Improvements relating to Colliery and other Winding Engines for Preventing Overwinding and the Starting thereof in the Wrong Direction, Partly Applicable to the Engines of Navigable Vessels.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 10th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 12th Mar., 1888
Improvements relating to Colliery and other Winding Engines for
Preventing Overwinding and the Starting thereof in the Wrong
Direction, Partly Applicable to the Engines of Navigable
Vessels.
THOMAS SMITH 74 Cyprus Road Bootle-Cum-Linacre in the County of Lancaster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
1 place a movable quadrant between the present quadrant in use of reversing lever.
This quadrant, is provided with two movable wedges, one on each end, for taking the
catch out of the old notch of fixed quadrant, each wedge being provided with a notch
to receive the catch. As soon as the catch of reversing lever is taken out of the
old notch, it is engaged in the notch in wedge, which carries the reversing lever to
the centre of fixed quadrant, thereby shutting off the steam in that direction, and
turning on steam the other way, thereby reversing the engines. This movable
quadrant is provided with two adjustable screws, one on each end, so that the engine
driver can regulate them just to allow suflicient steam to lift the cage off the catches
before going down again." He cannot give full steam the wrong way, as he is locked
by a movable quadrant. This movable quadrant may be worked from the main
shaft by wheels or levers or screws or from any movable part in constant motion, when
the engines are working, and may also be connected to turn on the steam brake if
required.

page_text: I, THOMAS SMITH, 74 Cyprus Road Bootle-Cum-Linacre, in the County of Lancaster
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Between the ordinary reversing quadrant of a steam engine and the reversing lever
I place a moveable quadrant. This quadrant is provided with two moveable wedges,
one on each end for taking the catch of the reversing lever out of the notch of the
fixed quadrant each wedge being provided with a notch to receive the catch. When
the catch of the reversing lever is taken out of the notch by one of the wedges it
slides up the wedge and engages with the notch in the wedge and as the moveable
quadrant moves, it carries the reversing lever to the centre of the fixed quadrant,
thereby bringing the link to the neutral position and shutting off the steam in that
direction and turning on steam the other way thus bringing the engines to a stop. The
moveable quadrant is provided with two adjustable screws or stops one on each end so
that the engine driver can regulate them just to allow the reversing lever to be moved
to give sufficient steam to the engine to lift the cage off its catches before going down
again. The engine attendant cannot give full steam to start the engines in the wrong
way, as the starting lever is locked by the stops of the moveable quadrant. The
moveable quadrant may be worked from the main shaft by wheels, or levers,
or screws, or from any moveable part in constant motion, when the engines
are working and may also be connected to turn on the steam brake if required.
The above description sets forth generally the nature objects and purposes of this
Invention but to set forthe the same more clearly and exactly I will now proceed to
describe it with the aid of drawings which form a part of this Specification and are
marked with letters and figures corresponding with those used in the following
explanation. The same letters and figures are used wherever like or corresponding
parts appear in the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 illustrates in elevation an example of a part of apparatus constructed and
operating according to this Invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively elevation and end view of another part of the
example and
Figure 4 is a detail of same.
Biouce 5 is a plan of the ruins, and
Figure 1 illustrates in elevation an example of a part of apparatus constructed and
operating according to this Invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively elevation and end view of another part of the
example and
Figure 4 is a detail of same.
Figure 5 is a un at the marines and

page_text: Figure 6 is an end view of same.
Figure 7 shows this Invention as applied to the engines of a navigable vessel.
With reference in the first instance to Figure 1 of the drawings the apparatus there
shown illustrates the fixed quadrant A, moveable quadrant Band its wedges and
reversing lever C. The reversing link a, cylinder y and bevel gear Z are only
diagramatically given to show in the simplest manner the connection of the apparatus
according to this Invention with an ordinary colliery winding engine, and the mode
of operation of the Invention. In the same way in Figure 2 there is illustrated
diagramatically, the cylinder and controlling valve of any ordinary colliery engine
steam brake. It will be obvions the variety of arrangement of winding engine in use
would render it necessary to employ various forms of gear for connecting the strarting,
reversing and steam brake mechanism, according to this Invention, to the engine. The
fixed quadrant A is provided with the usual notches a with which the end c of the
catch of the reversing lever engages. This catch passes through the lever Cas
shown and is provided with a toc e, which engages with the notches of the wedges b
when the quadrant B is worked, as hereinafter described. The lower portion of the
quadrant B is provided with teeth as shown and is operated by the worm D, which is
mounted on the shaft d. This shaft is driven from any suitable working part of the
engine. The wedge pieces are secured to the quadrant B by bolts 3, which pass
through the slot and so can be set at any point upon the quadrant B. The distance that
the wedge pieces are set apart will depend upon the depth the mine cage has to travel.
The speed at which the shaft d and worm D work will also depend upon the depth the cage
has to travel. The operation of this portion of the Invention is as follows:-When the cage
is either at the bottom or at the pit mouth, the reversing or starting handle will stand
in the central position, and no sieam will be admitted to the engine. In such a
position one of the wedges will be engaged with the toe e³ of the catch, and conse-
quently the other wedge will stand at its furthest position from the reversing handle.
Assuming the cage to be at the pits mouth and resting upon the ordinary catches, then
to enable the cage to descend the cage must be first raised from the catches, so that
they can be withdrawn. To do this steam must be given the engines; and this is done
by raising the toe c² of the catch out of the notch and pressing the lever Cup to
the stop of the wedges, with which it is engaged. This will move the link
the engine a sufficient distance to give enough steam to raise the cage. But this
movement will through the worm D have moved the quadrant B, and with it the
lever C, back to the neutral and central position, when steam will be again cut off. Ai
the point at which the wedge & now stands, the reversing lever G can only be moved
in one direction, and that direction is the one by which steam is admitted to the engines
to let the cage down its shaft. In the same way when the cage is at the bottom of its
shaft steam can only be given the engine to raise the cage. Hence under both
conditions, that is when the cage is at the top of the shaft or the bottom, the engine
attendant is prevented from starting the engines in the wrong direction. Now to let
the cage down the shaft, the lever is taken off the wedge on which it stood, and
brought back (or forward as the case may be) to the ordinary notch in the fixed
quadrant A, thereby giving the engine full steam. As the cage goes down, the
shaft and the worm D are rotated, and gradually work the quadrant Bround.
When it has travelled a certain distance, it brings the wedge under the toe e² of the
catch of the lever C, and the wedge thereby raises the catch and lifts the point e² oui.
of its notch in the fixed quadrant A. The toe c² gradually rises up the wedge until it
drops into the notch and is then held. The continued travel of the moveable
quadrant now begins to bring the lever C and link to the neutral or central
position, and consequently the steam commences to be cui off, and by the time the
lever has arrived in the central position the link will be in its neutral
position and the steam cut off; the cage having now arrived at the bottom of its
shaft. In a like manner to that just described the cage is raised to the mouth of the
shaft.
of
To operate the steam brake of a winding engine automatically I employ the
apparatus shown more particularly in Figures 2. 3 and 5: G is the steam cylinder of

