A NEW OR IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OR COMBINATION OF GEARING AND APPARATUS TO INCREASE AND DIFFE- RENTIATE THE SPEED OF THE DRIVING OR PROPELLING SHAFT IN LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Macaulay Cruikshank, of 135, Buchanan Street,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Consulting Engineer and
Patent Agent, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT
OR COMBINATION OF GEARING AND APPARATUS TO INCREASE AND DIFFE-
RENTIATE THE SPEED OF THE DRIVING OR PROPELLING SHAFT IN LOCOMOTIVE,
MARINE, AND OTHER ENGINES." A communication from Alexander Houston,
of Bombay, British India, Dredging Master.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Macaulay Cruikshank
•
" A
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1881.
GEORGE MACAULAY CRUIKSHANK, of 135, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
NEW OR IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OR COMBINATION OF GEARING AND APPARATUS
TO INCREASE AND DIFFERENTIATE THE SPEED OF THE DRIVING OR PROPELLING
SHAFT IN LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER ENGINES." A communication from
Alexander Houston, of Bombay, British India, Dredging Master.
This Invention relates to a new or improved arrangement or combination of
spur or friction gearing and other apparatus to be applied to locomotive, marine,
and other motive power engines, with a view to enable the driving or propelling
shaft in such engines to be rotated at a greater or higher rate of speed than the
crank shaft; and the Invention consists in securing on the crank shaft one or more
spur or friction wheels which gears or gear into a corresponding wheel or wheels
of the same size fixed on a hollow shaft or sleeve surrounding another or inter-
mediate shaft, and geared therewith by feathers or their equivalents. On the
intermediate shaft two spur or friction wheels of the same size and pitch as the
wheel or wheels secured on the crank shaft are fixed, and these are geared with
corresponding wheels also of the same size secured on the driving or propelling
TD B31

page_text: shaft of the engine. The intermediate shaft is carried in brackets or bearings at
each end, and it is capable of being lowered and raised so as to throw the spur or
friction wheel secured upon the hollow shaft as herein before set forth into and
out of gear with the corresponding wheel on the crank shaft by means of levers
centred at one end on the driving or propelling shaft, the opposite ends of the
levers being.connected together by a crosshead or frame which is provided with
screw rod for purposes of adjustment.
On the sleeve or hollow shaft two other spur or friction wheels corresponding in
pitch to the wheel on the crank shaft are also secured one on each side of the
wheel first mentioned as fixed on the sleeve, the said wheels being both smaller in
diameter than the wheel on the crank shaft, and one of them smaller than the
other. The diameter of these wheels is preferably one half and one third that of
the wheel on the crank shaft, though other relative diameters may with equal
.facility be adopted. A lever is also provided in conjunction with the sleeve or
hollow shaft by means of which it may be slid along the intermediate shaft so as
to bring one or other of the smaller wheels into gear with the wheel on the crank
shaft when desired, which being effected the speed of the driving shaft is increased
over the speed of the crank shaft to an extent equivalent to the relative diameter
of the two wheels in gear.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by 2
the said George Macaulay Cruikshank in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th February 1882.
GEORGE MACAULAY CRUIKSHANK, of 135, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent. " A
NEW OR IMPROVED ÅRRANGEMENT OR COMBINATION OF GEARING AND APPARATUS 2
TO INCREASE AND DIFFERENTIATE THE SPEED OF THE DRIVING OR PROPELLING
SHAFT IN LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER ENGINES." A communication from
Alexander Houston, of Bombay, British India, Dredging Master.
The said Invention relates to a new or improved arrangement or combination
of spur or friction gearing and other apparatus to be applied to locomotive, marine, 3
and other motive power engines, with a view to enable the driving or propelling
shaft in such engines to be rotated at a greater or higher rate of speed than the
crank or first motion shaft; and the said Invention consists in securing on the
crank or first motion shaft, one or more spur or friction which gears or gear into
a corresponding wheel or wheels of the same diameter fixed on a hollow shaft or 3
sleeve surrounding an intermediate shaft, the sleeve and shaft being geared
together by feathers or their equivalent. On the said intermediate shaft two
friction or spur wheels of the same diameter and pitch as the wheel or wheels

