IMPROVEMENTS IN ROUNDABOUTS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Savage at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th December 1881.
FREDERICK SAVAGE of King's Lynn in the County of Norfolk "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ROUNDABOUTS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in roundabouts and relates to
the class of roundabout in which boat-like vehicles are employed which as they
pass around the circular track have a pitching movement imparted to them.
The boats are each carried upon a transverse horizontal axis passing beneath
the bottom of the boat near the middle; and in relation to the main rotating frame
these axes are radial. The boats are coupled together stern to stern by rocking
levers and a rock shaft and links so that as the stern of one descends that of the
next rises.
Each rock shaft has two levers fixed upon it they project in opposite directions
and ball joints connect the links to the outer ends of the levers. By similar joints
the links are connected with the boats.
The rock shaft also in each case carries an arm, at the end of which there is a
small wheel or bowl and this is received into a curved guide course along which it
traverses as the boats move round the track. Thus the rock shaft and levers and
hence the boats receive a rocking or pitching movement,
The roundabout may be drawn by horses or propelled by steam or other power.
In place of employing a curved guide course to impart the rocking movement I
sometimes use cranks and connecting rods. The cranks are fixed upon the axles
of wheels of large diameter placed just within the circle of boats and which support
or aid in supporting the main frame and load upon it.
When steam power is employed the main frame of the roundabout is built
around a gear ring having internal teeth. The engine dismounted from its
travelling wheels stands within the ring and drives it and the roundabout by
means of a pinion at the lower end of a vertical shaft which itself is driven by
bevilled gear from the crank shaft of the engine.
The chimney of the engine forms the central post of the roundabout and from a
revolving ring upon the chimney near the top suspending rods pass down to tho
main frame between the boats.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Frederick Savage in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th June
1882.
FREDERICK SAVAGE of King's Lynn in the County of Norfolk. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ROUNDABOUTS.”
This Invention has for its object improvements in roundabouts and relates to
the class of roundabout in which boat like vehicles are employed which as they
pass around the circular track have a pitching movement imparted to them.
The boats are each carried upon a transverso horizontal axis passing beneath the
bottom of the boat near the middle, and in relation to the main rotating frame
these axes are radial. The boats are coupled together stern to stern by rocking
levers and a rock shaft and links so that as the stern of one descends that of the
next rises.
Each rock shaft has two levers fixed upon it they project in opposite_directions
and ball joints connect the links to the outer ends of of the lovers.
joints the links are connected with the boats.
By similar
The rock shaft also in each case carries an arm at the end of which there is a
small wheel or bowl and this is received into a curved guide course along which it
traverses as the boats move round the track. Thus the rock shaft and levers and
hence the boats receive a rocking or pitching movement.
The roundabout may be drawn by horses or propelled by steam or other power.
In place of employing a curved guide course to impart the rocking movement
I sometimes use cranks and connecting rods. The cranks are fixed upon the axles
of wheels of large diameter placed just within the circle of boats and which support
or aid in supporting the main frame and load upon it.
When steam power is employed the main frame of the roundabout is built
around a gear ring having internal teeth. The engine dismounted from its travelling
wheels stands within the ring and drives it and the roundabout by means of a
pinion at the lower end of a vertical shaft which itself is driven by bevilled or
other form of gear from the crank shaft of the engine. The chimney of the engine
forms the central post of the roundabout and from a revolving ring upon the
chimney near the top, suspending rods pass down to the main frame between the
boats.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan and Figure 2 an elevation of a rounabout constructed
according to my Invention.
a a a are radial bars which together with other bars a² a' form a circular
rotating frame surrounding a central post, the post is not however represented in
these Figures. The frame is supported upon wheels bb, and these run upon a
circular guide track c.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of this track. dd are radial axes carried in
e. The axis
bearings upon the moving frame and each of them supports a "boat"
being under the centre of the boat or thereabout. The frame also carries other
horizontal axes ff upon which are fixed levers g g and these by universally jointed
links, are connected with the sterns of the boats. Thus the stern of one boat must
ascend as the other descends and the weight at the stern of one boat is balanced by

page_text: the weight at the stern of the next; for it is at the stern end that these boats are
usually more heavily loaded. Each axis falso has an arm h fixed upon it and this
carries a friction roller h¹. The roller h¹, passes along the undulating guido
course i, which is fixed at the side of the guide track c. Thus as the frame
revolves, carrying the boats upon it, these boats receive a pitching motion as if
at sea.
Figure 4 is a plan of a similar arrangement. Figure 5 is a side elevation and
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation in which one of the boats is seen end on. In this
modification the wheels b are of much larger size and they have cranks upon their
axes and connecting rods pass from these to arms upon the axes f. In these Figures
also the central post appears and suspending rods supporting the frame from the
upper part of the post. By the adjustment of the length of these rods the weight
upon the wheels 6 can be regulated.
This roundabout is intended to be worked by horses.
Figures 78 and 9 are similar views of a roundabout to be worked by steam and
Figure 10 is a vertical section of a portion of the gear; the section is taken in the
plane of the crank shaft of the engine. The main revolving frame is built around
a metal ring k, which is provided with internal teeth and is held between guide
rollers mounted upon the stationary bed frame. External teeth may also in
some cases be employed.
m is a vertical axis secured to the side of the engine and provided with a pinion m¹
engaging with the teeth of the ring k, m² is a bevilled wheel on the same vertical
axis and engaging with a bevilled pinion n on the crank shaft of the steam
engine.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I claim :-
1
First. The method of coupling and imparting a pitching motion to boat like
vehicles of roundabouts by rock shafts levers, and links, substantially as described.
Second. The method of imparting a pitching motion to boat like vehicles of
roundabouts, by means of a curved guide course substantially as described.
Third. The arrangement of gear for driving roundabouts by steam power,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said Frederick Savage have hereunto sot my
hand and seal this Third day of Juno in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.