IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI- NERY FOR TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Miller, the younger, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Ship Builder, and Michael Burke, of Liverpool
aforesaid, Cabinet Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI-
NERY FOR TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Miller and Michael
Burke at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 11th April 1854.
We, JOHN MILLER, the younger, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Ship Builder, and MICHAEL BURKE, of Liverpool aforesaid, Cabinet Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER " to be as follows:-
It has more immediate reference to the construction of gearing for increas-
ing the speed of propeller shafts of screw steamers, as compared with the
speed of the engines, but it is also applicable to many other kinds of machi-
nery where high speeds have to be attained from slower ones.
It consists,
firstly, in dispensing with the teeth of ordinary gearing, and working by contact
alone. For this purpose, we make the peripheries of pinions of hard wood
turned smooth, and the peripheries of wheels of polished metal, or we use the
reverse construction; and in all cases which may require it, we make the
peripheries of unusual breadth, so as to give greater surface of contact. We
do not, however, confine ourselves only to the contact of wood and metal, as

page_text: instead of wood other,substances having properties suited to the purpose may
be used, but at present we find by this combination great power may be
transmitted. This method of driving may be employed with the arrangement
of gear commonly called spur gear.
And our Invention consists, secondly, in a peculiar arrangement of such
gear, namely, as follows:-We place the main contact wheel between two
contact pinions, and beneath the main shaft we place the propeller shaft; we
then connect the propeller shaft with the two pinions by means of connect-
ing rods, and in some cases we also fix an additional contact pinion on the
propeller shaft.
The Invention consists, thirdly, in a peculiar arrangement of bevel gear
that is to say, we key fast a bevel pinion on the propeller shaft, and we gear
into this two bevel wheels, one on each side; the shafts of these two wheels
will consequently be "athwart ship," and we fix a crank on the end of each
to connect them with the engines. This arrangement, it is obvious, incurs
the necessity of running the crank shafts contrary ways, and this we do simply
by reversing the action of the connecting rods in relation to one another.
Our Invention consists, fourthly, in the extension of the above described
modes of transmitting motive power to the cases of all kinds of machinery,
where such modes are conveniently applicable.
And it consists, fifthly, in the application of the described arrangement of
spur gear and bevil gear, with the addition of teeth in those cases where the
method of driving by contact is inadmissible.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Miller and Michael Burke in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOIN
MILLER, the younger, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Ship Builder,
and MICHAEL BURKE, of Liverpool aforesaid, Cabinet Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
Eighteen hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Miller and Michael Burke, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Miller and Michael Burke, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and veud, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRANS-
MITTING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said
John Miller and Michael Burke, by an instrument in writing under our hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Miller and Michael Burke, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:―
Our Invention has reference more particularly to the construction of geering
for transmitting motion from the engines to the propeller shaft in screw
steamers, in order to attain a high velocity of the propeller as compared with
the speed of the engines.
It consists, firstly, in using for this purpose drums or wheels which are
without teeth, but have their peripheries bearing hard upon each other, so
as to transmit the motion by contact alone. The mode of carrying this into
effect will be readily understood on reference to the annexed Drawing, Figs. 1
and 2, which are respectively an end and a side view of our improved geer,
applied in a manner corresponding to that of the ordinary spur geer. A. is the
main or engine shaft; and B, the propeller shaft; upon A are mounted a
series of drums or wheels a, a, having rims or peripheries of hard wood turned
smooth, and upon B are mounted a corresponding number of smaller drums
or pinions b, b, with metallic rims also turned smooth; the surfaces of the two
sets of drums are caused to bear hard upon each other, so that the motion of
one set may communicate motion to the other by contact, as before stated;
instead of a series of drums, one broad drum may be employed on each shaft, as
in Fig. 3. In applying a rim of hard wood to a drum (which may be either
the large or the small one, or both,) we attach it by the same contrivance as is
used in the construction of what are termed mortice wheels, or by other
efficient means, in the Figs., which are a simple outline of our Invention. We
have not shewn any details whereby to compensate for wear, and keep the
surfaces always in contact with the requisite amount of pressure, but this may
be done by a system of screws or wedges, either with or without the combina-
tion of springs, as will be readily understood by mechanicians; and the same

page_text: contrivance for increasing or diminishing the pressure of contact may also be
used for releasing and allowing the propeller shaft to run entirely free whenever
circumstances may require it. We do not confine ourselves precisely to the
arrangement of drums shewn in the Drawing, neither do we confine ourselves
to the use of hard wood alone for the peripheries of the same, although we
prefer it; but we claim, in reference to this part of our Invention, the con
struction of geering to drive screw propellers by contact, as described.
Our Invention consists, secondly, in a peculiar arrangement of spur or
cylindrical geer, adapted to drive screw propellers. This arrangement is illus-
trated in Fig. 6, where A is the main shaft, and B the screw shaft; this latter is
driven intermediately as follows:-On A is keyed a large wheel C, which drives
two pinions D and E, one on each side; the shafts of the pinions are furnished
with cranks (or there may be studs on the pinions themselves), which are
connected with a crank on the propeller shaft B by means of connecting rods,
the centre lines of which only are shewn in the Drawing; the propeller shaft
is thus caused to be carried round at the same speed as the pinions. In some
cases we also apply a third pinion on the propeller shaft itself, as in the
diagram, Fig. 7.
Our Invention consists, thirdly, in a peculiar arrangement of bevil gear for
transmitting motion from the engines to the propeller shaft; this is as follows:-
Referring to Fig. 4, a, a, are two crank shafts, each driven independently of
the other by a separate engine; on these shafts are keyed the bevil wheels c, c,
which drive the pinion D, this pinion being fixed on the propeller shaft B; by
this arrangement it will be obvious, that in order to actuate the pinion simul-
tanecusly in one direction, the wheels will have to run in contrary directions
in relation to each other; this is readily done by allowing the crank of one
engine to turn in a direction contrary to that of the other. In reference to the
two last-described parts of our Invention, we have shewn in the Drawing a
construction similar to that described in the first part, namely, a construction
for driving by contact; both arrangements, however, will be, found equally
applicable to the case of toothed geer, where such is preferred, inasmuch as
the principal object thereby attained is an increase of driving surface, the
utility of which is obvious in both cases. In the arrangement of bevil geer an
additional advantage is gained in giving the power of placing the engines
parallel to or at an angle with the keel, instead of in their usual confined
position, athwart ships. In Fig. 4, we have shewn that the thrust of the
propeller may be taken by a block b, which is adjustable by a screws, by means
of which, in the case of contact geering, more or less pressure may be given, or
the pinion entirely released; while in the case of toothed geering, the pitch

page_text: lines may be adjusted accurately, and the pinion, when requisite, drawn back
out of geer. Fig. 5 is a modification of the foregoing, wherein the thrust is
taken by the wheels C, C, but relieved from too much pressure by the adjusting
screws. We claim, in respect of the two last-described parts of our Inven-
tion, the arrangements described, or any mere modification thereof.
The above several parts of our Invention, as we have before stated, are
more particularly adapted to the driving of screw propellers; we do not,
however, confine ourselves to this adaptation alone, as it is evident that they
are severally applicable to other cases where motive power has to be trans-
mitted; at the same time, with regard to the system of driving by contact, we
are aware that it has been in use before, and we do not claim it generally, but
only in respect to the use of hard wood therein, as described, which is new, and
which renders the system adapted to the driving of heavier machinery than it
has heretofore been applied to. With regard to the second and third parts of
our Invention, we claim their use generally.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Miller and Michael Burke, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witnesses to signatures,
JAMES B. KER.
JOHN COPPING.
JOHN MILLER, JUN. (L.S.)
MICHAEL BURKE.
(L.S.)