Improvements in Actuating Cranes by Gas or Oil Engines, and in Mechanical Appliances therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Actuating Cranes by Gas or Oil Engines, and in
Mechanical Appliances therefor.
We, HENRY HAY WAKE of North Cliff Roker Sunderland in the County of
Durham, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and WILLIAM CHARLES
MOUNTAIN of 9 St. George's Terrace, in the City and County of Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention specially relates to actuating travelling cranes by gas or oil
engines as the prime mover and to such mechanical combinations of driving gearing
as will transmit the power of the engine to the points of application in the required
relation to the work to be done by the crane in its various operations.
As an illustration we will describe our invention with reference to a travelling
radial crane similar to those now employed for carrying out great engineering
works, such as piers, breakwaters and similar submarine structures, in which all the
following operations are required riz.:
1st Travelling. 2nd Raising and lowering with varying speeds. 3rd Adjusting
distance of load from centre. 4th Turning or "slewing." All these operations
require to be performed in both directions by the action of the power being
reversed.
"
"
22
"
"
The gas or oil engine will preferably be placed on the outer end of the projecting
tail of the "jib or
"boom" and may be supplied from a reservoir carried upon
the crane in which it may be compressed either by the main gas or oil engine or by
a small auxiliary engine, or from supply "stand pipes at convenient intervals by
flexible pipes, and provision will be made for running the engine free till speed is
got up when it will be put into driving connection by a belt, by friction or other
gearing, either through an intermediate shaft or direct, with the main driving shaft
which will preferably run along one side of and in line with the "jib" or "boom"
and, at suitable positions upon it will be fast and loose belt sheaves from which
"counter-shafts" on the
open and crossed belts will drive similar sheaves upon
opposite side of the "jib or ❝ boom for the various operations required, the
space between the girders of the "jib" or "boom being conveniently occupied
by the chain drums sheaves and other mechanism connected therewith. The
gearing from the "counter-shafts to the drums, chain sheaves &c. may be friction
wheels, spur wheels, bevel wheels, worm wheels, and worms, pitched chain wheels and
chains, or combinations of such gearing suitable for the required speeds of the various
operations as, for instance, the travelling of the crane along the rails may con-
veniently be effected at a steady rate from the "counter-shaft" by a chain wire
rope or shafting leading by suitable intermediate gearing to a driving wheel on one
of the axles of a pair of the travelling wheels, and similar chains or ropes may be
carried from said axle to one or more of the other axles to give additional tractive
power. The raising and lowering will preferably be arranged with varying speeds
of driving gearing from the main to the counter shaft of different relative diameters
and the chain or rope drum may conveniently be driven by worm gearing. The
chain or rope passes from the drum barrel around the "monkey-traveller" and
main block, round an equalising sheave fixed to the outer end of the jib or "boom
and returns by the same circuit to the drum barrel forming a loop as in the
ordinary method. The " "monkey-traveller may likewise conveniently be adjusted
to the required radius on the jib by worm gear from the "counter-shaft"
cross shaft carrying a chain or rope sheave from which a loop chain or rope passes
"boom and each end being
to a return sheave at the outer end of the "jib” or
"
1
"" to a

page_text: attached to the "traveller." The turning or "slewing" may similarly be operated
by a chain or rope drum revolved by worm gearing from the "counter-shaft" and
upon which are secured the ends of a loop chain or rope or instead of the
ends of the chains or ropes being secured to the chain or rope drum, the power
may be transmitted by the loop of the chain or rope being coiled round this drum
passing over leading sheaves and around a pitched or grooved friction rim, of
about the same diameter as the roller path on which the whole crane revolves upon
a ring of "live" rollers or as an alternative means of "slewing" the crane the chain
or rope may be passed round and secured to a grooved ring driving a ring of "live"
rollers by which two or more complete revolutions of the crane will be obtained to
one revolution performed by the "live" roller ring.
