Improvements in Frictional Gearing.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Frictional Gearing.
1, GEORGE S. HALE, of Bridgewater, Rockingham County, Virginia, U.S.A.,
Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide certain new and useful improve-
ments in frictional gearing whereby a variable speed may be attained or the
motion reversed in a simple and expeditious manner.
The invention comprises a suitable frame upon which a main driving shaft
is mounted. The shaft carries a disc having a frictional surface. Another
disc, of smaller diameter, is rotatably mounted opposite to the larger disc on
one side of the drive-shaft. A third disc is mounted at right angles to the
other two and is in frictional contact with their inner surfaces. The shaft of the
third disc is mounted in a carriage secured to a rock-shaft. A spring on the
If pre-
shaft of the disc, referred to secondly, keeps the discs in close contact."
ferred, however, eccentrics on the rock-shaft, connected to a slidable carriage
upon which the secondly referred to disc is journalled, cause the carriage to be
drawn towards or away from the intermediate disc when said shaft is rocked
by a lever. The lever is provided with a hinge joint movable longitudinally of
the rock-shaft. The lever is connected by a rod with the carriage of the inter-
mediate disc, which is slidable on the shaft, so that it can be reciprocated
towards or from the centre of the smaller disc to vary the speed of the latter,
or across its centre to reverse the direction of its motion.
The thirdly referred to disc shaft is geared to the machinery to be driven.
Dated this 10th day of March 1899.
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in Frictional Gearing.
I, GEORGE S. HALE, of Bridgwater, Rockingham County, Virginia, U.S.A.,
Inventor, 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 object of the invention is to provide a simple system of frictional gearing
wherein speed can be readily varied, and the driven shaft thrown out of opera-
tion and reversed, these operations being controlled by a single lever, as more
fully hereinafter set forth.

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2 a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 a detail view shewing the manner of fastening the operating lever to the
rock shaft, and Figs. 4 and 5 detail sectional views shewing modified forms of
the reversing mechanism.
Referring to the drawings by letters, a designates the driving shaft, carrying
the driving disc b and the drive pulleys c, this shaft carrying a circular saw
if the apparatus be used in connection with a sawmill. Supported slidingly in
the main frame d is a supplemental frame e the ends of this frame being
supported directly on suitable rods f, upon which it is adapted to slide. This
frame e is adapted to slide to and from the face of the disc b, and journalled
upon it in suitable bearings is a counter shaft g, whose centre is preferably in
the same horizontal plane as the drive-shaft a. Suitable gearing connects this
shaft g with the sawmill carriage or other part that is adapted to be moved.
The shaft has its axis within the periphery of the main disc b, and upon the
end next to said main disc it carries a counter disc h, whose face is parallel
with the said main disc and whose centre is in line horizontally with the centre
of said main disc.
Journalled upon a small carriage or block is a short shaft j, which carries
at one end a friction disc k, lying intermediate between the discs and h and
adapted to simultaneously contact with the faces of said discs. The disc is
supported vertically and the shaft horizontally, the centre of the disc and
shaft being in a line radially with the centres of the discs and b. The carriage i
is slidable on a horizontal rock shaft 7, journalled in the main frame, this rock
shaft being parallel with the faces of discs h and b so that the intermediate disc
may be moved back and forth across the centre of the disc h and toward and from
the centre of disc b.
Upon the rock shaft 7, one at each end, are secured two eccentrics m and
connected to each eccentric is an arm n, which extends in under the carriage e
and at its extremity is pivotally connected to a link or arm o, whose upper end is
adjustably clamped upon a threaded rod p by means of suitable nuts said
threaded rod being secured in a horizontal position upon the carriage e as shewn.
Upon the rock-shaft l, is secured an operating lever r, which extends upwards
to be within convenient reach of the operator and connected by a link to a
sliding part. The operating lever is connected to the shaft in any suitable
manner whereby it may have a pivotal motion to and from the discs and a
lateral rocking motion with the shaft upon which it is secured. One manner
of securing it to the shaft is shewn, in which said lever is forked at its lower
end to embrace a split clamp t, adjustably clamped upon the ends of the shaft
by means of the pivotal bolt u and a clamp nut v thereon. With this means of
securing the lever it will be observed that the same is capable of a sort of
universal movement, being capable of swinging to and fro laterally with the
shaft and toward and from the discs independently of the shaft.
The operation of the device is thought to be obvious. Motion is transmitted
through the intermediate wheel to the counter shaft g and from this shaft to
the part that is to be moved by said part, a sawmill carriage or other device.
The speed may be varied as is obvious, by sliding the intermediate disc k to
and from the centre of the counter disc h, and the direction of rotation of said
disc may be reversed by sliding disc across its centre, the speed of the disc h
being of course increased the nearer the said disc is set to the centre thereof;
but when said disc passes the centre of said disc h the speed of said disc h
begins to diminish as the said disc k moves towards the periphery of disc h. This
peculiar variable motion will be particularly advantageous in connection with
sawmill carriages, as it is desirable in machines of that class to advance the
carriage slowly and return it quickly to its starting position; but it is obvious
that this gearing might be used in connection with a great variety of machinery.
It will be obvious that this simple method of varying and reversing the speed
of the counter-shaft is obtained by journalling the counter shaft at one side of

