IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CLIPS, STOPPERS, OR BRAKES FOR STEEL WIRE AND OTHER ROPES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE AS WINCHES OK FOR HAULING PURPOSES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Bibby Jones, Partner in the Firm of Garnock,
Bibby, and Co., and James Hughes, in the employ of the said Firm, both of
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO CLIPS, STOPPERS, OR BRAKES FOR STEEL WIRE AND
OTHER ROPES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE AS WINCHES OK
FOR HAULING PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Bibby Jones and
James Hughes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th
October 1880.
ROBERT BIBBY JONES, Partner in the Firm of Garnock, Bibby, and Co., and
JAMES HUGHES, in the employ of the said Firm, both of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CLIPS, STOPPERS, OR BRAKES
FOR STEEL WIRE AND OTHER ROPES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
AS WINCHES OR FOR HAULING PURPOSES."
In suddenly checking the movement of a steel rope by the usual friction clips
when it has a heavy strain upon it, if checked by friction on the rope it is apt to
heat or tear, or if not allowed to slip at all to snap off.
Now our Invention is designed to check the rope without any of the severe
punishment caused by hard compression or attrition and without sensible wearing
friction on the rope. To effect this we use a brake not on the rope itself but on
mechanism connected with V pulleys, round which the rope is twined forming a
figure of eight. The friction on the V pulleys is so great by reason of the turn
round each pulley given to the rope that no appreciable relative motion can take
place between the V pulleys and the rope. As however a brake is applied on the
axles of these pulleys, or rather on brake wheels on these or one of these axles,
whatever friction is expended on stopping the rope is spent on the brake block or
belt and brake wheel and not on the rope. The form of apparatus we at present
prefer for this purpose is as follows:-
Upon the overhanging ends of two shafts having bearings in a stout frame we
place four V pulleys, two on each shaft. These shafts are preferably connected by

page_text: spur gearing. On the other ends of the shaft we place two brake wheels with a
single brake strap, so arranged that a man by means of a lever can put a sufficiently
powerful strain on the brake strap to give the brake power requisite. Upon one
of the shafts is a worm wheel or first wheel of other train of gearing and a clutch,
so arranged that the gearing can be thrown into gear with the shaft at a
moment's notice and be thrown out again. This gearing can be worked by hand
or power.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The rope is passed from a reel through a
guiding eye onto one of the outer pulleys. It passes round that, then round the
other outer pulley the opposite way, then round the opposite inner pulley,
the direction being the same as in the first instance, and lastly it goes round the
remaining pulley in the same direction as round its companion second pulley. If
paying out, so long as the brake is out and the gearing off, there is no sensible
impediment to the passage of the rope beyond the slight friction of the journals.
The brake can be applied gradually or suddenly without any more friction or
severe compression on the rope. By putting the clutch into gear the apparatus
becomes a winch, and the brake being thrown out of action the rope hauled in.
While in lowering heavy weights the brake can be applied, the clutch thrown out
of the gear, and the descent regulated with the greatest nicety by hand pressure
on the brake lever.
The advantages of our apparatus are these:-First, while all stoppers or brakes
acting on the rope itself have a crushing action on the rope, spoiling it for other
purposes, and injuring it still more if it be allowed to slip under heavy strain, our
apparatus is no more severe on the rope when the brake is applied than at other
times, except of course the increased tensile strain necessarily entailed when the
lowering of a heavy weight is checked; second, while other winding apparatus
entails a very wide drum, or the riding of one turn over the other to the great
injury of the rope, in our apparatus the drum can be coiled to any depth but no
turn ride on the other under pressure from the strain of the work performed;
third, this apparatus can be used merely as a stopper, or brake, or as a winch, as
required, as if the winch be not required the spur wheels and winch need not be
added, and it becomes a simple stopper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Bibby Jones and James Hughes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th April 1881.
ROBERT BIBBY JONES, Partner in the Firm of Garnock, Bibby, and Co., and
JAMES HUGHES, in the employ of the said Firin, both of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CLIPS, STOPPERS, OR BRAKES
FOR STEEL WIRE AND OTHER ROPES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
AS WINCHES OR FOR HAULING PURPOSES."
In suddenly checking the movoment of a steel rope by the usual friction clips
where it has a heavy strain upon it, if checked by friction on the rope it is apt to
heat or tear, or if not allowed to slip at all to snap off.
Now our Invention is designed to check the rope without any of the severe
punishment caused by hard compression or attrition and without sensible wearing
friction on the rope. To effect this we use a brake not on the rope itself, but on
mechanism connected with sheaves or V pulleys, round which the rope is twined
in the form of a figure of eight. The friction on the V pulleys is so great by
reason of the turn round each pulley given to the rope that no appreciable relative
motion can take place between the V pulleys and the rope. As however a brake
is applied on the axles of these pulleys, or rather on brake wheels on these or one of
these axles, whatever friction is expended on stopping the rope is spent on the brako
block, or belt, and brake wheel and not on the rope. The form of apparatus we at
present prefer for this purpose is as follows:-
Reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the Figures and
letters of reference marked thereon, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of brake or stopper
made according to our Invention; Fig. 2, plan; Fig. 3, end elevation; Fig. 4, an
end elevation of outside of framing for supporting the gearing; Figs. 5 and 6,
modification.
In these A, A, is the framing supporting the shafts to which the sheaves or
grooved pulleys are secured, and A', auxiliary framing supporting the gearing;
B, B', are the two sheaves or V pulleys, round which the wire rope or hawser
passes; C, C, brake wheels; D, lever for actuating strap brake which passes round
one or both of the wheels C; E, wheels of a train of gearing actuated by handle F
or other motive power, by means of which our apparatus can be used as a winch
or for hauling in the slack of the rope. By moving the wheels e and finto or out
of gear with e¹ and f¹ a quick or slow motion is obtained to the sheaves B. If a
slow motion only is required a worm may gear into a worm wheel placed instead
of el; g is a clutch box on wheel e into which the clutch g¹ gears for the purpose
of throwing the whole train of wheels E out of gear when our apparatus is in use
simply as a brake or stopper. The wheel is loose on the shaft, and the clutch y¹
slides on the shaft on a key or feather fitted therein. The sheaves B and B¹ are
securely fixed on the shafts H; to the same shafts are also securely fixed the brake
pulleys C with a single brake strap, so arranged that a man by means of a
lever B, or its equivalent, can put a sufficiently powerful strain on the brake strap
to give the brake power requisite.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The rope is passed from a reel through a
guiding eye onto one of the outer sheaves of the pulley B, which it passes round,
then round the outer groove of the pulley B¹ the opposite way, then round the
next opposite groove of the pulley B, the direction being the same as in the first
instance, and again it goes round the opposite groove in the pulley B¹ in the same
direction as before, and so on until the rope has passed round all the grooves of the
pulleys, the end passing off to the object to which it is attached.

