IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ROTATING SHAFTS, RODS, AND SCREW AND SPUR GEARED MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES IN GENERAL
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hesketh Hughes, of Homerton, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR ROTATING SHAFTS, RODS, AND SCREW AND SPUR GEARED
MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES IN GENERAL,"
"
Sealed the 10th May 1872, and dated the 18th November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hesketh Hughes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th November 1871.
I, HESKETH HUGHES, of Homerton, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ROTATING SHAFTS, RODS, AND SCREW AND SPUR
GEARED MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES IN GENERAL," to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to the employment of a divided worm or a
ring gearing in combination with cams fitted in a suitable frame for
communicating motion to shafts and rods on or to which pinions are
Price 8d1

page_text: arranged; the Invention being also applicable to screwing up nuts, bolts,
or other similar appliances.
I arrange a divided worm or ring gearing upon a crank or other shaft
so that the sections of the worm or ring are caused to slide to and fro by
the action of cams or inclined surfaces upon a fixed framing to bring
each section into work for rotating a pinion. The revolutions obtained
by this apparatus are more expeditious than can be obtained by the
ordinary solid or complete worm gearing. The pinion into which the
sections gear may be upon a shaft, rod, or other article to be turned, or
it
may have a socket or aperture in or upon it to receive or take over the
heads of bolts or over nuts for turning the same in either direction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Hesketh Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HESKETH
HUGHES, of Homerton, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Hesketh Hughes, Her special licence that
I, the said Hesketh Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Hesketh Hughes, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR ROTATING SHAFTS, RODS, AND SCREW AND SPUR GEARED MACHINERY OR
APPLIANCES IN GENERAL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I the
said Hesketh Hughes, my executors or administrators, 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,
.5

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hesketh Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:―
This Invention relates to the employment of a divided worm or a ring
gearing in combination with cams fitted in a suitable frame for com-
municating motion to shafts and rods on or to which pinions are arranged;
the Invention being also applicable to screwing up nuts, bolts, or other
similar appliances.
I arrange a divided worm or ring gearing upon a crank or other shaft,
so that the sections of the worm or ring are caused to slide to and fro by
the action of cams or inclined surfaces upon a fixed framing to bring
each section into work for rotating a pinion. The revolutions obtained
by this apparatus are more expeditious than can be obtained by the
ordinary solid or complete worm gearing. The pinion into which the
sections gear may be upon a shaft, rod, or other article to be turned, or it
may have a socket or aperture in or upon it to receive or take over the
heads of bolts, or over nuts for turning the same in either direction.
The manner in which I carry my Invention into effect is represented
in the accompanying Drawings, which must be referred to in connection
with the following somewhat detailed description.
Figure 1 is a view of an apparatus for producing the rotation of a
pinion arranged upon a shaft. The spindle a upon which the hand-
wheel b is mounted is held in position in bearings c, c, on side cheeks of
a plate d, the spindle being slotted or feathered to permit of the divided
screw worm e, e, to slide to and fro through the lugs or screw pins f, f,
which ride against or upon the inclined faces of the cams g, g, when the
spindle is rotated. The cams g, g, are fixed to the side cheeks c, c, their
inclination being such as to compel the worm sections to travel the
required distance to carry the semi-spiral teeth of one section across the
path of the other semi-spiral teeth of the other section, the shifting of
one section taking place while the other section is actuating the pinion

page_text: itself, also getting a sliding motion as it turns, so that each section
partakes of a sliding motion upon the spindle as well as a rotative one
with the spindle. In this manner the pinion is rotated with an equal
amount of force as if the worm was a perfect spiral or helix, but with a
greater speed because of the approaching semi-teeth of the idle section
taking into the teeth of the pinion following that of the departing semi-
tooth of the working section during one half revolution of the spindle,
and two teeth of the pinion in advance of the working departing semi-
tooth of the other section, and so on, the pinion being moved round one
quarter revolution for every complete revolution of the spindle; thus I
obtain a speed of the worm pinion two-thirds faster than can be obtained
by the ordinary worm pinion which only receives the motion of one tooth
for every complete revolution of the worm. In the Figure I have shewn
screw pins f, f, so that on looseing the nuts h, h, the sections can be
slid along and adjusted to form a continuous ordinary worm for operating
upon one tooth only of the worm pinion.
Figure 2 is a view of a similar apparatus with semi-ring teeth upon
sliding sections, so that the rotation of the pinion which is not a worm
pinion is produced by the sliding of the sections alone as they move
under the action of the cams.
The cams in both the foregoing Figures are fixed to the frame, but to
facilitate a rapid change from a fast to a slow speeded motion I pivot
the cams as in Figure 3, and connect their cranked axes to a link or
connecting rod i, which can be pushed over by a small-hand lever for
turning the cams to present flat or angle faces for the screw or other
pins or projections on the sections to ride against. This Figure shews a
pinion in which the teeth ; are composed of, say chilled steel castings,
the necks k of which are retained between two perforated discs, the
perforations forming holes for the reception of rivets 1, l, serving the
double purpose of holding the discs in contact, and for holding the
teeth in place, each tooth being free to revolve from the sliding
pressure it receives from the semi-worm teeth or the semi-ring teeth, as
the case may be, of the sections as they slide.
I do not limit myself to the employment of two half sections of worm
or ring teeth upon the same spindle as any number of them, and also of
the cams, whether changeable or not, can be arranged upon or in con-
nection with the same spindle or shaft so that I can in workshops or

