Improved "Belt-fasteners or Means for Making Joints in Bands used for the Transmission of Power.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1891.
Complete Specification Left, 17th May, 1892-Accepted, 18th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"
Improved "Belt-fasteners or Means for Making Joints in Bands
used for the Transmission of Power.
I, JOHN CHARLES MILLS, Civil Engineer, of The Chestnuts, Wick, near Bath
and in the County of Gloucester, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide means for joining the ends of a belt or
band used for the purpose of transmitting power in a more convenient and efficient
manner than heretofore, and consists of metal links preferably of iron or steel,
passed through the two ends of the belt, and secured in position by means of an
iron or steel rod on each side of the joint threaded through the eyes formed by the
projecting parts of the links on the same side of the joint, and bearing, the whole of
its length, across the outside face of the belt.
At each joint, a sufficient number of links transmit the working tension, and two
rods distribute it uniformly across the width of the belt. The links may be "endless"
and of solid metal of any convenient section, or they may be made with joints.
The rods may have heads formed on one or both ends, which heads being pressed
into the material of the belt, prevent longitudinal motion of the rods, or depressions
may be formed on one side of each rod and corresponding bulges, opposite the
depressions, on the other side, so that the links may engage in the depressions, and
the bulged metal on the opposite side may be pressed into or through the material
of the belt. Metallic eyes may be placed in the holes in the belt if necessary, so
as to encircle the links and prevent them cutting into the material of the belt.
Dated this 29th day of September 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved "Belt-fasteners" or Means for Making Joints in Bands
used for the Transmission of Power.
I, JOHN CHARLES MILLS of The Chestnuts, Wick, near Bath, in the County
of Gloucester, Civil 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 relates to an improved method of joining the ends of machine
belts.
It consists of metal links preferably welded but which may be pressed, stamped,
or cast, and of a piece of wire or small bar which may be depressed or indented at
intervals.
The links may be straight or twisted as shewn in the accompanying drawings in
which
Fig. 1 shews a plain open link of welded steel or iron.
Fig. 2 shows a similar link twisted in a figure 8.
Fig. 3 shows specimens of pressed links either open or partly filled up. These
links could also be made of cast malleable iron, or cast steel, or for small belts might
be made of ordinary cast iron, although on account of its brittleness the latter is
not recommended.
Fig. 4 shows specimens of links adapted for bars of triangular or T section.
Fig. 5 shows the bar with notches or depressions, which engages with the links

page_text: and completes the fastener, also a form of pin with a head resembling a clout head
nail and having a slight swelling near the point.
The method of using the improved belt-fasteners is as follows. The two ends of
the belt being brought together with the working faces in contact as shewn in Fig. 6
in dotted lines, incisions or slits are made through them, and the links are driven
through the slits with a slight tap from a mallet or hammer. It is not necessary
to cut out any portion of the belt and therefore its strength is not weakened.
The links must be long enough to project on each side of the belt so as to allow
two bars like that shewn in Fig. 5 to be threaded through the ends of the links as
shewn in Figs. 6 and 7.
The inner portions of the belt are then separated below the fastener as shewn.
The number of links required to make a reliable joint will of course depend upon
the width and thickness of the belt. They can be inserted from one to two inches
apart according to the notches on the bar. They will be made of various lengths
and strengths to suit belts of different sizes. Each link will lie in one of the
depressions in the har, so that its position can be marked out from the notches in
the bar. In lieu of these depressions the bars may be headed or formed with points
at right angles to their lengths to drive into the belt so as to prevent their moving
longitudinally. If preferred the slits in the belt may be eyeletted or lined with
metal so as to avoid wearing the hole.
It will be seen that my belt-fastener is simple and inexpensive, and very easy to
attach to the belt. It is also very effective as the tension received and borne by
the links is distributed by the bars across the surface of the width of the belt.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
A fastener for machine belting consisting of metal links passing through and
projecting beyond the double thickness of the belt and forming eyes or loops on
each side thereof and separate transverse bars, passing through and securing the
projecting eyes or loops, said bars being headed or depressed, as herein described
and set forth.
Dated this 17th day of May 1892.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.