Improvements in Lifts and Hoists.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lifts and Hoists. .
I, HENRY CLAUDE WALKER of the Newington Iron Works, Falmouth Road,
London S.E., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates, firstly to improvements in safety-gear whereby the cage is
brought to a stand on the failure of one or more of the lifting ropes or of parts
connected therewith, secondly to means for driving a governor operating safety-
gears on the cage, thirdly to means for bringing the cage to a stand on the failure
of the valve rope, and fourthly to means for putting on the safety apparatus from
the inside of car should the valve or its connections fail.
The first part of my invention is applicable principally to cages having four
lifting ropes although it may be modified to suit other arrangements. The four
ropes are led down the lift-well from the overhead sheave close together to a frame on
the top of cage where they pass under conveyance sheaves and over side sheaves
or other guiding surfaces and are led down two at each side of cage for connection
with the safety-apparatus. This apparatus consists principally of four cams
together with their actuating and other gear. The cams are smooth or serrated or
the like on their working surfaces where they engage with the runners or guides.
They are preferably mounted on two parallel shafts stretching across from side to
side under the floor of cage the two shafts being linked together or otherwise.
The cams have tail-pieces acted upon by projections on sliding pieces or the like
which are suitably mounted and arranged to be acted upon by the lifting ropes.
There are preferably two of these sliding-pieces or the like one at each side of
cage each acted upon by two ropes.
.
In one arrangement these ropes pass partially around sheaves or smooth surfaces
on the said sliding-pieces or the like and are led away at an angle in opposite
directions to some point of attachment. As the two ropes are diverted from a
straight line by the said sheaves or surfaces they exert a pressure thereon and tend
to move the sliding-piece or the like and so put the cams into action. This move-
ment only takes place if any of the ropes fail or unduly stretch the pressures being
at other times balanced. In some cases the sliding-piece or the like is so arranged
that the pressures on the sheaves or surfaces balance each other during normal
working, but if one rope breaks the other will force the cams into action. In other
cases the two pressures may be made unequal by leading away the ropes at different
angles so that one exerts a greater pressure on sheave or surface than the other,
and a spring or the like added to compensate for the unbalanced pressure. The
arrangement of auxiliary springs or the like supplies a means of automatically
putting the gear into action if all the ropes fail simultaneously.
In another arrangement the sheaves or surfaces are mounted on some fixed part
of the cage and the ropes led around them and connected to the sliding-piece or
the like. The ropes may be arranged in such a manner that the pull of one may
balance the other during normal working as described in the foregoing arrange-
ment, or similar auxiliary springs or the like may be added.
The above described sliding-piece or the like may be fitted to one side of cage
only, the other side having any other gear of known construction and arrangement
combined therewith. When a duplicate set is arranged at the other side the con-
veyance sheaves previously mentioned at the top of cage are preferably mounted
in one or more rocking frames so that if only one rope breaks the said frame will
be tilted and allow one or all of the remaining ropes to act. In one arrangement
the cage has one of the aforementioned sliding-pieces or the like at each side. At

page_text: one side of the cage the two lifting ropes act on the sliding-piece or the like in
either of the methods first mentioned. At the other side however only one rope
normally acts on the sliding-piece or the like being opposed by a spring or the like
instead of the pull of the other rope. This latter rope is led over a similar sheave
or surface but does not carry any of the weight of cage being kept taut by a light
spring or the like. With this arrangement three ropes support the load whilst the
fourth runs idle. Should the three supporting ropes simultaneously fail, the weight
of cage will then come entirely on the fourth rope and (overcoming the tension of
its spring etc.) will force the cams into action. As the fourth rope is not normally
subjected to the working strain of the load it will not deteriorate in the same
proportion and therefore will not be so liable to break.
The aforementioned arrangement of rocking frames may be modified in cases
where balance weights are used. The said frames may be pivotted on levers or
the like fulcrummined on cage and acting on the balance rope or ropes so as to divert
it from a straight line. As long as any of the lifting ropes remain intact, the
weight of cage will keep the said lever against some fixed stop and the rocking
frames will then act as if the lever were a fixture. But if all these ropes break
simultaneously, the balance weight ropes will be pulled out straight as there is
now no resistance to the lever and will put the safety-gear into action by any
suitable means.
