An Improved Method and Means for Automatically Relieving Frictional Surfaces of Stress or Pressure thereon.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th Aug., 1895-Accepted. 21st Sept., 1895
An Improved Method and Means for Automatically Relieving
Frictional Surfaces of Stress or Pressure thereon.
I, ADOLF KOLBE, of 67 Zeil, Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In conveying power by means of gearing a considerable loss owing to friction
takes place, when the load is heavy.
This invention has for its object to relieve the load on frictional surfaces by
employing magnetic attraction in an opposite direction to the direction of pressure,
so that magnetic lines of force, corresponding to the pull, serve to bear or convey
the power or load in place of the frictional surfaces under pressure (for instance
pins, studs, bearings, pulleys, bars or guides and the like) in gearing which will
hereinafter he indicated as guiding surfaces.
The invention will now be described in its application to a push crank gearing,
such as that of a compressing engine. In this case the pressure exerted by the
cross head on the under bar of its guide when the crank is at its uppermost point of
rotation is equalised or counteracted by means of a suitably arranged magnet
which attracts in an upward direction the iron parts of the cross head, or an
armature connected with the cross head, or a second magnet attached to the
cross head.
When the piston is again forced back into its cylinder by the expansion of the
operating fluid, an under magnet is excited instead of the upper one. If however
the cylinder be for instance a pump cylinder into which the piston has a tendency
to be drawn by suction, then of course only the upper magnet is excited.
The following is a means of compensating or equalising the cross head hinge.
When compression takes place, the pin of the connecting rod presses on the
bearing or socket of the piston rod or rather of the cross head. This pressure is
counteracted by the attraction of a magnet ou the said pin or on an arinature or
magnet connected therewith.
In a similar manner the pressure in the other parts of the hinges, pins and
sockets of the push-crank-gearing and the shaft may be compensated or equalised.
This magnetic equalisation of pressure may be carried out in various other ways,
according as the pins and sockets or bearings pressing on one another, are connected
with the one or the other part of the gearing. The parts (generally a magnet
and an armature) which act magnetically upon one another may be mutually inter-
changed. Thus instead of the armature, a second magnet may also be employed or
parts of the gearing itself may also serve as a magnet. For instance the cross
head may consist of two magnets which alternately act, as mentioned at the
commencement of this Specification, on the guide bars, which in this case may
act as armatures. Or the pin of the cross head connected with the piston rod
may be provided with an exciting coil and act on the iron socket of the
connecting rod.

page_text: The magnetised surfaces which otherwise would rub on one another, are preferably
lined with a non-magnetic metal in order to avoid direct contact. In place of a
magnet and an armature, several magnets and armatures may be employed.
In most cases the force of attraction must necessarily be adjustable, as the pressure
varies.
Periodically recurring, and previously known alternating pressures may be simply
and suitably compensated by a suitable arrangement of the pole surfaces of the
magnet or armature, by altering the distance between magnet and armature, by
attaching various stronger magnets, by altering the excitability, for instance by
means of resistances or side shunts, by means of switching on or off assistant
magnets, or by special coils on the magnets which act with a strengthening or
diminishing effect. The exciting current may also be directly caused to change
periodically, for instance by connecting a suitably arranged exciting dynamo with
the fly wheel. In this latter case a magnet is connected with the periphery of the
fly wheel and in its course of rotation passes by suitable armature coils and induces
currents in the same, which currents then excite the equalising magnets (which are
in circuit with the armature coils) alternately and with different degrees of strength
as may be necessary.
Similar connections and arrangements of magnets and current exciting armature
coils may also be employed for the remaining parts of the gearing.
Instead of rotating magnets or armature coils, oscillating or reciprocating ones
may also be employed for exciting current. For instance, magnets may be connected
with the piston rod, the lines of force of which magnets are alternately cut by
induction coils, and currents be thus produced in the same which may then be
conveyed to the exciting coils.