page_text: factories drive the machinery of the several rooms or floors at their
required speed direct, and without the intervention of, as far as a
directness goes, bands, straps, spur, or level gearing, because the power
receiving pinion, worm, or ring can be arranged at any radii at right
angles to the main driving spindle or shaft, where two or more sets of
sections are operating upon different pinions which may be at any
distance apart to suit the purpose intended.
The pinions may be on shafts or on keys or nuts, made to fit over
shafts, bolts, or squares of spindle ends to impart a rotation to them.
By this means, as a simple piece of mechanism, my Invention can be
used for screwing up or unscrewing nuts of bolts, winding up of large or
turret clocks, raising, lowering, and moving weights generally, in fact
for every purpose for which worm and worm wheel motions are usually
employed, besides being useful for other purposes where great power and
comparative high speeds are required.
I also in some cases arrange the faces of say two sets of adjacent cams
in opposite directions to produce a closing and opening action of the two
pinions, and consequently the shafts on which they are mounted, thus if
the shafts have rolls upon them for rolling or reducing metal the opening
can be enlarged or reduced at the will of the workman by raising or
lowering, say the upper roll to the required distance. This will be
understood by referring to Fig. 4, where the lower axis m is so to speak.
a fixture, the upper one being moveable in an upward direction through
screw gearing in the "housings," or by levers as desired, or it may have
a rising and falung motion, due to its own weight only, upon the article
passing between the rolls which always travels at the same speed whatever
be the distance between them, because the angle of the cam faces
correspond in inclination to that of the pitch of the worm thread, or the
pitch of the ring teeth which the roll pinions are always in gear.
Fig. 5 represents a motion in which an intermittent rotatory action of
the pinion takes place in the same direction, this is effected by a lever or
bowl n riding upon an inclined plane, as it is moved round with the shaft,
the ringed semicircular rack engaging into the teeth of the pinion
during one half rotation of the shaft a, and then allowed to fall by its
own weight or under the action of a spring or its equivalent, while the
shaft is moving round to complete the other half rotation, at which time
the half ring p, fixed upon the shaft holds the pinion stationary. This

page_text: motion can be obtained once, twice, three, or four times for each
complete rotation, it being only necessary to make the circular portion of
the rack correspond to the circular horizontal length of the inclined
plane, and this may be repeated as often as necessary, so long as time be
allowed for the descent of the rack at each division or portion of the
fixed ring, which must correspond in number to the racks and inclined
planes employed.
The number of rotations of the pinion can be increased or diminished
at will by changing the fulcrum of the lever which determines the
height at which the rack shall lift, the speed at which it rotates being
determined by the angle of the inclined plane, necessitated by the
distance the inclined plane is placed from the centre of the shaft.
Changes of speed can also be obtained by varying the angles of the
inclined planes where more than one is used. Any number of these
racks and inclined planes can be employed on the same frame, and the
pinions should be hollow.
This apparatus, if the racks are used in pairs, can be used for making
upholsterers and other similar fringes, and it can be effected by throwing
a thread by means of a vibrating carrier from one ground or body thread
to the other alternately. The body threads each pass through the hollow
pinions which have flyers or extra bobbin threads, and these turn with the
spindles to lay its bobbin thread round the ground thread, and also the
fringed thread, in order to bind the fringe thread to it. The flyer action
is alternate to suit the particular binding and is dependent upon the lift
of the rack through the cam or incline. The fringes thus made are as 2
it were double, and can be divided to form fringes proper, but by leaving
it uncut it is a narrow fabric similar to a tape or ribbon but with weft
threads only between the selvage or outside threads.
The Invention is applicable to many adaptations for driving or moving
machinery of a simple and also of somewhat extensive character, as will
be gathered from the foregoing, and from the description of the Figures
hereafter referred to, in which the rotative movement is shewn in
connection with a steam or other power engine, in the cylinder of which
the piston is driven to and fro.
In Figures 6 and 7 the rotation is produced by inclined planes acting g
against a roller of bowl q, arranged in one of the bearings, one inclined
plane being on each half barrel, and in the same direction to come into