In carrying out the second part of my invention, I attach a rope to the top of
cage, lead it up the lift-well over a sheave at the top, then back to the cage over
or under the governor sheave and around a conveyance sheave, and from thence
down under a sheave at the bottom of well and back to the cage where it is
fixed. With this arrangement a high-speed governor may be used as the speed
will be twice as great as when the rope is fixed at the top and bottom of well,
and will obviate the use of gearing which is objectionable on account of the noise.
The third part of my invention is applicable principally to that kind of valve-
gear in which the hand-rope passes around a drum which actuates the valve and
is led up the lift-well and kept taut by weights at both ends. The free end is
provided with stops to confine the motion of valve rope to the amount necessary
for the working of the valve (say, half a revolution of the drum) whilst the other
or valve end is allowed room for a motion equal to say another quarter of a revo-
lution of drum. The effect of this arrangement is that whilst the rope remains
intact its motion is confined by the stops on the free end to what is necessary for
the working of valve but if the rope breaks the weight on the other end will cause
the drum to make a further movement and bring the valve to its central or closed
position.
The fourth part of my invention is applicable to the above-described arrange-
ments of safety and valve-gear and also to other safety-gear put into action by the
release of the tension on one or more ropes. The valve rope is caused to pass
over or under say two sheaves on the cage. One of these sheaves runs in a fixed
bearing and may be used for driving a governor. The other is preferably mounted
on a lever or equivalent mechanism in such a manner that any pull on the hand
rope tends to move the lever by swinging the sheave aside. This motion is
resisted by an arm of said lever resting on a stop on one of the lifting ropes.
Should the cage be descending too fast or should it be desirable for some other
reason to stop the cage this can be done by laying hold of the valve rope. This
reverses the direction of the motive fluid, but if the controlling valve or pipes etc.
have failed and therefore not be responsive a further motion of the rope will bring
the end against some fixed stop and allow the pulling-force on rope to swing aside
the said lever or equivalent mechanism, and by pressing on the said stop on lifting
rope put the main safety-gear into action, or the same movement might be used
to put auxiliary safety-gear into action as well as or independently of the main
safety-gear.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lifts and Hoists.
I, HENRY CLAUDE WALKER of the Newington Iron Works, London, S.E.
Engineer 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 :-
My invention relates, firstly, to improvements in safety-gear whereby the cage
is
brought to a stand on the failure of one or more of the lifting ropes or of parts
connected therewith; secondly, to means for driving a governor operating safety-
gears on the cage; thirdly, to means for bringing the cage to a stand on the failure
of the valve rope; and fourthly, to means for putting on the safety apparatus from
the inside of the cage should the valve or its connections fail.
In order to more clearly set forth the principal parts of my invention reference
will be had to the accompanying drawings (3 sheets) in which the same reference
letters indicate the same or corresponding parts.
The first part of my invention is applicable to suspended lifts having two or more
lifting ropes.
When four ropes are used they are led down the lift-well from the
overhead sheave close together to a frame on the top of cage where they pass under
conveyance sheaves and over side sheaves or other guiding surfaces and are led
down two at each side of cage for connection with the safety apparatus. This
apparatus consists principally of four cams together with their actuating and other
gear. The cams are smooth or serrated or the like on their working surfaces where
they engage with the runners or guides. They are preferably mounted on two
parallel shafts stretching across from side to side under the floor of cage the two
shafts being linked together or otherwise. The cams have tail-pieces or lugs acted
upon by projections on sliding-pieces which are suitably mounted and arranged to
be acted upon by the lifting ropes.
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively front elevation plan and side elevation of one
form of my invention. These figures show the gear at one side of cage a similar set
being usually applied to the other side. Brackets Y are bolted to the underside of
the cage framing to carry the sliding plate F2 the cam shafts c and the guides Z.
The guides Z here shown are suitable for a round iron runner at each side and the
cams are arranged to bite on to the wood backing Z', but the guides may be
modified to suit a wood runner and the cams be arranged to bite on the same
runners as in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The cams C have horns e' by which they are
put into action and are mounted on two parallel shafts c stretching across under the
The lifting ropes D
floor of cage and journalled in the brackets Y.
under
pass
sheaves F mounted on the bracket Y or the cage and are led away in opposite
directions and attached to the sliding plate F2. The cams have two sets of horns
acted upon by pins a" on the plate F the arrangement being such that if lateral
motion be given to the plate 2 in either direction the cams will be put into action.
