Improved Apparatus for Transmitting Power by a Gut-line or equivalent Flexible Connection.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Transmitting Power by a Gut-line or
equivalent Flexible Connection.
I, LUIGI ARMANNI, of Hatton Garden, London, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said 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 improved apparatus for transmitting power from a
countershaft to any machinery or apparatus requiring to be driven. The apparatus
is especially applicable for use as an overhead apparatus, but it may also be applied
in other situations.
The improved apparatus is illustrated on the accompanying drawings; in
which-
Fig. 1. represents a general view thereof, in elevation, showing also applications.
of the invention to apparatus requiring to be driven.
Figs. 2. and 3. represent, on a larger scale, sectional elevations of the countershaft
apparatus represented in Fig. 1, and
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent end elevations of the carrying and guiding pulleys
represented in Fig. 1, above or under which they are respectively placed.
In the improved apparatus there are combined and used conjunctively :-A
conveniently supported countershaft apparatus A, provided with fast and loose belt
pulleys, a belt shifting device and a transmitting pulley;-a continuous power
transmitting gut-line, belt or equivalent flexible connection B, engaging with and
driven by said transmitting pulley ;-a series or sets of adjustable pairs of duplicate
carrying pulleys C, supported as near as may be above or in the vicinity of the
localities of the machines or apparatus to be actuated, preferably by a rod or tube
common to the series or sets, in such a manner as to permit of each set being
separately shifted as occasion may require, each such set of pulleys supporting said
continuous line B, in both the going and the returning directions ;-another or other
similarly supported guiding pulley or pulleys D, by which the continuous line B,
can be directed in a return line or deflected in direction to other like sets of
carrying and guiding pulleys C, D, as occasion may require ;-and a pendant
removable or adjustable counterweighting device E, fitted with pulleys suspended
by the going and the return sides of the continuous line B, and serving to keep.the
latter at all times (when in or out of motion or employment for actuating purposes)
taut, and with any required tension thereon, so that it may have any required
driving power according to the weight applied, such counterweighting device
being applied preferably intermediate of the transmitting pulley of the countershaft
and the first set of carrying pulleys located in the vicinity of the machinery or
apparatus to be driven.
In the arrangement of such apparatus represented on the drawings, the counter-
shaft is supported by a hanger or bracket a', and is provided with fast and loose
pulleys a, a, (by the former of which it is driven by a belt from any convenient
motor-shaft) and with a fast stepped (though it may be a plain) power-transmitting
pulley a. The belt shifting device represented as combined with such countershaft
apparatus, consists of a guided belt shifting rod f, operated by a pivotally supported
lever, the movements of which are reversed by a depending pivotally supported
striker, operated by a guided rod ƒ³, which is pulled down to effect each
operation, and is returned by a spring f. A brake-shoe, is pivotally connected
to the rod f, so as to be adapted to act against the inner side of the pulley a*; when

page_text: the main driving belt is shifted from the fast to the loose pulley a³, and to serve as
an aid in arresting the motion of the driven parts. I may, however, use any other
convenient arrangement of belt shifting apparatus in combination with the herein
described apparatus.
The carriers c, of the pulleys C, may be clamped by screw pins c³, or may be
secured in any other convenient manner in the desired positions on the supporting
rod 9, either pendant vertically in respect of any machine or apparatus X, to be
driven located beneath the same, or pendant obliquely in respect of and directed
towards any such machine or apparatus located at a lateral distance from said rod g.
Or, the carriers c', may each be adapted with a pair of guiding pulleys c, permitting
of the deflection of the line B, laterally to any machine not immediately under the
rod g. Such facility enables me, as occasion may require, to apply and use the
power transmitted by the continuous line B, to and in any direction on any such
machine X, whether vertically below or at a lateral distance from the relative set
of pulleys C, all that it is necessary to do, in applying the power transmitted by
the line B, to such machine X, being to hook down either the going or the returning
side of the line B, at the part thereof between the pair of the relative set of
pulleys C, (Fig. 1.) and to apply the hooked portion of the line around a pulley &',
on the shaft or spindle, required to be driven, stopping the running of the line B,
for the fime, if required, by shifting the driving belt from the fast to the loose
pulley of the countershaft, and restarting the running of the line by re-shifting the
belt, whereupon, the machine X, will be operated owing to its connection with
the line B.
