed.

Normally positioned in the cylinder is the escape drum 25 and this, like the cylinder or chamber 10, opens lat the upper end and is equipped with a-removable closure or door 26, this door having a hinge connection27 with the cylinder and a plural locking or latching mechanism by which it is secured in closed position This latching mechanism consists of latch bars 27 formed with slots 28 which slide as well as rock on the shanks of screws 29 threaded into bosses 30 or the underface of the door. At their inner ends, the latch bars are pivotally connected, as indicated at 31, with the actuating plate 32. which lat-` ter is threadingly engaged with the stern 33 which carries the lock-nuts 34 above and below the actuating plate and engaged with the latter to preclude relative axi-al movement of the plate and stem. The stem is terminally equipped with hand wheels 35 above and below the actuating plate, so that one is interior to cylinder 25 and the other exterior thereto. This, so that the latching members can be actuated from without or within the escape cylinder. To make the latter water-tight when closed, a gasket 36 is interposed between the door and the upper edge of the cylinder which is interiorly formed with a peripheral lip under which the free edges of the latch bars engage. To insure, however, that such bars will always hold the door in tight engagement with the gasket, the peripheral connections with the actuating plate and the post screws are made full so that the bars may rock on the latter as fulcrums. From this construction, it is apparent, that a tight engagement of thebars with the lip may be effected by loosening the lock-nuts 34 and rotating the stem to move the actuating plate down the stem thus rocking the free ends of the bars upward so that they tightly engage the lip. Then setting the lock-nuts maintains these relative positions, so that the latching mechanism is always effective to keep the door watertight when closed. A stop 38 is provided on the under face of the door against which one of the latch bars may engage when all the latter are in latching position. This arrangement insures the full eiect of the latch without the necessity of having to speculate whether they are only partly or fully engaged when the door is closed.

Interiorly the escape cylinder 2S is provided with a spaced series of spaced rings 40 which serve as steps for the escapee when leaving the cylinder.

To give the cylinder buoyancy as well as to maintain its longitudinal axis in verticality, it is surrounded by a buoyant belt 41, preferably of cork and tapering in thickness with the greatest thickness at the upper edge of the cylinder. The cylinder 25 is formed with a conical bottom as is also the escape drum 10. At its center, there is anchored to the escape cylinder the terminal of a cable 41 which is reeled on and off a drum 42, the latter being actuated by a motor 43 through an interposed reduction gear housed in case 44. The conical bottom of the escape is open at the center to provide clearance space for the movement of the cable, its drum and operating motor being mounted in a compartment 45 together with a pump 46 and the latters actuating motor 47, the pump being in communication at one side through the pipe 48 with the interior of the compartment, and at the other side with the exterior water through a pipe 49, this pipe being equipped with a hand valve 50. The pump is designed to function in either direction, in the one case pumping water into the compartment and in the other case, removing it therefrom.

In the operation of the invention the escape cylinder is designed to rise to the surface of the water and in order that the escapee may be free to leave the cylinder without interference from the door, when he has opened the same, means are provided for holding the door in open position, these means comprising a sleeve 51 mounted interiorly to the cylinder and slidably receiving a round bar 52 formed with a terminal hook 53. When the door is closed the bar 52 is lowered in the sleeve to brin-g the hook within the escape cylinder, but when the door of the latter is raisedr and the hook is elevated, it is rotated an angularl distance of approximately 180 and then lowered to be engaged with the eye 54 on the inner surface ot" the door. When so engaged, the door is obviously held in open position.

Access to the compartment is had through a lateral inlet 55 through which the cylinder is placed into communication with the interior of the equipped vessel. This inlet is provided with a door 56 identical -to the door 26 operated from the interior of the compartment 18 and exteriorly thereof.

Since the operating motor will be exposed to water, the kind best adapted to the purpose is the induction motor and a multi-phase motor of the `character is contempla-ted. a three-wire three-phase system being illustrated. The induction motor of the multi-phase type is not only selfstarting but, having a squirrel cage rotor, it is not necessary to insulate the latter. The eld coils, however, must and can be sealed up against the entrance of moisture, so that there will be no diiculty in keeping them dry.