page_text: position in succession as each half is moving to one end, or while making
one stroke, and so take against the bowl or roller q, for imparting the
necessary semi-rotative movement to each half; this, through the two
being on the same guide rod, the inner end of which carries a pinion for
gearing into racks on the inner faces of the barrels, causes the change of
position to occur at each return stroke, one end of one half barrel is
attached to the piston rod by a clip or boss, and the ring or the worm teeth
act upon the pinion in succession to keep up a continuous motion in the
same direction.
The barrels are preferably arranged as shewn in Figures 8, but they
may be arranged in any other manner as found advisable to ensure the
proper working.
Figure 9 is a modification of the foregoing, the pinion which causes
the back motion of the idle half barrel being somewhat differently
arranged, and in lieu of the barrels being provided with racks they are
left plain, with the exception of the inclined planes; thus the power to
drive is taken from the guide rod r, on which a fly and a band or strap
wheel is mounted to enable a circular motion to be conveyed to any
class or kind of machinery it is required to move in that manner.
Figure 10 is an elevation of a portion of an engine in which the barrel
is not divided. In this arrangement the continuous rotatory motion is
maintained from the direct to and fro action of the piston rod on which
the barrel is mounted loosely at one end so that it is free to rotate as well
as move to and fro, as in the previously described Figures. Each inclined
plane coming into work in proper order, one for the forward stroke to
make one half rotation, the other in the back to complete the complete
rotation.
Figure 11 shews the application of my Invention to two axles of say
a railway carriage, each axle being provided with two barrels, keyed or
feathered, and the inclined planes of each corresponding barrel acts
against its roller when moving in one direction. To produce one half
rotation of both axles and the inclined planes of the other, two corres-
ponding barrels act in a similar manner to produce the other half
rotation, the two pairs of barrels being attached to opposite ends of the
piston rods through straps or connection pieces to act in unison.
I have shewn and described this Figure with relation to railway axles,
but they may be rods or shafts of any kind and at any distance apart, so

page_text: that the required motion can be conveyed in any direction direct from
them or through the intervention of other gearing.
The engines can be arranged in a horizontal or a vertical manner,
according to circumstances, and mounted upon any kind of frame.
The shaft or rod can also be continued for any distance, so that several
fly wheels and band wheels or pinions can be carried upon it or them if
the shafts are coupled as may be required.
In most cases the worm teeth upon the half barrels can be substituted
for the ring teeth, the only provision to be considered being the duty
which the machine has to perform, and the speed at which the mechanism
has to be rotated.
In the case of using large steam cylinders with comparatively short
strokes, the cross head may have a number of the half or the full barrels
upon them all moving in unison to derive and impart the full amount of
the power from the engine to the machinery, which may all be moved at
the same speed or at different speeds, according to the pitch of the worm
or the ring threads, or the angle at which the inclines are arranged, par-
ticularly in the case shewn in Figure 4, where supposing the shaft to
be extended across the engine and it carried a series of pinions and fly
wheels to steady the motion, a comparatively thin shaft could be
employed, and by this the weight of the fly wheels would be distributed
over many bearing surfaces, an advantage of great moment in many
situations, especially where the soil or the foundations are of a treacherous
character.
It is impossible to refer to a tithe of the duties to which my Invention
is applicable, either as a simple apparatus for turning a nut or as a
ponderous machine for rolling metals or for moving a vessel (screw or
paddle), it being of such a nature that it is capable of the greatest
simplicity or of extreme massiveness.
And having now decribed the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the
whole of the improved means of imparting a rotatory motion to mechanism
or machinery, as herein-before described and shewn, or any mere modi-
fication thereof, when two, half, or any number of sectional, sliding,
worm, or ring gearing is employed for operating a pinion, or wheel, or
shafting.

page_text: Secondly. I claim the employment of inclined planes, fixed or variable,
for producing the sliding action of sectional, worm, or ring gearing, sub-
stantially as described and shewn.
Thirdly. I claim converting a reciprocating into a circular rotatory
motion by the employment of a barrel or two half barrels keyed or
feathered upon a shaft when the barrel or the half barrels are shifted
round by inclined planes acting against rollers, as described and shewn.
Fourthly. I claim the employment of a section of ring gear on a
rotating shaft, the ring gear having a to and fro or an up and down
motion imparted to it through cams and levers, so that it acts upon a
pinion in one direction and slips out of gear when moving in the other
direction, to produce an intermediate rotatory motion to such pinion, as
described and shewn with reference to Figure 5.
Fifthly. I claim the employment of a fixed section of a ring tooth
upon a shaft, when the sliding ring section gear is used in combination,
so that pinion is retained in a stationary manner during the back or the
downward movement of the sliding section, as described and shewn.
Sixthly. I claim the employment of racks on or in the sliding rotating
sections, and a pinion for imparting the necessary to and fro movements
to those sections, whether such sections have the worm or ring teeth
upon them or not, substantially as described and shewn.
And Seventhly. I claim rotating shafts, in the manner shewn in Figures
6, 7, 8, and 10, so that a circular motion can be obtained from the shafts
end on or at right angles thereto, and either alone or in combination
with the rotating motion through the worm or ring gearing on the
sliding sections.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hesketh Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
HESKETH HUGHES. (L.S.)