The carrier c', of each set of pulleys C may (but need not necessarily) be
connected by bars c³, or in any other suitable manner, which would be of advantage
in facilitating the shifting and adjustment of the set in its desired position, and in
keeping the pulleys C, of each set at a uniform distance apart and in ensuring the
parallelism or approximate parallelism of the length of the line hooked down to
engagement with the pulley, of the machine or apparatus being driven.
The return direction of the line B, in ensured by a guiding pulley D, the
carrier d', of which is or may be located on the rod g, in like manner by clamping
screws, or otherwise as described with reference to the carriers c', the rod 9,
being at intervals, supported by hangers or brackets g'.
If it be desired to lead the line B, in an angular direction as a branch-line in
relation to the main-line, the pulleys c, of one of the sets of pulley carriers c', may
be caused to occupy the desired angular relation to that of the pulleys C, under
both of which pulleys c', one side of the line B, would then be looped down and
passed, passing thence upwards to a branch-line arranged in the desired direction
and in accordance with the arrangement of the main-line as above described.
Or, the same result may be obtained by using duplicate pulleys D, passing both
sides of the line B, around the same and so deflecting it to a branch line arranged
as aforesaid.
The continuous line B, passing over the pulley a', supported by the pulleys C,
and guided or deflected by the pulleys D, or D, and c, is kept taut, at all times,
by the counterweighting device E, which is suspended in a bight of the line B, by
duplicate pulleys e', under which both the going and the returning sides of the
line B, are passed, the counterweight preferably being applied between the
countershaft apparatus and the first set of carrying pulleys G. The counter-
weight may, advantageously, (though not so shown on the drawings) consist of a
series of removable cheese-weights to enable any required tension to be put on the
line B, to vary the power transmitted thereby as may be required.
Such an arrangement of power-transmitting apparatus is particularly applicable
where there are located in a workshop or factory a number of machines having
turning, milling shaping or other cutting tools liable to get quickly blunted and
requiring to be re-sharpened with the least loss of time, as it permits of a rotary
emery grinding or sharpening wheel attachment ✗, (examples of which are
represented on the drawings) being quickly clamped to the work-bench in the

page_text: desired relation to the machine and actuated by the power transmitted by the
line B, without removal of the tool from the machine, and dispenses with
the employment of a separate sharpening attachment for each machine.
The improved apparatus has, however, numerous other applications and may
with advantage be employed in hair-dressing establishments for rotating the
brushes held by the operator, and may be employed for transmitting power from a
countershaft to any machinery or apparatus located in proximity thereto and
requiring to be driven intermittently or continuously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved apparatus for transmitting power from a countershaft to any
machinery or apparatus requiring to be driven as hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for transmitting power from a countershaft to machinery or
apparatus requiring to be driven, the combination of;-a countershaft apparatus
provided with fast and loose belt pulleys, a belt shifting device and a transmitting
pulley-a continuous power-transmitting flexible line or connection engaging with
and driven by said transmitting pulley;-a series or sets of separately adjustable
duplicate pairs of pulleys supported above or in the localities of the machines or
apparatus to be driven and supporting both the going and returning sides of the
continuous line in such a manner as to permit of the portion of the line between
such pair of pulleys being hooked down into engagement with a pulley on the
machine or apparatus to be driven;—a fixed pulley around which the line returns,
and, if required, other pulleys supported in position for deflecting the line as a
branch-line in an angular relation to the main-line, and a pendant removable or
adjustable counterweighting device fitted with pulleys suspended by the going and
returning sides of the continuous line, and serving to keep the continuous line,
throughout, at all times taut and with any required tension thereon, substantially
as set forth.
3. In power transmitting apparatus ;-a continuous power-transmitting flexible
line; a supported series of pairs of pulleys supporting such line in both the going
and returning directions in parallel or approximately parallel relation and in such
a manner as to permit of either side thereof being pulled down between the
relative pairs of pulleys into engagement with a pulley on any contiguous machine
or apparatus to be driven;-means of .actuating said line ;-and means of keeping
the line in tension when in motion or when in or out of operative engagement with
the machine or apparatus desired to be driven, substantially as set forth.
4. In combination, said countershaft apparatus a', A, a², a³, a³, and said belt
shifting apparatus ƒ, ƒ¹‚ ƒ³‚ƒ³‚ƒ^‚ƒ³, as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of December 1894.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.