winding in Collieries and from similar Causes.
Year: 1887

page_text: winding in Collieries and from similar Causes.
1, MARK EASTHOPE 160 Upwell Street Sheffield in the County of York Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to prevent Accidents arising chiefly from the over-
winding at the pithead of Collieries, inclines, or other situations.
The Apparatus may be driven direct from the crankshaft of the engine or by means
of any intermediate gearing capable of revolving the first shaft at the desired speed.
The Apparatus is constructed as follows; If driven direct from the crankshaft of
the Engine, the revolutions are reduced by means of a train of wheels and pinions,
or by means of a worm and worm wheel, or by other equivalent mechanical arrange-
ments, and so as to transmit such reduced number of revolutions to a shaft working
in bearings and carrying a circular plate or disc. This disc is provided with a
number of studs which project from each side, and are fixed at certain required
distances upon two circles each formed concentric with the shaft.
These studs are for the purpose of raising a number of vertical slide rods with
which they come in contact as the disc revolves.
On the same shaft is fixed an arm or segment, which when brought into action, by
overwinding actuates a series of levers in connection with a rocking shaft to which a
finger is fixed, and so placed that when moved it will liberate a catch and bring a
steam valve into operation.
The steam valve, when released as above described, by a simple arrangement of
levers or cranks and a catch, turns the starting lever and shuts off the steam from
the Engine; it may also supply steam and thus put in action the steam Brake, as well
as sound a whistle or other alarm. This action is effected only when overwinding
occurs at the top of the shaft, and after the next described preventive action has been
passed.
The vertical slide-rods or lifters which are raised by contact with the studs on the
innor circle of the disc before mentioned, raise at the same time, corresponding lovers

page_text: placed over their top ends, and connected with other levers so as to obtain a rapid
movement for the purpose of inserting "making up blocks" under other levers or
arms, which when the said blocks are in their places, are in direct communication with
and are capable of releasing the catch of the steam valve before mentioned.
The vertical lifters raised by the studs upon the outer circle of the disc are free to
rise and fall without effect until the making up blocks are inserted between their ends
and the horizontal levers; this is done at intervals by the action of the inner circle
of studs as before described, and when in this position the horizontal levers are raised
the catch of the steam valve released and the Engine stopped.
As the stoppage of the Engine is not desirable except in case of accident, or when
it is being neglected by the Engineer, a simple means of preventing such stoppage is
provided, to which the Engineer must give constant attention, and is therefore
calculated to prevent negligence on his part. It consists of a vertical rod terminating
with a button head and an arrangement of levers connected with and capable of
withdrawing the making up blocks from their normal position under the horizontal
levers, to accomplish this it is only necessary for the man to press upon the button
head of the vertical rod. If from any cause such as sudden illness for example, tho
vertical rod is not pressed down, the lifters act as before described and bring the
Engine to a standstill.
I prefer to have the mechanism which operates the starting lever, enclosed and
locked, so that when the action of the Apparatus has shut off the steam, neither the
Engineer nor any other person except those entrusted with a koy can restart the
Engine this arrangement would naturally lead to an enquiry as to the cause of
stoppage, and would thus tend to prevent negligence.
;
Dated the 5th day of November 1887.
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Fig. 4, a back elevation.
The apparatus is constructed in the first place with the object of compelling the
Engineer to keep his attention fixed upon his engine during the operation of
winding it being necessary at certain arranged distances in the run for him to move
a part of the apparatus, as otherwise the steam would be automatically shut off and
the brake applied and secondly to provide a means of preventing overwinding of
the Cage at the pit head, by causing the apparatus to shut off the steam at the throttle
valve and to apply the brake, if the winding action is continued past the point at
which it should have been stopped.
The Apparatus may be driven from the Winding Engine by means of any inter-
mediate speed reducing gear which is capable of rotating the main shaft of the
apparatus at the desired Speed; one revolution or thereabouts of the disc corre-
sponding with the length of the run, and I wish it to be understood that the
mechanical details of the apparatus may be varied by using their equivalents as is
well understood by Engineers without interfering with the invention.
In carrying out my invention I construct an apparatus such as is delineated in the
drawings, as follows:-Upon a suitable baseplate A, 1 erect a framework B (parts of
which are shown broken away to enable the working parts to be seen) and on suitable
bearings upon the said framework, a shaft C is supported carrying a disc D and a
cam E, the positions on the shaft being seen in Fig. 4; this Shaft is connected by any
suitable Speed reducing gear such as a train of wheels (indicated at F) to the winding
Engine, by which it is driven at a speed calculated to bring the cam E into contact
with the compound lever G, at the end of each run, in whichever direction the disc
and cam are revolving, if the winding continues past the stopping point, causing the
lever to raise and turn the short arm H fixed on the rocking shaft I, releasing the