The main driving shaft from the engine runs always in the same direction, the
reversing motions necessary for the traversing, raising and lowering adjusting
radius of load and the turning or "slewing" being all effected by the changing of
the direction of the "countershafts" either by open and crossed belts on fast and
loose sheaves, or by frictional or other gearing with friction clutches, which will
reverse the direction without shock, or will enable any of the operations of the
crane to be suspended entirely without interfering with the other operations. All
the operations of the crane can be readily controlled by one man having the
striking gear of the various belts, or other reversing appliances, connected by rods
to a group of hand levers situated at some elevated position upon the crane.
66
The gas or vaporised oil, instead of being carried in a reservoir upon the crane,
may be supplied from a stand-pipe" or pipes fixed at suitable intervals along a
main supply pipe through flexible pipes carried upon the crane, coiled upon a drum
so as to extend themselves by uncoiling as the crane travels away from the fixed
"stand-pipe" until it is necessary to make another connection to the main, the gas
or vaporised oil being conveyed to the engine by a pipe connected with the hollow
axis of the drum in the manner of a "trunnion" joint, or some equivalent device
may be adopted to allow the crane to travel from the "stand-pipe" by extending
the flexible pipe connection, such for instance as multiplying sheaves, the flexible
pipe being wound around them so as to give the necessary extension of distance as
the crane travels from the supply stand pipe. When gas or vaporised oil is
supplied to the engine under compression from a reservoir we propose to use a
device equivalent to a "reducing valve " in steam engines, but specially applicable
to compressed gas or vaporised oil, consisting of an elastic chamber, between the
reservoir and the engine, which will expand or contract so as to keep the supply
pressure constant.
It will be understood that we have only given the foregoing description as an
illustration of the application of our invention to a typical travelling crane for
piers and similar structures to which we consider it is specially adapted. The
arrangement of the driving mechanism, from the prime mover to the various points
of application of the power, as also the combinations of gear by which the power is
proportioned to the operations to be performed, may be varied whilst still retaining
the main features of our invention for actuating cranes by the power of gas or
vaporised oil engines driving a main shaft from which it is transmitted by any
arrangement of gearing, such as will allow the required operations to be performed
in either direction or to enable any one or more of the required operations to be
suspended without interfering with the motion of the main driving shaft and also
without interfering with the other operations of the crane.
In a modified form of our invention, gas or vaporised oil engines may be applied
as the motive power to work the accumulator pumps of hydraulic cranes or other
hydraulic machines-thus acting in place of an auxiliary steam engine, the hydraulic
cylinders performing the various operations required.
Dated this 24th day of April 1893.

page_text: Improvements in Actuating Cranes by Gas or Oil Engines, and in
Mechanical Appliances therefor.
We, HENRY HAY WAKE of North Cliff, Roker, Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and WILLIAM CHARLES
MOUNTAIN of 9 St. George's Terrace, in the City and County of Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, Engineer, 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 specially relates to actuating travelling cranes by gas or oil engines
as the prime mover and to such mechanical combinations of driving gearing as will
transmit the power of the engine to the points of application in the required relation
to the work to be done by the crane in its various operations.
As an illustration we will describe our invention with reference to a travelling
radial crane similar to those now employed for carrying out great engineering
works, such as piers, breakwaters and similar submarine structures, in which all the
following operations are required viz. :—
1st Travelling. 2nd Raising and lowering with varying speeds. 3rd Adjusting
distance of load from centre. 4th Turning or "slewing."
All these operations
require to be performed in both directions by the action of the power being
reversed.
"
"
"
35
The gas or oil engine will preferably be placed on the outer end of the projecting
tail of the "jib" or " boom and may be supplied from a reservoir carried upon
the crane in which it may be compressed either by the main gas or oil engine or by
a small auxiliary engine; or from supply "stand pipes" at convenient intervals by
flexible pipes, and provision will be made for running the engine free till speed is.
