IMPROVEMENTS IN FRICTION CLUTCHES FOR THE DRIVING SHAFTS OF VARIOUS MACHINERY
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Kitson, of Leeds, in the
County of York, Engineer and Ironmaster, and Pierre Chalas, of
the same Place, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FRICTION CLUTCHES FOR THE DRIVING SHAFTS OF VARIOUS
MACHINERY."
KINDS OF
Scaled the 26th January 1869, and dated the 4th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William
Kitson and Pierre Chalas at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th August 1868.
We, FREDERICK WILLIAM KITSON, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer and Ironmaster, and PIERRE CHALAS, of the same Place,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN FRICTION CLUTCHES FOR THE DRIVING SHAFTS OF VARIOUS KINDS. OF
MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Friction Clutches for the Driving
Shafts of various Kinds of Machinery" relates to a novel method of
bringing the friction surfaces into contact so as to communicate motion

page_text: from the fly wheel shaft or any other shaft of the motive-power engine to
the driving shaft of the machinery it is intended to actuate.
In carrying out our Invention we prefer to make our friction surfaces
in the form of flat discs, one of which will be formed on the side of a
wheel or pulley that is being constantly rotated by the fly wheel or other
shaft of the motive-power engine, and the other is secured in any con-
venient manner to the pistons of a shallow. hydraulic cylinder, which is
keyed on the shaft intended to be driven. Water is supplied to this
cylinder from an accumulator or an hydraulic pump through a pipe or
passage made through the shaft, so that upon opening a communication
between 'the pump or accumulator and the hydraulic cylinder water at
a very high pressure will be admitted behind the pistons, and will force
them forward, and thus bring the friction plate attached thereto into
contact with the friction disc on the side of the wheel or pulley that is
being driven by the fly wheel or other shaft of the motive-power engine.
In order to render the pistons of the hydraulic cylinder perfectly water-
tight a thick circular plate of vulcanized india-rubber is secured on the
back of the piston, and is forced up against a shoulder in the cylinder,
and when the pressure of the water is taken off the pistons the india-
rubber will force back the pistons, and thus release the clutch.
It will of course be understood that if it be desired to adapt the
Invention to reversing gear so as to be able to drive the machine (to
be actuated) in either direction then there must be a double set of
friction clutches similar in construction to the hydraulic clutch just
described, but acting upon separate wheels, which are driven by the
fly wheel or other motive shaft in opposite directions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick William Kitson and Pierre Chalas in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th February 1869.
'TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
WILLIAM KITSON, of Leeds, in tlie County of York, Engineer and Iron-
master, and PIERRE CHALAS, of the same Place, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent,, bearing, date the Fourth day of August,, in the year of

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Frederick William Kitson and Pierre
Chalas, Her special licencé that we, the said Frederick William
Kitson and Pierre Chalas, our executors, administrators, and assigns; or
such others as we, the said Frederick William Kitson and Pierre-
Chalas, our executors, administrators, and assigns;, should at any time.
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter:
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN FRICTION CLUTCHES FOR THE DRIVING SHAFTS OF VARIOUS KINDS OF
MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Frederick William Kitson and Pierre Chalas, our executors. or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their; or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,.
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said.
Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Frederick William Kitson and
Pierre Chalas, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in-
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to.
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to, the letters. and figures marked.
thereon (that is to say):
"E
Our Invention of
Improvements in Friction Clutches for the
Driving Shafts of various Kinds of Machinery" relates to a novel
method of bringing the friction surfaces into contact so as to .com--
municate motion from the fly wheel shaft or any other shaft of the
motive-power engine to the driving shaft of the machinery it is.
intended to actuate.
In the accompanying Drawings we have shewn an arrangement of
mechanism which we have in practice found convenient for the purposes.
of our Invention.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved friction clutch'; Fig. 2,
a plan view; and Fig. 3, an end elevation of the same..

