PROVED WEIGHING MACHINE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest Rolin, of the Firm of Eugène Rolin et
"
Co., of Brainc le Comite (Belgique), for the Invention of "
PROVED WEIGHING MACHINE."
AN IM-
Scaled the 25th July 1873, and dated the 18th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernost Rolin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th February 1873.
I, ERNEST ROLIN, of the Firm Eugène Rolin et Co., of Braine le
Comte (Belgique), do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "AN IMPROVED WEIGHING MACHINE," to be as follows:-
In combining this improved system of weighing machine or weigh
bridge, the object is to realize simultaneously several important advan-.
tages, such as the diminution of the depth of the pit, the facility of
examining, keeping in order, and repairing the mechanism which is
placed for these purposes in the corners of the apparatus outside the
rails of railroads or other ways, and is thereby easily accessible; the
security and solidity of its supports which makes the platform or table
as steady as if it were resting on the sides of the pit, the absence of

page_text: any necessity for stone and masonry for the foundation, the perfect
exactness of the weight and the little liability of any derangement of
the mechanism. These results are obtained by making the arms of the
various levers square or at right angles with each other by placing the
mechanism outside the platform or table, by making the box or case of
cast iron, serving at the same time as a seating or bed plate for the
mechanism, and by an improved mode of blocking or wedging the weigh
beam when not in use for weighing, and allowing the table to rest
immoveably on supports arranged for the purpose.
The table or platform is provided with strong ribs, and is freely carried
by two wrought-iron bars which are suspended by means of bridles or
links on knives or knife edged centres fixed to horizontal arms of four
two armed levers having knives resting on bearings fitted in brackets or
standards fixed to the bottom of the case. The lower ends of two of
these levers have knives or centres in contact with bearings at one end
of connecting rods, the other ends of which have other bearings in
contact with knives or levers on a shaft provided with knives in contact
with stationary bearings in the before-mentioned brackets or standards.
To one end of the shaft is fixed the ordinary long lever, which in the
usual manner communicates its oscillating movement to the weigh beam,
and the four two armed levers are connected by rods having adjusting
screws and nuts, the two arms of each lever being at right angles with

page_text: formed in the sides of the case or box, and thereby take the strain off the
levers..
To cover the mechanism at the four corners there are moveable covers,
which are removed when the mechanism has to be examined and cleaned,
and by increasing the number of brackets and the right angled levors
weighing machines can be made of any desired size and strength, adapted
for railways, main roads, or any place required.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Ernest Rolin in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 31st July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERNEST
ROLIN, of the Firm of Eugène Rolin et Co., of Braine le Comte (Belgique),
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Ernest Rolin, Her special license that I,
the said Ernest Rolin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Ernest Rolin, my executors, adminis-
trators, or 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 IMPROVED WEIGHING
MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ernest
Rolin, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ernest Rolin, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thercof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thercon,
that is to say:-
In combining this improved system of weighing machine or weigh
bridge, the object is to realize simultaneously several important advan-
tages, such as the diminution of the depth of the pit, the facility of
examining, keeping in order, and repairing the mechanism which is
placed for these purposes in the corners of the apparatus outside the
rails of the railroads or other ways, and is thereby casily accessible; the
security and solidity of its supports which makes the platform or table
as steady as if it were resting on the sides of the pit, the absence of any
necessity for stone and masonry for the foundation, the perfect exactness
of the weight, and the little liability of any derangement of the
mechanism. These results are obtained by making the arms of the
various levers square or at right angles with each other by placing the
mechanism outside the platform or table, by making the box or case of
cast iron, serving at the same time as a seating or bed plate for the
mechanism, and by an improved mode of blocking or wedging the
weigh beam when not in use for weighing and allowing the table to rest
immoveably on supports arranged for the purpose.
The table or platform is provided with strong ribs, and is freely carried
by two wrought-iron bars which are suspended by means of bridles or
links on knives or knife-edged centres fixed to horizontal arms of four
two-armed levers having knives resting on bearings fitted in brackets or
standards fixed to the bottom of the case. The lower ends of two of
these levers have knives or centres in contact with bearings at one end of
connecting rods, the other ends of which have other bearings in contact
with knives on levers on a shaft provided with knives in contact with
stationary bearings in the before-mentioned brackets or standards; to
one end of the shaft is fixed the ordinary long lever, which in the usual
manner communicates its oscillating movement to the weigh beam, and
the four two-armed levers are connected by rods, having adjusting screws
and nuts, the two arms of each lever being at right angles with each
other.
For blocking or wedging the weigh beam after weighing and making
the table. steady there is a shaft beneath the weigh beam, having at one
end a cranked handle and at the other end a bevel wheel, there being