Non-periodic alterations of pressure may be compensated by devices for regulating
the current, which are operated by suitable apparatuses which measure the pressure
of the operating fluid in the cylinder, or by connecting a dynamometer with each
regulating device of the exciting circuit, which dynamometer allows the magnets
to operate with more or less force according to the load on the machine.
The equalisation of pressure by magnetic attraction may be employed for other
mechanical arrangements, for instance, for gearing having eccentrics, balance levers,
crank-friction, shafts running in bearings and the like.
In the case of a pump with a frictional crank action, the pins or studs on the
wheel, which studs or pins engage in the bars of the friction device, may be made
in two parts, one half consisting of brass, the other of iron which has been
magnetically excited.
In the upper position of the pin or stud the attraction equalises the pressure
between the pin and the bar; in the lower position that between the pin or
stud and the other bar. Thus here the change in the attraction is produced merely
by a suitable movement of the one part (which is magnetic) and a suitable form of
the same.
For relieving the fly wheel shaft, as an example, and the bearing belonging
thereto, from the stress of compression in the cylinder; a magnet may be connected
with the fly wheel, and by means of its attraction on an armature screwed to the
frame, the pressure between the shaft and the bearing be removed.
Dated this 16th day of November 1891
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improved Method and Means for Automatically Relieving
Frictional Surfaces of Stress or Pressure thereon.
I, ADOLF KOLBE of 67 Zeil, Frankfort-on-the-Main in the Empire of Germany,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to he particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :--
In conveying power by means of gearing a considerable loss owing to friction
takes place, when the load is heavy.
This invention has for its object to relieve the load on frictional surfaces by
employing magnetic attraction in an opposite direction to the direction of pressure,
so that magnetic lines of force, corresponding to the pull, serve to bear or convey
the power or load in place of the frictional surfaces under pressure (for instance
pins, studs, bearings, pulleys, bars or guides and the like) in gearing which will
hereinafter be indicated as guiding surfaces.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figures 1-7 show various diagrammatic and detail views of this invention.
The invention will now be described in its application to a push crank gearing,
such as that of a compressing engine, see Figure 7. Z is the cylinder, K the
piston of the same, G the piston rod, the cross-head, ff the guide, P the con-
necting rod, u the crank, w the axle of the flywheel and R the flywheel. In this
case the pressure exerted by the cross head r on the under bar of its guide ff when
the crank u is at its uppermost point of rotation is equalised or counteracted by
means of a suitably arranged magnet m', which attracts in an upward direction the
iron parts of the cross head, or an armature connected with the cross head, or a
second magnet attached to the cross head.
When the piston K is again forced back into its cylinder Z by the expansion of
the operating fluid, an under magnet m" is excited instead of the upper one m¹. If
however the cylinder Z be for instance a pump cylinder into which the piston K
has a tendency to be drawn by suction, then of course only the upper magnet m¹ is
excited.
The example shown in Figure 2 is a means of compensating or equalising the
cross head hinge.
When compression takes place, the pin i of the connecting rod P presses on the
bearing or socket h of the piston rod G, or rather of the cross head. This pressure
is counteracted by the attraction of a maguet m³ on the said pin i or on an armature
or magnet connected therewith.
In a similar manner the pressure in the other parts of the hinges, pins and
sockets of the push-crank-gearing and the shaft may be compensated or equalised.
This magnetic equalisation of pressure may be carried out in various other ways,
according as the pins and sockets or bearings pressing on one another, are
connected with the one or the other part of the gearing. The parts (generally
a magnet and an armature) which act magnetically upon one another may be
mutually interchanged. Thus instead of the armature, a second magnet may also
be employed or parts of the gearing itself may also serve as a magnet. For
instance as shown in Figure 3, the cross head may consist of two magnets m¹ m²,
which alternately act, as mentioned at the commencement of this Specification on
Or as shown in
the guide bars ff, which in this case may act as armatures.
