Improvements in Chains for Transmitting Power.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th May, 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chains for Transmitting Power.
I, WILHELM WIPPERMANN Junior of Hagen, Westfalia, Germany, Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in flat linked chains as they are
principally used for transmitting power in connection with suitably cogged chain
wheels, especially so for bicycles. The object of my invention is to reduce
the friction in the connecting bolts and joints of the links with each other in
ordre to make them more pliable and to prevent loss of power and to reduce
the wear and tear of the links and the bolts.
I attain these objects by using three sets of links of two different shapes and
design; an interior one of comparatively great thickness and two outer ones,
considerably thiner than the inner one and being connected to that one, one at
each side of the same by a specially constructed bolt. The outer, thin links are
provided with half round holes only in which they take up the ends of the con-
necting bolts which are of corresponding shape so that when the links are put
upon the bolts both are rigidly connected together and the links cannot be moved
round the bolts nor can the bolts be turned in these outer links. The thick
and solid inner link is bored out cylindrically at both ends to take up the
connecting bolt. This latter however differs also in shape from ordinary chain
bolts in that part where it is held in the inuer link, it forms only part of a circle
or cylindre; part of it being cut out so as to form a longitudinal central groove
and resembling in cross section somewhat a half moon. Therefore when inserted
into the cylindrical boring of the inner link a closed groove or channel will be
formed between the inner side of the boring and the bolt. Into this groove
I put small hardened steel balls fitting closely into the hollow space, their
diameter being exactly of the width of the greatest radial depth of the closed
groove, care being taken in fitting the links together, that the channel side of
the bolts at both ends of an inner link looks always towards the outside or
end-ways.
From this it will be understood, that when a pulling strain is exerted upon
such a chain the power or pressure is transmitted from the outer links to the
inner ones and vice versa through the connecting bolt by means of the balls placed
in the said closed grooves and when going round a pulley or wheel the bolt does
not glide on the inner surface of the boring in the link, there is no sliding
friction, but it is the balls that take up the pressure and they roll on the surface
of the link, instead of sliding friction we have rolling friction. The use of the
balls however allows the omission of oiling, which in most cases was overlooked
and therefore the chains running dry were soon worn out because it is impossible
to exclude dust from the wearing surfaces. The use of the balls does not require
oiling and it is of no consequence when dust gets between the balls and the
surfaces of the bolt or on the link.
Barmen, this 2nd day of August. 1895.
WILHELM WIPPERMANN, JUNIOR,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Chains for Transmitting Power.
I, WILHELM WIPPERMANN Junior, of Hagen, Westfalia, Germany, Manu-
facturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in flat-linked chains as they are principally
used for transmitting power in connection with suitably cogged chain-wheels,
especially so for bicycles.
The object of my invention is to reduce the friction in the connecting bolts and
joints of the links with each other, in order to make them more pliable, to prevent
loss of power and to reduce the wear and tear of the links and the bolts.
I attain these objects by using three sets of links, of two different, shapes and
designs; an interior one of comparatively great thickness, and two outer ones,
considerably thinner than the inner one and being connected to that one, one at
each side of the same, by a specially constructed bolt. This latter differs also in
shape from ordinary chain bolts; in that part where it is held in the inner link it
forms only part of a cylinder, part of it being cut out so, as to form a longitudinal
central groove, and its section. resembling somewhat a half-moon; in the two end
parts the bolt is of half-cylindrical section.
Into the groove of the bolt, when held in the inner link, I put small hardened
steel balls fitting closely into the hollow space, their diameter being exactly of the
width of the greatest radial depth of the closed groove; care being taken that the
channel side of the bolts at both ends of an inner link is standing endways.
From this it will be understood, that when a pulling strain is exerted upon such.
a chain the pressure is transmitted from the outer links to the inner ones and
vice-versa through the connecting bolt by means of the balls placed in the said
closed grooves, and when the chain is going round a wheel, there is no sliding
friction in the chain-knuckles, but the balls roll on the inside surface of the bores
in the inner link, instead of sliding friction there is rolling friction.
The use of
the balls further allows the omission of oiling, and dust when getting in between
the rolling surfaces does not involve the bad consequences to which are exposed
sliding surfaces requiring the use of oil to reduce friction.
The annexed drawing shows in
Fig. 1 partly a longitudinal section in the horizontal plane and partly a top-view
of the chain.
Fig. 2 partly a vertical longitudinal section through an inner link with bolts,
and partly a side-view of the chain.
Fig. 3, is a side view of a connecting bolt, Fig. 3A a face view and 3³ a top-view
of the same.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 4 a plan of one of the outer links.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 5ª a plan of one of the inner links.
The chain in Fig. 1 is composed of pairs of outer flat links 9 (Fig. 4), the inner
single links a between them (Fig. 5) and the connecting bolts d, (Fig. 3) rivetted
in the half-round holes c of links g, and the balls contained in the hollow space
left between the longitudinal grooves bordered by the projections e, e on the
bolts d, and the inner circumferences of the round bores b of links a.
The outer links g have at the ends holes of half-round shape as seen in Fig. 4ª,
which have their one straight edges at the inner border and their half-round edges
at the outer border of the hole. Into these half-cylindrical holes c are fitted the
correspondingly shaped ends of connecting bolts d, so that when the bolt has been
put into the half-round hole, the grooved side of the middle portion of the bolt is

page_text: turning its face to the inside, or that the two grooved sides of the two bolts in a
pair of outer links are facing each other.
Then an inner link a is slipped over the bolts of two adjacent outer links, and as
hown in Figs. 1 and 2, the empty spaces between the inner walls of the round
bores in link a and the grooved face of the bolt d in it are filled by two or more
hard steel balls k of a diameter equal to the radial depth of the empty space
mentioned before.
The outer links y are put on the ends of the bolts d and enclose the balls in
their chamber; then the bolt ends are rivetted to the links keeping the bolt and
the balls & well secured in their places. The said links y are so rigidly connected
to the bolts d and cannot be moved round them; but the bolts with the balls
together can be turned in the bore of the inner links a.
The balls in number and size being so proportioned that they just fit between
the distance of two links g. In this way a very easy working of the chain is
obtained, inasmuch as the pulling-strains are transmitted by balls instead of pins,
and when going round chain wheels, these chains have no interior sliding friction,
but the balls, taking up the pressure, roll on the inner surface of the bores;
besides this a certain lateral accomodation is allowed by the side-friction being
avoided and rolling friction ensuing between the inner side-faces of the outer links
and the balls in their chamber of the inner links.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
In chains for transmitting power in combination with flat links 9 having
half-round bolt holes c, the flat sides of which facing each other inwardly; thick
links a put between the flat links g and having cylindrical bores b; connecting
bolts d having halfround ends ffitting into the holes c of the flat links g and side-
projections e in the middle part of said bolts to form a longitudinal groove; round
hardened balls k held in said groove and being enclosed therein when the links g
and a have been stuck on to the bolts and rivetted fast by their outer ends to the
outer links g; the whole as shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 4th day of May 1896.
WILHELM WIPPERMANN, JUNIOR,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.