Improvements in Mechanism of Friction Clutches.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Jan., 1896-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism of Friction Clutches.
CHRISTIAN KÖRTE 36 Victoria Road Leeds in the County of Yorkshire
Engineer ERNEST WHITLEY of Hollingside, Horsforth near Leeds, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is a modification of mechanism described in
Patent 1083 of 18th January 1894 taken out by Christian Körte and Robt.
Harrison. This modification consists of the following:-The Patent 1083 of
Jan. 1894 describes a friction clutch which is fitted with certain appliances to
enable the elastic disc to be withdrawn and moved without expanding the
same.
The appliances described in the said Patent 1083 of Jan. 1894 consists of
various arrangements of springs. These have acted very well, but in some cases
for larger clutches there has been experienced the difficulty that the springs for
various reasons allowed the screw levers to move before the expansion ring, to
which they were fixed, had fully entered into its shell; and therefore expanded
the same earlier than desirable..
The object of this invention is to overcome this difficulty. This is done as
follows:-
The clutches consist as before of an outer shell bored out slightly conical and an
expansion ring connected by arms to a centre boss sliding on the shaft on feather
keys. The ring is expanded by the usual screws and levers, but instead of the
spring arrangement which we have formerly fixed to the screw-lever and expansion
ring of clutch, a bolt, of suitable form is employed which prevents the screw-lever
from turning and expanding the ring whilst it is moved on the shaft.
This bolt can slide in a boss provided in the expansion ring and projects a short
distance from the back of the ring. When the ring is moved fully into the shell,
the bolt or rod is displaced by contact with the shell and thus allows the screw-
lever to turn. The bolt is always brought back into position by a spring.
Dated thin 92nd dow of
1905.
We, CHRISTIAN KÖRTE, of 36 Victoria Road, Leeds, Engineer, and ERNEST
WHITLEY, of Hollingside, Horsforth, near Leeds, Engineer, both in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:
This invention refers to improvements on a Patent granted to Körte and
Harrison, No. 1083, dated 18th January, A.D. 1894, and the object of this
invention is to construct friction clutches of the type described in the Specification
of the said Patent, in a more efficient manner than heretofore.

page_text: .
Körte and Harrison's Specification, describes a friction clutch, in which an
elastic disc is expanded within a shell when the clutch is in action; and when
the said clutch is required to be disengaged, the elastic disc is contracted by
screw mechanism and then withdrawn from the shell. Springs are employed for
the purpose of preventing the screws from expanding the elastic ring prior to its
being fully in the shell, but althongh in most cases this arrangement has been
found to work well, yet in some instances the springs have permitted the expansion
prior to the complete entrance of the ring within the shell. The object of this
invention is to provide positive locking mechanism to control the action of the
expanding screws, thus ensuring the disc entering to the correct position within the
shell prior to being expanded.
4. In order that our invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which similar letters refer to
like parts in all the figures.
Fig 1. is a longitudinal section of a friction clutch constructed according to our
invention shewing the elastic ring withdrawn and disconnected from the shell, and
Fig. 2 shews the parts engaging with each other.
Fig. 3 is an end view of the same clutch shewing the parts connected together.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, are detailed views of modified forms
of our invention.
