Improvements in Shafts for Transmitting Rotary Motion.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left. 16th Feb. 1891-Accepted. 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shafts for Transmitting Rotary Motion.
We, FREDERIC YORK WOLSELEY, of Oriental Club, Hanover Square,
London, and PHINEHAS PEARSON CRAVEN, of 20, Gower Lane, Forest Gate, in
the County of Essex, Gentlemen; do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention to be as follows :—
This invention relates more especially to flexible shafts intended to transmit
rotary motion to machines for shearing or clipping wool or hair from sheep or
other animals, or for operating drilling or other comparatively small machines, but
it is also applicable more or less to shafting revolving in fixed bearings, when
the parts of such shafting are required to be placed at an angle to each other.
The invention consists in the following arrangements
When the shaft is intended to serve as a flexible shaft revolving inside a guide
sleeve, it is preferably composed of a number of pieces of metal, or other suitable
material, of more or less barrel-shape, the radius of the barrelling approximating
more or less to that of the smallest curve it is intended that the shaft shall be bent
to in working. The ends of these barrel-shaped pieces are preferably convex, and
have formed in them cylindrical holes parallel to their axes. These holes extend
to a certain depth, depending upon circumstances, into the bodies of the barrel-
shaped pieces, and are so disposed that, when the said pieces are placed end to end,
the holes in one piece stand opposite to and correspond with those in the next
piece. Short cylindrical pins or pieces of wire, somewhat smaller in diameter than
the holes, are inserted therein, so that one end of each pin or wire takes into a hole
in the end of one barrel-shaped piece, and the other end of each pin or wire takes
into the corresponding hole in the end of the next barrel-shaped piece. In this
way any required number of these pieces are united together by the aforesaid pins
or wires, so that on rotary motion being imparted to any one of such pieces, the
others are caused to rotate also by means of the said pins or wires, and as these are
comparatively loose in the holes of the barrel-shaped pieces, the latter may be
placed at an angle to one another without interfering with their rotary motion.
When the requisite number of these barrel-shaped pieces are placed in a sleeve
and the two extreme pieces are properly connected, the one to the source of power,
and the other to the object to be driven, they suffice, in some cases, to constitute a
flexible shaft. But in most cases, it is necessary to provide means to prevent the
barrel-shaped pieces from becoming separated, and for this purpose a hole is
formed through the centre or axis of each piece, and a piece of cord, catgut, wire,
wire rope, spiral spring, or other suitable material, is passed through the said holes
in the entire number of these pieces, and secured so as to connect them all together
and prevent their separation.
In some cases, especially when the shaft is not intended to rotate in a sleeve, the
pieces composing it need not be barrelled, but may remain cylindrical, or be of
any other suitable shape, and when they are of comparatively large size they may
be made hollow or otherwise have any superfluous, material removed from them in
order to secure lightness.
When the invention is applied to lengths of shafting placed at an angle to one
another but revolving in bearings in the usual way, the connection between the said
lengths is effected by means of pins or wires inserted into holes in their adjacent
ends, in the same way, as above described in reference to the barrel or other shaped
separate pieces.
Dated this 16th day of Now 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shafts for Transmitting Rotary Motion.
We, FREDERIC YORK WOLSELEY, of Oriental Club, Hanover Square,
London, and PHINEHAS PEARSON CRAVEN, formerly of 20, Gower Lane, but at
present of 32, Chaucer Road, Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, Gentlemen,
do hereby declare the nature of the 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 accompanying sheet of drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates more especially to flexible shafts intended to transmit
rotary motion to machines for shearing or clipping wool or hair from sheep or other
animals, or for operating drilling or other comparatively small machines, but it is
also applicable more or less to shafting revolving in fixed bearings, when the parts
of such shafting are required to be placed at an angle to each other.
