AN INTERNAL SPRING COUPLING AND BRAKE FOR TRANSMITTING, STOPPING, OR REGULATING MOTION
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Léandre Mégy, Joseph de Echeverria, and Felix
Bazan, of No. 60, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire
of France, Civil Engineers, for the Invention of "AN INTERNAL
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Léandre Mégy, Joseph
de Echeverria, and Felix Bazan at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd June 1870.
We, LÉANDRE MÉGY, JOSEPH DE ECHEVERRIA, and FELIX BAZAN,
of No. 60, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Civil Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN INTERNAL SPRING COUPLING AND BRAKE FOR TRANSMITTING, STOPPING,
OR REGULATING MOTION," to be as follows:-
Our coupling system is based on the use of a blade spring inclosed
within a hollow drum or pulley and working by its own expansive force
which keeps it pressing closely against the internal cylindrical face of

page_text: the said drum. This expansive power independent of any exterior force
causes a close adhesion of spring and pulley which makes them as it were
a single picce by opposing their sliding on one another, and this adhesion
can only be destroyed by an impulsion from the exterior. It follows,
therefore, that if one of the two above mentioned parts is set in motion
it naturally carries the other one with it so long as the resistances which
this latter has to overcome are sufficient to bring about the sliding of
these parts on each other, or that the adhesion betwixt the spring and
drum is not destroyed by an exterior manoeuvre.
Our brake may be
applied with great advantage as a safety apparatus to many machines,
and generally to all pieces intended to impart or receive a rotary motion
whether such machines be fixed or locomotive. Various mechanical
contrivances may be resorted to for further compressing the brake at
any required moment so as to destroy the effect of its expansion against
the internal cylindrical face of the drum or pulley which is thus left
free.
This system is represented in its greatest simplicity by the two Figures
on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this our
Provisional Specification.
A. indicates the hollow drum or pulley; B, the spring forcibly entered
into the pulley; C, shaft on which the pulley A is loose; b, b¹, b¹¹, stop
pieces fixed to the spring; D, piece keyed on the shaft C. Without
entering into a description of the various mechanical contrivances which
may be used to further tighten the brake at any given moment, and
thereby destroy the effect of its expansion against the crown of the
pulley, we have represented a rudimentary application sufficient however
to explain our object. A cord F rolled on the spring B or on its wooden
packing I and drawn by both ends or from one only, the other being
fastened to a fixed point H, as may be seen at Figure 1, produces the
desired effect by tightening the brake and thereby destroying the friction
that it produces on the crown of the drum A which would then remain
free. The moment the cord is released the expansion of the spring causes
it again to press closely against the pulley, friction is reproduced, and the
pulley will be driven by the shaft if this latter resumes its motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Léandre Mégy, Joseph de Echeverria, and Felix
Bazan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LÉANDRE
MÉGY, JOSEPH DE ECHEVERRIA, and FELIX BAZAN, of No. 60, Boulevard
de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire of France, Civil Engineers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of June, in tho
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Léandre Mégy, Joseph de Echeverria,
and Felix Bazar, Her special licence that we, the said Léandre Mégy,
Joseph de Echeverria, and Felix Bazan, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others, as we, the said Léandre Mégy, Joseph de
Echeverria, and Felix Bazan, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "AN INTERNAL SPRING COUPLING AND BRAKE FOR
TRANSMITTING, STOPPING, OR REGULATING MOTION," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Léandre Mégy, Joseph de Echeverria,
and Felix Bazan, our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or one of our or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar monthis next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph de Echeverria, for myself
and on behalf of my co-patentees, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed;
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing,
and to the figures and letters of reference placed thereon, similar letters
denoting similar parts in cach of the Figures respectively.
:

page_text: Our coupling system is based on the use of a spring enclosed within a
hollow drum or pulley and acting by its own expansive power which keeps
it pressing closely against the internal cylindrical face of the said drum.
This expansive power independent of any exterior force causes a close
adhesion of spring and pulley which makes them as it were a single
piece by opposing their sliding on one another, and this adhesion can only
be destroyed by an exterior manoeuver. It follows, therefore, that if one
of the two above-mentioned parts is set in motion it naturally carries
the other one with it so long as the resistances which this latter has
to overcome are insufficient to bring about the sliding of these parts on
each other or that the adhesion between the spring and drum is not
destroyed by an exterior manoeuver.
The two Figures of the accompanying Sheet of Drawing illustrate
a very simple application of our system.
A is a loose pulley on the shaft C, into this pulley is forced the
spring B, the expansive power of which always tending to bring it back
to its primitive form causes it to press closely and powerfully against
the internal crown of the pulley, exerting a pressure equal to its own
expansive force, which is the same on every part of its periphery, and
the friction resulting from this pressure will keep the brake and pulley
as it were glued together, so that if one of these pieces is set in motion
it will necessarily carry the other with it. If the spring is provided
with several catching bits or stop pieces b, b, b", the piece or lever D,
keyed fast on the shaft C will carry the pulley in its rotary motion so
long as the resistance to be overcome by the pulley shall not be greater
than the friction of the brake due to the compression of the spring, or
that some external action destroys the friction and frees the pulley.
Various mechanical contrivances may be resorted to for further com-
pressing the brake at any required moment so as to destroy the effect of
its expansion against the internal cylindrical face of the drum or pulley
leaving it free.
Amongst the various mechanical contrivances which may be used to
further tighten the brake at any given moment, and thereby destroy the
effect of its expansion against the crown of the pulley is the rudimentary
application shown on the accompanying Drawing, it is however sufficient
to explain our object, and I will now proceed to describe it.
A cord F rolled on the spring B, or on its leathern or wooden packing I,
and drawn from both ends or by one only, the other being fastened to a

page_text: fixed point H, as may be seen at Figure 1, produces the desired effect
by tightening the brake, and thereby destroying the friction that it
produces on the crown of the drum A, which would then remain free.
The moment the cord is released the expansion of the spring causes it
again to press closely against the pulley, friction is reproduced, and the
pulley will be driven by the shaft if this latter resumes its motion.
It should be observed that the action of the spring varies according
to the point at which the piece or lever D acts upon it. Thus, when
this lever pushes against the catching bit b, the effect is only that which
corresponds to the friction produced against the drum by the expansive
force of the spring, but it increases as the catching bit is placed farther
from the end e of the spring, and is greatest when the lever D pushes
on the piece b", fixed at the other end e¹ of the spring. The effect
produced is then nearly five times greater than at the first point for
a leathern packing I, in fact it is proportional to the arc comprised
between the point at which the lever D acts, and the head of the spring
in the sense of rotation. This peculiarity is a very important one
because the power can be regulated in the same spring for the resistances
ordinarily to be overcome, and so that if the resistance should suddenly
become excessive the drum will slide and the motion not be transmitted
to the pieces connected with it, these remaining motionless, no piece
being broken as would happen with ordinary gearing.
Our internal spring can be applied with great advantage as a brake to
windlasses, cranes, and other hoisting apparatus, as well as to many
other machines, to ordinary carriages, to railway carriages and engines,
as a coupling for main and secondary shafts to set in motion or to stop
casily and without shock, and at any time a part or some of them while
the motor acts upon them, it may be equally employed in ordinary
gcaring to prevent breakage as above explained, and may be used
advantageously in lieu of friction gearing, and in short, as an effective
and convenient safety apparatus to many machines, and generally to all
pieces intended to impart or receive a rotary motion, whether such
machines be fixed or locomotive.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we claim the use of
the spring B when enclosed within a hollow drum or pulley or an

page_text: equivalent and acting by its own expansive power substantially as and
for the purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph do Echeverria, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JOSÉ DE ECHEVERRIA. (LS.)