A STEAM BRAKE FOR MINES WHICH MAY ALSO BE WORKED BY HAND
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicolas Libotte, Mechanician, of 33, Boulevard
St. Martin, Paris, (Empire of France,) for the Invention of "A STEAM
BRAKE FOR MINES WHICH MAY ALSO BE WORKED BY HAND."
Scaled the 27th October 1859, and dated the 28th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicolas Libotte at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th April 1859.
I, NICOLAS LIBOTTE, Mechanician, of 33, Boulevard St. Martin, Paris,
(Empire of France), do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"A STEAM BRAKE FOR MINES, WHICH MAY ALSO BE WORKED BY HAND," to be as
follows:-
I employ a break wheel together with break bars or blocks so contrived
that they may be caused to exert pressure or friction against the sides of the
break wheel when required.
In the arrangement preferred the wheel is formed with grooves and pro-
jecting parts on each side, which may, if desirable, be arranged in a circular
or arc-like direction round the axle. The bars have projections on their inner
surfaces corresponding to the grooves on the wheel, and are connected to a
framework, but so as to be free to have a certain to-and-fro travel thereon, two
bars being on each side of the wheel (one above, the other below the axle),
and those of each side connected together forming a sort of frame round the

page_text: axle, and attached at one end to a rod or spindle united to the framework,
preferably by springs. The bars are connected by links or jointed arms or
lazy-tong action rods to the piston rod of a steam cylinder, so that when the
piston is pressed up towards the links, the latter will keep the bars away from.
the wheel, but when the piston rod is drawn in the contrary direction the links
cause the bars to press firmly against the sides of the wheel, and press their
projections into the grooves therein, and thus exert the necessary friction or
pressure. Jointed links may also be fitted at the opposite ends of the bars.
The brake may be worked by hand by prolonging the piston rod through the
further end of the cylinder, and attaching it to a lever handle. An upright
with a shaft, studs, and levers may be added to open the brake slide and close
the hoist slide when the cage is at the required point.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nicolas Libotte in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NICOLAS
LIBOTTE, Mechanician, of 33, Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris (Empire of
France), send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Nicolas Libotte, Her special licence that I, the said Nicolas
Libotte, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Nicholas Libotte, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A STEAM
BRAKE FOR MINES, WHICH MAY ALSO BE WORKED BY HAND," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Nicolas Libotte, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nicolas Libotte, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to a steam brake for mine machinery which brake
may also be worked by hand.
Heretofore in known arrangements of brakes for mine winding machinery
a wheel or pulley has been employed, but the necessary pressure exerted
thereon, in order that the same may act as a brake, has hitherto been applied
round it, that is to say, upon the edge, circumference, or periphery of the wheel,
whereas this my Invention differs from such contrivances mainly in this
respect, namely, that in my arrangement the pressure or friction instead of
being so applied is applied upon or against the sides of the wheel.
In my improved construction of brake, a wheel is employed together with
brake bars or blocks, so contrived as to exert pressure or friction against the
sides of the said wheel when required.
In the particular arrangement preferred, the wheel is constructed with
grooves and projecting parts on each side which may, if desirable, be arranged
in a circular or arc-like direction round the shaft. The bars have projections
on their inner surfaces, corresponding to the grooves on the wheel, and are
connected to a framework, but so as to be free to have a certain to-and-fro
travel thereon; two bars being on each side of the wheel, one above and the
other below the shaft or axle, and those of each side are connected together
(forming a sort of frame round the shaft) and attached at one end to a rod or
spindle united to the framework, preferably by springs. The bars are connected
by links, jointed arms, or lazy-tong action rods to the piston rod of a steam
engine cylinder, so that when the piston is pressed up towards the links, the
latter will keep the bars away from the wheel, but when the piston rod is
drawn in the contrary direction, the links cause the bars to grip or press
firmly against the sides of the wheel and press their projections into the
grooves therein, and thus exert the necessary friction or pressure, jointed links
may also be fitted at the opposite ends of the bars. The brake may be worked
by hand, by prolonging the piston rod through the farther end of the cylinder,
and attaching it to a lever handle. An upright, with shaft, studs, and levers,
may be added to open the brake slide, and close the slide of the hoist or
winding engine, when the cage is at the requisite point. This arrangement
is represented in the Drawings exemplifying a mode of carrying the Invention
into effect..

page_text: the side next the wheel pro-
R, R is a strong framework,
on which they travel to and
D are upright rods or spindles
framework R by springs E, E,
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 plan. A, A, is a cast-iron wheel,
mounted on the winding shaft, or shaft which carries the winding drums; the
diameter and thickness of this wheel are regulated according to the strength
of apparatus required. The wheel is constructed with sunken parts a, a, and
projecting parts a¹, a', on each side, in a direction round the shaft; B, B, are
four wooden bars, two being on each side of the wheel, that is to say, one
below and one above the axle on each side, and those on the same side are
connected by uprights V, V. These bars B, are strengthened by iron bands C, C,
bolted through top and bottom, and have on
jections X, X, corresponding to the recesses a, a.
to which the bars are connected; h, h, are rollers
from the wheel when operated for the purpose.
one on each side of the wheel connected to the
and to the bars on the same side by arms F, F. G, are similar uprights at the
other end, to which the farther extremities of the bars are attached by connecting
pieces H, H. Between the bars are fitted arms or double links I, I, jointed
at J to each other, and to a piston rod K, moving in a steam engine cylinder L,
a similar arrangement of links is adapted to the uprights D, D, at the opposite
end. When the piston is pressed towards the links I, I, they push the bars B
outward, and remove them from the wheel, but when the piston moves in
the opposite direction, the links I bring the bars B against the wheel and press
them firmly against the sides thereof, their projections X, X, being pressed
into the depressions a, a, the sides of these parts X moreover rubbing
against the rounded parts or shoulders Z, Z, of the projections a', a'. The
brake may be worked by hand, if desired. For this purpose, the rod K is
extended through the opposite end of the cylinder, and attached to a jointed
crank arm M, on a horizontal shaft N, at one end of which is a lever
handle P, whereby to-and-fro action may be communicated to the arrange-
ment in like manner, as by the steam engine. The brake may be readily
worked by the engine-man or by the winding-men, but I have provided for the
event of both being out of the way, by adding to the machinery an upright
rod and horizontal shaft, furnished with two studs, and two levers, which open
the steam brake slide and close the hoist or winding engine slides at the same
time, upon the cage reaching the proper distance from the winding drums.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that though I have referred to the
employment of a brake wheel, I do not claim generally the principle of using
a wheel as a brake in mine winding machinery, being aware that the same
has been before employed, but in such manner that the necessary pressure

page_text: has been applied upon the periphery or circumference thereof; but what I
claim as new in my said Invention is,―
First, the method of arranging, combining, and constructing mine brakes,
so that a wheel may be acted upon, in order to operate as a brake by the
application of friction or pressure against or upon the sides thereof.
Second, I particularly claim the arrangement and combination of brake,
berein-before described and represented in the Drawings, in which a wheel
having projections and sunken parts is acted upon by the pressure exerted
on its sides by bars having projections corresponding to the recesses in the
wheel, and operated and operating in the manner herein-before explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicolas Libotte, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. GOCHET.
N. LIBOTTE. (L.S.)