The invention consists in the following arrangements :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of part of a flexible shaft constructed in
accordance with our invention and adapted to revolve inside a guide sleeve A such
as is generally employed for flexible shafts actuating the cutting knives of sheep
shearing machines, Figures 1 and 2, showing part of such a shaft to a scale of
about twice full size. The shaft is composed of a number of pieces of metal or
other suitable material B of more or less barrel shape, the radius of the barrelling
approximating more or less to that of the smallest curve it is intended that the
shaft shall be bent to in working as shown in the drawing. The ends of these
barrel-shaped pieces are preferably convex, and have formed in them cylindrical
holes C parallel to their axes. These holes extend to a certain depth, depending
upon circumstances, into the bodies of the pieces B, and are so disposed that when
the said pieces are placed end to end the holes in one piece stand opposite to and
correspond with those in the next piece. Figure 2 is an end view of one of these
pieces with six of these holes formed in its end: Short cylindrical pins or pieces of
wire D, somewhat smaller in dia aeter than the holes C, are inserted therein, so
that one end of each pin or wire takes into a hole in the end of one piece B and
the other end of each pin or wire takes into the corresponding hole in the end of
the next piece B. In this way any required number of these pieces are united
together by the aforesaid pins or wires D, so that on rotary motion being imparted
to any one of such pieces, the others are caused to rotate also by means of the said
pins or wires D; and as these are comparatively loose in the holes C of the pieces B,
the latter may be placed at an angle to one another without interfering with their
rotary motion.
When the requisite number of these barrel-shaped pieces are placed in a
sleeve A and the two extreme pieces are properly connected, the one to the source
of power, and the other to the object to be driven, such as the spindle E, Figure 1,
for example, they suffice, in some cases, to constitute a flexible shaft. But in most
cases, it is necessary to provide other means to prevent the pieces B from becoming
separated, and for this purpose a hole F is formed through the centre or axis of
each piece B, and a piece of cord, catgut, wire, wire rope, spiral spring, or other
suitable flexible material G is passed through the said holes in the entire number
of these pieces B and each end is secured to a washer G¹ or otherwise so as to
connect all the said pieces B together and prevent their separation.
Figure 3 shows a length of flexible shaft of similar construction to a smaller
scale and without a containing sleeve.
In some cases, especially when the shaft is not intended to rotate in a sleeve, the
pieces composing it need not be barrelled, but may remain cylindrical, or be of any
other suitable shape, and when they are of comparatively large size they may be
made hollow or otherwise have any superfluous material removed from them in
order to secure lightness.

page_text: When the invention is applied to lengths of shafting placed at an angle to one
another but revolving in bearings in the usual way, as illustrated in Figure 4, the
connection between the lengths of shafting B B is effected by means of pins D D
inserted into holes in the adjacent ends of the shafts, in the same way as above
described in reference to the barrel or other shaped separate pieces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we desire to have it under-
stood that we are aware that it is not novel to impart motion from one shaft to
another placed at an angle thereto by means of L shaped pins taking into holes in
the two ends of the shafts to be connected or of straight pins taking into such
holes and jointed together or acting on one another at their outer ends as described
in the Specifications of Patents No. 13805 of 1884 and No. 12697 of 1889 for
example, and that we make no claim to such arrangements, but that what we do
claim is:-
First. The improvement in flexible shafts which consists in constructing the
same of separate pieces connected together and driving one another by means of
straight pins taking more or less loosely into holes formed in the ends of the said
separate pieces, such pieces being prevented from separating from one another by
the external sleeve containing them or by means of a cord, wire, or other flexible
connecting medium passed through them and secured at the ends substantially as
hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
Second. The improvement in connecting together lengths of ordinary shafting
revolving in fixed bearings and placed at an angle to one another which consists in
forming holes in the adjacent ends of such lengths of shafting parallel to the
axes thereof, and in placing in such holes more or less loosely fitting straight pins,
substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figure 4 of the
drawings.
Dated this 16th do
3001
F. Y. WOLSELEY.
P. P. CRAVEN.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.