IMPROVE- MENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES." A communication from abroad by
Eugen Langen, of Cologne, in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th November 1880.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES."
[A communication from abroad by Eugen Langen, of Cologne, in the German
Empire.]
It has been repeatedly endeavoured to effect the stopping of the motion of the
drums of centrifugal machines by means of friction produced by the weight of the
centrifugal drum itself. All such contrivances have had the main defect that one
of the frictional surfaces employed has been connected rigidly to the fixed framing
of the machine, whereby the disadvantage arises that in lowering the drum on to
such frictional surface the frictional surface on the drum vibrates to and fro upon
the same, whereby all parts, both of the drum and the framing, are subjected to
considerable deteriorating vibrations and strains.
According to the present Invention the above defect is obviated by means of a
construction, the main feature of which consists in not connecting the centrifugal
drum rigidly to its driving shaft, but by means of frictional contact surfaces so
arranged that when the shaft, together with the drum, is lowered so as to bring the
latter in contact with a stationary frictional surface, the frictional contact between
the drum and its shaft is made to cease, so that the shaft then continues to revolve
independently of the drum, which revolves upon the stationary frictional surface
by virtue of its momentum until brought to a standstill by the frictional
resistance.
Furthermore, the stationary frictional surface instead of being attached to a rigid
part of the framing or foundation is carried by a bracket or brackets fixed to or

page_text: forming part of the upper bearing of the drum shaft, such upper bearing being
connected rigidly to the lower bearing, while these are connected in an elastic
manner to the rigid part of the frame, so that the stationary frictional surface will
partake of any vibrations or oscillations resulting from the rotary motion of the
drum, and thus any vibration of the drum upon the stationary frictional surface
will be prevented.
•
In constructing centrifugal machines according to the above described Invention
the following arrangement is by preference employed:-The driving shaft fits with
its upper end loosely into a central socket in the centrifugal drum so as to be
capable of revolving freely and also sliding longitudinally within it, and the shaft
has fixed upon it a dise on which is a ring, which when the shaft and drum are
in a raised position bears against a corresponding ring fixed to the underside of the
drum. Thus on the rotation of the shaft it carries the drum with it by means of
the frictional contact between the said rings. The drum has a second frictional
ring, which when the drum is in the raised position is slightly removed from a
corresponding ring beneath it fixed to a bracket or brackets fixed to or forming
part of the upper bearing of the drum shaft, so that on lowering the shaft and drum
the latter is made to bear upon the said stationary ring, and at the same time the
frictional ring carried by the shaft is withdrawn from its contact with the first
ring on the drum, thus leaving each part to rotate independently of the other.
The said upper bearing is rigidly connected to the lower or step bearing of the shaft
by tie rods or other suitable connections, such lower bearing resting with a spherical
surface in a spherical socket on the foundation, and the upper bearing is also
connected by spring buffers or rods to the rigid outer casing of the machine, thus
giving the shaft with its bearings liberty to vibrate independently of such outer
casing.
The raising and lowering of the shaft and drum may be effected by a lever, upon
which rests the lower end of a rod passing through the step bearing, and supporting
the lower end of the shaft upon its upper end, the free end of the lever being raised
or lowered by a screw spindle. Or any other suitable known arrangement may be
employed for this purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
April 1881.
"
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES."
A communication from abroad by Eugen Langen, of Cologne, in the German
Empire.
It has been repeatedly endeavoured to effect the stopping of the motion of the
drums of centrifugal machines by means of friction produced by the weight of the
centrifugal drum itself. All such contrivances have had the main defect that one
of the frictional surfaces employed has been connected rigidly to the fixed framing
of the machine, whereby the disadvantage arises that in lowering the drum on to
such frictional surface, the frictional surface on the drum vibrates to and fro upon
the same, whereby all parts both of the drum and the framing are subjected to
considerable deteriorating vibrations and strains.
According to the present Invention the above defect is obviated by means of a
construction, the main feature of which consists in not connecting the centrifugal
drum rigidly to its driving shaft, but by means of frictional contact surfaces so.
arranged that when the shaft together with the drum is lowered so as to bring the
latter in contact with a stationary frictional surface, the frictional contact between
the drum and its shaft is made to cease, so that the shaft then continues to revolve
independently of the drum, which revolves upon the stationary frictional surface
by virtue of its momentum until brought to a standstill by the frictional
resistance.
Furthermore, the stationary frictional surface instead of being attached to a rigid
part of the framing or foundation is carried by a bracket or brackets fixed to or
forming part of the upper bearing of the drum shaft, such upper bearing being
connected rigidly to the lower bearing, while these are connected in an elastic
manner to the rigid part of the frame, so that the stationary frictional surface will
partake of any vibrations or oscillations resulting from the rotary motion of the
drum, and thus any vibration of the druin upon the stationary frictional surface
will be prevented.
In constructing centrifugal machines according to the above described Invention
the following arrangement is by preference employed:-The driving shaft fits with
its upper end loosely into a central socket in the centrifugal drum, so as to be
capable of revolving freely, and also sliding longitudinally within it, and the shaft
has fixed upon it a disc, on which is a ring, which, when the shaft and drum are
in a raised position, bears against a corresponding ring fixed to the underside of the
drum. Thus, on the rotation of the shaft, it carries the drum with it by means of
the frictional contact between the said rings. The drum has a second frictional
ring, which, when the drum is in the raised position, is slightly removed from a
corresponding ring beneath it fixed to a bracket or brackets fixed to or forming
part of the upper bearing of the drum shaft, so that on lowering the shaft and
drum the latter is made to bear upon the said stationary ring, and at the same time
the frictional ring carried by the shaft is withdrawn from its contact with the first
ring on the drum, thus leaving each part to rotate independently of the other. The
said upper bearing is rigidly connected to the lower or step bearing of the shaft by
tie rods or other suitable connections, such lower bearing resting with a spherical
surface in a spherical socket on the foundation, and the upper bearing is also
connected by spring buffers or rods to the rigid outer casing of the machine, thus
-

