IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT WIRE ROPE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Turner Wright, of Universe Works, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, and of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Rope
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FLAT WIRE ROPE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Turner Wright at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th October 1879.
JOHN TURNER WRIGHT, of Universe Works, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Rope Manufacturer. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT WIRE ROPE."
Flat wire rope as ordinarily manufactured is composed of wires first twisted into
strands, and these strands afterwards twisted into round ropes. These round
ropes, placed side by side, are bound together by transverse wires by the process
called stitching. One half the round ropes used for making a flat rope are made
by first twisting wires in the direction of a right handed screw, and by after-
wards twisting the strands so made in the opposite direction as to form a rope
having a left handed twist. The other half of the round ropes used for making
the flat rope are made by first twisting wires in the direction of a left handed
screw, and by afterwards twisting the strands so made in the opposite direction,
thus forming a rope having a right handed twist. In combining round ropes so
made into a flat rope right and left handed ropes are used alternately. In the
ordinary method of manufacture seven, or other number of wires, are twisted into
a strand, and four, or other number of strands, into a round rope, and three, or
other number of right handed and like number of left handed ropes combined into
a flat rope.
In stitching together the said round ropes the transverse wires by
which the stitching is effected in passing through the round ropes at the edges of
the flat rope bind only two of the four strands of which they are respectively
composed, thereby giving rise to the defect in the flat rope called running
on edge."
In manufacturing flat wire rope according to my Invention I employ ropes
having alternately a right and left handed twist, and made in the ordinary way.
ED.

page_text: But instead of employing at the opposite edges of the flat rope round ropes made
of four strands each, I place at the opposite edges of the flat rope round ropes
made of three strands each. The body of the flat rope made according to my
Invention is thus composed of round ropes, each composed of four strands,
while the round ropes at the edges of the flat rope are composed of three strands
each.
In stitching this flat rope the workman picks up on one edge of the flat rope
(which I will call the first edge) only one of the three strands of which the edge
round rope is composed, and passes the needle and stitching wires through the
middle of the rope as usual. At the other edge of the flat rope (which I will call
the second edge) he picks up two of the three strands of which the round rope at
the edge is composed.
On making the return stitch the workınan picks up at the second edge one strand
of the outer round rope, and passing the needle and stitching wires through the
middle of the rope picks up two strands of the round rope at the first edge of
the flat rope, and so on. Each of the round ropes at the edges of the flat rope is
thus bound to the middle ropes by stitches, alternately taking up one and two of
the strands of which the round rope is composed.
By this method of manufacture the stitching appears on every strand of the two
outside ropes instead of upon alternate strands only as in the ordinary
manufacture.
Although the round ropes at the edges of the flat rope are composed of but three
strands each it is necessary that they should have the same diameter as those
forming the middle of the flat rope. This may be effected either by using the
ordinary number of wires in each strand, and employing wire of larger diameter
than that of which the middle round ropes are composed; or wire of the same
diameter may be employed, and a greater number of wires be employed to make
each strand.
Flat wire rope made according to iny Invention is free from the defect called
"running on edge." Although I have described my Invention as carried into effect
by the use of four strands for the construction of the inner ropes, and three
strands for the construction of the outer ropes a greater number of strands may be
used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Turner Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st April 1880.
JOHN TURNER WRIGHT, of Universe Works, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Biriningham, in the County of Warwick, Rope Manufacturer. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT WIRE ROPE."
Flat wire rope as ordinarily manufactured is composed of wires first twisted into
strands, and these strands afterwards into round ropes. These round ropes, placed
side by side, are bound together by transverse wires by the process called
stitching. One half of the round ropes used for making a flat rope are made by
first twisting wires in the direction of a right handed screw, and by afterwards
twisting the strands so made in the opposite direction so as to form a rope having
a left handed twist. The other half of the round ropes used for making the flat
rope are made by first twisting wires in the direction of a left handed screw, and
by afterwards twisting the strands so made in the opposite direction, thus forming
a rope having a right handed twist. In combining round ropes so made into a flat
rope right and left handied ropes are used alternately.
In the ordinary method of manufacture seven, or other number of wires, are
twisted into a strand, and four strands into a round rope, and three, or other
number of right handed and a like number of left handel ropes combined into a
flat rope.
In stitching together the said round ropes the transverse wires by which
the stitching is effected in passing through the round ropes at the edges of the flat
rope bind only two of the four strands of which they are respectively composed,
thereby giving rise to the defect in the flat rope called "running on edge."
In inanufacturing flat rope according to my Invention employ ropes having
alternately a right and left handed twist, and made in the ordinary way. But
instead of employing at the opposite edges of the flat rope round ropes inade of
four strands each, I place at the opposite edges of the flat rope round ropes inade
of three strands each. The body of the flat rope made according to my Invention
is thus composed of round ropes, each composed of four strands, while the round
ropes at the edges of the flat rope are composed of three strands each. In stitching
this flat rope the workman picks up on one edge of the flat rope (which I will
call the first edge) only one of the three strands of which the edge round rope is
composed, and passes the needle and stitching wires through the middle of the rope
At the other edge of the flat rope (which I will call the second edge)
he picks up two of the three strands of which the round rope at the edge is
composed. On making the return stitch the workinan picks up at the second edge
one strand of the outer round rope, and passing the needle and stitching wires
through the middle of the rope picks up two strands of the round rope at the first
edge of the flat rope, and so on. Each of the round ropes at the edges of the flat
rope is thus bound to the middle ropes by stitches, alternately taking up one and
two of the strands by which the round rope is composed. By this method of
manufacture the stitching appears on every strand of the two outside ropes instead
of upon alternate strands only as in the ordinary manufacture.
as usual.
Although the round ropes at the edges of the flat rope are composed of but three
strands each it is necessary that they should have the same diameter as those
forming the middle of the flat rope.
This may be effected either by using the ordinary number of wires in each
strand and employing wire of larger diameter than that of which the middle round
ropes are made, or wire of the same diameter may be employed, and a greater
number of wires be employed to make each strand.
Flat wire rope inade according to my Invention is free from the defect called
"running on edge."
•

