IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY BODI ES.
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Cherry, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY BODI ES.
Sealed the 27th April 1877, and dated the 5th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Cherry at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1877.
HENRY CHERRY, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING
AND LOWERING HEAVY BODIES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in machinery
or apparatus for raising and lowering heavy bodies, in which fluid pressure is the
motive power employed.
I construct a cylinder bored from end to end in which a piston works. To this
piston one or more chains, ropes, or bands are attached, a casing enclosing a drum
being bolted to the end of the said cylinder. On this drum the said ropes, chains,
or bands coil, and are attached to it. Instead of the drum a toothed chain wheel
may be employed. The drum spindle passes through a stuffing box in the said
casing. On one end of the drum spindle outside the casing another drum pulley,
gear wheel or rope wheel is fixed, which sets in motion a chain, rope, or band, or
other well-known means of communicating motion. A slide or other valve or
valves admit and exhaust fluid from the cylinder.
In using an ordinary chain I prefer to form the Vee-shaped thread on the
internal drum on which the chain works. The slide valve I prefer to construct of
a circular periphery and rotating in a cylindrical bush in which the ports are
formed. The said bush I force into a casing having the inlet and outlet passages
cast on and having suitable projections dividing the same. The fluid passes inside
the bush, and presses the valve to its seat.
As a means of thoroughly controlling the motion of the piston I employ either
the above-described valve or an ordinary slide valve, or other well-known substitute.
The spindle moving the valve has a screw thread cut on it. This screw thread
works in a nut formed in the boss of a gear wheel, or a substitute for the same.

page_text: This gear wheel is prevented from moving endways, but is rotated by another gear
wheel or substitute receiving motion from the drum spindle. The said gearing is
arranged so that when the screwed spindle moving the valve is turned in the
direction for lifting the consequent motion of the drum spindle turns the gear wheel
in the boss of which the nut is cut in the same direction, thus tending to reverso
the motion of the valve.
The apparatus may be made double acting by using two drums and casings, the
drum spindles being connected by suitable gearing for producing simultaneous
motion.
In applying a cylinder as above described to a crane I use the cylinder as the strut
of the jib part of the crane. I prefer to employ two chains to connect the piston to
the enclosed drum, as thereby the strain is always applied most directly to the said
piston.
The cylinder may be lagged; the exhaust steam, when steam is the fluid used,
passed into the opposite end or round it, or all three methods employed conjointly
for the purpose of keeping it hot.
To lessen friction of the drum spindle I sometimes use roller bearings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Cherry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th July
1877.
HENRY CHERRY, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING
AND LOWERING HEAVY BODIES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in machinery
or apparatus for raising and lowering heavy bodies, in which machinery fluid
pressure is the motive power employed.
I construct a cylinder bored from end to end in which a piston works. To this
piston one or more chains, ropes, or bands are attached, a casing enclosing a drum
being bolted to the end of the said cylinder. On this drum the said ropes, chains,
or bands coil, and are attached to it. Instead of the drum a toothed chain wheel
may be employed. The drum spindle passes through a stuffing box in the said
casing. On one end of the drum spindle outside the casing another drum pulley,
gear wheel or rope wheel is fixed, which sets in motion a chaiu, rope, or band, or
other well-known means of communicating motion. A slide or other valve or
valves admit and exhaust fluid from the cylinder.
In using an ordinary chain I prefer to form a V shaped thread on the internal
drun on which the chain works. The slide valve I prefer to construct of a circular
periphery, and rotating in a cylindrical bush in which the ports are formed. The
said bush I force into a casing having the inlet and outlet passages cast on and
having suitable projections dividing the same. The Huid passes insidethe bush, and
presses the valve to its seat.
As a means of thoroughly controlling the motion of the piston I employ either
the above-described valve or an ordinary slide valve or other well-known substitute.
The spindle moving the valve has a screw thread cut on it. This screw thread
works in a nut formed in the boss of a gear wheel, or a substitute for the same.
This gear wheel is prevented from moving endways, but is rotated by another gear
wheel or substitute receiving motion from the druin spindle. The said gearing is
arranged so that when the screwed spindle moving the valve is turned in the
direction for lifting the cousequent motion of the drum spindle turus the gear wheel
in the boss of which the nut is cut in the same direction, thus tending to reverse
the motion of the valve.
The apparatus may be made double acting by using two drums and casings, the

