IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE MENTS TO APPLICABLE TO DRIVING MACHINERY GENERALLY
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford,
Agricultural Engineer, and Edward Tenney Bousfield, of Bedford, in the
County of Bedford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOTIVE-POWER MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE
MENTS TO APPLICABLE TO DRIVING MACHINERY GENERALLY."
Sealed the 5th September 1865, and dated the 22nd April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd April 1865.
We, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural
Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND, PART
OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO DRIVING MACHINERY GENERALLY," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a means of coiling the traction rope evenly
on the winding drum without the use of traversing guide pulleys. To simplify
this operation of coiling the rope it is now proposed to mount these guide

page_text: pulleys on a stationary frame, and to traverse the winding drum upon the
shaft which supports it. The drum is keyed to or cast in one with a hollow
or sleeve shaft which surrounds a fixed shaft that carries the spur wheel for
driving the drum; this sleeve shaft is free to slide on the fixed shaft, and at
its forward end it is fitted with a flanged pinion which gears into a spur
pinion of larger diameter, mounted on a fixed endless screw shaft. The boss
of this pinion is fitted with a projecting thread which takes into the endless
screw, and thus on receiving rotary motion it is caused to traverse its shaft
from end to end; this motion it is intended to impart to the sleeve shaft
and drum, and thereby while the drum is rotating to cause it to coil the rope,
which it is taking up evenly upon its broad periphery. The driving of the
drum is effected by the spur wheel before mentioned through a coupling
which allows of the drum being moved endwiso (for the purpose described)
while the spur wheel maintains its position on the shaft; this coupling consists
of a slotted bracket affixed to the wheel, and projecting into the hollow
of the drum. The slot receives an antifriction roller carried by a pin
which projects inwards radially from the periphery of the drum. It will
now be understood that as the spur wheel is rotated it will drive round
the drum, and its sleeve shaft communicating through the flanged pinion
which it carries, rotary motion to the pinion on the endless screw shaft, that
pinion will be caused to traverse its shaft, and in doing so it will press against
one or other flange of the pinion of the sleeve shaft, and thus traverse the drum
at a proper rate for laying the rope on the drum, the pitch of the thread of the
screw shaft and relative sizes of the pinions determining the rate of lateral
motion of the drum.
The second part of the Invention relates to a novel form of clutch which
will facilitate the throwing of heavy gearing, such as that used in traction
engines, out of action. The novelty consists in connecting the gear wheel
with its driving shaft by means of sliding bolts, which can be put in action or
drawn out of action by means of a hand lever; this mode of construction
admits of various modifications. A convenient arrangement for situations
where the end of the driving shaft is accessible is to make the end of the
shaft hollow, and to fit therein a sliding rod; this rod is coupled through
slots in the driving shaft (by means of stud pieces) with bolts which are
intended to engage projections cast on the side or back of the gear wheel.
To the same shaft is keyed a clutch box, the face of which is grooved or
hollowed out to allow of the free movement of the bolts, and yet to afford a
support to them when locked into the gear wheel; this clutch box fits
closely to the face of the gear wheel within the circle of the projection for

page_text: gear
receiving the bolts, and by sliding the rod to which the bolts are jointed by
means of the band lever they will be projected into contact with the
wheel, and caused to lock it to its shaft, or will be withdrawn therefrom as
required.
A modification of this locking or clutch arrangement suitable for solid
shafts or situations where the end of the driving shaft is not accessible
would be jointing the bolts to a collar which may slide upon a cylindrical
portion of the clutch box or on the shaft which carries the gear where that
is to be driven. This collar on being slidden in the ordinary manner of
working sliding clutches will withdraw the bolts out of contact with the
projections on the gear wheel while it is running, and thereby readily unlock
the wheels.