Improvements in Hoisting Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hoisting Apparatus.
I, WILLIS DURWOOD SHERMAN of 85-93 Ninth Street, in the City of
Brooklyn, County of Kings and State of New York, U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer,
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 apparatus for hoisting and transferring from one point
to another within a yard or workshop, heavy articles, such as sewer pipes, blocks of
stone or cement, castings of all kinds, or heavy pieces of machinery, and ordnance in
finished and unfinished condition. Especially the invention relates to that type of
hoisting and transfer apparatus wherein the carriage which carries the trolley cable
or bridge moves on the arc of a circle, the said cable or bridge constituting a radius
of said circle, and rotating about the centre thereof.
Referring to the drawings which accompany the Specification to aid the
description,
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus as a whole, but does not
show the supports of the circular track.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly broken, on a larger scale, showing the centre
support and shaft, machinery, platform, cable track, and carriage with pinion, and
indicating the relative positions of the carriage, trolley and fall ropes. The carriage
on the left side is not shown.
Figure 3 is a plan view, partly broken, and taken on the line X of Figure 2.
It shows the central driving shaft coming up through the revolving arms or cross
heads to which the cable track is attached, and indicates the arrangement of the
carriages with their sheaves and pinions, and the carriage rope and trolley rope.
For clearness the guide sheaves are indicated more out of the central line than
they are in practice.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 are respectively diagrammatic representations of the carriage
rope, trolley rope, fall rope and their respective sheaves.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, on a very large scale, of the hoisting and transfer
drums and gearing, and showing the construction of the revolving cap which carries
the revolving arms and platform.
Figure 8 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 7, and on the same scale.
A is the track for the carriages provided with upper rail B, and lower rail c,
arranged in a horizontal circle, and supported by braced posts D. The track A
instead of being a complete circle, might be any part thereof, as an arc of 180°,
90°, 45°, etc. The carriages which travel on the tracks A are provided with the
yokes G or G¹³, top traveller H, H', top wheels h, h, which run on the rail B,
grooved wheels i, k running respectively on the edges of the top and bottom
rails B, c.
In practice I prefer to have the track A form a complete circle and to
arrange two carriages at the extremities of a diameter thereof, (Figs. 1 and 3).
The trolley track or cable F leads from the yokes G, G' to the heavy cross head or
arms 30, 31 of a collar 32, which works on a cone d³ that is supported by a central
vertical standard D'.
Said standard D' is placed exactly at the centre of the circular track A and
provided with a ring or shoulder d to support the collar 32. Up through the said
standard D' works the shaft 35, actuated by the bevel gear 36, from any suitable
motor. In Fig. 2 the gear 36 is represented as driven by bevel gear 37 on a
Said shaft 35 works through
horizontal shaft 38, provided with belt pulley 39.
the aforesaid cone d on which the collar 32 is pivoted, and through bushings 40,

page_text: centered in said cone (Fig. 3), and carries a bevel gear 41, which meshes with
similar gear 42 on a counter shaft 43, provided with a belt pulley 44, from which
the belt Q drives the pulley P that is loose on the main shaft N' of the hoisting
and transfer machinery. Ñ is the hoisting winch arranged to be thrown in or out
of operation by the clutch R, operated by the lever R¹. S is a brake for the
winch N, operated by the lever or treadle T. Thus the winch N can be revolved
as desired to raise a load, and when the winch is disengaged from the shaft N' to
lower a load, the speed of the winch may be controlled by the brake S. OO' are
drums movably journalled on a shaft N2, and each provided with a circumferential
cog wheel adapted to engage a pinion which, through intermediate reversing
mechanism (indicated by 03, 04, Fig. 8) receives motion from the shaft N'. Said
reversing mechanism is well known and does not require detailed description.
To operate the drum O the lever P' is raised or lowered to engage the reversing
mechanism 03, 04 with and revolve said drum O in the desired direction, and then
by lever P3 a clutch R is engaged on the pulley P and the shaft N' revolved,
which through said mechanism 0³, 04 revolves the drum O. Similarly to revolve the
dram O' the lever P2 is raised or lowered to engage the reversing mechanism O³ 0*
with the said drum O, then the shaft N is revolved through lever P³ and
clutch R as before. Thus the winch N and drums O O¹ may be each operated
independently of the others, and one or two of said winch and drums may be
revolved in opposite directions, and the movements and changes of movements of
each may be effected wihout stopping the pulley P. In this manner the move-
ments of the trolley rope 4, carriage rope 2 and fall rope become entirely
independent of each other, and the movements of the load in rising, descending or
passing over the yard are effected without delay.