page_text: the driving shaft and within the radius of the drive disc, the axes of both the
counter-shaft and the shaft of the intermediate wheel being preferably in a
radial line with the axis of the driving disc.
It will be observed that to bring the disc h up against the intermediate dise
and press this latter against the main disc the operator simply moves lever
to the right, whereupon shaft is rocked and the eccentrics m are made to
draw the carriage e towards said main disc. In this way the operator is enabled
to bring the desired or necessary pressure upon the intermediate transmitting
disc and at the same time and with the same lever slide said disc back and forth
to vary the speed, whereby one hand of the operator will be free to perform any
other work that may be required. A further advantage of this manner of
operating the countershaft lies in the fact that the main shaft will keep pressed
endwise in a direction away from the point where the sawing operation is being
performed, keeping the collar won said shaft pressed against the adjacent bear-
ing whereby the saw will be guided truly and steadied in its operation.
It will be observed that the carriage i is rotatively supported upon rock-shaft 1.
It will be seen also that the throw of the eccentrics and the operating lever
may be readily adjusted by the devices shewn to suit the exigencies of the case
and the convenience of the operator.
In the modified form of frictional wheels shewn in Fig. 4 the wheel his
dished on its inner surface and the main disc b is provided with an annular
concave channel having a curvature equal to that of the dished surface of the
wheel h, and the intermediate wheel has its shaft journalled in a vertical
fork, mounted on a vertical pivot midway between the dished surfaces of the
discs. In this form it will be observed that the speed is varied and the direction
of rotation of the countershaft is reversed by simply turning the fork on its
vertical pivot. The shaft j of the wheel k, as in the other views, has its axis
in line radially with the axes of the main shaft and supplemental shaft. In
the modified form shown in Fig. 5 the transmitting wheel k is journalled as in
Fig. 4. on the fork a, which is pivotally supported on the carriage i, carried by
rock shaft. In this form the wheel bears in a groove in the face of the
disc band is held in the groove, having no bodily movement on the face of
said main disc, whereby as the slide i is moved back and forth the wheel j will
swing across the face of the concaved disc but will be held at its other side
in the groove in disc o.
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:
(1) In a mechanism for transmitting motion, the combination of a main drive
disc, a counter shaft journalled on an axis passing between the axis and periphery
of said drive-disc and carrying a counter-disc, and another disc journalled
between said discs and adapted to bear upon the adjacent faces of the same
simultaneously, and means for moving said intermediate disc across the centre
of the counter disc and to and from the centre of the drive disc as and for the
purposes set forth.
(2) In a mechanism for transmitting motion, the combination of a main shaft
carrying a drive disc, a counter-shaft carrying a supplemental drive-disc, the
axis of this disc being parallel with the main shaft and passing through a point
between the main shaft and the edge of the main driving disc, the adjacent faces
of said discs being parallel an intermediate disc bearing simultaneously upon
the adjacent faces of said discs, means for adjusting said intermediate disc, and
means for bringing said discs together upon the intermediate disc and varying
the pressure thereon substantially as described.
(3) The combination of a main shaft carrying a main drive-disc, a counter-shaft
carrying a counter-disc, an intermediate disc transmitting motion from the
main disc to the counter-disc, means for sliding said intermediate disc, devices

page_text: for bringing the main and counter discs together upon the intermediate disc,
and a single operating device controlling said means and said devices.
(4) The combination of a main shaft carrying a main disc, a countershaft
carrying a counter-disc, an intermediate wheel transmitting motion from one
disc to the other, a sliding carriage carrying said intermediate wheel, a carriage
carrying one of said discs, a rock shaft and devices connecting. said rock shaft to
said carriage, and an operating lever adapted to simultaneously rock said shaft
and adjust the intermediate wheel.
(5) In mechanism for transmitting motion, the combination of a main drive-
disc, a counter-shaft carrying a counter disc, an intermediate friction-wheel,
a carriage carrying said wheel, a rock-shaft supporting said carriage, eccentrics
carried by said rock-shaft, a sliding carriage carrying the counter-shaft, rods
adjustably connecting said eccentrics with the latter carriage, a lever pivotally
carried on said rock shaft, a link connecting said lever to the carriage carrying
the intermediate friction-wheel whereby the one lever will serve to adjust said
friction wheel and to regulate the pressure exerted thereon by the counter-disc.
(6) In mechanism for transmitting motion, a main driving shaft carrying a
main driving wheel, a counter-shaft having its axis substantially parallel with
the main shaft and at one side thereof, a friction disc carried by said shaft, and
a transmitting wheel supported between the main driving wheel and said friction
disc and having simultaneous contact therewith, said transmitting wheel being
movable across the centre of said friction-dise whereby the motion of the latter
may be reversed and its speed varied.
'
(7) In mechanism for transmitting motion, the combination of a main drive-
wheel, a counter-shaft carrying a friction disc, the axis of said disc and shaft
being to one side of the main shaft. A shaft supported in the same plane
radially with the axes of the countershaft and main shaft and carrying a trans-
mitting wheel having contact with the main wheel and the friction-disc, said
shaft being movable to permit said transmitting wheel to travel from one side
of the centre of the friction-disc to the other side thereof, whereby the speed
and direction of rotation of said disc may be controlled.
Dated this 26th day of September 1899.