Propeller and other Shafts.
Year: 1885

page_text: Propeller and other Shafts.
We JOHN FRANCIS HALL of Norbury Sheffield in the County of York, Manager
of Steel Works, and JOHN VERITY of Billing Bank Bramley near Leeds in the
County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUPLINGS FOR SCREW PROPELLER AND
OTHER SHAFTS to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of an arrangement of coupling, whereby strained or bent
shafts, or shafts at an angle to each other may be coupled together, and a rotary
motion transmitted from one to the other.
These improvements are applicable to screw propeller or other shafts.
The ends of the shafts to be connected are recessed or cupped to receive a ball
which is inserted between them; this ball retains the axes of the end of each shaft
an equal distance from its centre, without retarding or interfering with the motion
thereof, as described in the Specification of Arthur Verity's Patent N° 2278, 1881.
The two ends to be connected are provided with discs, either forged or cast solid
therewith, or made separately and secured upon the shafts by any suitable means.
Upon the face of each disc are projecting jaws corresponding and engaging with
each other.
In order to keep the ends of the shafts in contact with the ball above mentioned,
suitable bolts are passed through both discs, fitting loosely in their boltholes ; under
each bolt head, or nut, we place a spring washer.
Not only by this arrangement are the parts before described kept in close contact,
but the spring washers admit also of the discs separating and closing upon each
other, when the shafts are rotating with any irregular or angular movement.
For the purpose of taking up the backlash and compensating for the wear on the
driving faces of the jaws, one side of one set of the jaws is fitted with an adjustable
face-piece of wedge form, each being secured by means of a bolt, the head of which
fits into a recess formed in the face of the jaw, but in such a manner as to permit
of adjustment.

page_text: One side of the other corresponding set of jaws is fitted with removeable parallel
face-pieces of suitable material, these work in contact with the plain faces of the
herein before mentioned jaws.
Each of the adjustable, and also the removeable face-pieces are slightly rounded
on their faces, to admit of any irregular or angular movement before referred to.
To prevent accidents from the projecting ends of the adjusting bolts before
mentioned, we encircle the discs at a convenient distance from their peripheries
with a guard of sheet metal or other material provided with suitable openings for
operating the facepieces.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Couplings for Screw
Propeller and other Shafts.
We JOHN FRANCIS HALL of Norbury, Sheffield in the County of York, Manager
of Steel Works, and JOHN VERITY of Billing Bank, Bramley, near Leeds in the
County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUPLINGS FOR SCREW PROPELLER, AND
OTHER SHAFTS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our invention consists in a novel construction or arrangement of Coupling
whereby shafts having a tendency to become strained or bent, or shafts at an angle
to each other being coupled together thereby may have a rotary motion transmitted
from one to the other without undue strain upon the bearings or the shafts
themselves.
The improved couplings are specially applicable to the shafts of screw propellers,
but they may be applied to other shafts.
And in order that our invention may be clearly defined and understood we annex
a sheet of illustrative drawings in which similar letters of reference indicate similar
parts of the Coupling in any of the Figures in which they occur.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a coupling made according to our invention.
Fig. 2, is the end face of driving shaft.
Fig. 3, the end face of driven shaft.
Fig. 4, plan of coupling with guard plate.
Fig. 5, plan of coupling without guard plate.
Fig. 6, astern elevation of coupling.
In carrying out our invention, the ends of the shafts A, B, to be connected, are
recessed or cupped out to receive a ball C, which is inserted or placed between
them; this ball retains the axes of the two shafts an equal distance from its centre,
without interfering with the motion, as described in the specification of Arthur
Verity No 2278, 1881.
On the end of each of the shafts A & B are forged, cast, or otherwise fixed a
dise D and E, and upon the face. of each disc are projecting jaws F & F¹ corre-
sponding with, and arranged to engage with each other.
In order to keep the ends of the shafts A and B, in contact with the ball C,
suitable bolts G, are passed through both discs, fitting loosely in the bolt holes, and
under each bolt head we place a spring washer H.
Not only by this arrangement are the parts before described kept in close
contact but the spring washers admit of the discs D and E, separating and closing
upon each other when the shafts A and B, are rotating with an irregular or angular
movement.
For the purpose of taking up the backlash, and also compensating for the wear
on the driving faces of the jaws F & F¹, the faces of the jaws F¹ on the driven
shaft Fig. 3, are fitted with adjustable face-pieces I, of a wedge form, each face-
piece being separately secured by a hook bolt J, the head of which fits into a recess

page_text: formed in the face of the jaw, and shown in Figs 2 & 3, the nuts K form the means
of adjustment by forcing the face-pieces forward when requisite.
The faces of the jaws F, on the driving shaft Fig. 2, may each be provided with
a parallel facepiece L, of suitable material to work in contact with the corre-
sponding jaw faces F
The parts F and F, are slightly rounded on their faces to admit of any irregular
or angular movement of the shafts and discs as herein before mentioned.
To prevent any accident from the projecting ends of the adjusting bolts J, see
Fig. 2, we fix a number of brackets M of any suitable construction, on the periphery
of the disc E; these brackets support an encircling hoop N, which encloses the bolts
before mentioned. We prefer to make the hoop in halves, and secure it by the
screws O, seen in Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed and carried into effect,
we declare that what we claim is:-
1st The manufacture of Couplings for Screw Propeller and other shafts, for the
purpose specified, and substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
2nd In Couplings for Screw Propeller and other shafts arranged to adapt them-
selves to shafting, as hereinbefore described, the use or employment of face-pieces
with adjusting screws marked I, J, & L, in the drawings, in combination with the
jaws F & F for the purpose specified.
3rd The application of spring washers H under the heads of bolts & substantially
as and for the purposes herein set forth.