AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CONVEYING ROTATORY MOTION TO AXLES."
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Claude Desiré Goubet at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patonts on the 14th October 1878.
CLAUDE DESIRÉ GOUBET, Civil Engineer, of Boulevard de Strasbourg, 23, Paris,
(France). "AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CONVEYING ROTATORY MOTION TO
AXLES."
At the present time when two transmission shafts or axles forming an angle
relative to each other are required to be connected together recourse is chiefly had
to bevel gearing, and when transmission of this kind is mounted the angle of the
shafts cannot be altered except by replacing the gearing or cog wheels.
The object of the system of transmission I have devised is to remove this incon-
venience; the connection of the two shafts is established by a coupling box, in
which the end of each of the two shafts terminates.
The mode of connection of the coupling box with each shaft may vary, but in all
cases this connection is such that the motion is communicated without loss of power
by friction, and the two shafts thus connected bave strictly the same movement.
Generally the end of each shaft is terminated by a spherical bearing fitting into a
cavity of the same shape or form as the coupling box. The spherical bearings
revolve in the box, but for the purpose of transmitting the motion from one to the
other each sphere is provided with a meridonal or circumferential groove, into which
engage two rollers diametrically opposite, whose axes are fixed to or are in a piece
with the box. The grooves of each of the two spheres are arranged in a perpen-
dicular plane relative to each other, and the planes of the rollers are consequently
the same.
The rotary motion of one of the shafts is transmitted by its spherical bearing and
groove to the corresponding rollers, when the coupling box revolves, and by the
second series of rollers it revolves the spherical bearing of the other shaft, and con-
sequently the latter.
It is easily understood that by this means one or both of the shafts may be
removed, their angle of inclination or their direction altered; or they may be
arranged parallel to each other, or in any other way. The rotary motion of the
coupling box may also be availed of to adapt on it a pulley, a gearing wheel, an
Duins 271

page_text: eccentric, or any other constituent part of a machine capable of giving the motion
to a third shaft.
I must add that to the above-described advantages my system of coupling has
also that of much less frictional resistance than the gearings.
Each of the two shafts to be connected carries fixed to it a spherical bearing
provided with a groove. The groove on one of the spherical bearings and the groove
of the other bearing are in perpendicular planes. In each of them are engaged two
rollers, whose axes are fixed to the coupling box. This box is hollowed out to
receive the spherical bearings, and is formed of two parts, which are united by
means of screws or bolts.
As I have before explained the rotation of the shaft causes that of the box by
the swivel, bearing, and the rollers; the box in its turn causes the other shaft to
revolve by its swivel and rollers; thus there is a reciprocity of motion between the
two shafts, whatever be the direction of the rotation, which may be altered at will.
The swivels are not necessarily required to present a complete spherical surface;
it suffices that each swivel is formed of two rings at right angles, that the motion
be suitable. One of these rings is occupied by the groove. If required a single
ring sufficiently wide would suffice to constitute a swivel bearing.
A pulley may be fixed on the box so that the motion may be imparted to three
shafts simultaneously; this pulley may be substituted by a toothed wheel, an
eccentric, or any other constituent part, and is in two parts for convenience of
mounting.
•
The shafts may be parallel to each other, in which case my transmission acts
as a cylindrical gearing.
By another arrangement the swivels of the ends of the shafts present a groove,
into which is engaged a collar. Each collar is supported by the two gudgeons
diametrically opposite, which are screwed into these collars, but which does not
prevent the latter revolving in the coupling box. In this arrangement the collars
play the same part as the rollers of the arrangement precedingly described.
By another arrangement the rollers are free between the jaws of the swivel and
the ribs of the box.
When the box has turned 90 degrees these rollers would escape if they were not
supported by the teeth they carry in the middle of their length, and which gear
into the teeth of the box and those of the jaws of the swivel.
In consequence of the liberty of the rollers these latter roll the length of the
racks between the ribs of the coupling box and the jaws of the swivel; thus there
is no friction.
I may observe that two shafts rotated by my system of coupling have exactly
the same motion. If one has an uniform motion the other has the same movement,
because they are both in the same condition by reason of the coupling box common
apparatus of connection.