An Improvement in Load-sustaining Means for Pulley-blocks, Hoists, Lifts, and like Raising or Lifting Appliances.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 5th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1898
An Improvement in Load-sustaining Means for Pulley-blocks,
Hoists, Lifts, and like Raising or Lifting Appliances.
We, WILLIAM THOMAS EADES, of 40, Floodgate Street, in the City of Birming-
ham, Engineer, and THOMAS MATTHEWS, of 47, Warwick Street, Leamington, in
the County of Warwick, Coal Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to load-sustaining means for pulley-blocks, hoists, lifts,
crabs, cranes, capstans, winches, windlasses and like mechanical appliances for
raising, lifting and otherwise dealing with heavy weights or bodies and has for
its object, an automatic load sustainer.
According to our improvements, a considerable mechanical advantage is obtained
inasmuch as we are enabled to transmit the necessary power for raising a load,
through the medium of spur gearing, with a great reduction of friction, hence a
corresponding reduction in the amount of power required to raise a given weight.
In carrying out one form of the invention in connection with a double-lift
pulley block, a suitable shaped box or hollow framing is taken, and supported
by a swivelling hook or other means, and interiorly provided with a chamber,
wherein is located a pair of cam or incline-faced circular plates through central
holes in which and suitable bearings in the frame, a circular shaft passes, with one
end provided with a hand or sprocket wheel, and the other with a pinion or like
wheel for communicating motion to the gear of the load or lifting drum.
The cam or incline-faced plates have their outer sides preferably parallel, but
each inner presented or opposed face is formed into an advancing or rising helix
of the extent of one complete spiral terminating in a vertical step of a depth equal
to the pitch of the helix. These spirals or helical or worm faces, which work
upon one another, are alike unto circular inclined planes, with the lowest part of
the one plane presented to the highest part of the other, whilst a stud, lug or
wing projects outwardly from the periphery of the disc, at the termination or
most advanced part of the helix, the said studs thus come lignable but are
normally separated by a stud, lug or equivalent carried at the end of a short arm
rotating with and made fast to the shaft, and interposed between them.
The inside breadth of the chamber wherein the discs are located is equal to the
breadth of the combined plates when slightly opened out or expanded in their
combined thicknesses, and as the short arm can only rotate with the shaft, when
its stud separates or increases the distance between the lugs of the plates, the
helical face of the one plate rides one over that of the other and so increases the
normal breadth or thickness of the plates, and jambs their outer faces forcibly
against the opposite inside walls of the chamber, hence the locking of the lifting
mechanism and the sustaining of the weight, which action is set up by the check
occasioned by the slight falling of the load.
Mounted on the same shaft on which the plates are loosely threaded, or upon

page_text: the hand or sprocket wheel made fast to the said shaft, is a stud or equivalent,
coming within the path of the snugs on the plates but outwards of them, so that
when the shaft is rotated for lifting or lowering this stud impinges upon the outer
side of one or other of the lugs on the plate, and so makes them approach each
other, close the said plates and so bring them down to their normal or minimum
width, out of braking contact with the walls of the chamber wherein they are
located, thereby allowing the plate to rotate freely with the shaft, and allow the
weight to be further lifted or lowered.
The pinion at the lifting end of the shaft may be made to engage with any
epicycloidal or other modifying gearing.
The application of my invention to load sustainers for pulley-blocks, hoists,
lifts, crabs, cranes, capstans, winches, windlasses and like mechanical appliances
for raising, lowering and otherwise dealing with heavy weights differs in no
essential respect from its application to pulley blocks as herein described.
It is understood that the load pinion will set up the jambing action in which
every direction it moves i.e. both when raising and lowering, and that the hand
wheel will release in either direction, so as to give a double sustaining motion.
Dated this 30th day of July 1897.
WILLIAM THOMAS EADES,
THOMAS MATTHEWS.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicants.
An Improvement in Load-sustaining Means for Pulley-blocks,
Hoists, Lifts, and like Raising or Lifting Appliances.
We, WILLIAM THOMAS EADES, of 40, Floodgate Street, in the City of Birming..
ham, Engineer, and THOMAS MATTHEWS, of 47, Warwick Street, Leamington, in
the County of Warwick, Coal Merchant, 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 the following statement:-
This invention relates to load-sustaining means for pulley-blocks, hoists, lifts,
crabs, cranes, capstans, winches, windlasses and like mechanical appliances for
raising, lifting and otherwise dealing with heavy weights or bodies, and has for
its object, an automatic load sustainer.
According to our improvements, a considerable mechanical advantage is obtained
inasmuch as we are enabled to transmit the necessary power for raising a load,
through the medium of spur gearing, with a great reduction of friction, hence
a corresponding reduction in the amount of power required to raise a given weight.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings represents a vertical section (taken upon
the dotted line a Figure 2) of a double lift pulley block or hoist, provided with an
automatic brake or load sustainer, so constructed that whilst admitting of the
main shaft having a free circular movement in one or other direction for raising
and lowering when turned or driven from the one end, viz., the hand or sprocket
wheel end, the said shaft is rendered incapable of rotation in either direction on
the application of pressure or driving force at the opposite or load wheel end of
the said axle. This view shows the load-sustaining device in its operating
position.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the said hoist, taken upon the dotted line a¹,
Figure 1.
i

