IMPROVE- MENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR CAGES OR LIFTS IN MINES, AND OTHER A
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel of No 28 Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane in the county of Middlesex for an invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR CAGES OR LIFTS IN MINES, AND OTHER
A communication from abroad by Friedrich Pelzer of Dortmund
in the German Empire.
LOCALITIES
•
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th April 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR CAGES OR LIFTS
IN MINES AND OTHER LOCALITIES I a communication from abroad by Friedrich
Pelzer of Dortmund in the German Empire.
This invention relates to improved safety apparatus for maintaining the cages or
lifts in mines and other localities, in their raised position and for releasing them
when they require to be lowered.
For this purpose the framing or staging carries two opposite horizontal shafts at
a point corresponding with the level at which the cage or lift requires to be held,
and on these shafts are dogs or catches that are made to project horizontally
underneath the floor of the cage or lift, so that this rests thereon. These dogs are
loose on the shaft, so that when the cage in rising passes them, they are free to be
pushed up out of the way, while when the cage has risen past them, they are
caused by springs to turn down again into the horizontal position, in which they
are held by lugs thereon engaging with stops on collars fixed on the shaft on each
side of the dog. The shafts carry at their ends vertical levers that engage at
their upper ends with spring catches that hold them and consequently prevent
them from turning so as to allow the cage to depress the dogs by its weight, so
long as it is desired to keep the cage in the raised position. When it is desired to.
lower the cage, the spring catches that hold the levers are released and the weight
of the cage then depresses the dogs, thereby turning the shafts in their bearing

page_text: until the cage has passed down clear of the dogs, whereupon the shafts and dogs
are again turned into their former position by means of springs acting on arms
fixed on the shafts.
The releasing of the spring catches from the vertical levers is effected by means
of cam surfaces on spindles that are turned by hand.levers, the cam surfaces acting
on studs on the catches so as to force them out of gear with the levers.
For preventing the too rapid descent of the cage when the catches are released,
the shafts are connected by levers and rods to the pistons of cataract-cylinders
that are regulated so as to retard the rotation of the shafts and their dogs to any
desired degree.
.
By coupling the two shafts together by coupling rods and levers, the above
described spring arrangement and cataract cylinder for regulating their motion
need only be applied to the one shaft.
In order to reduce as much as possible the frictional resistance of the before-
mentioned spring catches that hold the vertical levers of the shafts, the said
catches and levers are arranged as follows. The lever bears with a rounded edge
against the correspondingly hollowed end of a double jointed or toggle shaped
catch, the contact surfaces between the lever and catch being in such a position
relatively to the hinge-centres of the catch as to tend to fold this together towards
one side, in which direction it is prevented from folding by stops. The other end
of the hinged catch pivotted to an arm which can be moved in a lateral
direction so as to bring the contact surfaces between the lever and catch on the
opposite side of the hinge-centres to that above mentioned. The hinged catch
being free to fold together on that side, it follows that when the arm has been so
moved, the pressure of the lever against the catch will cause the latter to fold
together and allow the lever to move forward in turning with the shaft. The
hinged catch is brought back to its extended position by springs acting thereon.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th October 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR CAGES OR
LIFTS IN MINES AND OTHER LOCALITIES " a communication from abroad by
Friedrich Pelzer of Dortmund in the German Empire
This invention relates to improved safety apparatus for maintaining the cages
or lifts in mines and other localities in their raised position and for releasing them
when they require to be lowered, the improved construction being such that it is
not necessary to raise the cage or lift from its supports in order to enable these to
be withdrawn as is the case with present constructions, it being sufficient to move
a lever actuating the stops or supports in order to throw these out of gear and
allow the cage to descend past them.
The construction of the improved apparatus is shewn on the accompanying
drawings in which Fig 1 shews a front view, Fig 2 a plan, and Fig 3 a side view
of the same, while Figs 4 to 9 shew enlarged details thereof. The apparatus
consists of two shafts A A' Figs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7, situated on each side of the
staging and carrying catches or stops & Figs 2 and 3, that when projecting inwards
serve to support the cage or lift. When the cage rests on these stops d, its weight
tends to turn the shafts A A', but these are prevented from turning by means of
levers H H Figs 1 and 3, fixed to one end thereof outside the staging and held
by the catches S S'. On the opposite ends of the shafts are fixed double ended
levers H2 Figs 1, 2 and 3, to one end of which is connected the piston rod M of
the cataract cylinder K K', while to the other ends are connected rods attached
to springs FF Fig 3. The cataract cylinder K K' communicate by means of a
small pipe S with a reservoir at a higher level, in order that small leakages of
liquid may be continuously made good so that the cylinders shall be always full,
the liquid employed being by preference such as mineral oil, glycerine &c that have
a low freezing point.