page_text: 'secured on the crank or first motion shaft are fixed, and these are geared with
corresponding wheels also of the same diameter secured on the driving or propelling
shaft of the engine.
The intermediate shaft is carried in brackets or bearings at each end, and it is
capable of being lowered and raised so as to throw the spur or friction wheels
upon the hollow shaft into and out of gear with the corresponding wheel on the
crank or first motion shaft by means of a lever or levers centred at one end on
the driving or propelling shaft, the opposite ends of the levers, when more than
one are used, being connected together by a crosshead or frame provided with a screw
rod or equivalent means for purposes of adjustment.
On the sleeve or hollow shaft two other spur or friction wheels are also secured
one on each side of the wheel first mentioned. These two wheels are both smaller
in diameter than the said first mentioned wheel, and one of them is smaller than
the other.
A lever or equivalent mechanism is also provided in conjunction with the sleeve
or hollow shaft, by means of which the said sleeve may be slid along the
intermediate shaft so as to bring one or other of the two smaller wheels into gear
with a wheel on the crank shaft when desired, and which wheel is of greater
diameter than the wheel first mentioned as fixed on the crank shaft. This being
effected the speed of the driving or propelling shaft is increased over the speed of
the crank or first motion shaft to an extent equivalent to and governed by the
relative diameters of the two wheels in gear.
And in order that the said Invention may be properly understood I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or carried out in practice, reference being had to the .
accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 shows in plan and
Figure 2 in side elevation one arrangement under which the said Invention may
be used or carried into practical effect. On the said Figures the crank or first
motion shaft is marked A, the intermediate shaft B, and the driving or propelling
shaft C. On the shaft A a spur wheel D is secured and geared with a corresponding
spur wheel E secured on a hollow shaft or sleeve F surrounding the intermediate
shaft B, and geared therewith by feathers H or their equivalents. On the
intermediate shaft two other spur wheels I, J, are fixed and geared with two
corresponding wheels K, L, secured on the driving or propelling shaft of the engine.
The wheels D, E, I, J, K, and L are all of the same diameter and pitch, so that
when they are in gear, as shown on the Drawings, the crank or first motion
shaft A, and the driving or propelling shaft C rotate at the same speed.
The intermediate shaft B is carried in brackets or bearings at each end, and in
these bearings an oblong slot is made as indicated at M, Figure 2, to allow the
intermediate shaft to be raised and lowered in a vertical arc without taking the
wheels I, J, K, L, out of gear.
The raising and lowering of the intermediate shaft B is effected by two levers N
centred at one end on the driving or propelling shaft C, and formed with eyes
through which the shaft B passes. At their other ends the levers N are connected
together by a crosshead or frame O, which is provided with a rod P connected
to any suitable mechanism, which will raise and lower the lever frame through a
vertical arc.
On the first motion or crank shaft A and on the sleeve F two other spur wheels
are secured, the wheels Q, R, on the crank shaft being each of them of larger
diameter than the wheel D, and one of them Q larger than the other R. The
wheels S, T, on the sleeve F are each of them smaller than the wheel E, and one
of them S smaller than the other T. The proportions of the wheels R, T, are
preferably two to one, and of the wheels Q, S, preferably three to one, but it is to
be understood that any other suitable proportions may be adopted.
The sleeve or hollow shaft F is provided or formed with a collar or flanch U

page_text: at one end to be acted upon by the fork of a lever (not shown on the Drawings)
when it is desired to move the sleeve along the intermediate shaft B.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
In starting a locomotive, marine, or other motive power engine with the gearing
- constituting this Invention applied thereto, the wheels D, E, I, J, K, L, are all in
gear, as shown at Figure 1 of the Drawings, and these wheels being all of the
same diameter and pitch the driving or propelling shaft C is thereby caused to
rotate at the same speed as the crank or first motion shaft A. When the engine
and the body which it is driving or propelling has reached the full speed capable
of being by ordinary means communicated to it by the full speed revolution of
of the crank or first motion shaft it is contended that the engine in comparison
with its power has comparatively little work to do. In order therefore to utilize
the surplus of power and cause it to communicate an increased or still higher rate
of speed to the body being propelled or driven the lever frame O is raised so as
to take the wheels D, E, out of gear. The engine is then slowed a little, and the
hollow shaft or sleeve. F is slid along the feathers on the shaft B until the wheel
T is opposite to the wheel R. The frame O is now lowered until the said wheels
are in gear, and the engine is then again given full steam whereby the intermediate
shaft B and driving or propelling shaft C are caused to rotate at twice the speed
of the crank shaft A. Similarly if it is desired to still further increase the speed
the lever frame O is again raised so as to take the wheels T, R, out of gear, and
the hollow shaft or sleeve F is slid to the right along the shaft B until the wheel
S is opposite the wheel Q, when the frame is lowered until the said wheels are in
gear, whereby the intermediate shaft B and driving or propelling shaft C are caused
to rotate at treble the speed of the crank or first motion shaft.
By placing on the crank shaft and on the sleeve F surrounding the intermediate.
shaft a greater number of wheels having other relative diameters, or by altering the
relative proportions of the wheels Q, S, R, T, the speed of the driving or propelling
shaft may be still further varied. The wheels employed, instead of being spur
wheels, may be and preferably are grooved friction wheels.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may
be used or carried out in practice as communicated to me by the said Alexander
Houston, I would observe in. conclusion that what is considered to be novel and
original, and is therefore claimed as the Invention secured to me by the herein before
in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The gearing and apparatus to increase and differentiate the speed of the driving
or propelling shaft in locomotive, marine, and other engines arranged or combined
substantially as herein before described and shown under one modification on the
appended sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Macaulay Cruikshank, have hereunto set
my hands and seals, this Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight.hundred and eighty two.