Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 25th Aug., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Sept., 1887
A communication from abroad by JAMES MACDONALD, of Chicago, in the State of
Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.
I WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS of 128 Queen Victoria Street in the City of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of friction clutches in which a broken or split
ring is intended to be expanded within an annular shell or cylinder, and the object
of my invention is to provide a simple and effective means for producing such
expansion, as well as to so construct said clutch that it may be made in a small and
compact form, while at the same time it may be caused to exert great power, and may
be applicable to small shafts as well as to those of considerable size in proportion
to the diameter thereof, the nature of all of which is hereinafter more particularly
described.
Upon the driving shaft is mounted a loose ring or disc which is free to revolve
upon the shaft, but is prevented from longitudinal movement by means of rings or
sleeves held rigidly upon the shaft by means of set screws or keys. A lever is
fulcrumed upon the loose ring, and is in turn attached by means of links to a
secondary loose ring mounted upon a sleeve and provided with a pin rigidly attached
thereto, which passes loosely through the first named loose ring, so that the axial
movement of the two is rendered uniform.
A cone-shaped sleeve is loosely mounted upon the driving shaft, said sleeve having
an enlarged portion which overlaps the first named sleeve and abuts loosely against
the ring carried thereon, the two being loosely connected with each other by means
of gibs. This construction permits the cone to be reciprocated upon the shaft by
means of the lever while said cone is free to revolve independently of the rings.

page_text: Keyed rigidly upon the end of the driving shaft is a hub, upon the outer end of
which is formed a rim or flange and a radial projection or shoulder arranged longi-
tudinally upon said hub. The hub is so bored as to receive therein near its periphery,
a loose pin so notched as to conform, when in its normal position, to the arc of the
circle described by the circumference of the hub and to one side of the flange.
Around the hub I place a broken or split ring of spring steel, of such thickness and
width as to cause it to be flush with the surface of the flanges and the end of said
hub. One end of said ring is fitted to bear against one side of the flange and the
other rests in the notch of the pin said end bearing against the radial face of said notch.
A shoulder is formed upon the part which is countersunk in the hub and upon the
opposite end of said pin is attached, by means of a set-screw, a bent arm or lever
having a tapered flange bent at right angles thereto, and adjusted to bear against the
end of the cone. The part of the pin upon which the set screw bears is partially
flattened, the incline of said surface being such as to tighten the set-screw upon
applying an outward pressure to the arm or lover. A rectangular projection is also
formed upon the outer end of the pin to which a wrench may be applied for the
purpose of tightening the pressure of the notched face against the end of the split ring
before screwing the set-screw.
Mounted upon the shaft to be driven is an annular friction ring or hollow cylinder
having a hub which is rigidly secured to said shaft by means of a set-screw or key.
The cylinder is provided with an inner ring or friction surface, preferably of com-
pressed paper, which I prefer to form in two or more pieces, said ring being prevented
from slipping by means of bolts which are embedded, partly in the paper and partly
in the metal cylinder. Said bolts serve as a means of attaching a flange which is
flush with the inner surface of the paper ring and serves to retain the latter within
the cylinder. The interior diameter of the paper ring is slightly larger than that
of the split ring when the latter is in its normal position, so that the one is normally
free to turn within the other.
The operation of said device is as follows:-
Upon moving the lever forward the cone is wedged between the shaft and the
tapered flange of the arm or lever which serves to partially revolve the cam or pin,
thereby expanding the split ring against the friction surface and revolving the cylinder
and shaft to be driven.
Dated this 15th day of February 1887.

page_text: A communication from abroad by JAMES DONALD, OF CH
Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.
LHO
I WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS of 128ª Queen Victoria Street in the City of London
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 relates to that class of friction clutches in which a broken or split
ring is intended to be expanded within an annular shell or cylinder; and the object
of my invention is to provide a simple and effective means for producing such
expansion, as well as to so construct said clutch that it may be made in a small and
compact form, while at the same time it may be caused to exert great power (and
may be applicable to small shafts as well as to those of considerable size) in proportion
to the diameter thereof; the nature of all of which is hereinafter more particularly
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Y,
Figure 1 is a side view of said clutch and the shafts upon which the same is
mounted; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same; Figure 3 is
a transverse sectional view upon the line x----x, Figure 1, viewed in the direction
of the arrow there shown; Figure 4 is a like sectional view upon the line y-
Figure 2, viewed as indicated by the arrow in said figure; Figure 5 is a detached,
perspective view of the hub to which the expanding ring is attached, the notched pin
or cam for producing said expansion being shown therein, and the position of the ring
indicated in dotted lines; Figure 6 is an end view in detail, of a portion of said hub,
showing the manner of connecting the ring therewith, and the operating cam;
Figure 7 is a side view of the cam or pin used to expand the ring, and Figure 8 is a
sectional view in detail, of a portion of the annular shell or friction ring.
Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the different figures.
A in the drawing, represents the driving and B the driven shaft. Upon the former
is mounted a loose ring or disc a, which is free to revolve upon the shaft, but is
prevented from longitudinal movement by means of rings or sleeves a¹ a², Figure 2,
held rigidly upon the shaft by means of set-screws or keys. A lever is fulcrumed
upon the ring a, and is in turn attached by means of links c, one of which is shown in
Figure 1, to a secondary loose ring c¹ mounted upon the sleeve a² and provided with
a pin c rigidly attached thereto, which passes loosely through the ring a, as shown,
so that while c can slide freely along the sleeve a it is prevented from rotating
relatively to a.
A cone shaped sleeve D is loosely mounted upon the shaft A, said sleeve having an
enlarged portion d which overlaps the sleeve a² and abuts loosely against the ring c¹,

