Patent GB-676682-A (GB)
Title: Transportation method and apparatus employed therein
IPC: B61B12/06
Filed: 1947-07-14
Abstract: 676,682. Rope railways : overhead travelling hoists : winches. GRABINSKI, P., and POINTER, R. W. July 14, 1947. [May 12, 1944] No. 18729/47. Classes 78 (iv), 78 (v) and 104 (ii). [Also in Group XXXI] In an aerial rope railway comprising a suspension cable or cables 100, Fig.2, and a traction cable 104, a power unit such as an I.C. engine or engines, either carried by a vehicle suspended from the cable 100, or mounted on the ground, drives a traction sheave 117 provided with a circumferential groove to fit and frictionally engage the traction cable 104 which is guided thereto by an angularly positioned guide sheave 118 mounted so that it directs the cable angularly relative to the medial plane of the circumferential groove of the traction sheave, the traction cable being reeved about the traction sheave 117 for almost a complete wrap, and the portions entering and leaving the circumferential groove of the traction sheave being laterally spaced due to the guide sheave. Fig. 2. A pair of traction sheaves 117 and associated guide sheaves 118 are mounted on each side of a vehicle suspended from a pair of parallel, side-by-side cables 100 which are supported by series of spaced posts or trees 102, Fig. 1. Each of the forward and rear sheaves 117 comprising a pair at each side of the carriage is reeved for less than a complete wrap by one of a pair of traction cables 104, one sheave of each pair acting as a traction sheave and the other as a slack-pulling sleeve, according to the direction of travel of the vehicle, which is determined through a gear-box associated with the power unit, all the sheaves 117 being driven by chain and sprocket drives from a common power shaft 130. The sheaves 117 may be employed as road wheels by fitting them with tyres or endless traction bands when it is necessary to transport the vehicle along the ground. For aerial transportation the carriage is suspended from the cables 100 by sheaves 105 attached to hangers 107 at each of its upper corners, and brackets 112 attached to the hangers at each side of the carriage are linked to truss bars 114 the other ends of which are secured selectively to pivots 115 on a support 116. The carriages may thus be hung at an angle relative to the supporting-cables 100, e.g. to maintain it horizontal when the aerial railway, is operated on a steep slope this adjustment also involves the substitution of longer links 110 for those used at one end of the carriage to form the connection between the hangers 107 and frame bars 106. The vehicle is provided with load-hoisting means driven from the gear box of the power unit by a shaft 137 and comprising a pair of hoisting drums 134, 135 coupled to a planetary transmission of known type driven through worm wheels 140, 141 and speed-controlled by varying the braking effect applied to brake drums 142, 143, Fig. 3, (not shown). Cables 144, 146 wound upon, or unwound from, the hoisting drums 134, 135 are guided around sheaves 145, 147 respectively. Fig. 9. Shows a modification which may be used as a load-hoisting device, as an alternative to that of Fig. 2, or as an alternative traction device, with cables 185, 189 replacing the traction cable 104. An angularly disposed guide sheave 193 guides the cable 185 as it leaves the circumferential groove of a traction sheave 186 that operates to pull the cable inwardly, the cable being taken-up by a drum 187 driven by a: power unit 206 independent of the power unit 194 driving the traction sheave. At the same time, a sheave 192 at the other side of the base mounting may be driven in a direction to pay out the cable 189 from a drum 188. The cables 185, 189, are in each case, passed around their respective sheaves for less than a -complete wrap and separated laterally at their crossings 191, Fig. 8 (not shown). The driving system for the sheaves 186 192 are provided with reversing gear whereby either can be driven in a direction to wind its associated cable while the other pays out. Holding brakes 221, 222 are provided for the sheaves 186, 192, and drag brakes 215, 219 for. the drums 187, 188. The power unit 194 of the traction sheaves drives a main shaft 199 through sprockets 196, 199 and a link belt 197, the shaft being provided with clutches 201, 205 adapted alternatively to drive sheave 186 in one direction by means of a pair of gear wheels 200, and in the opposite direction by means of sprockets 202, 204 and link belt 203. The pair of parallel cables 100 comprising the cableway are supported at intervals by devices 101 suspended from the upper ends of poles 102 and provided with saddles to allow the supporting sheaves or runners 105 at the four upper corners of the vehicle frame to pass over them. The devices 101 each comprise a plate 163, Fig. 7, suspended from a short cable 164 and providing pivotal support for a pair of brackets 171 with outwardly projecting lower ends 173 of U-shaped section to receive a block 174 formed with a groove in its upper surface to receive one half the thickness of a cable 100. A saddle member 175 with a groove in its lower surface to receive the other half of the cable is superposed on the block 174 and bolted to it, the upper portion of the member 175 being shaped to the grooved rim of the sheave or runner 105 mounted. on a hanger 107 which is pivoted to a plate 108 at the upper end of the vehicle frame. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91, describes also the provision of supplementary means to facilitate the aerial carrying of long loads, e.g. logs of a length appreciably greater than that of a suspended vehicle of the form shown in Fig. 1. The supplementary means may comprise an extension arm mounted on the upper part of the vehicle frame and extending in the longitudinal direction, with its outer end linked to a hanger sheave which travels on the supporting cable 100, while a guide sheave suspended from the outer end of the arm directs: the loadsupporting cable 146 to a point of attachment of the load well beyond the normal length of the vehicle. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.