Lowering weights.
Year: 1885

page_text: Lowering weights.
We JAMES SWALWELL and JOHN MOORE both of Acre Street, Battersea, in the
County of Surrey, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING
WEIGHTS," to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to machinery or apparatus for raising and lower weights,
and the said invention consists firstly, in an improved construction and arrange-
ment whereby the said apparatus is made self-sustaining, and secondly in improved
means for controlling the apparatus while lowering, this latter portion of our
invention being applicable to all machinery or apparatus in which the friction
which sustains the load is applied by the weight on one end of the lifting chain.
In carrying out our invention we employ a beam swung on fulcrums or points of
suspension in the side frames of the apparatus, the said side frames being united
by a cross head which may be provided with means whereby the apparatus may
be suspended. On one side of its fulcrum the said beam carries a pin on which is
mounted, free to turn, a lifting barrel and a hand-chain wheel, the axis of the said
lifting barrel and hand-chain wheel being about in line with the cross head. A
brake is mounted to swing loosely on the said cross head in line with and over the
hand-chain wheel. On the said beam and at the other side of the fulcrum to that
on which the lifting barrel is mounted, is formed a rack, at a steep gradient from
the fulcrum of the beam, and in the said.rack gears a toothed quadrant, provided
with an arm or lever, the said arm or lever extending over the said beam to the
other side of the apparatus. To the end of the said lever a cord is attached.
In preparing the apparatus for work, one end of the lifting chain is hung on the
quadrant and the other end is passed over the lifting barrel. A loop is thus formed
in which is hung a snatch block carrying a hook.
In lifting, the load is attached to the book, and the weight is raised by pulling
the hand-chain in the proper direction. On the lifting power ceasing to be applied
the hand-chain wheel is pressed against the brake with sufficient pressure to
prevent the load running down, the said pressure being applied by part of the load
hanging from the quadrant and acting on the beam at the opposite side of its
fulcrum to that on which the lifting barrel is mounted.
On again applying the lifting power to the hand-chain wheel, the weight applied
over-balances the weight due to the difference between the distance from the
fulcrum to the lifting barrel on one side, and the point from which is hung the fast

page_text: end of the lifting chain on the other side, the result being that the wheel is drawn
from the brake and the friction required to sustain the load does not act against it
whilst lifting.
On reversing the direction of the power the weight is lowered. If it is required
to lower the weight quickly the cord attached to the arm or lever of the quadrant
is pulled. The quadrant is thus turned on the rack and drawn nearer to the
fulcrum of the beam and the point of the said beam from which the load is
suspended is brought nearer to the fulcrum of the said beam, thus reducing the
pressure of the wheel against the brake and allowing the load to run down under
perfect control. On releasing the cord attached to the quadrant lever, the quadrant
rolls down the gradient to the point at which the counter-weight has sufficient
leverage to jam the hand-wheel with sufficient pressure against the brake to
prevent the load running down.
Our improved means for controlling the lowering of weights is applicable to all
apparatus in which the friction sustaining the load is obtained by the weight on
one end of the lifting chain. In applying this portion of our invention to the
pulley blocks for which Letters Patent have been granted to us dated July 9th 1884
No 9960 we form a downward elongation or extension on the frame of the said
pulley blocks. The said extension supports one end of a beam the other end of
which is supported from the projection on the swinging arm which supports the
hand-chain wheel. A gradient rack is formed on the said beam, near its fulcrum
in the extension of the frame, and the said beam is provided with the toothed
quadrant and arm or lever as herein-before described. One end of the lifting chain
is attached to a link carried by the quadrant and on the cord attached to the arm
or lever being pulled the quadrant travels nearer the fulcrum or point of suspension
of the beam in the fixed part of the frame and acts on the brake as previously
described. Instead of forming the rack on the beam it may be formed on the
projection of the swinging arm, and the lever and quadrant arranged to act on the
Baid projection.
Instead of the rack and toothed quadrant we may employ other means such as
levers, cams, or eccentrics, for bringing the point at which the load is suspended on
the beam nearer to the fulcrum of the said beam.
Another method of controlling the lowering of the load is as follows:-The
hand-chain wheel has two braking surfaces of different diameters, so arranged that
the larger diameter will sustain the load by a given pressure exerted on the said
wheel, while the same pressure applied to the smaller diameter would allow the
load to run down. On the central pin which forms the fulcrum for the swinging
arm which carries the said hand-chain wheel and upon which pin is also mounted
the lifting barrel we mount loosely a lever carrying a brake. On a load being
suspended (one end of the lifting chain being carried by a link from a projection on
the central pin) the periphery of the hand chain wheel is pressed up against the
brake with sufficient pressure to prevent the load running down. For lowering
with the brake, the cord attached to the releasing lever is pulled, which brings the
brake on the said lever in contact with the smaller braking surface of the hand-
chain wheel and releases the pressure from the large braking surface and the load
runs down. Only the friction due to the difference in diameter of the braking
surfaces is released, the result being great steadiness in lowering.
The releasing lever may be mounted on the quadrant, carried by the projection
or the beam as the case may be, and a brake and brake surface may be used in
combination with the said rack and quadrant.
1
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1007
T. N. PALMER & Co.,
For the Applicants.