page_text: the two being loosely connected with each other by means of gibs d', Figure 2. This
construction permits the cone D to be reciprocated upon the shaft by means of the
lever C, while said cone is free to revolve independently of the rings ca.
Keyed rigidly upon the end of the shaft A is a hub E upon the outer end of which
is formed a rim or flange e and a radial projection or shoulder e¹ arranged longitudi-
nally upon said hub. The hub E is so bored as to receive therein near its periphery,
a loose pin F, so notched as to conform, when in its normal position, to the arc of the
circle described by the circumference of the hub E and to one side of the projection
or shoulder e as shown at f.
Around the hub E I place a broken or split ring G of spring steel, of such thickness
and width as to cause it to be flush with the surface of the flange e and projection or
shoulder e and the end of said hub. One end of said ring is fitted to bear against
one side of the projection or shoulder e¹ and the other rests in the notch f of the
pin F, said end bearing against the radial face of said notch. A shoulder f¹ is formed
upon the pin F, which is countersunk in the hub E, and upon the opposite end of said
pin is attached, by means of a set-screw h, a bent arm or lever H, having a tapered
flange h¹ bent at right angles thereto, and adjusted to bear against the end of the
cone D, as shown in Figure 1. The part of the pin F, upon which the set-screw bears
is partially flattened as shown at f2, Figures 3 and 7, the incline of said surface
being such as to tighten the set-screw upon applying an outward pressure to the arm
or lever H. A rectangular projection f is also formed upon the outer end of the
pin F, to which a wrench may be applied for the purpose of tightening the pressure
of the notched face f, against the end of the split ring G, before screwing the set
screw h.
a
Mounted upon the shaft B, is an annular friction ring or hollow cylinder having
hub j, which is rigidly secured to said shaft by means of a set screw 1 or a key. The
cylinder J, is provided with an inner ring or friction surface K, preferably of
compressed paper, which I prefer to form in two or more pieces; said ring being
prevented from slipping by means of bolts kk, which are imbedded, partly in the
paper and partly in the metal cylinder as clearly shown in Figure 4. The bolts k k
serve as a means of attaching a flange J¹, which is flush with the inner surface of the
paper ring K, and serves to retain the latter within the cylinder. The interior
diameter of the paper ring K is slightly larger than that of the split ring G, when
the latter is in its normal position, so that the one is normally free to turn within
the other.
The operation of said device is as follows, supposing the shaft A to be in motion :-
Upon moving the lever C forward, the cone D is wedged between the shaft and the
part of the arm or lever 'H, which serves to partially revolve the cam or pin F,
thereby expanding the split ring against the friction surface K, and revolving the
cylinder J and shaft B.
I make no claim herein, except in combination to the construction and arrangement
of the friction lining K, as the same forms the subject matter of my application
No. 2361 of 1887.
The principal advantage of said construction is that the clutch may be made very
small, while at the same time, a powerful action may be produced thereby.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is :—
1. The combination in a friction clutch, of an expansion ring arranged upon a hub
attached rigidly to a shaft, one end of said ring abutting against a shoulder upon the
periphery of said hub, and the other within a notch of a pin loosely fitted within said
hub upon the opposite side of said shoulder, means, as the am H, and a sliding cone
and lever for partially rotating said pin or cam, and an annular cylinder attached to
the countershaft or pulley hub, and provided with a suitable friction lining, whereby
said expansion ring may be brought into frictional contact therewith, substantially as
and for the purposes specified.

page_text: 2. The combination of the cylinder J, having an interior friction surface, ring G,
hub E, pin F, arm H, having the bent portion ¹ and the loose cone D in operative
connection with the lever (), substantially as described.
3. The combination of the cylinder J having an interior lining of compressed
paper, ring G, hub E, pin F, arm H, having the bent portion h', and the loose cone D
in operative connection with the lever (), substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
4. In a friction clutch having an expansion ring for producing a frictional contact
with the friction cylinder, the combination with said ring of a notched pin or cam,
having a bearing in the hub upon which said expansion ring is mounted, and in
engagement with one end of said ring, and means for partially rotating said pin,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. The combination of the cam or pin F, provided with the partially flattened
surface, arm H, and set screw h, whereby said set-screw may be tightened in
proportion as power is applied to said arm, substantially as described.
6. The combination of the cam or pin F, provided with the partially flattened or
eccentric surface f*, arm H, set-scrow k, and part f for adjusting the expansion of
said ring to the wear of the interior friction surface of the shell, substantially as
described.
Dated this 25th day of August 1887.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Applicant's Agent.