page_text: · Figure 3. is a like sectional view as, Figure 1, but with the brake shown off and,
the load pinion released for raising and lowering.
Figure 4 is another vertical section of the brake, taken upon the dotted line ²,
Figure 2, and looking towards the inner face of the hand or sprocket wheel.
Figure 5 represents an elevation of the expanding segmental brake block
separately..
Figure 6 represents elevations of the inner or opposed faces of the segments of
the said brake.
Figure 7 is an edge view of the said block, looking from the top side, and
Figure 8 is another edge view, looking from underneath.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a is the framing of the block, supported by a swivelling hook a² (or other
means) and interiorly provided with a chamber a³, wherein is located a pair of
cam or incline faced circular plates b, c, through central holes b¹, c¹, in which,
and suitable bearings a, a, in the frame, the main shaft or' axis d,
of the apparatus passes, one end of the same being provided with a loosely
mounted hand or sprocket wheel ', and the other with a pinion e, for communi-
cating motion to the wheel f, whose pinion f intergears with the teeth of an inside
toothed annulus or box wheel g, carrying the load or lifting drum h, which rotates
upon the supplementary bearing a
The cam or incline-faced plates which are loose upon a sleeve a', located axially
within the chamber a³, each having their outer sides 62, c², preferably parallel,
but cach inner presented or opposed face is formed into an advancing or rising
helix 3, 3, of the extent of one complete spiral terminating in a. vertical
step 4, c, of a depth equal to the pitch of the said helix. These spirals or helical
or worm faces, which work upon one another, are alike unto circular inclined
planes, with the lowest part 65, 5, of the one plane presented to the highest
part b, c, of the other, whilst a stud, lug or wing b, c, projects outwardly from
the periphery of each disc or plate, at the termination or most advanced part of
the helix. The said studs thus come lignable but are normally separated by a
lug or equivalent 2, carried at the end of a short radial arm d³, rotating with
and made fast to the shaft.
The inside breadth of the chamber a³, wherein the discs are located is equal to
the full breadth of the two plates b, c, when slightly opened out or expanded in
their combined thicknesses, and as the short arm d³, can only rotate with the
shaft, when its stud separates or increases the distance between the lugs b, c,
of the plates, the helical face of the one plate rides one over that of the other
and so increases the normal breadth or thickness of the plates and jambs their
outer parallel faces 2, c², forcibly against the opposite inside walls as, of the
chamber, hence the locking of the lifting mechanism and the sustaining of the
weight which action is set up by the check occasioned by the slight falling of
the load.
Mounted loosely on the main shaft so as to be capable of independent move-
ment thereon, is the hand or sprocket wheel (, carrying a driving stud or equi-
valent, coming within the path of the snugs b, c, on the plates but outwards
of them, or adapted to bear on the outer side 69, 9, of one or other, so that when
the shaft is rotated for lifting or lowering this driving stud impinges upon the
outer side of one or other of the lugs on the plate and makes them approach each
other, close the said plates and so bring them down to their normal or minimum
width, out of braking contact with the insides of the end walls or sides of the
chamber wherein they are located, thereby allowing the plates to rotate or be
driven round freely with the shaft, and the weight to be further lifted or
lowered.
The pinion at the lifting end of the shaft may be made to engage with any
epicycloidal or other modifying gearing.

page_text: The application of our invention to load sustainers for pulley-blocks, hoists,
lifts, crabs, cranes, capstans, winches, windlasses and like mechanical appliances
for raising, lowering and otherwise dealing with heavy weights differs in no
essential respect from its application to pulley blocks as herein described.
It is understood that the load pinion will set up the jambing action in which
ever direction it moves, and that the hand wheel will release in either direction,
so as to give a double sustaining motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
First: An automatic brake or load sustainer for pulley blocks, hoists and
kindred purposes, consisting of a clutch, comprising two-disc or plate segments,
normally rotating together with an axis or shaft, and with their inner or opposed
faces spirally or helically formed or having circular inclined planes adapted to
travel or wipe one over the other, when the said discs are rotated in opposite
directions and so increase the distance between their outer and parallel faces,
which are thereby taken into frictional or braking contact with opposed and fixed
walls or plates, or with the walls of a box or chamber, between or within which
the said discs or plates are located.
Secondly-In an automatic brake or load sustainer for pulley blocks, hoists
and kindred purposes, the combination with the sides of a fixed frame, walls or
equivalents, of a pair of expanding friction discs having opposed helically formed
faces for opening out or closing together the said discs and thereby creating or
taking off frictional contact with the said fixed frame sides, walls or the like,
substantially as described and set forth.
ThirdlyThe improvements in automatic brakes or load sustainers for pulley
blocks, hoists and kindred purposes, and in the construction, arrangement and
combination of the parts of the same, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 24th day of September 1897.
WILLIAM THOMAS EADES,
THOMAS MATTHEWS.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.