page_text: catch J, and opening a steam valve K by which a whistle or other alarm may be
sounded.
This action causes the rod L to descend and to liberate the throttle valve handle M,
which is at once caused to turn and shut off the steam by the action of the weight N,
attached to the valve Spindle in any suitable manner such as that shown in Fig. 3;
At the same time by means of a crank fixed upon the rocking shaft I, and connected
in any suitable manner with the valve of the Steam Cylinder which operates the
Steam brake, the brake is immediately applied and the Cage brought to a standstill.
The Disc D which is carried round by the shaft C, has a number of studs P
projecting from its face on both sides, and representing an inner and outer circle, the
number of studs in the circle corresponding with the number of times, and the
position in the run, in which the apparatus will be brought into action.
In the apparatus illustrated, there are three studs shown in the circle, consequently
there would be three stoppages during the run, if the Engineer did not take the proper
means to avoid such stoppages. The studs on one side of the disc act when the
disc revolves in one direction, those on the other side act when the disc revolves in
the contrary direction.
The inner circle of studs bring the apparatus in a position to act, and the outer
circle of studs cause the action to take place.
Before starting the Engine the catch J is pushed down so as to engage with the
plate and the relief button R must also be at its lowest position.
When the run has commenced and the first stud of the inner circle comes in
contact with the tumbler S (Fig. 1) it lifts the vertical rod T to which it is attached,
and actuates a series of lovers T T T which push forward a detached slide U placing
the blocks V, V, into vacant spaces between the tops of the vertical rods W, W, and
the horizontal lifters X, X.
When the next stud (which is one on the outer circle) comes in contact with the
tumbler fixed on one of the vertical rods Wit lifts the rod, and the end of the rod
acting against the block V raises the corresponding lifter X which in turn raises the
central bar Y by means of a crosshead Y causing it through the connecting rod Y2
and arm Y to actuate the rocking shaft I and liberate the catch J with the rosult as
before described.
When the action takes place, which pushes the making up blocks V into position
under the lifters X, X, and over the ends of the vertical rods W, W, the shaft (a) and
rod (b) press down the lever (c) and raise the relief button R to its highest position
(and may if desired give an alarm signal) if therefore the Engineer presses down the
said relief button before the Vertical Rod W is raised, and thereby withdraws the
blocks V leaving a vacant space, the said vertical rod will travel without coming in
contact with the horizontal lifter X and consequently the apparatus continues its
movement without any interruption until the next inner Stud is reached when the
before described action takes place, the blocks are placed in position, and the relief
button is raised, and is again pressed down by the Engineer, so keeping the course
clear to the end of the run.
If however from any cause the Engine is not Stopped at the end of the run, the
cam E having made the revolution is so arranged in position that it comes in contact
with the compound lever G, releasing the catch J, and stopping the Engine before
overwinding can occur.
Although for convenience in drawing and description I have shown tho Throttle
Valve lever M and the Valve K close to the apparatus, they may in actual practice be
fixed at a considerable distance from it, as also with respect to the Steam Brake, the
connections, or arrangement of intermediate rods or cranks between the rocking shaft I,
and the valve of Brake Cylinder, may be variously carried out, or constructed, to suit
the different relative positions of the said parts, this being immaterial to my invention.
In place of the cam which is shown as a separate feature fixed at some little distance
from the Disc, may substitute for it, one or more projections upon the pheriphery of
the Disc, arranged to press down or otherwise act upon a lever or levers placed under-
neath the Disc, being an equivalent for the lever G.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
laim is :-
1. The apparatus for the prevention of overwinding in Collieries arranged and
constructed substantially as herein before described and as illustrated.
زو
2. In apparatus for the prevention of overwinding, the combination of a disc D,
driven by the winding Engine and speeded to make one revolution during the "run
of the Engine, with a cam E or its equivalent, both being constructed to actuate
levers at stated periods during the run so as to release a catch (if not prevented by the
Engineer) and also to release the said catch at the end of the run (if the Engine is
overwinding) for the purpose specified and substantially as described and shown.
1
321
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield,
Agent for the Applicant.