Improvements in and relating to Hydraulic Hoists.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 14th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Hydraulic Hoists.
I, JOHN ALEXANDER STEVEN, of 12 Royal Crescent, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
or arrangement and combination of the parts of hydraulic cylinders and rams and
their gearing and fittings, for regulating and balancing their action and making
them more compact, and suitable for hoists and lifts than heretofore.
The improvements consist in forming the hydraulic cylinders with their open
ends inverted, and having the rams working up through stuffing boxes in their
lower open ends, and for ordinary hoist or lift purposes, the cylinders would be
bolted by strong brackets to a wall or other equivalent. The rams would pre-
ferably be made hollow but solid at their upper ends and connected by a central
pulling rod working out through a stuffing box in the close upper end of the
cylinder, so as to be connected by its top end to the centre of a short adjustable
crosshead or other equivalent a little below, and secured to the side rods or
cheek plates of the reciprocating chain or rope pulley blocks to have freedom
for the rope under the pulleys and swivel. The stationary pulley blocks would
be mounted on a spindle secured in brackets at the top ends of vertical columns
secured below to brackets on the top close end of the cylinder at a sufficient
distance apart to allow of the free up and down motion of the lower moving
blocks between them, and of a stroke between the upper pulleys and the top of
the cylinder equivalent to the length of the desired motion of the ram in the
cylinder.
A further improvement consists in screwing or otherwise securing an adjustable
disc or ring by nuts or otherwise to the rod under the said crosshead to regulate
the extreme length of stroke of the ram for the particular purpose and circum-
stance where it was to be fitted and need, this stop disk coming down on а
corresponding stop ring or projection on the upper end of the cylinder clear of
the stuffing box. Counter balance disc or other weights would be hung on a
rod, secured to the lower end of the ram, so as to balance the weight of the cage
and friction of the ropes or chains on the pulleys, and so work freely up and
down without load, and only require power or pressure of water proportionate to
the extent of the load being raised. By an alternative arrangement, instead of
using the said counterbalance weights, small inverted water cylinders might be
used, one mounted and secured by brackets on each side of the main water cylinder,
and having small solid rod rams working down through stuffing boxes at the lower
open ends of the cylinders, and connected to a crosshead formed on the lower end
of the main ram, so that these small rams would move up and down at the some
rate and to the same extent as the main ram, and be worked through a pipe from
the same pressure accumulator.
Under another arrangement, instead of having a central spindle attached to the
upper end of the ram working out through a stuffing box on the upper end of the
cylinder, two parallel rods might be employed passed down through guide holes in
the fixed top outside the cylinder and attached at the top to the side rods or cheeks
of the reciprocating pulley blocks, by an adjustable swivel crosshead, so as to
adjust themselves to the angle of the blocks, or pass down at an angle on opposite
sides of the cylinder, and be attached below to a crosshead formed on the lower

page_text: end of the ram, and continued down below this so as to carry, the adjustable
counterweights of the cage and fittings.
Deted the 15th Anil 1899
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Hydraulic Hoists.
1, JOHN ALEXANDER STEVEN, of 12 Royal Crescent, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, that is to say :—
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction.
or arrangement and combination of the parts of hydraulic cylinders and rams and
their gearing and fittings, for regulating and balancing their action and making
them more compact, and suitable for hoists and lifts than heretofore.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional eleva-
tion broken away at several parts, and Figure 2 a view at right angles thereto
illustrating my improvements in and as applied to hydraulic hoists:-
Referring to these drawings:-The improvements consist in forming the
ordinary stationary hydraulic cylinders A and B, B, which are fixed to beams or
otherwise as shown at C, with their open ends inverted, and having their rams A¹
and B, B, working up through stuffing boxes A" and B", B", in their lower open
ends, and for ordinary hoist or "lift" purposes these. cylinders would be bolted by
strong brackets to each other and to a wall or other equivalent, as by beams at C.
