IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN CRAVEN, of the Victoria Foundry, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CRANES" to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to what is known as overhead travelling cranes.
:-
In such cranes as usually constructed the raising, lowering and moving gear does
not provide sufficiently for change of speed to perform with advantage the various
operations required seeing that the speed with which a light object may be raised
lowered and moved about should be much greater than in the case of a heavy one.
Object Now my Invention is designed to enable the raising and lowering
capacity of the "crab" or "gin" to be regulated to suit the article to be operated
upon and the mobility of the crab or gin upon the transverse gantry and of the
crab and transverse gantry along the longitudinal gantry or railway when dealing
with various objects, to be accelerated or retarded in accordance with the
requirements of the work to be done, thus economising time and reducing the cost
of such work.
For these purposes according to this Invention I provide in connection with the
second motor of the travelling crane and between such motor and the mechanism
usually actuated by it, an additional system of change gear with suitable clutches
which I arrange within easy command of the attendant who is thus enabled to
readily and simultaneously adapt all the movements of the crane to the required
conditions, which is of great importance in works where such cranes are in
constant requisition. In my arrangement, a shaft I will call the second motion
shaft and which runs parallel with the transverse gantry, drives through bevil
gear a shaft having upon it spur wheels, each having fast to it, or made in one
with it, part of a clutch. These spur wheels are of different dimensions for
different speeding, are able to rotate independently of the shaft that carries thein,
until a part of a clutch movable lengthwise of the shaft, but not able to rotate
independently thereof, and which can be operated by a hand wheel or lever, is put
into gear with one or other of the spur wheel clutches.

page_text: In gear with each of the said spur wheels is a corresponding spur wheel
on a shaft through which the raising, lowering and travelling movements are
communicated.
When the clutches above referred to are disengaged from each other, the raising
and lowering action as well as the travelling of the crane in any direction will
cease.
My improved arrangement is applicable to cranes fitted with "rope" driving, as
well as those driven by the usual square first motion shaft.

page_text: I, JOHN CRAVEN, of the Victoria Foundry, Leeds, in the County of York;
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CRANES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
"
In
This Invention relates to what are known as overhead travelling cranes.
such cranes as usually constructed, the raising, lowering and moving gear does not
provide sufficiently for change of speed to perform with advantage the various
operations required, seeing that the speed with which a light object may be raised,
lowered, and moved about should be much greater than in the case of a heavy one.
Now my Invention is designed to enable the raising and lowering capacity of
the "crab" or "gin" to be regulated to suit the article to be operated upon, and
the mobility of the "crab" or "gin" upon the transverse gantry and of the crab
and transverse gantry along the longitudinal gantry or railway when dealing
with various objects to be accelerated or retarded in accordance with the
requirements of the work to be done, thus economising time and reducing the
cost of such work.
For this purpose, according to this Invention, I provide in connection with
what is usually the second motor of the travelling crane (and which runs parallel
with the transverse gantry) and between such second motor and the mechanism
usually actuated by it, an additional system of change gear with suitable clutches,
which I arrange within easy command of the attendant who is thus enabled to
readily and simultaneously adapt all the movements of the crane to the required
conditions, which is of great importance in works where such cranes are in constant
requisition.
In my arrangement, a shaft, I will call the second motion shaft, and which runs
parallel with the transverse gantry, drives through bevil gear a shaft having upon
it spur wheels each having fast to it, or made in one with it, part of a clutch.
These spur wheels are of different dimensions for different speeding, and are able
to rotate independently of the shaft that carries them, until a part of a clutch
movable lengthwise of the shaft but not able to rotate independently thereof, and
which can be operated by a hand wheel or lever, is put into gear with one or other
of the spur wheel clutches.
In gear with each of the said spur wheels is a corresponding spur wheel on
a shaft through which the raising, lowering and travelling movements are
communicated. When the clutches above referred to are disengaged from each
other, the raising and lowering actions as well as the travelling of the crane in any
direction will cease.
My improved arrangement is applicable to cranes fitted with "rope" driving as
well as to such as are driven by the usual "square" first motion shaft.
&
Fig. 1, of the accompanying Drawings is a plan in part, shewing that portion of
"crab" or
gin" which contains the mechanism by which all the various
movements of the crane are controlled by the operator.
Fig. 2, is a front elevation of the same, and shows at the right hand thereof my
new arrangement of gearing for effecting the additional changes in the various
movements of the crane previously referred to.
و"
Fig. 8, is a side elevation of the said arrangement, a, a, is the transverse gantry
upon which the "crab or "gin" is mounted, b, part of the framework of said
"crab" or "gin," c, the second motion shaft running parallel with the transverse

page_text: gantry a. From the shaft c, by means of the mitre or bevel wheels d, and e,
motion is imparted to the additional shaft f, and the central portion g, of a clutch,
which is capable of being moved endwise upon f, in either direction at the will of
the operator by means of the hand wheel h, worm i, toothed segment ;, and lever k,
or by other equivalent means, and in accordance with the requirements of the
work under operation, l, and m, are spur wheels running loose upon the additional
shaft, each of these wheels is provided with part of a clutch A, and m¹,
corresponding with and capable of being alternately engaged and driven by the
clutch teeth of the part g. In gear with the spur wheels l, and m, respectively,
are the spur wheels n, and o, both of which are keyed on the shaft p, from which
motion is communicated by means of the mitre or bevel wheels q, r, to the shaft 8
from which are imparted all the various movements of hoisting, lowering and
travelling to and fro at the will of the operator. These last named movements
form no part of my present Invention.
When light weights are to be dealt with, the part g, of the clutch is caused to
take into the corresponding clutch part 1, of the wheel 1, this wheel takes into and
drives the wheel n, (together with the shaft p) and as wheel n, is smaller in
diameter than its driver l, it receives an accelerated motion, and all other
movements of the crane are similarly accelerated for the time being.
The wheel m, being in the meantime driven by the wheel o, runs idle upon the
additional shaft f. When slower movements are required for the moving of heavy
objects the clutch g, is caused to take into the corresponding clutch part m¹, of the
wbeel m, which now drives the wheel o, and shaft p, and through it the other
parts of the crane. These wheels m, and o, may be of the same size or thereabout,
so as to produce the slow movements of the various parts of the crane ás required.
Whilst g, is in gear with m¹, the wheel n, drives the wheel, which runs idle upon
the additional shaft f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a travelling crane such as above referred to, providing an additional
system of change gearing so arranged as to admit of accelerating or
retarding the various movements of the crane according as light or heavy
objects are to be moved, substantially as hereinabove described and
illustrated.
2. In an overhead travelling crane such as hereinabove referred to, the
combination with shaft p, of an additional shaft f, gearing l, m, n, o,
clutches g,, and m¹, and means for operating the said clutch g, all
substantially as described and shewn for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 25th day of September 1884.