Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Supporting Travellers Designed to Carry Suspended Loads.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Supporting Travellers
Designed to Carry Suspended Loads.
I, ARNOLD GOODWIN, of 56, Sumner Street, Southwark, in the County of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
-
This invention consists of improvements in or relating to that kind of ap-
paratus for supporting travellers designed to carry suspended loads wherein a
movable length of way is arranged between fixed lengths of way arranged at
suitable relative angles so as to act as a turntable or shunt to receive the traveller
carrying the load from one length of way and direct it on to another length of
way at an angle thereto, and it has for object to cheapen the construction and
improve the working of such apparatus, as I shall now describe with reference
to the accompanying illustrative drawings wherein Fig. 1 shows partly in side
elevation and partly in vertical section, Fig. 2 in plan and Fig. 3 in underside
view, one arrangement of such apparatus constructed according to this inven-
tion. Fig. 4 shows the turntable or shunt in cross section, together with a
traveller carried thereby, which is shown in end elevation.
1, 1 and 2, 2, are the four adjacent ends of two pairs of girders of I section
that form two lines of overhead way arranged at right angles to each other.
These four girder ends are rigidly connected together by a metal ring 3 that
is formed with a grooved annular ball race 4 in which run antifriction balls 5.
6 is a circular cast iron plate mounted to revolve on the antifriction balls 5.
This plate is dished on its upper side, as shown, and stiffened by cross ribs 7,
and to its underside is secured a length of way 8 the cross section of which cor-
responds to that of each girder 1, 1, 2, 2" and the length of which corresponds
to the distance between the adjacent ends of each pair of girders so as to fill the
space between each pair of girder ends when turned into line therewith, the
plate 6 and length of way 8 constituting a turntable or shunt. The upper side
of the plate 6 is provided with a circular rack or toothed wheel 9, that may be
bevelled as shown, and into which gears a toothed wheel or pinion 10 fixed on
one end of a spindle 11 that is mounted in a bearing 12 fixed to the ring 3 and
the other end of which is provided with a chain wheel 13, the arrangement being
such that the turntable or shunt can be readily turned by a person standing on
the ground and working a chain passing over the chain wheel 13. 14, 14
(Figs. 3 and 4) are two downwardly extending and oppositely arranged lugs or
projections cast in one piece with the plate 6 and located at opposite side of the
length of way 8 (hereinafter called the shunt rail) so as to block that line of
way for which the turntable or shunt is not set. In Fig. 3 these lugs or projec-
tions block the way 2, 2" and prevent a traveller thereon leaving such way at
the break or space between the two adjacent ends thereof when the turntable
or shunt has been so turned as to bring the shunt rail 8 into line with the way 1, 1ª.
15 are downwardly extending lugs or projections cast in one piece with the ring 3

page_text: and arranged in a circular row between the adjacent girder ends 1, 1ª, 2, 2ª so
as to form stops to prevent a traveller 16 (Figs. 1 and 4), when on the shunt
rail 8, leaving the same whilst it is being turned to transfer the traveller from
one line of way to the other. 17 is a spring pin mounted in a holder 17" on the
ring 3. The inner end of this pin is adapted to enter one or other of four equally
spaced notches or recesses 6ª formed in the plate and thus to lock the shunt
rail 8 in line with one or other of the lines of way 1, 1" or 2, 2ª. The spring
pin is adapted to be withdrawn, when desired, from engagement with the
plate 6 by a rope or chain 18 passing over a guide pulley 19.
The traveller 16 when used for carrying light loads is propelled along the
ways 1, 1 and 2, 2ª by pushing the load by hand. For heavy loads one of the
sets of traveller wheels 16 running on the lower flanges of the ways may be
rotated by toothed wheels 20 that are fixed to such wheels and are driven by a
pinion 21 fixed on a spindle 22 that is journalled in the traveller frame and
provided with a chain wheel 23 adapted to be rotated by a chain 24 worked
from the ground.
To enable the traveller 16 to pass from one line of way to the other, the shunt
rail 8, if it be not locked in line with the way carrying the traveller, must be
unlocked and moved into line with such way and again locked in place. The
traveller is then run onto the shunt rail, after which the turntable or shunt is
unlocked and partly rotated so as to bring the said shunt rail into line with the
other line of way and then relocked, after which the traveller is run onto such
other length of way.
Figs. 5 and 6 show respectively in side elevation and plan, another arrange-
ment of apparatus according to this invention. In this case 1, 1, 1 are the
adjacent ends of three overhead lines of way that converge to a poin; 2, the
adjacent ends 1, 1b being rigidly connected together by a plate 3 and to the
end 1 by a plate or bar 3b. 8° is a shunt rail that is so connected to the end
of the girder forming part of one line of way that it will be supported by such
girder end and can be turned sideways thereon so as to bring it into line with
either of the ways 1" or 1b, 'as may be desired. For this purpose a portion of
the web of the girder end 1 is cut away so as to leave horizontally projecting
top and bottom plates 25 and 26, and a portion of the top and bottom flanges
on the adjacent end of the shunt rail 8" are cut away so as to leave a plain web
portion 86 which is fitted between the top and bottom plates 25 and 26. To the
top and bottom of the same end of the shunt rail "are rivetted top and bottom
plates 27 and 28 respectively, that are fitted over and under the top and bottom
plates 25 and 26 respectively, and through the two adjacent pairs of plates 25,
27, and 26, 28 is passed a hinge pin or bolt 29. By this construction the
hinged end of the shunt rail is firmly supported whilst the said shunt rail can
be easily moved sideways.
30 is a bar secured at its central portion to the top side of the free end of the
shunt rail 8 and having its end portions 30 and 30 bent downwardly and
arranged as shown so that when the shunt rail 8 is in line with either of the
ways 1 or 1, the end of the way not in line with the shunt rail will be blocked
by one or other of the end portions of the said bar so that a traveller cannot
accidentally run off such way.
The shunt rail 8* is moved laterally so as to bring it into line with either of
the ways 1, 1b, by a rack 31 that is suitably guided in a bracket 32, is con-
nected to the bar 30 by a link 33, and is moved backward and forward by a
toothed wheel or pinion 34 which is fixed on a spindle 35 driven through bevel
gearing 36 from a spindle 37 mounted in a bearing carried by the bracket 32
and provided with a chain wheel 38 adapted to be rotated from the ground by
a chain. The mode of using this modified form of apparatus will be obvious
without further description.
The hinged shunt rail 8* can obviously be used in connection with more than
three lines of way if desired.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The hereinabove described improved apparatus for carrying and shunting
travellers designed to carry suspended loads, said apparatus being constructed
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described with reference
to and shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings annexed.
2. The hereinabove described improved apparatus for carrying and shunting
travellers designed to carry suspended loads, said apparatus being constructed,
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described with reference to
and shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 6th day of November 1899.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.