The motors are energized from a three-phase source, such as a three-phase generator 57 with the main switch 58 connected with the conductors 59, 60 and 61 which carry the three phases. Since, to reverse the direction of a multi-phase motor of this character, it is only necessary to interchange the leads of one phase, switches 62, 63 and 64 are provided for this purpose. But these are manually operated switches and sequential operation of the motors is eiected by a co-ordinating switch generally indicated at 65, this being mounted on the bottom wall of the lateral access opening 55 and being provided with a crank 66 and a crank 67 of which the latter is accessible from the interior of the escape compartment 10 and the former accessible from the interior of the vessel or exterior to the escape compartment. The cranks 66 and 67 are merely starting cranks for a single phase nonstarting inductionmotor 68 of the character of a clock motor. This motor actuates the shaft 69 which drives the wiper contact 70 over the segments 71, 72 and 73, the t contact 71 'being connected with the motor 47 by the conductor 74, the segment 72 to the motor 14 by the conductor 7S, and the segment 73 to the motor 43 by the conductor 76. Mounted upon and driven by the shaft 6'9 is a second wiper 77 which traverses the seg ments 78, 79 and 80 connected, respectively, with motors 47, 14 and 43 by Ythe conductors 81, 82 and 83. When the wipers '77 and 70 lie in the spaces between the adjacent ends of the segments 71 and 73, and 78 and 88, the two legs of the three-phase circuit are open and the circuit asa whole is dead. That this may be accomplished, the motor 68 has one terminal connected with a segment 84, as indicated at 85, which is continuous except that a section is removed, so that there may be no contact with the wiper when the latter is between the segments 71 and 73. The other terminal of the motor 68 is connected in on the conductor 64) by the conductor 86. The conductor 61 is connected to the center contact of each of the switches 62, 63 and 64 by means of conductors 87, 88 and 89.

In the operation of the invention, assume `that the equipped craft has sunk and that escape becomes necessary. The crew and others will, one by one, enter the escape compartment 18 and then, after removal of the closure of the escape drum 25, attach the cover thereof, rotating the stem 33 by means of a hand wheel below the cover. Because 0f the stem being threadingly engaged in the cover, its rotation will effect slight axial movement so that the latch bars will tirmly engage the lip to hold the closure in place. Then the pump 46 is set in operation to lill the compartment with water and to equalize the pressure above and below the door 10, when the closure 11 will be raised by its motor 14 and the escape drum permitted to ascend by the unreeling of the cable from its drum. These operations, of course, are intended to be accomplished in this sequence.

Assuming that the phases are so related that when the switches 62, 63 and 64 are swung to the right the rotation of the motor 47 will be such asl -to ll the escape compartment with water, theV motor 14 so rotating as to elevate the closure 11 and the motor 43 so rotating as to pay out the cable. Then the coordinating switch is operatedwhich may be done, if the escape is being handled by someone within the Submarine, by imparting angular or turning movement to the crank 67. This will result in giving 4a starting impulse to the shaft 69 which by ap-A propriate reduction gearing (not illustrated), is operatively connected with the rotor of `the motor 68. When lthis occurs, the wiper 70 will pass on to the segment 84 and current will be derived from one phase of the source to keep the motor 68 in operation, the circuit of this phasek comprising the conductor 6.0 (the switch 58 of course being closed), the conductor 86, the motor 68, the conductor 85, the segment 84, the wiper 70, and the con. ductor 59 which, asV before stated, is connected to the wiper 70. But when the wiper 70 passes on to the segment 84, it` also contacts the segment 71 and the wiper 77 contacts the segment 78. Then all three phases will be operable to set the motor 47 in operation, current to the latter over three phases being as follows:

First phase: conductor 59, wiper 78, segment 71,` conductor 74, to the left hand terminal of the motor 47, then back over the center terminal yof said motor, over the conductor 89;

Second phase: the conductor 60, wiper 77, segment 78, conductor 81, to the left hand terminal of the switch 62 to the right hand terminal of the motor 47, then from the center terminal of the motor over the conductor 89 and conductor 61;

The third phase is over the conductors 59 and 60 before described.

When the wiper 77 engages the segment 79 and the wiper 70 engages the segment 72, the motor 14 is, put in operation, the phases flowing to this motor as described with respect to the motor 47. When the wipers 77 and 70 engage the segments 80 and 73, the motor 43 is set in operation, the phases being lover the conductors as before described.

After passing ott segments 73 and 80, the wiper 77 and 70 rest in dead spaces because the wiper 70 has then entered the dead space in the segment 84. All motors are then at rest and the reverse of the several operations is carried out by shifting the switches 62, 63, and 64 to the left, when the leads of the one phase are interchanged and the reversible rotation of the motors thus effected. That part of the coordinating switch consisting of the wiper 77 and segments, 78,` 79 and 80 is merely for the purpose of controlling one of the conductors-that is, opening the circuit on the conductor 60. This so that at least two conductors will be open as this is necessary to render the whole circuit inert, since otherwise, one phase would be left operative which would be sufficient to keep the connected motor in operation.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

l. A submarine incorporating an escape apparatus comprising an escape compartment accessible from the interior of the submarine, a pivotally mounted upwardly swinging closure for said compartment to expose the latter to exterior water, an exteriorly threaded rod having a pivotal connection with said closure on its upper face at its center, a motor, a knuckle casting mounted on and relatively rotatable with the motor shaft, a sleeve threadingly engaged with said rod and having a rotary mountingtin said knuckle with its axis at right angles to the motor shaft, a geared connection between the sleeve and the motor shaft, a buoyant escape drum normally housed in said compartment and itself having a releasable closure, the lirst said closure when open releasing the escape drum for ascension in the water, a motor operatively connected with the escape drum to return the latter to the escape com partment after it has risen to the surface and discharged its escapee, and mechanism for controlling the operation of both motors to effect sequential energizing of same.

2. A submarine incorporating an escape apparatus comprising an escape compartment accessible from the interior of the submarine, a pivotally mounted upwardly swinging closure for said compartment to expose the latter to exterior Water, an exteriorly threaded rod having a pivotal connection with said closure on its upper face at its center, a motor, a knuckle casting mounted on and relatively rotatable with the motor shaft, a sleeve threadingly engaged with said rod and having a rotary mounting in said knuckle with its axis at right angles to the motor shaft, a geared connection between the sleeve and the motor shaft, a buoyant escape drum normally housed in said compartment and itself having a releasable closure, the rst said closure when open releasing the escape drum for ascension in the water, a motor operatively connected with the escape drum to return it after ascension to the escape compartment, a pump in the escape compartment, a motor actuating the pump, and control means for the several motors to automatically eiect their coordinated operations to rst discharge the water from the escape com- 6 partment, then open the closure of the latter, then return the escape drum and finally close the escape compartment closure.

3. A submarine incorporating an escape apparatus comprsing an escape compartment accessible from the interior of the submarine, a releasable closure constituting the entire top of the said compartment, a motor operatively connected with said closure for raising and lowering the same, a buoyant escape drum normally housed in said compartment and having itself a releasable closure, ya motor having extensible connection with the escape drum to permit the latters ascension to the surface of the water and its return to the escape compartment, means for admitting water into and discharging it from the escape compartment, a motor actuating the last said means, a coordinating switch for effecting the sequential operation of said motors, a releasable closure isolating the escape compartment from the interior of the submarine, and a miniature non-starting induction motor manually started to drive said coordinating switch, the said induction motor being provided with starter cranks of which one is accessible to the escape compartment and the other within the submarine whereby the coordinating switch may be put into operation or stopped by manually applying impelling force or a restraining force to either one of the motor cranks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,140,469 Lundin May 25, 1915 1,164,038 Varney Dec. 14, 1915 1,283,523 Jasper Nov. 5, 1918 1,423,817 Pitz et al July 25, 1922 1,746,547 McKay Feb. 11, 1930 2,341,923 Kotelev et al Feb. 15, 1944 2,583,929 Clark Jan. 29, 1952

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