page_text: In carrying out our Invention we prefer to make our friction surfaces
in the form of flat discs, one of which will be constantly rotated by the
fly wheel or other driving, shaft of the motive-power engine by being
secured in any convenient manner to the pistons of a shallow hydraulic
cylinder, which is keyed on the driving shaft, and the other is formed
on the side of a wheel or pulley mounted loosely on the driving shaft,
but communicating motion by means of suitable gearing to the worked
shaft which is intended to be driven.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the hydraulic cylinder and the friction
apparatus connected therewith, drawn upon an enlarged scale, and
taken in the line Y, Z, of Fig. 4, which is an end view of the clutch.
The fly wheel a of the engine is keyed on a shaft shewn by dots in
Fig. 2, and may be termed the driving shaft; on this shaft is also keyed
the toothed wheel b and also the shallow hydraulic cylinder c shewn
detached at Figs. 4 and 4; mounted loosely on this same shaft is
another toothed wheel 6', which is made with a flat friction surface 6*,
seen best at Fig. 4. d is the friction disc, which is secured to the
pistons e, c, of the hydraulic cylinder, the water space of which is of
annular form, as indicated by dots at Fig. 4. The end of the driving
shaft is bored out so as to form a water passage a*, water or other
liquid is supplied through this passage to the cylinder c, from an
accumulator or an hydraulic pump, not shewn in the Drawing. A
transverse passage c* is drilled through the side of the driving shaft into
the water passage a*, so that upon opening a communication between
the pump or accumulator and the hydraulic cylinder c water at a very
high pressure will be admitted through the passages a* and c* behind
the pistons e, and will force them forward, and thus bring the friction
plate d attached thereto into contact with the friction disc 6* on the side
of the wheel or pulley 6', which will thus be driven by the fly wheel or
driving shaft of the motive-power engine and through the intermediate
wheel 6* to a similar toothed wheel 6, which is keyed on to the working
shaft f, which will therefore be driven in the direction of the arrows.
. It will of course be understood that if it be desired to adapt the
Invention to reversing gear so as to be able to drive the machine (to be
actuated) in either direction, then there must be a double set of fiction
clutches, as shewn at Fig. 2. The reversing friction clutch will be
similar in construction to the hydraulic clutch just described, but will

page_text: act upon separate wheels, which are driven by the fly wheel or other
motive shaft in opposite directions.
-
It has been explained that the fly wheel a and toothed wheel b being
both keyed on to their shaft will constantly rotate in the direction
indicated by the arrows, and by means of the friction clutch and toothed
gcaring just described will cause the working shaft fto rotate in the
direction of the arrow marked thereon, but if the friction clutch c be
released the wheel 6' will be loose on the shaft, and as it then will not
drive the wheels and 63 no motion will be imparted to the working
shaft, and the latter will therefore remain stationary although the wheel 6*
which is mounted thereon will be driven in the direction of the arrow.
If now it be desired to drive the working shaft f in a direction opposite
to that indicated by the arrow it will only be necessary to allow water
from the lydraulic pump or accumulator to enter the cylinder c¹, so as
to force the friction disc.d' up against the friction surface 6* of the
wheel 6; this wheel which was rotating loosely on the shaft will by
means of the friction clutch d¹ be firmly gripped, and will carry round
with it the shaft in the direction indicated by the arrow on the
wheel.
In order to render the pistons of the hydraulic cylinder c perfectly
water-tight a thick ring or annular plate g of vulcanized india-rubber is
secured on the back of the pistons e, e, and is forced up against a
shoulder in the cylinder, and when the pressure of the water is taken
off the pistons the elastic india-rubber ring g will force back the pistons
and the friction disc d, and thus release the clutch.
It will be evident that if the working shaft is required to be driven
always in the same direction only one set of clutches will be required,
namely, that shewn at c, d, Fig. 2. The wheel b', which carries one of
the friction discs 6* will be constantly driven by the wheel 6 on the
driving shaft, while the other disc dis secured to the piston of the
hydraulic cylinder c', which is keyed on to the shaft f, which is intended
to be driven.
We would also remark that although we have shewn our friction
discs as flat, they may, if desired, be made slightly conical or grooved on
their faces.
Having now described our improvements in friction clutches for the
driving shafts of various kinds of machinery, and having explained the

page_text: manner of carrying the same into effect, we claim as the Invention
secured to us by Letters Patent, as aforesaid,-
Constructing friction clutches of flat, conical, or other discs which
are capable of being forced into contact and held there by hydraulic
pressure, as herein set forth.
Second. We claim the means and combination of parts shown and
described for driving, the working shaft in either direction,, as herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick William Kitson and
Pierre Chalas, have hereunto set our hands and scals, the Second
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine..
FREDERICK WILLIAM KITSON.. (L.S.)
PIERRE CHALAS.
(L.S.)
FREDERICK WILLIAM KITSON.. (L.S.)
PIERRE CHALAS.
(L.S.)