got up when it will be put into driving connection by a belt, by friction or other
gearing, either through an intermediate shaft or direct, with the main driving shaft
which will preferably run along one side of and in line with the "jib" or "boom
and, at suitable positions upon it will be fast and loose belt sheaves from which
open and crossed belts will drive similar sheaves upon "counter-shafts on the
opposite side of the "jib" or "boom" for the various operations required, the
space between the girders of the "jib" or "boom" being conveniently occupied by
the chain drums sheaves and other mechanism connected therewith. The gearing
from the counter-shafts to the drums, chain sheaves &c. may be friction wheels,
spur wheels, bevel wheels, worm wheels, and worms, pitched chain wheels and
chains or combinations of such gearing suitable for the required speeds of the
various operations as, for instance, the travelling of the crane along the rails may
conveniently be effected at a steady rate from the "counter-shaft" by a chain,
wire rope or shafting leading by suitable intermediate gearing to a driving wheel
on one of the axles of a pair of the travelling wheels, and similar chains or ropes
may be carried from said axle to one or more of the other axles to give additional
tractive power. The raising and lowering will preferably be arranged with varying
speeds of driving gearing from the main to the counter shaft of different relative
diameters and. the chain or rope drum may conveniently be driven by worm gearing.
The chain or rope passes from the drum barrel around the monkey-traveller
and main block, round an equalising sheave fixed to the outer end of the "jib" or
"boom" and returns by the same circuit to the drum barrel forming a loop as in
the ordinary method. The "
monkey-traveller" may likewise conveniently be
adjusted-to the required radius on the jib by worm gear from the "counter-shaft"

page_text: to a cross shaft carrying a chain, or rope, sheave from which a loop chain, or rope,
"
"boom and each end
passes to a return sheave at the outer end of the "jib" or
being attached to the "traveller." The turning or "slewing" may similarly be
operated by a chain or rope drum revolved by worm gearing from the "counter-
shaft" and upon which are secured the ends of a loop chain or rope or instead of
the ends of the chains or ropes being secured to the chain or rope drum, the power
may be transmitted by the loop of the chain or rope being coiled round this drum
passing over leading sheaves and around a pitched or grooved friction rim, of about
the same diameter as the roller path on which the whole crane revolves upon a ring
of "live" rollers or, as an alternative means of "slewing" the crane, the two ends
of the chain or rope may he passed in opposite directions round a fixed path, upon
which a ring of "live" rollers revolve, and secured thereto by which two complete
revolutions of the crane will be obtained to one revolution performed by the "live'
rollers upon their fixed path or in like proportion according to the turns of the
chain taken upon the fixed path.
"
The main driving shaft from the engine runs always in the same direction, the
reversing motions necessary for the traversing, raising and lowering, adjusting
radius of load and the turning or "slewing" being all effected by the changing of
the direction of the "counter-shafts" either by open and crossed belts on fast and
loose sheaves, or by frictional or other gearing with friction clutches, which will
reverse the direction without shock, or will enable auy of the operations of the
crane to be suspended entirely without interfering with the other operations. All
the operations of the crane can be readily controlled by one man having the striking
gear of the various belts, or other reversing appliances, connected by rods to a
group of band levers situated at some elevated position upon the crane..
66
The gas or vaporised oil, instead of being carried in a reservoir upon the crane,
may be supplied from a "stand-pipe" or pipes fixed at suitable intervals along a
main supply pipe through flexible pipes carried upon the crane, coiled upon a drum
so as to extend themselves by uncoiling as the crane travels away from the fixed
stand-pipe" until it is necessary to make another connection to the main, the gas
or vaporised oil being conveyed to the engine by a pipe connected with the hollow
axis of the drum in the manner of a "trunnion" joint, or some equivalent device
may be adopted to allow the crane to travel from the "stand-pipe" by extending
the flexible pipe connection, such for instance as multiplying sheaves, the flexible
pipe being wound around them so as to give the necessary extension of distance as
the crane travels from the supply "stand-pipe." When gas or vaporised oil is
supplied to the engine under compression from a reservoir we propose to use a
device equivalent to a "reducing valve" in steam engines, but specially applicable
to compressed gas or vaporised oil, consisting of an elastic chamber, between the
reservoir and the engine, which will expand or contract so as to keep the supply
pressure constant.