page_text: drum spindles being connected by suitable gearing for producing simultaneous
motion.
In applying a cylinder, as above described, to a crane I use the cylinder as the
strut of the jib part of the crane. I prefer to employ two chains to connect the
piston to the enclosed drum, as thereby the strain is always applied most directly
to the said piston.
The cylinder may be lagged or covered with an imperfect conductor of heat; the
exhaust steam, when steam is the fluid used, may be passed into the opposite end
or round it, or all three methods employed conjointly for the purpose of keeping
it hot.
t
To lessen friction of the drum spindle I sometimes use roller bearings.
Having described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe with.
reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in which the same is to be
performed.
.:
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of one arrangement of the improve-
ments constituting my Invention, and Figure 2 represents a section of the same
taken through the line A, Figure 1.
a is the bored cylinder; and b, the piston working steam tight therein; d is the
casing bolted to the end of the cylinder a; and e is the drum working in the said
casing d. One or more chains, ropes, or bands c are connected at one end to the
piston b, and their other ends are connected to the drum e. The shaft & of the
drum e passes through stuffing boxes f, f, (see Figure 2), in the ends of the drum d.
On one end of the axis e and external to the casing is another drum pulley or gear
wheel or rope wheel g, by means of which motion is given to the chain, rope, or
other agent by which the heavy body is to be raised. When steam is admitted to
the right-hand side of the piston b the said piston is forced towards the end a³ of
the cylinder. The chain c is thereby uncoiled from the drum e. The rotation of
the drum e, shaft f, and drum y causes the winding of the chain h on the said
drum g, and the raising of the heavy body to which the said chain is attached.
Figure 4 represents on a small scale the application of my Invention to a steam
crano. The cylinder casing and external drum are marked with the same letters as
the corresponding parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The chain h on the drum g passes
over the pulley g³, and is connected in the usual way to the body to be raised.
It will be seen in Figure 4 that the cylinder a constitutes the strut of the jib part
of the crane. I prefer to employ two chains c, c, Figure 2, to connect the piston b
to the drum e, and when I employ ordinary chains I prefer to form V shaped ribs
or threads on the drum, as shown at k in Figure 5, which Figure represents in
section a half drum of this kind.
"
In order to control the motion of the piston I prefer to employ the arrangement
of valve represented in longitudinal section in Figure 6, and in cross section in
Figure 7. The valve is cylindrical, and works in the cylindrical bush m forced
into the casing o, having an inlet passage p and outlet passages q, q. The ports in
the bush m.are marked n, n; or a slide valve of the kind represented in Figure 11
may be employed. The spindler turned by a hand wheel has a scrowed part t
working on the fixed screw box u. By turning the hand wheel motion in one or
other direction may be given to the slide valve s. I do not, however, limit myself
to the use of any particular kind of valve.
Figure 8 represents in longitudinal section, and Figure 3 in end elevation, a
double-acting arrangement of my Invention. The cylinder a is provided with one
piston b, two casings d, d, each having its drum with spindle and external drum.
The external drums are connected respectively to opposite sides of the piston b
The shafts are geared together by the endless chain w passing round the pitch chain
wheels w², w. As the steam is made to act on one or other side of the piston b the
said piston is moved in one or other direction, and motion communicated to the
external pitch chain wheels w², w², and drum g.
Instead of the drum e having a chain c coiled upon it a toothed chain wheel and

page_text: chain passing over it may be employed, as represented in the section, Figures 9
and 10.
In the section, Figure 10, a second cylinder and piston of small diameter aro
represented, an endless chain passing over pulleys at each end of the cylinders.
The object of this arrangement is the same as that represented in Figure 8, namely,
to rotate the lifting chain drum g by the fluid pressure in both directions instead
of merely in one. The same result is obtained by the arrangement represented in
Figure 11.
.
Figure 11 represents a modification of my Invention, in which two parallel
cylinders and pistons of equal or different diameters are employed. These pistons
are connected by a chain passing over a pitched chain wheel, or secured to a barrel,
and by the action of the steam on the upper sides of the pistons alternately an alter-
nating lifting power in opposite directions is obtained, that is, the drum on the
axis e of the chain wheel e raises the chain passing over it with equal or different
force in whichever direction the said chain wheel turns.
Figure 12 represents a modification of my Invention, in which motion from the
piston is communicated to the shaft of the chain drum by means of a rack on the
piston, and a spur pinion on the said shaft. As the connection between the piston
and shaft is in this modification rigid the motion of the piston is available for giving
the required raising power to the external drum in either direction, and the cylinder
is provided with valve mechanism for enabling the steam to act both on the upper
and under side of the piston. In this arrangement the same advantages are obtained
with a single cylinder and piston as aro obtained in the arrangement Figure 11 by
the use of two cylinders and pistons.
In order to lessen the friction of the drum spindle in its bearings antifriction
rollers may be employed, as illustrated at a in Figures 1, 2, and 8.
Although, for the sake of brevity, I have only described my Invention in con-
nection with steam, yet my Invention may be used with water or other elastic or
inelastic fluid as the motive power.
.
Having described the nature of my said Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
improvements in machinery or apparatus for raising and lowering heavy bodies, the
combination of a cylinder and piston with a rotating drum contained in a casing
on the end of the cylinder, rotatory motion being communicated to the said drum
by the said piston, and transmitted by the axis of the drum to the exterior of the
casing, whether the cylinders and pistons be used singly or in pairs, and whether
the apparatus be worked by steam or water or other fluid pressure, substantially as
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Cherry, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
HENRY CHERRY. (L.S.)