page_text: I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
1
Figure represents in frout elevation, and Figure 2 in edge view a piece of flat
wire rope manufactured according to my Invention; Figure 3 represents in front
elevation the piece of wire rope, Figures 1 and 2, with the several round ropes of
which it is composed separated from one another, and the stitching or transverse
wires represented in a slack state for the purpose of the heiter exhibiting the
manner in which the said round ropes are combined together, and the edge ropes
bound by the stitching or transverse wires to the inner or middle ropes; Figure 4
represents a cross section of Figure 3 taken on the line, ; and Figure 5 repre-
sents a cross section of Figure 3 taken on the line y, y.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The round ropes situated at the middle of the flat rope are marked c, c, c, c, and
the round ropes situated at the opposite edges of the flat rope are marked d, d. By
an examination of Figures 3, 4, and 5 it will be seen that each of the middle round
ropes o, c, is composed of four strands made as before described, each strand being
composed of seven wires, and it will also be seen that each of the round ropes d, d,
of which the edges of the flat rope are composed is made of three strands, the body
of the rope being thus composed of round ropes each made of four strands, while
the round ropes at the edges of the flat rope are composed of three strands each.
The round ropes c, c, and d, d, have alternately a right and left handed twist, and
are made in the ordinary way, but the wire of which the three strand edge ropes
d, d, are made is of larger diameter than that of which the four strand body
ropes c, c, are made in order that the edge round ropes d, d, may have about the
saine diameter as that of the body ropes c, c.
The stitching or transverse wires by which the edge ropes d, e, are stitched or
bound to the body ropes c, c, are marked f, f, and the manner in which the said
stitching wires f, f, are passed through the several round ropes will be understood
by an examination of Figures 3, 4, and 5. That is to say, in stitching the said
round ropes together, the workinan starting say at the edge marked A, picks up at
the said edge A one strand, marked d in Figures 3 and 4, of the three strands of
which the edge rope is composed, and then passes the needle and stitching wires f,,
through the middle of the body ropes c, c, c, c. As the stitching wires f, approach
the opposite edge marked B of the flat rope the said stitching wires are made to
pick up two of the strands, marked d², dª, in Figures 3 and 4, of the three strands,
of which the round rope at the edge B is composed. The course which the stitching
wires take in passing through the strands of the edge rope at A through the
strands of the body ropes at c, c, c, c, and through the strands of the edge rope at
B, will be best seen by referring to the cross section, Figure 4. On making the
return stitch the workman picks up at the edge B one strand, marked, of the
outer round rope at the said edge B (see Figures 3 and 5), and passing the needle
and stitching wires f, f, through the middle of the body ropes c, c, c, c, he picks up
two strands, marked d', d', of the round rope at the edge A of the flat rope, as will
be understood by an examination of the cross section, Figure 5.
The several forward and return stitches of the stitching wires, f, are passed
through the round ropes at the required distances apart in the manner which I
have described with respect to the first forward and return stitches shown in
Figures 4 and 5. The twisting of the strands of the outer ropes brings each of the
said strands in succession to the edge of the rope, and thus each strand of the
edge rope is in turn picked up and bound to the inner ropes by the stitching wires.
Thus it will be seen that each of the round ropes d, d, at the edges of the flat rope
is bound to the middle or body ropes c, c, c, c, by stitches alternately taking up one
and two of the strands of the said edge ronnd ropes, and every strand of the said
edge ropes is in turn thereby bound to the middle of the rope, as seen in Figure 2,
and the defect called "running on edge" thereby prevented.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to

page_text: the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention.
But I claim as my Invention, the improvements in the manufacture of flat
wire rope herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, making the opposite edges of the flat wire rope of round ropes com-
posed of three strands each, and making the body of the flat rope of round ropes
made of four strands each, and binding the said edge ropes to the body or middle
ropes by passing the stitching or transverse wires through the edge round ropes
in the manner described and illustrated so that each strand of the said edge ropes
is bound to the body or middle ropes by stitches alternately taking up one and two
of the strands of which the said edge ropes are composed, whereby the defect
commonly called running on edge is avoided, substantially as described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Turner Wright, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN TURNER WRIGHT. (L.S.)