Improvements in Drive Chain for Cycles and other Chain Geared Vehicles and Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Drive Chain for Cycles and other Chain Geared
Vehicles and Machines.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK BULL, Works Manager to the Alfred Appleby Twin
Roller Chain Syndicate Limited, of Parkfield Road, Saltley, in the City of
Birmingham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to drive chain for cycles, and has distinct reference to
the steel bushes, forming the roller or block mountings, and their connection and
attachment to the side links. The steel bushes, as aforesaid, are principally used
in roller chains, and they connect together the opposite side links, or the pairs of
links, as well as forming a mounting for a roller. It is to effect a more rigid con-
nection of these steel bushes and the sides plates wherein this invention resides,
and the same is accomplished by the following improvements: The piercings in
the heads of the opposite links which receive the ends of the bushes are formed with
a number of inward projections formed from the metal of the side links, of
the same thickness, and Hat with the side link's faces. Two of such projections
in each piercing are sufficient. The ends of the steel bushes are adapted to take
into the links piercings so as to bear all round, and within the said ends are
formed a number of dovetailed cut-away parts, corresponding to the number of
projections within the link's piercings, the said projections, which are parallel and
of an equal size to the mouths of the dove-tailed cut-away parts, being adapted to
loosely fit within the last named and to be displaced therein, by a press tool or
other contrivance, so that the metal thereof is squeezed into the dovetailed parts
and made to form a locking means to the ends of the bushes within the link's
piercings. The metal of the projections displaced in the cut-away parts is only
slight, but sufficient, and the inner ends of the ends of the bushes near the cut-
away parts are rounded off so that the edges of the projections can be easily dis-
placed.
Thus are the bushes rigidly locked to the side plates with the whole circumference
of their ends fitting and being within the side link's piercings, and it is obvious
as to the greater strength and the security obtained against the bushes pulling out
of their places in the side links.
In some kinds of chains inner and outer bushes are used connecting, respectively,
the outer pair of links and the inner pair of links, and the rollers are mounted upon
the outer bushes, but in either case this invention is applicable and valuable.
The dove-tailed cut-away parts in the bushes may be of any shape so long as the
right direction of the dove-tailing is preserved which will lock their ends within
the side links.

page_text: Improvements in Drive Chain for Cycles and other Chain Geared
Vehicles and Machines.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK BULL, Works Manager to the Alfred Appleby Twin
Roller Chain Syndicate, Limited, of Parkfield Road, Saltley, in the City of
Birmingham, 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:--
This invention relates to drive chain for cycles and other chain geared vehicles
and machines, and has distinct reference to those in which steel bushes are used
to connect or couple the pairs of opposite links and to form mountings for the
rollers.
It is the custom of cycle chain makers to use coupling bushes which are coiled
up from a steel blank, and to so let their ends into the piercings in the side plates
to be connected up that they only extend into the said piercings with half their
diameters' bearing, or just sufficient to connect the said bushes and side plates so
that they cannot turn on the joint pin independently. This method of connecting
up is not a satisfactory one as the tensional strain of the chain when working
has a tendency to spring open the bushes and displace the half semi-circular parts
at their ends from their bearings in the piercings of the side links, especially when
the strain is in such a direction as to open the meeting edges of the coiled-up
bushes. In consequence of this the stretching power of the chain is more than
it should be, and an unnecessary strain is imposed upon the heads of the jointing-
up pins or rivets.
The improvements according to this invention are intended to remove the
weaknesses hereinbefore referred to, and to materially strengthen the drive chain
at the parts where the opposite links and the bushes are coupled.
The improvements referred to will now be herein clearly described, reference
being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which is shown in Fig. 1
a short length of a pitch roller chain, in Fig. 2 a pair of inner links of such a
chain connected or coupled by the bushes according to this invention, in Fig. 3
a side view of Fig. 2, in Fig. 4 a transverse vertical section of Fig. 3 on the dotted
line, in Fig. 5 a like view as Fig. 4 but showing the bush and the side plates or
links before being connected, and in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, separate views of a side plate
and a bush. Referring to the said figs. the piercings a³ in the heads a² of the
opposite links a, which are adapted to receive the ends of the bushes, are formed
with a number of inwardly projecting parts at which are formed from the metal
of the side links a, and are of the same thickness and come flush, with the faces
of the said links as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Two of such projecting parts at as
clearly shown in Fig. 6 are sufficient. The ends of the steel bushes care adapted
to take into the piercings a³ of the side plates so as to bear all round, and within
the said ends are formed a number of dove-tailed cut-away parts-c corresponding
to the number of projecting parts previously referred to in the side links; the
said projecting parts however not being dove-tailed in shape but parallel and of
a size equal to the mouths or entrances of the dove-tailed cut-away parts. These
projecting parts at in the side plates, when the latter are being introduced onto
the ends of the bushes, take into the dove-tailed cut-away parts c in the said
bushes in the manner shown by Fig. 9, (an extra view) the projecting part being
shown in section in this view for purpose of illustration. When the parts are
in position as in Fig. 9 the metal of the projecting parts at the outer edges dis
displaced by a suitable tool in a press or other contrivance to fill up the whole of

page_text: the space of the dove-tailed cut-away parts, the said metal being squeezed into all
the corners thereof. The metal displaced of the projecting parts is only slight
and is shown in Fig. 4 by the rounded corners g, but it is sufficient to form a
permanent means for connecting the ends of the bushes in the piercings a³ of
the side plates so that they cannot pull out by any tensional strain.
Thus are the bushes rigidly locked to the side plates they connect with the whole
circumference of their ends taking a bearing in the side plates' piercings, and it
will be obvious that by so doing much greater strength of the parts is secured and
the bushes are less liable to pull out.
In some kinds of chains inner and outer bushes or sleeves are used which respec-
tively connect together in pairs the inner and outer links, the rollers being
mounted upon the outer bushes. This invention is applicable to either bushes
and is a valuable item in decreasing the stretching power of the chain.
The dove-tailed cut-away parts et in the bushes may be of any shape so long as
the right direction of the dove-tailing is preserved which will lock their ends within
the piercings of the side links, on the projecting parts of the side links being
displaced thereinto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
First. In drive chain, making the connection between the pairs of side links
and their coupling bushes by means of projecting parts at which are formed in
the side plates piercings and dove-tailed cut-away parts which are provided in
the ends of the bushes, the metal of the projecting parts being displaced into the
cut-away parts, and the ends of the said bushes having an all-round bearing within
the side-links' piercings in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described
and set forth.
ated this 30th day of July 1898.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also of Liverpool, London and Manchester,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.