Improvements in Friction Clutches.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THOMAS HEMENWAY WORRALL and ALEXANDER
LESPERANCE, both of Laconia, New Hampshire, United States of America,
Gentlemen.]
Improvements in Friction Clutches.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The invention has relation to friction-clutch mechanism in general, and is
particularly adapted to clutch couplings, in which two shafts or a shaft and a
pulley are designed to be connected or coupled, and disconnected or uncoupled
at will.
It is the object of the invention to provide such improvements in clutch
mechanism as will secure and maintain an alignment of the shafts or parts to be
connected or coupled.
It is also the object of the invention to provide such improvements in clutch
mechanism as will to all intents and purposes relieve the parts of torsional strain
or "drag" in the first stage of applying the clutch, and permit of a square firm
and "holding" pressure or clamping operation.
It is also the object of the invention to provide improvements whereby a clutch
mechanism adapted to be operated at will to couple and uncouple the parts may be
rendered rigid, in case of necessity...
To these ends the invention consists of a friction clutch mechanism comprising
three members or parts, two of which are constructed as friction discs which may
be rigidly secured to the shafts or parts to be connected or coupled, and a third
formed as a clamping ring or plate, independent of the shafts or parts to be
connected, one of the said members being provided with a laterally projecting
flange extending over one, or it may be over the peripheries of both, of the discs,
to maintain the two discs and their connected parts in alignment, bolts passing
through the flange of the flanged member and through the opposite outside
member, and clamping means for acting upon the said bolts to clutch and unclutch
the parts.
The invention also consists in combining with the foregoing additional bolts
which pass through the flange of the flanged member and through. the opposite
outside member, which bolts are not acted upon by the clamping means, and while
allowing of the free action of the members, are adapted in case of emergency to
assist in rigidly connecting or coupling the parts.
The invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed
out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and the letters of reference
marked thereon, the same letters of reference designating the same parts or
features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.
Of the said drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved clutch mechanism.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view.
Fig. 4 is a central sectional view.
Fig. 5 is a central sectional view of a modified form of the invention.
In the drawings A (Figs. 1 and 2) designates the sleeve of a pulley b which is
arranged to run loose on a shaft c, to which sleeve a is secured a friction disc d, or

page_text: the friction disc d may be secured to a driving shaft c', as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.
e designates the driven shaft to which is keyed or otherwise secured a friction
disk f.
9 is a clamping ring or plate which is constructed and arranged to bear upon the
side of one or the other of the discs or members d, fand to move independent of
the disc against which it bears, as also independent of the shaft or part to which
the latter disc is secured.
As is represented the ring g is provided with a laterally projecting flange h
which extends over the periphery of the disc and upon the periphery of the
disc the latter being provided with a radially projecting flange i,
designates bolts provided upon one end with an adjusting nut and headed ou
the opposite ends, the said bolts passing through the flange of the ring y, and
through the radial flange i of the disc f
=
I designates the inner ends of the levers which are constructed as cams, which
cams are adapted to act upon spring plates m, or it may be directly on the face
of the disc to draw upon the bolts and frictionally couple or connect
the discs.
The cam levers i (as shown in Figs. 1 and 4) are fulcrumed at their inner ends
upon pins connected with the heads of the bolts j, and are pivoted at their opposite
ends, as at o, to lugs p on a sliding collar on the shaft e. Or the levers / may be
pivoted at their outer ends to the outer ends of levers y, the latter being pivoted at
their inner ends to the lugs p of the sliding collar, as shown in Fig. 5. Other
suitable or known means may, however, be employed for operating upon the bolts j
for clutching or coupling, or disconnecting or uncoupling the parts.
r designates bolts headed upon one end and provided with adjusting nuts & on
their opposite ends, with which bolts no clamping or clutching devices are con-
nected, but which like the bolts j, pass through the flange of the ring or plate and
through the outer portion of the opposite outside disc f
7'
The nuts on the bolts will be so adjusted as to allow the friction dises to be
separated and brought together by the clamping means for the purpose of
uncoupling or disconnecting, and coupling or connecting the parts.
The edge of one clutch part may be beveled, as for instance the disc d, as at t,
and the opposing face of the adjacent part provided with an inclined surface, all as
is shown in Fig. 4, by which a perfect alignment of divided shafts may be
maintained should there be a tendency of the said shafts to get out of alignment.
In some instances it may be preferable to construct the disc d so as that it may
fit snugly in the flanged ring, as shown in Fig. 5, in which case it will not be
necessary to provide any of the parts with beveled surfaces, in order to keep them
and the parts with which they are connected in alignment.
The flange of the ring g extending over upon the periphery of the disc, serves
to maintain the ring and disc in alignment or place. These are important
features of the invention.
Another important advantage gained by the improvements is that there is but a
very short length of unsupported bolt between the flange cf the ring and the out-
side disc or member through which the said bolts also pass, so that there cannot
be any appreciable independent axial movement between the ring and co-operating
discs due to torsional strain on the bolts j, r, which would not be the case if there
were no flanged member and the bolts extended unsupported across the disc or
inner member b.
The headed bolts », as also the bolts j, may be employed to rigidly couple
the shafts or other parts in case of emergency, by turning up the nuts thereon
quite firmly.
u designates sliding clips or plates which may be secured by a screw or bolt v
between the nuts kk, and so lock the latter against turning.
It is obvious that formal changes may be made in the invention without departing
- from the nature or spirit of the improvements.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A friction clutch mechanism comprising three members, two of which are
constructed as friction discs secured to their supports, and a third formed as a
clamping ring or plate independent of the said supports, one of said members being
provided with a laterally projecting flange extending over or upon the periphery
of the adjacent member, bolts passing through the flange of the flanged member,
and through the opposite outside member, and clamping devices for acting upon said
bolts, as set forth.
2. A friction clutch mechanism comprising three members, two of which are
constructed as friction discs secured to their supports, and a third formed as a
clamping ring or plate independent of the said supports, one of said members
being provided with a laterally projecting flange extending over or upon the
periphery of the adjacent member, bolts passing through the flange of the flanged
member and through the opposite outside member, clamping devices for acting
upon the said bolts, bolts also passing through the flange of the flanged member
and outside member, the said bolts being provided with clamping or adjusting nuts,
as set forth.
3. A friction coupling comprising two friction discs, one being provided with a
beveled surface, and a ring g provided with an inclined surface adapted to
co-operate with the beveled surface of one of the discs, and clamping devices,
connected with the ring and one of the discs, for clamping the two discs together,
as set forth.
4. A friction coupling comprising two clutch parts consisting of two friction
dises or flanges, one arranged upon one and the other upon the other of the shafts
to be connected by the coupling and one of the discs being secured to its shaft and
one disc being provided with a beveled surface, a ring g independently movable
longitudinally of the shaft, and provided with an inclined surface adapted to
co-operate with the beveled surface of one of the discs, and clamping devices
connected with the flanged ring and one of the discs for clamping the two discs
together and centering the same, as set forth.
Dated this 24th day of November 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.