page_text: giving the shaft with its bearings liberty to vibrate independently of such outer
casing.
The raising and lowering of the shaft and drum may be effected by a lever, upon
which rests the lower end of a rod passing through the step bearing, and supporting
the lower end of the shaft upon its upper end, the free end of the lever being raised
or lowered by a screw spindle. Or any other suitable known arrangement may be
employed for this purpose.
Fig. 1 shews a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a side view of a centrifugal machine
constructed according to the above described Invention. The drum shaft A runs
with its upper end loose in the neck or socket B³ of the centrifugal drum B, which
can also slide slightly up and down thereon. The shaft A has fixed upon it a
disc C having a frictional ring C¹ situated immediately beneath a corresponding
ring B' fixed to the underside of the drum. The latter carries a second outer ring B²,
beneath which is a ring D2 fixed on the bracket D₁ of the neck bearing D to the
shaft. The bracket D¹ is fixed rigidly to a bracket E' on the step bearing E to the
lower end of the shaft, which bearing rests with a spherical base on the foundation F,
and the bracket D¹ is connected in an elastic manner to the fixed casing G by
means of spring buffers H; thus the neck and step bearings are connected rigidly
together, and are free to vibrate, together with the shaft A, drum B, and friction
rings B, C, B², D2, within the casing G. The inner socket E2 of the bearing E
in which the shaft rests is supported by a rod I passing through the foundation F,
and resting with its lower end upon a lever K pivotted at K', and connected at
its other end to a screw spindle L that can be raised or lowered by the hand
wheel L¹.
The shaft A being continuously driven by its pulley M it will be seen that when
it is raised by the spindle L and lever K so as to bring its friction ring C' in
contact with the ring B' of the drum B it will raise the ring B2 off the stationary
ring D², and will at the same time impart its. rotary motion to the drum by the
frictional contact between B' and C. On again lowering the shaft and drum the
ring B² is first brought to bear upon the ring D2, and at the same time C¹ is
withdrawn from contact with the ring B¹, this being the position shewn on the
Drawing, so that while the shaft A continues to revolve the drum will be gradually
brought to a standstill by the frictional resistance between its ring B2 and the ring D².
At the same time any lateral vibration of the shaft and drum will also be
communicated to the ring D², and consequently there will be no lateral movement
of B2 upon D².
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim in respect of centrifugal machines,-
First. Arranging the drum shaft to revolve loose, and to slide up and down in a
neck on the centrifugal drum, the said drum being driven by the said shaft by
frictional contact only, substantially as herein described.
Second. Driving the drum from the shaft by frictional contact, so arranged that
such contact is caused to cease when it is desired to stop the rotation of the drum,
substantially as herein described.
Third. Effecting the stopping of the centrifugal drum by means of a stationary
friction surface, which is connected to and vibrates with the drum shaft, on
to which surface the drum is lowered, so as to bear with its weight thereon,
substantially as herein described.
Fourth. Fitting the drum loose upon its shaft, and imparting the motion of
the latter to the former by frictional surfaces, so arranged that on lowering the
shaft the contact between such surfaces ceases, while the drum is at the same time

page_text: brought to bear upon a stationary frictional surface, substantially as herein
described.
Fifth. Connecting the said stationary frictional surface to the upper or neck
bearing of the drum shaft, which is rigidly connected to the lower or step bearing
of the shaft, and is also connected in an elastic manner to the casing of the machine,
substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty first day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
CHA. D. ABEL (L.S.)