IMPROVED MEANS OF OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
EUGENE ASAERT, of Lille, in the Republic of France, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
October (One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight), in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joseph Eugene Asaert, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Joseph Eugene Asaert, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Joseph Eugene Asaert, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and
in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"IMPROVED MEANS OF OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Eugene Asaert, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
bad, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Eugene Asaert, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of improved means of combining mechanical instru-
ments into a machine for obtaining motive power; and in order that my
Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me. I combine two endless chains
or bands in such manner that one is caused to be moved by a series of descend-
ing weights, and thus to obtain motive power to axes, from which motion is
communicated to the second endless chain or band, which is so arranged as
to convey the several weights back to the higher position, and owing to there
being at all times a large number of weights descending and acting at a
greater leverage than there are weights ascending, and which act at a lesser
leverage, there will result a considerable motive power for giving motion to
other machinery
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Eugene Asaert, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of improved means of combining mechanical instru-
ments into a machine for obtaining motive power; and in order that my
Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me. I combine two endless chains
or bands in such manner that one is caused to be moved by a series of descend-
ing weights, and thus to obtain motive power to axes, from which motion is
communicated to the second endless chain or band, which is so arranged as
to convey the several weights back to the higher position, and owing to there
being at all times a large number of weights descending and acting at a
greater leverage than there are weights ascending, and which act at a lesser
leverage, there will result a considerable motive power for giving motion to
other machinery
DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINERY.
Figure 1 shews a side elevation of a machine constructed according to my
Invention.
Figure 2 is a right hand end view of the machine.
Figure 3 is a left hand end elevation of the machine, and the other Figures
represent various details of the machine separately, the nature of each of
which is written thereon, and are referred to by the same letters of reference
as are used in the other Figures. a, a, is the framing of the machine, the
nature of which will readily be traced in the Drawings. b, b, is an endless
chain which is carried by the two chain wheels c, d, on the axes c', d', which
turn in bearings c, d, as shewn. On the endless chain b, b, are fixed
brackets e, e, c, which receive the weights f. f. f. as the brackets come suc-
cessively over the chain wheel c, thus causing the cliain to descend on that
side of the wheel, and thus is motion obtained continuously to the wheels c, d,
according to the number and amount of weight used, and it will be evident
that if a constant succession of these weights be delivered to the carrying
brackets e, e, on the chain b, b, the power obtained would be the value of the
several weights f. f, which are constantly descending with the chain b, b, but from
this amount of pressure will have to be deducted the loss by reason of the friction
of the various parts, and also the requisite force for causing the weights f, f, to

page_text: be returned into a position for keeping up a constant supply to the chain 6, 6.
And in respect to this part of the arrangement it is important to call attention
to the circumstance of there being only comparatively a few weights rising at a
time in opposition to the larger number of weights which are continuously
descending, consequently the ascending weights which will be acting on a less
length of leverage than the descending weights, there will will be constantly an
advantage in favour of the descending weights, and thus will motive power be
obtained by the working of the machine. 9, 9, is a second endless chain, which
is carried by the chain wheels h, i, on the axes h', ', which turn in suitable
bearings at h³, , as shown, and it is by means of this chain g, g, that the weights
ff, return to the upper part of the machine so as to keep up a supply to the
chain b, b, and so that that chain in descending will have all the descending
brackets filled, and the leverage by which these weights will be raised will
be the radius of the wheels h, i, which, being compared with, will be seen to
be much less than the radius of the wheels c, d, and, therefore, the leverage
with which the weights f, act when descending, will be greater than that of
the ascending weights. Motion is communicated to the chain g, g, in the
following manner:-On the axis c is affixed a bevilled toothed wheel c³,
which takes into and drives the bevilled toothed wheel k, on the axis,
which turns in suitable bearings carried by the framing of the machine; at
the lower end of the axis is affixed a bevilled toothed wheel ", which takes
into and drives the toothed wheel 7, affixed on the axis i¹ of the chain wheel i.
,, are two toothed bars, which are so arranged as to work alternately in
connection with the cog wheels on the axes h, i, that is to say, when the
bar is descending, and by its weight gives motion to the axes h, i, and thus
aid in raising the ascending weights carried up by the chain
the bar 21, being
raised during the time the bar 7 is descending, for which purpose the bar ¹ is
moved out of gear, with its cog wheels on the axes h, i, then the bar will
be put out of gear with its cog wheels on the axes h, i, and the bar will be
brought into gear with its cog wheels and will become the descending bar,
and act to give motion to the axes h, i, and thus aid in raising the ascending
weights, and thus will they alternately be the means of aiding in giving
motion to the axes h, i. The manner in which the bars r, r, are caused to
rise is as follows:-The bars are connected together in such manner that by
moving one out of gear with its cog wheels on the axes h, i, will put the
other bar into gear with its wheels on the axes h, i, so that the bars 7, 1ª, may
alternately become descending bars, whilst the other is being raised into a
position to become an acting descending bar. The machinery or apparatus
for moving the bars 7, 7, into and out of action in respect to their wheels h, i,
will be readily understood on examining the Drawings. In raising the bars
J.