It will be seen that said hoisting machinery is supported on the platform P P,
which is carried by the revolving arms 30, 31, being connected therewith in any
suitable manner, as by strap 45 and brackets 46, 47.
The carriages are operated through the endless carriage rope 2, which being
wound on the drum O, descends through the platform P P to a sheave 48, going
thence around a horizontal sheave 49, fixed on a shaft 50 journalled in the yoke G¹,
at the right side of Figs. 1, 2, 3. On said shaft 50 is fixed a pinion 51, which
meshes with a concave-circular rack E', which is bolted on blocks E, secured to
the inside of the track beams A. Said carriage rope 2 may, if desired, be wound
around the sheave 49, to give necessary friction, and thence doubling on itself,
goes to a guide sheave 55 on arm 31, to a guide sheave 56 on arın 30, thence around
a sheave 57, fixed on a shaft 58 journalled in the yoke G of the left hand carriage
(Fig. 3). Said shaft 58 carries a pinion 59 which meshes in the rack E¹, similar
to pinion 51. From sheave 57 the carriage rope 2 goes to a guide sheave 65, and
rises to the drum O, and I prefer to cross the lengths of said rope 2 below the
drum (), as seen in Fig. 4.
Thus, when the drum () revolves, the pinion 31 will also revolve and will move
the right hand carriage in the opposite direction. At the same time the pinion 59
of the left hand carriage will be revolved in the same direction as pinion 51 and at
the same speed. The result is that pinions 51 and 59 cause the two carriages to
travel around the track A at the extremities of a diameter thereof, the carriages
revolving the arms 31, 32 on the cone d³, and with them the platforms P P and
hoisting apparatus.
The trolley J is provided with track wheels L L, and sheaves K K, and is
operated on the cable track F, by the trolley rope 4, in the following manner :
Said rope 4 being wound around its drum O', descends to a guide sheave 70 on
the revolving arm 31, thence goes to the trolley where it is fastened, thence
continues to the right hand carriage and around a sheave 71 freely journalled on
the axle 50 of the before mentioned sheave 49; there doubling on itself, it returns
to a sheave 72 on the arm 31, and ascends to the drum O, thus completing its
circuit. Manifestly as sa'd drum O' revolves in one direction or the other, the
trolley J will travel in or out on the cable track F.

page_text: The fall rope 1, being fixed at one end around the winch N, descends to a guide
sheave 75 in the arm 31, thence over the sheave K on the trolley down to the fall
block M, up to the sheave K on the trolley and across to the right hand carriage
to which it is fastened.
From the foregoing description, it will be evident that with a circular track as
described, the load may be raised from any point within the circumference of the
track, and carried to any other point, and the movements of the carriage, the
trolley, and the fall block M can each be regulated independently of the other
movements.
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:
1. In hoisting and transfer apparatus, the combination of a track shaped on a
circular arc; a carriage travelling thereon; a trolley bridge attached at one end
to said carriage, and at the other end to a pivotal support at the centre of said
circular arc; a trolley on said bridge and cables for operating said carriage and
trolley, substantially as described.
2. In hoisting and transfer apparatus the combination of a track shaped on a
circular arc; a rack thereon; a carriage travelling on said track and provided with
a pinion meshing with said rack; an endless cable for operating said pinion, and a
drum for said cable, substantially as described.
3. In hoisting and transfer apparatus the combination of a track shaped on a
circular arc; a rack thereon; a carriage travelling on said track and provided with
a pinion meshing with said rack, a trolley bridge attached at one end to said
carriage, and at the other end to a pivotal support at the centre of said circular
arc; a trolley carrying a fall rope and travelling on said trolley bridge; a carriage
rope for operating said pinion; a trolley rope for operating said trolley, and drums
for said carriage rope; said trolley rope and said fall rope all actuated from a
shaft pivoted at the centre of said circular are; substantially as described.
4. In hoisting and transfer apparatus and in combination with a circular track;
a hoisting engine, consisting of three drums, all independently actuated from a
main driving shaft, and any two adapted to simultaneously revolve in opposite
directions, and said main driving shaft in turn actuated from a power shaft, which is
pivoted at the centre of said circular track, substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of January 1894.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.