IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING HEAVY BODIES
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry William Wieland at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st October 1879.
HENRY WILLIAM WIELAND, of Old Tudor House, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING HEAVY BODIES."
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus whereby the
propelling force of tension springs may be utilized so as to give out a gradually
increasing propelling power until a maximum is reached and then caused to
diminish gradually so as to prevent as far as possible any shock in the mechanism
as the stroke of the propeller terminates.
To this end I provide a stiff guide frame which I set at an incline, and fit
thereto a travelling cross bar to which I connect the india-rubber or other tension
springs that depend from a fixed bar at the upper part of the guide frame.
Pivotted to the travelling cross bar is a link rod which is pivotted at its opposite
end to what I may term the propelling lever. This lever works on a fixed fulcrum,
and it is set above the inclined guide frame, its normal position being, say,
horizontal or nearly so. But this position will depend on the use to which the
apparatus is to be applied and will be varied according to the position of the inclined
guide frame.
By means of a winch the springs are drawn to tension and they are retained in
their extended state by reason of the travelling cross bar being locked to the guide
frame.
When this cross bar is released the springs will draw it forward, and thereby
cause the link rod which connects the cross bar with the propelling lever to impart
an impulse to that lever, and thereby cause it to hurl any weight that is placed
upon it forward through the air. The object of setting the guide frame at an
angle to the normal position of the propelling lever is to impart to the propelling
lever nearly the whole of its motion during one half of its traverse (or stroke) of
the cross bar; the remaining portion of the stroke will then serve gradually to
reduce the momentum of the moving parts and thereby diminish the shock which
the mechanism would otherwise be subjected to. This is a matter of special
importance when the apparatus is used for gymnastic performances, and in all cases
it is important, as the tendency of the apparatus to deterioate rapidly is removed.
The guide frame I fit with india rubber or other buffers to arrest the motion of
the travelling cross head and terminate its stroke at any desired point. These
buffers may be made adjustable if desired.

page_text: For locking the travelling cross head at its starting position, any suitable
arrangement of detent may be provided, but what I prefer is a staple made fast to
a fixed portion on the guide frame and slotted to receive a tongue which projects
from the cross bar. This tongue is notched to receive a detent consisting of a
spindle mounted in bearings in the socket and having a flattened side. When the
detent is turned so as to present its flattened side, the tongue will be free to enter
the staple, and on turning the detent the round part of the spindle will enter the
notch of the tongue, and thereby lock the cross bar in position. By means of
levers connected with this detent the cross bar may be instantly released, and the
springs will then draw up the cross bar, raise its link rod from an inclined, to, say,
a vertical position, and thereby impart the requisite motion to the impelling lever,
after which the springs will exhaust themselves gradually.
Apparatus of this kind I propose to fit to pier heads and similar places for
throwing life buoys and lines to drowning persons in the water, and to boats and
other vessels in jeopardy.