The catches S S' are pressed outwards by springs so as to hold the lovers HH'
in position by means of the studs n thereon. For releasing the levers the
catches S S¹ are pressed inwards until the studs are clear of the levers leaving those
free to pass them whereupon the downward pressure exerted by the cage or the
load thereon, upon the stops & will cause the shafts A A¹ and with them the
stops d and levers H H to turn, allowing the cage to descend. The disengaging
of the catches S S¹ is effected by turning the lever band spindle a from the full
position to the dotted position 6'. The spindle a¹ on the opposite side of the
staging is connected by a rod z with the spindle a and is consequently made to
rotate with the latter. Figs 8 and 9 shew this mechanism to a larger scale. The.
spindles a a¹ pass through holes in the arms of the catches S S and carry cam
surfaces m against which bear pins t fixed to S S¹, the cans being so formed that
by the rotation of the spindles a a¹ they press the pins t and with them the ends
of the catches inwards as described.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew separate views of the stops; they are situated, loose on the
shafts A A¹ between fixed rings or collars R, which permit the stops d to turn
on the shafts in an upward direction to such an extent that the cage can pass them
in ascending. The one collar R carries a spring f' which turns the stop
again into its original position when the cage has passed, in which position it is
held by projections n' thereon coming in contact with projections on the collars.
down

page_text: The springs F F¹ Fig 3 serve to turn the shafts A and with them the stops d
back into their original position after the cage has descended past them, the springs
being put in tension by the motion of the levers H2 on the partial revolution of
the shafts A A¹ as before described, in order however to prevent a too sudden
motion of these shafts; the cataracts K K¹ are provided, by regulating the cocks i
in the communicating pipe of which, the speed of motion of the shafts can be
regulated at will.
The lever H¹ and catch S¹, as also the cataract K spring Fand other disengaging
mechanism on one side of the staging may be dispensed with by connecting the
lever H of the shaft A by means of a rod Z, indicated by a dotted line at Fig 3
with a lever Hs on the shaft A'. As the above described locking studs n on the
catches S S₁ for the levers H H would cause considerable frictional resistance in
unlocking it is preferred to employ in lieu thereof the arrangement shown at
Figs 10 and 11 of the drawings, shewing respectively a side view and front view
of the same.
The lever H bears with a rounded edge against the correspondingly
hollowed end of a double jointed or toggle shaped catch C, the contact surfaces
between the lever and catch being in such a position relatively to the hinge
centres 001 of the catch as to tend to fold this together towards one side in the
direction from A to B in which direction it is prevented from folding by
stops The other end of the hinged catch is pivotted at O₁ to the catch
lever S which can be moved in a lateral direction from B to A as in the previous
arrangement so as to bring the contact surfaces between the lever and catch on the
opposite side of the hinge-centres to that above mentioned. The hinged catch C
being free to fold together on that side, it follows that when the arm S has been
so moved, the pressure of the lever against the catch will cause the latter to fold
together as indicated by the dotted lines and allow the lever H to move forward
in turning with the shaft A. The hinged catch is brought back to its extended
position by springs acting thereon as shewn.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim
First. In safety catches for cages or lifts in mines, and other localities, mounting
the catches or stops d on shafts A A¹ which are prevented from turning so as to
allow of the descent of the cage by means of levers H H' and catches S S' until
the levers are released by the catches, substantially as herein described.
Second. Connecting the shafts A A' to springs F F whereby they are turned
into their original position again after the descent of the cage substantially as
herein described.
Third. The use in combination with the shafts A A' and springs F F¹ of
cataracts K K for controlling the motion of the shafts, substantially as herein
described.
Fourth. The combination with the levers H H¹ and catches S S₁ of the
spindles a a¹ with cam surfaces m m. so arranged that by turning the spindles a a¹
the catches S S are moved so as to disengage the levers HH' substantially as
herein described.
3
Fifth. The construction of disengaging mechanism herein described with
reference to. Figs 10 and 11 of the drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my
hand and seal this fifth day of October in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty two
CHAP D. ABEL (L.S.)