IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAFT COUPLINGS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Price Griffiths, of Manchester Road, Burnley, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
Sealed the 12th October 1858, and dated the 24th June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Price Griffiths at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th June 1858.
J, PRICE GRIFFITHS, of Manchester Road, Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAFT COUPLINGS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of shaft couplings
consists in casting those articles in iron moulds of the exact form required for
the finished article, & as it is to be applied to a shaft, instead of casting
them in sand moulds and afterwards turning, boring, & fitting them as
usual. For this purpose I employ suitable iron moulds internally of the form
of the finished coupling, which moulds are furnished with a metal mandril or
core of the same size as the shaft to which the coupling is to be fitted. The
mandril or core is furnished with the form of key by which the coupling is to
be fixed on its shaft, this forms the key way in the coupling to be produced.
Couplings so cast are ready for fitting to shafts immediately they are removed

page_text: from the mould and allowed to cool. By this means all the time and expense
of turning, boring, & cutting the keyways or grooves is saved, besides the
Tim in the ordinem mods of manufacture
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Price Griffiths in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PRICE
GRIFFITHS, of Manchester Road, Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Price Griffiths, Her special licence that I, the said Price Griffiths, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Price
Griffiths, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF SHAFT COUPLINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Price Griffiths, 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 Price Griffiths, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of shaft couplings
consists in casting those articles in iron moulds of the exact form required for
the finished article, and as it is to be applied to a shaft, instead of casting
them in sand moulds and afterwards turning, boring, and fitting them as

page_text: usual. For these couplings I employ suitable iron moulds internally of the
form of the finished couplings, which moulds are furnished with a metal
mandril or core of the same size as the shaft in which the coupling is to be
fitted. The mandril or core is furnished with the form of key by which the
coupling is to be fixed on its shaft; this forms the key way in the coupling to
be produced. Couplings so cast are ready to be fitted to shafts immediately
they are removed from the mould, when cold. By this means all the time and
expense of turning, boring, and cutting the keyways or grooves is saved,
besides the waste of metal resulting in the ordinary mode of manufacture.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents an external view of the mould I use for casting couplings
according to my Invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same, while Fig. 3
represents a plan of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, a like view with the lid or cover
removed. D is the wrought-iron mandril which is furnished with a feather
or projecting rib F, which forms the keyway in the coupling to be cast
therein, the mandril and rib forming the core on which the metal coupling is
to be cast, the mandril being of the same size as the shaft to which the
coupling is to be applied. B is the body of the mould which is bored out to
form a smooth cavity; E the end of the mandril D, fitting and filling the
smooth opening in the bottom of mould B, and also that in the bed C, which
sustains the mandril in its proper position. A is the cover which is made
sufficiently heavy; it embraces the top of mould B, & fits on the top of the
mandril D. The mould B is fitted into a fixed bed C, as seen, so that it can
be changed for another at pleasure; K, K, pillars securing the bedpiece C
at a suitable elevation, and at any convenient position for casting the couplings,
all the parts of the mould are of iron, and are bored, turned, faced, and other-
wise securely fitted together. H, H, are two holes by which the metal
enters the mould when it is poured in the hollow of the top E; L, L, are two
strengthening ribs on bed C. Before proceeding to cast the couplings the
mould E is well rubbed with blacklead to prevent the castings adhering
thereto, the mandril is then inserted in position, and the cover E adjusted as
shown. The moulder now takes a ladle of molten metal, and pours it into the
hollow of cover A, when it passes through the holes H, H, and enters the
cavity or mould E, and fills it full; the cover A is removed immediately, and
the surplus metal contained in the hollow of cover E and holes II is knocked
off, when the moulding is complete. The mandril is now removed from the
mould, which is effected by the pull of a screw suitably arranged and con-
nected by any suitable means to the cotter hole I, in the lower end of the

page_text: mandril D. The mandril after being drawn down out of the mould B, will
leave it & the cast coupling free to be removed from bed C; when cold, the
cast coupling may be dropped out of the mould B, a slight tap with a
hammer facilitating that operation, if any tendency to adhere is observed.
These castings when cold are ready for use as shaft couplings as herein-before
mentioned, and without any further preparation.
The mandril and mould, being allowed to cool, may be again adjusted in
position as before and another coupling cast and so on. Instead of a screw
being connected with the cotter hole I, to withdraw the mandril, that operation
may be effected by hydraulic or other force or pressure.
It is obvious that by adding more than one rib or feather F the coupling
may be cast with more than one keyway, but being fitted and fixed to shafts
precisely in the manner of couplings hitherto used for like purposes, it is
unnecessary to further describe them.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise form of coupling or mould indicated in the Drawings, as such may
be varied without departing from my Invention; and I declare that what
I claim as my Invention, to be protected by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is the manufacture of couplings for shafts, by casting them
in a state ready for use in metal moulds, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Price Griffiths, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
PRICE GRIFFITHS. (L.S.)