According to our invention, we employ a shell A, an expansion ring B, screw
mechanism C for contracting and expanding the ring B, screw levers D for
turning the screws C, toggle levers E which connect a sliding fork sleeve F with
the levers D, all of similar construction to those described and illustrated in
Körte and Harrison's Specification of their Patent No. 1083 '94 before referred
to. In the expansion ring B a locking bolt G is provided, having the interior
end of same projecting from the said expansion ring, and a spring H is provided
on the bolt G, for the purpose of pressing it towards the shell A. The opposite
end of the bolt G is provided with an angle piece J, which engages when
required with a projection K situated on the lever D, and when the parts are in
the position shewn in Fig. 1, the angle piece J is in contact with the projection K,
thus holding the lever D in position and preventing the rotation of the screw C,
thereby preventing the expansion of the ring B. On the sleeve F being moved
forward, the expansion ring B is advanced through the medium of the toggle
levers E and screw levers D, and on the expansion ring coming to the required
position in the shell A, the bolts G come against the interior surface of the said
shell A, thus bringing the said bolts to a standstill and causing them to slide back
into the position shewn at Fig. 2. This sliding of the bolts G frees the projections K
from the ends of the angle pieces J, thus permitting the levers D to turn, and on
the continued advance of the sleeve F, the toggle levers E force the ends of the
levers Doutwards, thus turning the screws C and effectually clamping the expansion
ring to the shell 'A. On the return of the sleeve F to the outward position, the
levers D are turned inwards thus contracting the ring B, and on the withdrawal
of the said ring from the interior of the shell A, the bolts G return to their normal
positions, allowing the angle pieces J to engage with the projections K, thereby
locking the levers firmly in position, as seen at Fig. 1.
It is clear that the above arrangement is open to a number of modifications, and by
way of example we will now proceed to describe four modifications of same, which
shew our invention in various forms.
With reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the locking bolt G is turned down so as to be
of smaller diameter at its outer end, and this small end of the said bolt, passes through
a slot in a pawl L. which is pivotted to the lever D. A nut M is screwed onto the
jend of the bolt G, so as to keep the pawl L in connection with the small end of
the bolt G. When the ring B is in the disengaged position as seen at Fig. 4, the
pawl L is in contact with the interior of the ring B, thus holding the lever D and
preventing the turning of the screw C, but on the arrival of the expansion ring B
at the required position in the shell A, the bolt G is forced backwards thus slipping

page_text: the pawl L from under the edge of the ring B and allowing the lever D to be turned
and so expand the ring B by actuating the screw mechanism C.
With reference to the modification shewn at Figs. 7, 8, and 9, the bolt G is formed
with a hole N in same, and a bolt P is fulcrumed to the lever D in such a manner
as to be able to pass through the hole N when the bolt D is in the back position.
On the entrance of the expansion ring B within the shell A, the bolt G is forced
back so as to bring the hole N below the bolt P, which latter passing through it,
allows the lever D to turn.
Figs. 10, 11, and 12, shew a locking arrangement in which a portion of the bolt G
is cut away, and a projection R situated on the lever D, is enabled to turn in the
cut away portion of the bolt G when the latter is in the back position. In this
manner the bolt G locks the parts in position until it is forced backwards by contact
with the interior of the shell.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15, shew an arrangement where a projection or rim S on the
interior of the shell A, is employed for releasing a pawl L fulerumed on the lever D.
The pawl L is kept towards the shell A by a spring T, and on the expansion ring B
entering the shell A, the rim S knocks the pawl L off a shoulder V situated in the
interior of the ring B, thus disengaging the lever D and allowing the ring B to
expand.
It will be readily seen that a great advantage is obtained by locking the screw
mechanism C by positive means as above described, as the expansion of the ring B
cannot take place unless it is in the required position within the shell, and the
danger of the ring expanding by centrifugal or other action, is entirely obviated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A bolt or other mechanical means, whereby expanding rings of friction clutches
are prevented from expanding until the said bolt or its equivalent comes in contact
with an opposite part of the said clutch, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. A bolt situated in the expansion ring of a friction clutch, the said bolt releasing
the expanding mechanism of the said expansion ring on the end of the bolt coming
into contact with the interior of the shell of the clutch, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
3. The bolt G having an angle piece on same, in combination with the projection K.
situated on the lever D, substantially as described with particular reference to
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangement of parts composing the locking mechanism of friction clutches,
substantially as described with particular reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. The arrangement of parts composing the locking mechanism for friction
clutches, substantially as described with particular reference to Figs. 10, 11, and 12
of the accompanying drawings.
7. The arrangement of parts composing the locking mechanism for friction
clutches, substantially as described with particular reference to Figs. 13, 14, and 15
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1909
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicants.