Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Belts, Driving Ropes, or Bands and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Belts, Driving
Ropes, or Bands and the like.
I, HEINRICH BRUNING, of Neumünster, Holstein, in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to the manufacture of belts, driving bands or ropes
and the like, wholly or principally from leather with or without grain which mainly
consists in the use of leather-strips which for belts are cut out from ungrained leather
while those for transmission or driving bands are cut out from leather either with or
without grain. These strips are then covered with glue on both sides and strongly
pressed together.
The main feature of the invention for the manufacture of belts is not the gluing
together of several layers of split-leather but the use for such purpose of leather
having no grain. It has the advantage of not only enabling leather of inferior quality
to be used but also of imparting to the belt new properties extremely favourable to
the purpose for which the belt is to be used. Leather without grain possesses the
property when tanned and finished of retaining the belt in a smooth and straight
shape whilst grain leather on the contrary has when tanned and finished a tendency
to resume the natural shape of the untanned hide. The softer parts of the hide (the
parts about the stomach) stretch more than the stronger side parts. The raised
parts of the hide as for instance those on the hips will have a tendency in a grained
leather to show, even in completed belts the original form they had in the hide thus
causing bulging and when in use side-slipping of the belt thereby causing waste of
power and other disadvantages.
By using leather without grain for the manufacture of belts from split leather all
these draw-backs are obviated. A belt is obtained in this manner which not only
always maintains its shape but also has a very great adhesion to pulleys and the
like.
The production of such a belt is very simple. The hide is cut into several strips
of a width equal to that of the belt required. These strips are connected with each
other by placing one over another the ends having been previously cut taper or with
a long chamfer. The necessary thickness of the belt is obtained by gluing together
several such belt-strips. The belt thus produced is afterwards treated or impregnated
for the purpose of rendering it more durable with rubber varnish linseed oil or
analogous material said impregnating substances being easily and with avidity
absorbed by the porous surface of the belt.
For the manufacture of transmission ropes or bands leather with or without grain
may be used. The hide is in this case also cut into several strips which are secured
together by placing their tapered or chamferred ends so that they overlap. Thus a
long narrow leather strip is obtained the length of which depends on the distance
between the pulleys and the width on the desired diameter of the band or rope to be
produced. Then the strip is covered with glue and rolled up in the direction of its
width.

page_text: This new transmission band or rope of leather has considerable advantages over
the old hemp or wire ropes. The outer surfaces is such as to afford great and
increased adhesion. The leather rope is moreover much stronger than a hemp rope
and consequently may be of smaller diameter for the same amount of power to be
transmitted than a hemp rope would have to be. The rolled up leather rope is also
more flexible so that the ropes may be used even for pulleys of very small
diameter. Such a new transmission rope also effectually resists all outside
influences.
In order to still further increase the strength of the leather rope it may be
provided with a core of hemp cotton wire or the like.
Dated this 20th day of January 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Belts, Driving
Ropes, or Bands and the like.
I, HEINRICH BRUNING, of Neumünster, Holstein, in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
and by the following statement:-
The present invention relates to the manufacture of belts, driving bands, or ropes
and the like, wholly or principally from leather, cut either from the grain side or
from the flesh side of the hide, which mainly consists in the use of leather-strips
which, for belts, are cut out from leather from the flesh side of the hide, while those
for transmission or driving bands are cut out from leather either from the grain or
flesh side of the hide. These strips are then coated with glue and strongly pressed
together.
The main feature of the invention for the manufacture of belts is not the gluing
together of several layers of split-leather, but the use for such purpose of leather from
the flesh side of the hide. It has the advantage of not only enabling leather of
inferior quality to be used, but also of imparting to the belt new properties extremely
favourable to the purpose for which the belt is to be used.
Leather cut from the flesh side of the hide possesses the property when tanned and
finished, of retaining the belt in a smooth and straight shape, whilst leather cut from
the grain side, on the contrary, has, when tanned and finished, a tendency to resume
the natural shape of the untanned hide. The softer parts of the hide (the parts
about the stomach) stretch more than the stronger side parts. The raised parts of
the hide, as for instance those on the hips, will have a tendency in a grained leather
to show, even in completed belts, the original form they had in the hide, thus causing
bulging and, when in use, side-slipping of the belt, thereby causing waste of power
and other disadvantages.
By using leather from the flesh side of the hide for the manufacture of belts from split
leather, all these drawbacks are obviated. A belt is obtained in this manner, which
not only always maintains its shape, but also has a very great adhesion to pulleys
and the like.
The production of such a belt is very simple. The hide is cut into several strips
of a width equal to that of the belt required. These strips are connected with each
other by cementing together their overlapping ends, the ends having been previously
cut taper or with a long chamfer (as shown in Fig. 1). The necessary thickness
of the belt is obtained by cementing and pressing together several such belt-strips.

page_text: The belt thus produced is afterwards treated or impregnated, for the purpose of
rendering it more durable, with rubber, varnish, linseed-oil, or analogous material,
said impregnating substances being easily and with avidity absorbed by the porous
surface of the belt.
For the manufacture of transmission ropes or bands, leather cut either from the
grain or flesh side of the hide may be used. The hide is in this case also cut into
several strips A (Fig. 1.) which are secured together by placing their tapered or
chamfered ends so that they overlap. Thus a long narrow leather strip is obtained,
the length of which depends on the distance between the pulleys and the width on
the desired diameter of the band or rope to be produced. Then the strip is coated
with cement and rolled up in the direction of its width. Figs. 2 & 3. illustrate a
band which has just commenced to be rolled up, Fig. 4 being cross-section of the
finished rope.
This new transmission band or rope of leather has considerable advantages over the
old hemp or wire-ropes. The outer surface is such as to afford great and increased
adhesion. The leather-rope is moreover much stronger than hemp-rope and
consequently may be of smaller diameter for the same amount of power to be
transmitted, than a hemp-rope would have to be. The rolled-up leather-rope is also
more flexible, so that the ropes may be used even for pulleys of very small diameter.
Such a new transmission-rope also effectually resists all outside influences.
In order to still further increase the strength of the leather-rope, it may be
provided with a core of hemp, cotton, wire, or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The method of manufacturing belts from split leather, consisting in cutting
leather from the flesh side of the hide into strips which are cemented one to another,
pressed together, and finally impregnated with rubber, varnish, oil or analogous
material, substantially as described.
2. The method of manufacturing transmission ropes characterised by cutting
leather, from either the grain or flesh sides of the hide into strips, which strips are
then connected together by placing their ends so that they overlap, the strip
thus obtained being covered on one side with cement and rolled up in the direction
of its width, substantially as described.
3. Leather belting consisting of one or more layers of strips of leather cut from
the flesh side of the hide, and having chamfered overlapping edges for forming the
joint between adjacent strips, substantially as described.
4. Leather ropes consisting of lengths of leather formed from strips of leather, cut
from either the grain or flesh side of the hide, connected together at their chamfered
edges, said lengths being rolled up in the direction of their width, substantially as
described.
ELL J
1005