page_text: If the rope is required for towing or mooring purposes, the brake is applied by
means of the lever D or a screw, or other equivalent device, which prevents the
pulleys B and B from turning and the rope is securely held. The power of the
brake is regulated to the amount of strain the rope will stand, and should that
strain be exceeded, by, for instance, the sudden surge of a ship on a wave when in
tow, or any other cause, the wheels C, C, will slip under the strap brake, com-
pensating for the want of elasticity in wire ropes, and preventing breakage of the
rope or damage to the apparatus. In paying out so long as the brake is out and
the gearing off, there is no sensible impediment to the passage of the rope beyond
the slight friction of the journals. The brake can be applied gradually or suddenly
without any more friction or severe compression on the rope.
By putting the clutch g' into gear the apparatus becomes a winch, and the brake
being thrown out of action the rope hauled in; while in lowering heavy weights
the brake can be applied, the clutch thrown out of gear, and the descent regulated
with the greatest nicety by hand pressure on the brake lever.
Figs. 5 and 6 (Sheet 2) show a modification of our Invention, in which we make
one of the sheaves or grooved pulleys B' of smaller diameter than the other, and
only to the shaft of the larger pulley B apply the brake. The brake pulley C¹ here
shown is U shaped, and instead of a flat strap brake we may use one of steel wire
rope and covered with wood or other suitable material. It is also shown actunted
by hand wheel D¹ instead of a lever. The bearing of the shaft of the large
pulley B we make rigid, but the bearing of B¹ we arrange in a slide with a spring
or packing of india-rubber placed between the two bearings; when a sudden jerk
or strain comes on the rope, this spring or packing is compressed, compensating for
the want of elasticity in the rope, and when the strain is relaxed and the rope slack
the bearing returns to its original position. A modification of this spring or packing
can if desirable be used in the larger mechanism.
The advantages of our apparatus are these:-First, while all stoppers or brakes
acting on the rope itself have a crushing action on the rope, spoiling it for other
purposes, and injuring it still more if it be allowed to slip under heavy strain, our
apparatus is no more severe on the rope when the brake is applied than at other
times, except of course the increased tensile strain necessarily entailed when the
lowering of a heavy weight is checked; second, while other winding apparatus
entails a very wide drum or the riding of one turn over the other to the great
injury of the rope, in our apparatus the drum can be coiled to any depth, but no
turn ride on the other under pressure from the strain of the work performed;
third, this apparatus can be used merely as a stopper or brake, or as a winch, as
required, as if the winch be not required the spur wheels and winch need not be
added, and it becomes a simple stopper.
new,
Having now described our Invention and the best modes known to us of carrying
it into effect, we wish it to be understood, that what we especially believe to be
and desire to claim under the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
First. The combination herein described of two or more sets of sheaves or
pulleys with the rope turned round them (so that the turns of the rope shall not
come in contact with each other at any point), geared together or otherwise, and a
brake or brakes so arranged that one of the two friction surfaces of the brake or
brakes shall be rigidly connected to the sheaves or pulleys, either cast in one piece
with them, attached to them, or keyed to the same shaft with them.
Second. The combination of a reel for holding the spare rope and a double set of
sheave pulleys with brakes and gearing attached, acting as a brake stopper or
hauling gear, that will hold any required amount of rope, without the rope being
coiled on itself while under pressure or rigidly gripped by the stopping apparatus,
substantially as herein described.
Third. The machinery for clipping, stopping, hauling, or braking steel wire and
other ropes, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings, no claim being made for any one part taken separately, but only when

page_text: combined with the others, so as to make a complete winch or stopper, substantially
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hughes, for and on behalf of myself
and the said Robert Bibby Jones, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty-one.
Witness,
W P. THOMPSON,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool and London.
JAMES HUGHES. (L.S.)