Figure 4, the pin i of the cross head connected with the piston rod G may be
provided with an exciting coil and act on the iron socket S of the connecting
Tod P.

page_text: The magnetised surfaces which otherwise would rub on one another, are preferably
lined with a non-magnetic metal in order to avoid direct contact. In place of a
magnet and an armature, several magnets and armatures may be employed.
In most cases the force of attraction must necessarily be adjustable, as the
pressure varies.
Periodically recurring, and previously known alternating pressures may be
simply and suitably compensated by a suitable arrangement of the pole surfaces
of the magnet or armature, by altering the distance between magnet and armature,
by attaching various stronger magnets, by altering the excitability, for instance
by means of resistances or side shunts, by means of switching on or off assistant
magnets, or by special coils on the magnets, which act with a strengthening or
diminishing effect. The exciting current may also be directly caused to change
periodically, for instance by connecting a suitably arranged exciting dynamo with
the fly wheel as shown in Figure 5. In this latter case, a magnet m is connected
with the periphery of the fly wheel R and in its course of rotation passes by
suitable armature coils S¹ S2 and induces currents in the same, which currents then
excite the equalising magnets m' m³ (which are in circuit with the armature
coils SS2) alternately and with different degrees of strength as may be necessary.
Similar connections and arrangements of magnets and current exciting armature
coils may also be employed for the remaining parts of the gearing.
Instead of rotating magnets or armature coils, oscillating or reciprocating ones
may also be employed for exciting current. For instance, magnets may be
connected with the piston rod, the lines of force of which magnets are alternately
cut by induction coils, and currents be thus produced in the same which may then
be conveyed to the exciting coils.
Non-periodic alterations of pressure may be compensated by devices for regu-
lating the current, which are operated by suitable apparatuses which measure the
pressure of the operating fluid in the cylinder, or by connecting a dynamometer
with each regulating device of the exciting circuit, which dynamometer allows the
magnets to operate with more or less force according to the load on the machine.
The equalisation of pressure by magnetic attraction may be employed for other
mechanical arrangements, for instance, for gearing having eccentrics, balance levers,
crank-friction, shafts running in bearings and the like.
In the case of a pump with a frictional crank action, such as shown in Figure 6,
the pins or studs m on the wheel R, which studs or pins engage in the bars ff of
the friction device, may be made in two parts, one half consisting of brass, the
other of iron which has been magnetically excited. The iron part is indicated by
shading in the drawing.
In the upper position of the pin or stud m, the attraction equalises the pressure
between the pin m and the barf; in the lower position that between the pin or
stud m and the other bar f¹. Thus here the change in the attraction is produced
merely by a suitable movement of the one part m (which is maguetic) and a suitable
form of the same.
An arrangement is shown in Figure 7 for relieving the fly wheel shaft, as an
example, and the bearing belonging thereto, from the stress of compression in the
cylinder Z, for this a magnet m may be connected with the fly wheel R, and, by
means of its attraction on an armature d screwed to the frame, the pressure between
the shaft w and the bearing / be removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is―
1. An improved method and means for automatically relieving the load on
frictional surfaces of driving gear with variable pressure (push-crank-gearing and
the like) by means of magnetic or electro-magnetic force; characterised by the
Frictional parts being formed as magnets or armatures, or having magnets specially
arranged or attached thereto, the attraction or repulsion of the frictional. parts

page_text: being suitably automatically regulated to the periodically changing pressures by
the form, alteration of position, or different excitation, of the magnets, substantially
as hereinbefore set forth.
2. In the arrangement described in Claim 1, the use of suitably arranged current
producers for yielding currents automatically and periodically altering with the
pressure of the load, for exciting the magnets which compensate the pressure, and
the connection of such current producers with the respective pressure-relieving
magnet coils, substantially as described.
3. In the arrangement described in Claim 1, the use of gas pressure measuring
devices which automatically adjust according to requirements the exciting currents
of the magnets, for instance by the insertion of resistances or in other similar
known manner, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of August 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.