US1848828A - Mooring - Google Patents

Description

P. J. GRIFFIN March 8, 1932.

MOORING Fi ed Feb. 26, 1950 Patented Mar. 8, 1932 UNITEDFSTATESS PATRICK J. GRIFFIN, or BOSTON, MASSAOHUSETTS," ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF 'r'o.

ATENrjoFFlcE EDWARD L. LOGAN, or BOSTON, MAssAcHUsE'rTs j I MOORIN G Application filed February 26,- 1930. T SeriaIIlVo. 431,433. r i

This invention relates-to mooring lighter than air craft and to mooring masts as well as to means providing terminal facilities for such craft.

Objects of the present invention are to provide improved means for mooring lighter than air craft; to provide a mooring which may be raised'and lowered to facilitate landing and taking 05 of such craft; to provide means for supporting the body of the craft for movement about the mooring and also for holding the body from upward movement; to provide improved means for accommodating passengers and for handling freight at a mooring; to provide apparatus of this general class embodying means for indicating the lifting power of such craft; and also to provide apparatus of the class described having an improved construction and arrangement of parts.

In the drawings: a

Fig. i 1 is a side elevation of apparatus for mooring air craft; 7

Fig. 2is a top plan View of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the cradles for supporting the craft;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through one of the tracks showing a cradle in end elevation; and

Fig. 5 is a view of a detail of construction.

The apparatus selected for. illustration comprises a framework 10 comprising suitable columns 11 andbracing members 12 arranged in any approved manner for supporting aplatform 13 at a suitable distance above the ground to provide for supporting an air craft in a position for movement about its mooring without danger of engagement with trees, buildings or other objects upon the ground. A verticalhydraulic cylinder 14 is centrally disposed within the framework 10. Apiston 16 is mounted within this cylinder and carries at its upper end aneye 17 which is connected to the piston byswivel connection 18. Anenclosure 19 adapted to serve as a waiting room is circular in outline and is disposed concentrically about the piston and cylinder, the latter extending through the roof of this enclosure. A landing platform orpassenger deck 21 is also supported by theplatform 13 and extends preferably entirely around thewaiting room 19. Disposed on the platform ,13 concentricallyabout the piston and outside the landing deck aredouble tracks 22,

'23 on which the'cradles 24 are adapted to operate movably to support an air craft such as the dirigible 26. As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4 thecradles 24 may besimilar to railwaytrucks comprising axles 27 having flangedwheels 28 fast thereon with journals (not shown) disposed outside of the wheels. The trucks are provided withside frames 29 carryingjournal boxes 31 .which receive the journals. The truck body 32-is provided with abody bolster 33 which rests upon thetruck bolster 34, the ends of the latter being supported uponsprings 36 which are carried by theside frames 29. in the usual manner. Undergaif wheels-37' are rotatably mounted upon a transverse shaft which is connected by means of a rod39 to thebody bolster 33. The wheels 37 operate in a T-shaped slot formed between the rails -of each track by; a pair of center rails41 .having inwardly directed upper flanges 42. 1' I Anchorirons 43 are secured at the ends of the body of each truck to receive lashing for [holding the craft to the truck. Flexible lashing strips-44 are securedtothe anchor irons 43. The adjacent ends of these strips are reduced intheform oftongues 46 which are adapted to be secured together by a buckle or other. approvedfastening device 47.

Gauges 48 are supported bysuspension elements 49 affixed to thestrips 44 above thefasteningdevice 47. Each gauge carries a hook tov 51 which is engageable'with aneye 52 affixed to the lashing below the buckle 47.,

In the operation of the apparatus theplunger 16 isoperatedby controls 48 within the enclosure. 19." When a dirigible for example is ready tobe moored the plunger. 16 is elevated above theplatform 13"so that the nose of the dirigiblemaybe secured to theeye 17 without danger of damage to the dirigible by unintentional contact with theplatform 13 or other portions. ofthe framework 10. Once the nose ofthe dirigible is secured in this manner thepiston 16 is lowered byfluid delivered to the cylinder 14: thereby pulling the nose of the dirigible toward theplatform 13. It will be seen that when the nose has been lowered in this manner thelashing strips 44 may be thrown over the body of the dirigible and secured together thereby securely lashing the dirigible to themovable cradles 44. It will also be evident that when supported in this manner a craft of this type is free to move about its mooring so as to lie in the wind and at the same time to be movably' supported.

When the dirigible is about to take off thehooks 51 are connected totheeyes 52 and thefastening devices 47 are disconnected. It is then possible by reading thegauges 48 to ascertain whether the ship is trimmed properly to rise with theplunger 16. These gauges also enable an operator to know the speed at which the plunger .16 should move upwardly. In this way it is possible to avoid damage to the ship by having the tail shoot upwardly when the lashings are released or by raising the nose fast enough to drag the ship against some portion of the structure 10. WVhen the readings of thegauges 48 are found to be satisfactory the hooks andeyes 51, 52 are disconnected and theplunger 16 is raised at the proper speed to keep the ship trimmed while it is being raised to a position well above theplatform 13. After this it is necessary merely to disconnect the nose from theeye 17 to free the craft from its lnoorlng.

I claim:

1. The combination with a mooring for the nose of an airship, of lashing strips adapted to be brought together about the body of the ship, releasable means for securing the lashing strips together, gauges, and means for interposing the gauges in the lashings for indicating the buoyancy of the ship.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, and movable means for supporting the ship, the lashings being afiixed to the movable means.

Apparatus of the class described comprising a framework, a vertical power cylinder within the framework, a piston in the cylinder, a mooring connected to the piston, circular tracks on the framework and con- .centric with the mooring-trucks on the tracks for supporting a craft, and a passenger deck ly coplanar therewith.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising a substantially horizontal platform disposed at an elevation well above the ground to be substantially clear of trees, buildings and like objects on the ground. a structural framework for supporting the platform in this position, a plunger movable vertically through the platform between a position in which the upper end of the plunger is spaced above the platform a distance approximately to align with the nose of a ship to be moored when in mooring position adjacent the platform and a higher position in which the ship may move freely about the platform, means within the framework for operating the plunger between these positions circular tracks on the platform concentric about the plunger, wheeled cars on these tracks, undergaff wheels on the cars engageable withsome of the tracks for restraining upward movement, and means for securing the forward portion of the body of the ship to be moored to said cars.

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising a substantially horizontal platform disposed at an elevation well above the ground to be substantially clear of trees, buildings and like objects on the ground, a structural framework for supporting the platform in this position, a plunger movable vertically through the platform between a position in which the upper end of the plunger is spaced above the platform a distance approximately to align with the nose of a' ship to be moored when in mooring position adjacent the platform and higher position in which the ship may move freely about the platform, means wvithin the framework for operating the plunger between these positions, circular tracks on the platform concentric about the plunger, wheeled cars on these tracks, undergalf wheels on the cars engageable with some of the tracks for restraining upward movement, a waiting room on the platform extending about the plunger, and a passenger deck on the platform extending between the waiting room and the tracks, the passenger deck being substantially coplanar with the tracks.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 21st day of February, 1930.

PATRICK J. GRIFFIN.

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