page_text: between the ends a screw fitting a nut connected to a lever below the
weigh beam.
The bevel wheel gears into another bevel wheel on a vertical shaft,
having at the bottom a worm gearing into a toothed segment fixed to a
cross shaft, to which are fixed central arms, cams, or struts jointed by
rods to levers, cams, or struts at the corners of the case or box, so that
when the shaft is turned one way by the handle the screw places the
lever under the weigh beam, and at the same time the bevel wheels turn
the cross shaft and place the levers or struts under the table, and thereby
support it effectually at all the corners and also in the middle of the side
ribs, there being projections on the corner levers which enter recesses
formed in the sides of the case or box, and thereby take the strain off
the levers.
To cover the mechanism at the four corners there are moveable covers,
which are removed when the mechanism has to be examined and cleaned,
and by increasing the number of brackets and the right angled levers
weighing machines can be made of any desired size and strength adapted
for railways, main roads, or any place required.
Figs. 1 and 2 represent respectively a side view partly in section, and
a plan of the improved weigh bridge.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line Z, Z, (Fig. 2) and Fig. 4 is a
transverse section on the line Z¹, Z'.
A is the cast iron platform or table strengthened by ribs and supported
freely on two wrought-iron bars B, B, which are suspended by bridles
from the knife edges on the horizontal arms of the four crank levers
C, C, arranged at the four angles of the casing. These levers, which
oscillate upon knife edges on supports fixed to the base of the casing,
are connected at the extremities of their longer vertical arms by knife
edges and bridles to short arms F on a horizontal shaft E, which is itself
mounted on knife edges on supports fixed at the bottom of the casing.
The extremity of this shaft extending beyond the casing has fixed on it
the long lever D, which in the ordinary way communicates movement to
the steel yard. By means of adjusting nuts G the strain on the different
levers can be equalized, and a regulator H serves to adjust exactly the
proportion of 1 to 100 for the weighing, a proportion which is convenient.

page_text: and which depends upon the relative lengths of the two arms of the
levers C, and of the short arms F to the long arm D, and finally on the
lengths of the arms of the steelyard. It is obvious, however, that these
may be made in other proportions if so desired. The oscillations taking
place on horizontal and vertical knife edges are effected without any
appreciable friction. The weigh bridge besides is provided with blocking
apparatus of the following kind:-A screwed spindle L, worked by a
winch handle, serves at the same time to raise the diagonal lever K. or
brace after weighing, and also to block the table. The lever K is moved
by a nut on the spindle L, having studs working in slotted holes in the
double arms of the lever K, whereby it is raised so as to block the steel-
yard. At the same time the movement of the spindle L is communi-
cated by bevel pinions M, M, to a vertical spindle N, at the lower end
of which is a screw ○ geared with a tooth segment fixed on a shaft P.
This shaft works in bearings in the casing, and has fixed on it two double
arms Q, Q, which are connected by rods R to lovers S. These levers
thrust wedges into slots provided in the framing, and thereby lift the
platform, and so block it that it cannot move. For the purpose of
supplementary support, and in order that the heaviest vehicles may pass
over the platform without shaking it, the shaft P has, besides, upon it
two cams working under the ribs of the platform, which cams, when
the shaft is turned, are brought round to sustain those ribs. Thus the
platform is blocked not only at the sides, but also at the middle. The
mechanism at the four corners of the plate is protected by moveable
covers, which can be taken up to give access for cleansing or repair.
It is obvious that the details of construction might be modified, as,
for example, by making the platform of wood or of wrought iron, and.
that by increasing the number of supports and of bearing levers and
the depth of the casing, the dimensions of the platform might be
extended as desired to take objects of any size and weight.
It is also obvious that all the mechanism being mounted on the casing
without separate masonry or supports, the apparatus is capable of
weighing without material error even if out of level.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I claim,―
First. The arrangement of the cranked levers with their knife edges
and bearings at the angles of the casing of a weigh bridge, so that they

page_text: are rendered accessible and do not interfere with the continuity of
structure for supporting the weight, substantially as herein described.
Second. The method of blocking the platform of a weigh bridge when
not in use for weighing by means of wedges and cams which furnish a
solid support, substantially as herein described.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest Rolin, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
ALBERT CAHEN,
Civil Engineer,
of 32, Boulevard Magenta,
at Paris.
E. ROLIN. (L.S.)