Improvements in Friction Clutches.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Friction Clutches.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BROCK SANGSTER, General Manager to the Cycle Compo-
nents Manufacturing Company, Limited, of Bournbrook, near the City of
Birmingham, 'do hereby declare the nature of this 'invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to friction clutches, particularly to that class of clutches
which are employed for connecting the toothed driving rings of cycle wheel
wheel is obtained and
hubs to the body parts of such hubs, whereby a "free"
the pedals with sprocket wheel, drive chain and rear sprocket or driving ring
may be held stationary whilst the body of the hub and the wheel are running
free.
According to this invention, a silent clutch hub is provided, consisting of a
ring, made, fast to one end of the said hub and provided on its periphery with a
series of inclined planes raking inwards and separated from one another by
toothed-shaped projections or shoulders, whose peripheral edges are concentric
to the axis of the hub and work within or are encircled by a loosely mounted
outer toothed ring or chain wheel which is operatively connected to the said
inner ring by means of rollers intervening between the inclined surfaces of
the, one element and the opposed concentric surface of the other and outer
element, which rollers are kept square across their bearing surfaces by loose
and sliding blocks coming at the backs of, and bearing against the rollers
through a part of their lengths, whilst intervening in turn between the backs
of the sliding blocks and the fast shoulders of the inner ring are small coiled
springs acting to always keep the said loose blocks up to the rollers.
The outer curved surfaces of the sliding blocks, which are shorter than the
rollers against which they impinge, conform to the inside surface or periphery
of the toothed ring and are provided with feathers or ribs which take into a
corresponding circumferential groove or channel cut around the said inside
periphery of the outer chain wheel, whereby the said blocks are taken true
home against and kept perfectly square with the rollers and also are guided or
prevented from twisting in any movement they make or in the case of the
blocks not being a true fit.
Instead of the rollers being of the same diameter throughout their whole
length, they may be reduced or necked at the middle part and have contact
surfaces only at the ends.
The blocks, rollers and outer ring are kept in position by a disc screwing
onto the hub end with its outer edges lying in a sinking in the face of the outer
toothed ring.
$000

page_text: Improvements in Friction Clutches.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BROCK SANGSTER, General Manager to the Cycle Compo-
nents Manufacturing Company, Limited, of Bournbrook, near the City of
Birmingham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to friction clutches, particularly to clutches of the
roller type, which are employed for connecting the toothed driving rings of
cycle wheel hubs to the body parts of such hubs, whereby a "free wheel is
obtained and the pedals with sprocket wheel, drive chain and rear sprocket or
driving ring may be held stationary whilst the body of the hub and the wheel
are running free.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a view, partly in side
elevation and partly in vertical section, of a cycle "free-wheel clutch con-
structed and arranged according to my invention. In this view, one of the side
plates or cheeks provided to retain the clutching rollers in position is removed
in order to show the internal arrangement.
Figure 2 represents a view of the clutch in which the outer toothed ring or
driving cog and also the said plates are shown in vertical section whilst the
body or disc part, which is made fast to the wheel hub, is shown in edge view,
with the rollers and their guide blocks in position thereon.
Figure 3 represents a transverse vertical section of Figure 1.
Figure 4 shows a similar section but with some of the parts detached.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the said Figures 1
to 4.
This clutch, which is both silent and positive in its action, and is designed
particularly for the purpose of reducing friction to a minimum, consists of a
middle disc or ring a, made fast to one end of a cycle wheel hub and provided
on its periphery with a series of inclined planes a', raking inwards and separated
from one another by projections or shoulders a², whose peripheral edges a³, are
concentric to the axis of the hub and work within or are encircled by a loosely
mounted outer toothed ring or chain wheel b, which is operatively connected to
the said inner ring by means of rollers intervening between the inclined
surfaces of the one element and the opposed concentric surface ', of the other
and outer element, which rollers are kept square across their bearing surfaces
by loose and sliding blocks e, coming at the back of, and bearing against the
rollers through a part of their lengths, whilst intervening in turn between the
backs of the sliding blocks and the fast shoulders of the inner ring are small
coiled springs f acting to always keep the said loose blocks up to the rollers.
The sliding guide blocks are (as will be seen from Figure 2) made shorter than
the rollers against which they impinge, so that when in their assigned positions,
their sides are (in order to avoid friction) held out of contact with the inner
faces g', of the side cheeks or rings g, which constitute the sides to the clutch
box and may be secured by screws g², passed through plain holes in the one
plate and through plain holes at, in the middle disc a, and take into tapped
holes in the other ring, the said rings serving both as a means for retaining the
rollers in their inclined-bottomed recesses and for securing the loose driving
cog. The inner surfaces of the guide blocks are curved and work upon concentric
portions, of the recesses in the middle disc, whilst their outer surfaces are
likewise curved to conform to the inside surface or concentric periphery b¹, of
the toothed ring and are provided with feathers or ribs e² which take into a

page_text: corresponding circumferential groove or channel cut around the said inside
periphery of the outer chain wheel, whereby the said blocks are taken true
home against and kept perfectly square with the rollers and also are guided or
prevented from twisting in any movement they may make or in the case of the
blocks not being a true fit, whilst they are also retained in a central position so
that their sides do not come in contact with the rings forming the sides of the
clutch box, whereby considerable friction is avoided, as the only moving parts
which may come against these side rings are the ends of the rollers.
The ribs or feathers of the guide blocks, instead of engaging a circumferential
groove on the inside of the loose toothed driving ring as described, may engage
in corresponding short grooves or channels formed in the part of the peripheral
recesses in the fixed disc or inner element of the clutch in which the said blocks
work, and instead of ribs or feathers being employed, their equivalent in the form
of projecting separated studs may be used.
According to a further modification of my invention, both the ends of the
rollers, as well as the outer sides of their guide blocks, may be held out of
frictional contact with the inner surfaces of the side-plates or cheeks, and at the
same time the lateral or twisting movement of both parts is effectually prevented.
Figure 5 represents a vertical section of this arrangement and Figure 6 shows
the parts separated, but also the inner ring, the guide blocks and the rollers in
position. In this form, instead of the guide blocks e, carrying the ribs, they
may be grooved on their inner surfaces at e², and be engaged by short ribs or
feathers a, formed along the bottoms of the peripheral recesses a¹ of the fixed
disc or inner member a, of the clutch. The rollers c, which a length less than
the width of the space between the side plates g, are grooved or necked around
their middles at 2, so as to have contact surface only at their ends, and when
in position are also engaged by the feathers or rib 2, and are thus prevented
from shifting laterally. If necessary, no guide blocks may be used behind the
rollers, which would then be kept in position solely by the rib on the toothed
ring.
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:-
First In friction clutches of the roller type in which guide blocks are
employed, providing the said guide blocks with ribs, feathers or equivalent
projections, engaging within a groove or channel formed either in the inside
periphery of the chain wheel or toothed driving ring, or on the outside periphery
of the fixed disc or inner member of the clutch, substantially as described, and
also as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, for the purposes herein set forth.
Secondly-In friction clutches of the roller type in which guide blocks are
employed, the modified arrangement wherein the guide blocks are provided with
channels or grooves engaged by ribs, feathers or their equivalent formed on the
outside periphery of the fixed disc or inner member of the clutch, with the
rollers having corresponding middle grooves or necks, substantially as described
and also as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated this 1st day of November 1899
.
LES THOMAS BROCK SANGSTER.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.