page_text: shown in figure 1. To the end of the said lever a cord is attached. From the
quadrant is suspended a link m to which one end of the lifting chain n is
secured.
In preparing the apparatus for work, one end of the lifting chain n is secured
to the link m as above stated and the other end of the said chain is passed over
the lifting barrel f. A loop is thus formed, in which is hung a snatch block
carrying a hook.
In lifting, the load is attached to the hook of the snatch block and the weight is
raised by pulling the hand-chain o in the proper direction. On ceasing to apply
the lifting power the hand-chain wheel g is pressed against the brake h with
sufficient pressure to prevent the load running down, the said pressure being
applied by the part of the load suspended from the quadrant j acting on the beam c
at the opposite side of the fulcrum d to that on which the lifting barrel fand
hand-chain wheel g are mounted.
On again applying the lifting power to the hand-chain wheel the weight applied
over-balances the weight due to the difference between the distance from the
fulcrum to the lifting barrel on one side and the point from which is hung the
fast end of the lifting chain on the other side, the result being that the wheel is
drawn from the brake and the friction required to sustain the load does not act
against it whilst lifting.
It will thus be seen that by suspending part of the load from the beam c on the
opposite side of its fulcrum or point of suspension d to that on which the hand-
chain wheel g and lifting barrel f are carried, the apparatus is rendered self-
sustaining, that is to say, on the lifting power ceasing to be applied the hand-chain
wheel is automatically brought into contact with the brake h with sufficient
pressure to sustain the load.
The second part of our invention, or that which relates to controlling the descent
of the load, consists in making the point of suspension of the load on the beam c
adjustable. In the apparatus shown in figures 1, 2 and 3 this is accomplished by
the rack i, quadrant and arm or lever k. On reversing the direction of the power
the weight is lowered. If it is required to lower the weight quickly the cord
attached to the arm or lever k is pulled. The quadrant j is thus turned on the
rack and drawn nearer to the fulcrum d of the beam c and the point of sus-
pension of the load on the said beam is thus brought nearer to the fulcrum d of
the said beam, reducing the pressure of the hand-chain wheel g against the brake h
and allowing the load to run down. The load is, however, under perfect control,
for on releasing the cord attached to the quadrant lever k, the quadrant j rolls
down the rack to the point at which the counter-weight has sufficient leverage to
jam the hand-chain wheel g with sufficient pressure against the brake h to stop the
descent of the load.
Our improved means for controlling the lowering of weights is applicable to all
apparatus in which the friction sustaining the load is obtained by the weight on
one end of the lifting chain.
Figure 4 illustrates the application of this portion of our invention to the pulley
blocks for which Letters Patent were granted to us July 9th 1884 N° 9960. a¹ is
the hand-chain wheel and a' is the pinion gearing into the internally geared
wheel e¹ on the lifting barrel. The hand-chain wheel a¹ and pinion at are mounted,
free to turn, upon the pin b¹ carried by the radial swinging arm 6. is the
brake. We form a downward elongation or extension fl on the frame of the
pulley block. The beam c¹ is freely jointed to the said extension f¹ by the pin d
which forms the fulcrum of the said beam the other end of which is supported by
the link piece from the projection on the swinging arm 6' which supports the
hand-chain wheel. A gradient rack i¹ is formed on the beam o near its fulcrum d'
in the extension of the frame f¹ and the said beam is provided with a toothed
quadrant and arm or lever k¹ as herein before described. One end of the lifting
chain is attached to the link m¹ carried by the quadrant 7 and on the cord attached
to the arm or lever being pulled, the quadrant 71 travels nearer the fulcrum or

page_text: point of suspension d' of the beam c¹ in the fixed part f¹ of the frame and acts on
the brake as previously described. Instead of using the beam c¹ the rack i¹ may
be formed on the projection of the swinging arm 62 and the lever and quadrant
arranged to act on the said projection.
v
It will be obvious that instead of the rack and toothed quadrant we may employ
other means such as levers, cams or eccentrics, for, bringing the point at which the
load is suspended on the beam nearer to the fulcrum of the said beam.
Another method of controlling the lowering of the load is shown in Figure 5.
The hand-chain wheel has two braking surfaces of different diameters, so arranged
that the larger diameter will sustain the load by a given pressure exerted on the.
said wheel, while the same pressure applied to the smaller diameter would allow
the load to run down. w is the central pin which forms the fulcrum for the
swinging arm 6' and the said arm carries the hand-chain wheel a¹. Upon the pin w
is also mounted the lifting barrel. On the hand-chain wheel a¹ is a friction
surfacer of much smaller diameter than the said wheel. On the central pin wis
also mounted loosely a lever which carries a brake 12. On a load-being suspended
(one end of the lifting chain being carried by the link g' from the projection * on
the swinging arm 6) the periphery r¹ of the hand-chain wheel a¹ is pressed up
against the brake ¹ with sufficient pressure to prevent the load running down.
For lowering with the brake, the cord attached to the releasing lever is pulled,
which brings the brake on the said lever in contact with the smaller braking
surface r of the hand-chain wheel a¹ and releases the pressure from the large
braking surface r¹ and the load runs down. It will be seen that it is not possible
to release all brake power and let the load drop, for on pulling the releasing cord
the pressure removed from the large braking surface ¹ is applied to the smaller
one r. Thus, only the friction due to the difference in diameter of the braking
surfaces is released, the result being great steadiness in lowering.
It will also readily be seen that the releasing lever 11 may be mounted on the
herein-before described quadrant carried by the projection on the swinging arm,
or by the beam, as the case may be, and a brake and brake surface r may be
used in combination with the said rack and quadrant.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
First: The construction and arrangement of our improved apparatus for raising
and lowering weights, whereby the said apparatus is rendered self-sustaining,
substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Second-In apparatus for raising and lowering weights, in which the friction
which sustains the load is applied by the weight of part of the load on one end of
the lifting chain, the method of controlling the lowering of the load, substantially
s herein described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Third: In apparatus for raising and lowering weights, in which the friction
which sustains the load is applied by the weight of part of the load on one end of
he lifting chain, the method of controlling the lowering of the load substantially
s herein described and illustrated in Figure 5.
Dated this 14th day of September 1896
T. N. PALMER & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.