The two ropes D pull on the plate F2 in opposite directions and so balance each
other during normal working. Should however one of these ropes fail or stretch
unduly, the other one will move the plate F2 laterally and so put all the cams into
action.
Fig. 4 shows the front elevation of a modified form of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 in which
the cams act on the wooden runners which guide the cage. In this modification I
show an alternative method of connecting the ropes D to the plate F2. The ends
of the ropes are attached to couplings d² from which the pressure is transmitted to
the plate F2 by springs d. These springs are not intended to supply the means of
putting the gear into action if only a portion of the ropes fail although they will
aid this movement, but they will supply the necessary motion should all the ropes
fail simultaneously.
Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively front and side elevations of another modification

page_text: in which a bent piece A is substituted for the sliding plate. The lifting ropes D
pass behind lugs a¹ on sliding pieces A and are led away in opposite directions and
fixed at d to the bracket or other part of cage. The lower ends a of A engage
with the horns c' of the cams ( In this case the two cam shafts c are coupled
together by links, toothed segments, or the like to ensure simultaneous action and
to cause all of the cams to be put into action on the failure of any of the ropes.
Projections u² on the sliding piece A come against the underside of cage framing
and prevent upward movement. As the ropes D are diverted from a straight line
by the lugs a they exert a pressure on the sliding piece A and tend to move it
laterally and so put the cams into action. Plate springs E may be arranged
between the projections a² and the cage to assist the action of the sliding pieces A
and to put them into action if all the ropes fail simultaneously. In some cases, the
two ropes D at each side may be unequally diverted so that during normal working
there will be a constant tendancy to move the piece A. This tendancy is counter-
acted by a spring or the like so that no motion of A ensues during normal working.
Should all the ropes fail simultaneously the spring will put the cams into action.
Any of the above-described sliding-pieces may be fitted to one side only of the
cage the other side having any other gear of known construction and arrangement
combined therewith. In one arrangement the cage has one of the aforementioned
sliding-pieces at each side. At one side of the cage the two lifting ropes act on the
sliding-piece in any of the methods mentioned. At the other side however only one
rope normally acts on the sliding-piece being opposed by a spring or the like instead
of the pull of the other rope. This latter rope is led over a similar sheave or surface
but does not carry any of the weight of cage being kept taut by a light spring or the
like. With this arrangement three ropes support the load whilst the fourth runs
idle. Should the three supporting ropes simultaneously fail, the weight of the cage
will then come entirely on the fourth rope and (overcoming the tension of its
spring etc.) will force the cams into action. As the fourth rope is not normally
subjected to the working strain of the load it will not deteriorate in the same
proportion and therefore will not be so liable to break.
When safety-gears of any construction are arranged at both sides of the cage the
conveyance sheaves previously mentioned at the top of cage are preferably mounted
in one or more rocking frames or the like so that if only one rope breaks the said
frame will tilt or move and allow the remaining rope at this side to act.
Fig. 7 is an elevation of the upper portion of a cage fitted with a rocking
frame X. Two ropes a, a are carried down side by side under sheaves pivotted
to the frame and pass away to the left-hand side of cage. Two other ropes x²,3
pass similarly under other sheaves and pass to the right-hand side. The frame X³
consists in this case of two plates fulcrummed at a to the main girder of cage but
it might be otherwise constructed.
Fig. 8 shows a modification in which the frame X³ is arranged to roll instead of
to rock. Plates Y2 forming part of the cage girders are slotted to receive rollers
on the frame X³.
In this figure is shown a fifth rope passing under a sheave on
the frame X3 and led down at one side of cage for attachment to one or both of the
cams at this side. This fifth rope is kept taut by a spring and runs idle during
normal working. It only comes into use if all the other ropes fail simultaneously.
In this case the load will be thrown on which will then pull the cams into
action.