page_text: 1,¹, there is a corresponding train of wheels used to each bar, which receive
their motion from the axis i, and the act of moving either bar r or 71 out of
action, in respect to its cog wheels on the axes h, i, will bring that bar into a
position to be acted on by its train of wheels for raising it. s is a cog wheel
on the axis ', which gives motion to the cog wheel s¹, which has on its axis
the cog wheels, which, when the bar is brought into position, raises it; and
a like arrangement of wheels is used to each bar 7, ¹. At each end of the
axis is an eccentric t, which gives motion to the lever u, and to the two
bars 1,, so that the one which has completed its descent is put in coininu-
nication with its train of cog wheels, whilst the other bar ror., which has
completed. its ascent, will be put in communication with its cog wheels on
the axes h, i, in order again to descend, and thus will there be a bar r or ¹ to
descend, and thus aid in causing the ascending weights to be moved upwards
to their highest position; by these arrangements the supply of weights f, f.
will be kept up in direct ratio with the descent by the chain b, b. And in order
to ensure that the weights as they go out of use in respect to the chain b, b,
may come into a correct position for the chaing, g, to take themi
up, the
following arrangement of parts is employed:-n, n, n, n; are four chain
wheels on the two axes n', n², and these two pairs of wheels carry the two
endless chains n³, n³, which have horns or projections n' at suitable intervals,
so that when the weights are left successively by the brackets on the chain b,
they will be received between these horns or projections and moved thereby
till they come into a position for the carrying' brackets on the endless chain
9, 9, by which the weights will be successively raised to the highest position
in the machine, the ascending weights moving with greater velocity than the
descending weights, and thus is the constant supply kept up to the chain b, b.
Motion is communicated to the endless chains n"; n³, by means of the axis o,
which turns in suitable bearings carried by the framing of the machine; on
the axis o is affixed the bevilled toothed wheel o', which is driven by the
bevilled toothed wheel d³, on the axis of the chain wheel d; and on the other
end of the axis o is affixed the bevilled toothed wheel o", which takes into and
drives the toothed wheel 5, on one of the axes n', so that the two endless
chains will be moved at such a speed as to receive and carry forward the
successive weights f, f, to the chain g; g; and in order that the weights of may
be correctly taken forward from the chain g, there are two endless chains p, p,
carried by four chain wheels q, q, on axes, two of which turn freely on the
axis of the endless chain 9, g, the other two wheels 7, 7, being fixed on
the axes q', and there are horns or projections which receive the successive
weights, and cause them to be moved into a correct position for the endless
chain b, there being springs between the guides near where the weights pass

page_text: into the brackets on the chain b, b, such springs simply acting to prevent the
weights passing without some force, by which they are insured being correctly
delivered to the brackets of the chain 6, by the movement caused by the
chains p, p, all which will readily be understood on examining the Drawings.
The weights are guided in their descent and also in their ascent by means of
the guides a, a, the nature of which are shewn in the Drawings. In order
to retard and stop the machine, a strap break is used, with other apparatus,
which I will now describe:-u is a break wheel on the axis d', and v is the
strap or break acted on by the lever w, which can be retained in any desired
position in the rack x', and by this apparatus the machine may be checked
in its action, and then by a bolt applied in any convenient position the machine
may be retained from movement.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I make
no claim to any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself
to the details shewn and described, so long as the peculiar character of the
combined machinery herein described be retained. But what I claim is, the
mode herein explained of combining mechanical parts into a machine, whereby
two endless chains or bands are caused to be put in motion by a series of
weights, the descending weights being at all times more numerous, and acting
with greater leverage than the ascending weights, whereby an improved means
of obtaining motive power is produced.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Eugene Asaert, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.