It will be understood that we have only given the foregoing description as an
illustration of the application of our invention to a typical travelling crane for piers
and similar structures to which we consider it is specially adapted. The arrange-
ment of the driving mechanism, from the prime mover to the various points of
application of the power, as also the combinations of gear by which the power is
proportioned to the operations to be performed, may be varied whilst still retaining
the main features of our invention for actuating cranes by the power of gas or
vaporised oil engines driving a main shaft from which it is transmitted by any
arrangement of gearing, such as will allow the required operations to be performed
in either direction or to enable any one or more of the required operations to be
suspended without interfering with the motion of the main driving shaft and also
without interfering with the other operations of the crane.
In a modified form of our invention, gas or vaporised oil engines may be applied
as the motive power to work the accumulator pumps of hydraulic cranes or other
bydraulic machines-thus acting in place of an auxiliary steam engine, the hydraulic
cylinders performing the various operations required.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
On the accompanying sheets of drawings we illustrate our invention as applied
to a travelling crane with radial horizontal jib as used for setting blocks in pier
works, in which all the four operations named are required to be performed in both
directions.
On Sheets 1 & 2 are shewn by Figs. 1 and 2 a side elevation and plan of the
crane.
On Sheet 3 Fig. 3 shews details of the turning or "slewing" gear whereby two
revolutions of the crane are obtained by one revolution performed by the live
rollers upon their fixed path and of the gas or vaporised oil connections.
The reference numbers indicate the same parts on all the figs. where such
parts are shewn.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the gas engine driving by a belt on the fast
pullies 2 the cross shaft 3 on one end of which is a bevel wheel 4 gearing into
another bevel wheel 5 on the main driving shaft 6, which carries the various fast
and loose belt sheaves for effecting, by open and crossed belts, the various opera-
tions required, through fast and loose sheaves on counter shafts on the opposite
side of the crane jib.
The turning or slewing, in either direction, is effected by the fast and loose
sheaves 7 by open and crossed belts to corresponding sheaves 8 on the counter-
shaft 9 on which is a te
worm," gearing into a "worm-wheel" 10 on the cross
shaft 11, which carries the chain, or rope, drum 12. From this drum the two
ends of a chain, or rope, 13 lead downward and around the angled guide sheaves 14
and 14 from which the ends proceed in opposite directions around the circum-
ference of the box girder ring 15, fixed on the main frame, and are thereto
secured. Upon this ring is rivetted the roller path 16 for the "live" rollers 17,
which run free upon the outer ends of radial rods 18, the inner ends of which are
secured in a ring 19 working freely around the main centre pillar 20 of the crane
see Fig. 3. Under the "jib" and concentric with the centre on which it turns is
rivetted a box girder ring 21, of the same diameter as the fixed ring 15, and this
ring revolves upon the "live" rollers 17, a rim being rivetted to the underside corre-
sponding in section to the roller path 16. When the chain drum 12 is revolved
in either direction it winds on the chain on one side and unwinds it from the
other side, and the ends of the chain being secured to the fixed ring 15, the
crane is pulled round by that end of the chain which is being wound on the drum,
the ring 21 moving round upon the "live" rollers 17, but, as these are also
themselves travelling around the roller path, the crane makes a complete revolu-
tion while the rollers are making one half a revolution or two revolutions to one
according to the coils on the ring 15.
6
66
"
The raising and lowering of the load at varying speeds is effected as follows:-
On the main shaft 6 are two sets of fast and loose sheaves 22 and 23, the former
set of larger diameter than the latter, and open and crossed belts lead from
these sets of sheaves to the sets of 24 and 25, which are in the opposite relation
as to diameter, upon the counter-shaft 26, on which is a worm," gearing into a
"
worm-wheel 27 on the cross shaft 28 carrying the double chain, or rope, drum 29
from one side of which a chain or rope leads over sheaves on the " monkey
traveller 30 round the main block 31, round the equalising sheave 32 and so back
by the same course to the other side of the drum, the speed of raising or lowering
the load being varied by one set or the other set of belt sheaves being used.