The aforementioned arrangement of rocking frames may be modified in cases
where balance weights are used. The said frames may be pivotted on (or slide in
levers or the like fulcrummed on the cage and acting on the balance rope or ropes
-so as to divert them from a straight line. As long as any of the lifting ropes
remain intact the weight of the cage will keep the said levers against some fixed
stop and the frames will then act as if the levers were a fixture. But if all these
ropes break simultaneously the balance-weight ropes will be pulled out straight as
there is now no resistance to the levers and will put the safety-gear into action by
any suitable means.

page_text: With this
The second part of my invention is shown in Fig. 9. I drive the governor by
a rope the ends of which are fixed to the top and bottom of cage. This rope runs
idly over sheaves 1, 13 at the top and bottom of lift-well and passes over or under
the governor sheave and a conveyance sheave placed on the cage.
arrangement a high-speed governor may be used as the speed of revolution will be
twice as great as when the rope is fixed to the top and bottom of well, and will
rerder unnecessary the use of toothed gearing.
The third part of my invention is shown in Fig. 10 and relates to valve-gear
in which the hand-rope passes around a drum or the like actuating the valve. The
free end of the rope works between stops m to. confine the motion of the rope to
what is necessary for the working of the valve (say, half a revolution of the drum)
whilst the other or valve end which passes around the valve drum M is allowed a
further downward motion of say another quarter of a revolution of the drum
before it comes against a stop m'. The effect of this arrangement is that whilst
the rope remains intact its motion is confined by the stops to what is necessary
for the working of the valve but if the rope breaks the weight on the valve end
will cause the drum to make a further movement and bring the valve to its central
or closed position.
The fourth part of my invention is applicable to the above-described arrangements
of safety and valve gear and also to other safety-gear. The valve-rope is caused
to pass over or under say two sheaves on the cage. One of these sheaves runs in a
fixed bearing and may be used for driving a governor. The other is preferably
mounted on a lever or equivalent mechanism in such a manner that any pull on the
hand-rope tends to move the lever by swinging the sheave aside. This motion is
resisted by an arm of the said lever resting on a stop on one of the lifting ropes or
by a spring. In the latter case the lever is linked direct to the cams or through
the fifth rope previously mentioned. Should the cage be descending too fast or
should it be desirable for some other reason to stop the cage its motion may be
arrested by laying hold of the valve-rope. This reverses the direction of the motive
fluid or cuts off the same in the ordinary manuer, but if the controlling valve or the
pipes have failed and therefore not be responsive a further motion of the rope will
bring the end of the said rope against some fixed stop (such as at m, Fig. 10) and
allow the pulling force on the rope to swing aside the said lever or equivalent
mechanism and put the main safety-gear into action. In some cases this movement
may be used to put auxiliary safety-gear into action as well as or independently of
the main safety-gear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be particularly
understood that I do not bind myself to the exact details of the different forms of
apparatus herein set forth but I do declare that what I claim is :-
1. In safety-gear for suspended lifts the combination and arrangement of
arresting-cams with sliding-pieces kept out of action by the opposite pull of the
lifting ropes and forced against the cams on the failure of one rope by the pull on
the other either with or without the auxiliary springs substantially as shown and
described.
2. The construction, arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
safety-gear shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings and
substantially as described.
3. The construction, arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
safety-gear shown in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings and substantially as
described.
4. The construction, arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
safety-gear shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings and
substantially as described.
5. In safety-gear for suspended lifts having two or more lifting ropes the
arrangement of rolling or rocking frame whereby the pull on the ropes may
be fully

page_text: utilised to put the safety gear into action on the failure of any one lifting rope
substantially as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings and
substantially as described.
6. In suspended lifts, fitting the top framing of cage with a moveable frame or
attachment for the lifting ropes instead of the usual fixed one in order that the
weight of the cage may be utilised to put the safety-gear into action on the failure
of one or more ropes.
7. The arrangement of governor-driving gear substantially as shown in Fig. 9,
and as described, whether applied to suspended or direct-acting lifts of any
construction.
8. The safety-arrangements acting on the failure of the valve-rope substantially
as shown in Fig. 10 and as herein before described.
9. The safety-arrangements acting on the failure of the valves or their
connections substantially as described in the fourth part of this Specification.
Dated this 29th day of February 1892.
HENRY CLAUDE WALKER.