page_text: the brake having the controlling valve g of ordinary construction; the brake rod g',
say, being directly connected to the brake mechanism. The rod of the controlling
valve is connected to a hand lever H, having a catch. This lever is mounted on
the pin and on this pin there is mounted also a moveable quadrant J. This quadrant
is connected by a rod K to a disc L by an adjustable pin 1, which may be secured at
any point in the slot . The other end of the rod K is secured to a
pinj, which is
also adjustable and is moved backwards or forwards as required by the screw j², which
passes through the head of the pin j and is held by the metal of the quadrant J. The
wheel is mounted upon the shaft M and is worked backwards and forwards by the
worm N and worm wheel N¹, the worm N being mounted upon the shaft d and of course
receives the same movement as the worm D. Let it be assumed that the break is
applied when the pin E is either directly above the shaft M, or directly below it, and
that the disc L is moving in the direction of the arrow; also that to apply the
brake steam is admitted to the front of the brake piston through the port g2, by the
valve g being drawn back and exposing such port to the steam in the valve chest.
Then as the pin is moved in the direction of the arrow to a point directly above the
1. shaft M, the hand lever H, through the rod K and quadrant J, will also be moved with
the pin 7.
In so doing the valve is drawn forward until steam enters the front of
the brake piston and thereby applies the brake. By this time the cage will be either
at the top or the bottom of the shaft as the case may be. In the same way the brake
is automatically applied when the pin comes directly below the shaft M. To relieve
the brake, the catch his raised above the projecting rim A' of the quadrant and pulled
back. This shuts off steam to the front of the brake piston and allows it to escape.
Then engine can then be started. During the time the pin is travelling from one
extreme point to its other the quadrant J is rocked to and fro. On the first part, it is
worked backwards, the catch then riding on the projecting rim ¹ falls over and into
the position shown in the drawings and, with the next forward movement of the pin 4,
is drawn with the quadrant as above specified.
l
In Figure 7 a means is illustrated of applying this Invention to the engines of
steam ships, by which the engineer cannot start the engines in the wrong direction
and thereby such engines can be controlled from the bridge of the vessel or other
place where the transmitting instrument of the ships telegraph is placed. In this
instance the starting gear in the engine room is secured to one of the columns of the
engine and is arranged in connection with the controlling valve of a steam or hydraulic
starting gear of the ships engine. In the figure A is the fixed quadrant, B the moving
quadrant and B a shaft to which is secured the quadrant B and a wheel B. C is the
lever mounted loosely on the shaft 132, for operating the controlling valve of the starting
engine, and C is the rod of the controlling valve. O designates the engine telegraph
transmitting instrument, and it may be marked with any suitable orders." The
instrument O and the wheel B¹ are connected by a chain or cord O' in the manner
usually employed in ships telegraphs. The lever C moves independently of the
quadrant B but it can only move in one way, that is the way in which the engines are
required to go, but the projecting ends b³ of the quadrant B prevent the catch Cof
the lever being moved in the wrong direction. The operation therefore is
substantially the same as that set forth with reference to Figures 1 to 8.
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 connection with colliery or other like winding engines, means or
mechanism, operated by the engine, and constructed in such a manner that the engine's
starting or reversing lever, or other equivalent gear, is controlled, operated and the
supply of steam to the engine is cut off, such cut off, of steam being arranged to
take place when the travel of the cage (or other object being raised or lowered
by the engine) is approaching the end or limit of its travel, substantially as set
forth.
Second. The means substantially herein set forth for automatically preventing over-

page_text: winding by colliery and other like engines, consisting of a moving device, such as
the quadrant B, or its equivalent, having devices such as 6 or their equivalents,
or any mere modification thereof, by which the starting lever or mechanism of
the engine is controlled, operated, and the supply of steam is cut off from the
engine.
Third. The combination of the quadrani A, quadrant B, wedges b' and lever C, or
their equivalents, operating and constructed as, or substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The herein described means of automatically operating the steam brake of
winding engines, which consists of a quadrant operating in combination with a lever,
or their equivalents by which the valve of the brake cylinder is controlled as set
forth.
Fifth. The combination with an instrument such as O of a quadrant B, or its
equivalent, operating in combination with the starting engine of the engines of
navigable vessels, as, or substantially as, and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 9th day of December 1887.
THOMAS SMITH.
By Cheesbrough & Royston,
15, Water Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents.