STEADINESS AT SEA.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 7, 9 January 1908, Page 2

STEADINESS AT SEA.

IMPORTANT DEMONSTRA-

TIONS

An interesting series of demonstrations were- completed in November off the Tyne by Messrs Swan, Hunter, and wigham Richardson, Ltd!, ;inthe small steamboat Seebar/ to show tho ;| power of Dr. Schlick's. gyroscopic ap-; paratus in preventing the rolling of ships/at sea,(says an exchange). This apparatus has ••been invented • and patented by Dr. ScHlick, Who was present at the trials, in company with various representatives^ ,6f tne. leading companies dealing "with the crossGhannel traffic>td? Great/ Britain. The apparatus consists of a heavy fly-wheel rotating about an axis which is' initially vertical, and is carried by a franie which can oscillate" about a horizontal axis*lying iaraversely jin the: vessel. The oscillatory, motion of the^ frame is checked by means of suitablyadjusted brakes. The Seebar was formerlyva first-class German torpedoboat. The fly-wheel is one metre in i diameter, weighs 11061b, and revolves 1600 times per minute. The fly-wheel is driven by steam, there being no electrical installation in the boat. The: periphery is provided wjith rings of ; blades, and the wheel is enclosed in a steamtight iron casing, the whole beiijg worked, as, a turbine.. The steamenters and leaves through the turn-j nionsy exactly as in an oscillatory engine. ,".,The. lower end pf the spindle' of the fly-wheel is carried on ball bearings, ; and there is forced lubrication to both the upper and lower bearings.; A; regulator is fixed to cut off automatically the steam at a certain number of revolutions.

The apparatus is equipped with two brakes, controlled by hand wheels on deck.. One,of these is a band'brake, by which the gyroscope can be locked in any position, and the other is a hydraulic brake. If, when the flywheel is running at its working speed, the casing is held firmly by the brake, so that it cannot swing, any rolling motion of the ship, is not affected by the gyroscope. When the casing is allowed; to swing, the motion being controlled by one of the brakes, the rolling is immediately checked, and for practical purposes destroyed ;■ Each tendency of the ship to roll is changed into fore and aft oscillatory motion of the gyroscope, accompanied by development of hteat energy in the brakes. There is no accumulation of roll, and the ship is to all intents a steady platform, Jbaving only a vertical or heaving motion. If the vessel be forcibly inclined with the gyroscope fixed, and then the gyroscope be 'suddenly released, she wiU slowly right herself, ©ominc back gently aiid steadily to the upright position. Generally speaking, if a rapidly rotating fly-wheel is acted on by the external force, which, moves the wheel into-another plane, the inertia of the wheel sets iip a motion of the whole in a direction at right angles; to the first external force. If this motion at right angles is allowed to take place it sets up a force again at right angles to itself, and equal' and opposite to the first external force. Thus the first external force due to the rolling of the i ship causes the gyroscope to swing in a fore-and-aft direction, and that swinging sets up a force equal and opposite to the rolling of the vessel. This latter force is changed into heat in the brakes, and the ship is , kept upright. If the apparatus were allowed to swing freely, the rolling of the ship would be lengthened. This in itself would make the vessel more comfortable. The effects obtained in the Seebar ■ were striking in the extreme. When | the gyroscope was out of action a roll of 30deg. was observed, which was reduced to 2deg. when the apparatus was allowed to exert its full force. Messrs Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson have acquired Dr Schlick's patents for all countries except Germany, and Have carried out various experiments and investigations.