The adjustment of the load from the centre upon the jib is effected by the fast
and loose sheaves 33 on the main shaft 6 with open and crossed belts to similar
sheaves 34 on the counter-shaft 35 on which is the " worm " 36 gearing into a
66 worm-
wheel" 37 on a cross shaft 38 carrying a pitched chain sheave 39 round which a chain
passes, one end being attached to the "monkey" traveller 30 and the other end,
after passing round a return sheave 31 on the end of the crane jib, returns and is

page_text: also attached to the traveller which is thus drawn in or out on the jib by the
revolution of the pitched chain sheave 39 in one or the other direction.
The travelling of the crane upon the railway is effected by the sheaves 40 on
the main shaft 6 by open and crossed belts to similar sheaves 41 on the counter-
shaft 42 on which is a bevel wheel 43 gearing into a similar wheel 44 on the cross
shaft 44 the after end of which has a bevel wheel 45 gearing into a similar
wheel 46 on the top end of the vertical hollow shaft 47 which traverses the main
centre of the crane pillar 20. This hollow shaft is carried at the bottom end by a
bracket 48 fixed to the main centre and has keyed upon it a 66
worm 49 gearing
into a "worm-wheel 50 on a cross shaft 51 which also carries a pitched chain
sheave from which a pitch chain drives round a similar sheave on one of the axles
of the travelling wheels and other axles may be coupled with the driven axle, as
indicated, so as to increase the tractive power.
"
"
The method of supplying gas or vaporised oil to the crane, direct from the
main, which we. propose to adopt and prefer to storing it under pressure in a
reservoir carried on the crane itself, though such storage under pressure may in
some cases-be advantageous, is as follows:-A drum 52 is mounted loosely on a
fixed hollow axle 53 carried on the main frame of the crane and has coiled upon it
the flexible tube 54 one end of which is attached to a supply hydrant 55 on the
railway, the other end being connected to the hollow axle the opposite end of
which is connected by a pipe 56 to the lower end of the vertical hollow shaft 47
(see Sheet 3) by a "swivel" gas joint 57 and the gas or vaporised oil passing
the hollow shaft is conveyed to the engine by pipes 38 connected to the top of said
shaft by a similar "swivel" gas joint 59.
The whole of the operations of the crane are controlled independently of each
other from an elevated cabin on the jib shewn on Figs. 1 and 2, into which all the
rods actuating the brake gear and the belt shifting gear are brought and connected
to hand levers so that one man in charge has full control over the required move-
ments as communicated to him.
The application of our invention to other types of cranes is not shewn but it will
be understood that such operations as required in the case of "Goliath ". cranes,
overhead travellers, and fixed cranes, can be performed by gas or vaporised oil
engines in the same manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. Actuating cranes by power from gas or oil engines carried upon the crane
by main shafting running always in one direction and counter-shafting running in
both directions through belts, spur, bevel, worm, or friction gearing, or a combina-
tion of same whereby the operations of travelling in either direction raising and
lowering the load, adjusting radial distance of load, and turning or slewing, or such
of them as are required can be performed substantially as described.
2nd. For turning or "slewing" such cranes the application of a loop chain, or
rope, winding and unwinding from a driven drum on the crane and the ends leading
in opposite directions around a fixed ring, forming the path for a ring of "live
rollers upon which the crane revolves in such differential relation that one complete
revolution of the crane is obtained by half a revolution on their path of the "live"
rollers or in like proportion substantially as described and shewn.
3rd. In such cranes the method of supplying the gas or vaporised oil to the
engine by flexible pipes coiled upon a drum so as to adapt themselves to the varying
positions of the crane upon the railway relatively to the supply stand-pipe or pipes
comprising a drum to carry the coiled flexible pipes having a hollow axis through
which the gas or oil is conveyed to the engine or the alternative method of
multiplying sheaves around which the flexible pipe passes so as to extend in length
as the crane travels from the supply stand-pipe substantially as described and
shewn,

page_text: 4th. The travelling or radial jib crane adapted to be actuated by gas or vaporised
oil engines and capable of performing all the operations required, comprising the
various arrangements of mechanism in combination, constructed and operating
substantially as described and shewn on the drawings herewith.
Dated this 24th day of January 1894.
T. J. DANSON, F. Inst. P.A.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Agent for Applicants.
T. J. DANSON, F. Inst. P.A.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Agent for Applicants.