The large ram A' would preferably be made hollow as shown in Figure 1, but
solid at the upper end A2, and connected by a central pulling rod A', working out
through a stuffing box A in the close upper end of the cylinder A, so as to have
the rod A connected at its upper end to the centre of a short adjustable cross-
head A, or other equivalent, a little below; and secured to the side rods or cheek
plates A, of the reciprocating chain or rope pulley block A', to have freedom for
these and the ropes passing round under them to swivel. The stationary pulley
block as ", would be mounted on its spindle in journal bearings and brackets a
secured at the top ends of vertical columns a' which are screwed together at their
top ends A", and at their lower ends a³, to brackets a' on the top end of the
cylinder A, and at a sufficient distance apart to allow of the free up and down
motion of the lower moving pulley blocks A' between them, and of a length of
stroke between the upper pulley a, and the top A' of the cylinder A equivalent to
the length of the desired stroke or motion of the ram A', in the cylinder A. The
pressure water is admitted from the accumulator and discharged through, the
branch fitted at the upper end of the cylinder A.
A further improvement consists in screwing or otherwise securing an adjustable
disc and hollow ring D, as shown dotted in Figure 1, by screw studs or nuts or
otherwise, to the rod A under the crosshead AB, to regulate the extreme length of
stroke of the ram A' for the particular purpose and circumstance where it was to
be fitted and used; this stop disc D coming down on a corresponding stop end or
projection on the upper end of the cylinder A, so as to be clear of the stuffing
box A. Or when the extreme stroke of the ram A' is desired, this disc ring D
may be dispensed with, and projections D' formed on the side plates A below the
crosshead A to effect the same purpose. Counter balance disc or other weights,
as shown dotted in at E in Figure 1, would he hung on a rod E', secured to the
lower end of the ram A', to balance the weight of the cage and friction, of the
ropes or chains on the pulleys, and so as to make the whole work freely up and

page_text: down without load, and only require power or pressure of water in the cylinder
proportionate to the extent of the load being raised. In some cases, as shown in
Figure 2, small inverted water cylinders B, B, would be used, one mounted and
secured by brackets at B1, on each side of the main water cylinder A, and having
small solid rod rams B' working down through stuffing boxes B" at the lower open
ends of these cylinders B, the rams B' being connected to a crosshead B2, formed
or secured on the lower end of the main ram A' so that these small rams B', B¹,
would move up and down at the same rate and to the same extent as the main
ram A', and would be worked by hydraulic pressure through a branch pipe bat
the upper
ends of these cylinders B, from the same pressure accumulator as supplies
the main cylinder A.
Under another arrangement instead of having a central spindle A³ attached to
the upper end of the ram A' working out through a stuffing box A', on the upper
end of the cylinder A, two parallel rods might be employed passed down through
guide holes in the fixed top outside the cylinder A, and attached at the top to the
side rods or checks A, of the reciprocating pulley blocks A7, by the adjustable
swivel crosshead A', so as to adjust themselves to the angle of the blocks, or pass
down at an angle on opposite sides of the cylinder A, and be attached below to the
crosshead B* formed on the lower end of the ram A³, and continued down below
this so as to carry the adjustable counterweights as E of the cage and fittings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The construction, or general arrangement and combination of the parts of
hydraulic hoists having the hydraulic cylinders inverted or with close upper ends,
and having the chain pulley blocks carried on parallel vertical rods or columns
attached to the upper ends of ram cylinders, all substantially as herein described in
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. In hydraulic hoists, the fitting of the central or main cylinders with
stuffing boxes in combination with and through which the upper central pulling rod
passes and securing said rod to the upper close end of the hollow ram, substantially
as and in the manner herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Third. In hydraulic hoists, the combination with the main water cylinder and
ram of small inverted cylinders and rams or equivalent adjustable balance weights
to operate in unison with the main ram for working the hoisting gear, substantially
as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In hydraulic hoists, the carrying of the fixed chain pulley blocks on
parallel vertical rods, attached to the ram cylinders in combination with means for
regulating the traverse of the ram, substantially as herein described.
Fifth. In hydraulic hoists, the combination with the reciprocating pulley blocks
and hydraulic ram of the two parallel rods having their upper ends attached to the
reciprocating pulley blocks, and their lower ends secured to the lower part of ram
cylinder, and carrying the adjustable counterweights of the cage and fittings,
substantially as herein described.
Dated the 13th January 1893.
W. K. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.