improvements in Rope and Cable Making Machinery.
Year: 1897

page_text: improvements in Rope and Cable Making Machinery.
We, PERCY WALKER, Engineer, of 60, St. John's Park, Blackheath, Kent, and
ALEXANDER MAXWELL GRANT, Engineer, of 43, Bexley Road, Belvedere, Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
The "take up" or "draw off" gear in the following description is intended
mainly to apply to electric cable covering machines, but is also applicable to any
description of cable spinning, covering, and stranding machines, as used in the
manufacture of hemp, or steel wire ropes, electric and other cables, and consists of
a specially designed parallel friction clutch for transmitting motion from the
tension shaft at the end of the covering machine to the drum on to which the cable
is to be wound. The friction clutch is designed to give great but readily variable
holding power.
On the "take up "draw off" shaft of the drum or upon a shaft geared with
it by change wheel gear we mount loosely a pulley driven by a belt from the
tension shaft. Within the pulley we place two semi-circular segments which
together form a ring which fits loosely within the pulley.
27
or
The abutting ends of the segments are inclined to one another and between
them is placed a V wedge which can be thrust outwards and so made to press the
two segments apart from one another.
The central part of each segment is thereby first made to bear against the interior
circumference of the pulley and then the ends of the segments are thrust outwards
and they are also made to bear against the inner circumference of the pulley
and so obtain a very firm hold upon it.
To
The segments are held to the shaft so that they cannot turn around it.
effect this the shaft has fixed upon it a disc which lies within the interior of the
pulley. Each segment has a radial projection extending inwardly from it and
these projections lie between other projections which stand out from the face of
the disc.
To thrust the V wedges outwards we cause a stem at the back of each to rest
upon a lever which is pivotted to the disc. The levers lie parallel with the shaft
and pins screwed through their ends are made to bear upon inclines on a collar
which can be shifted endwise to and fro along the shaft. The collar can be shifted
endwise to and fro by a lever one forked arm of which enters between two flanges
formed around the collar whilst the other arm is weighted or drawn downwards
by springs in a direction to cause the wedges to thrust the segments apart.
If desired springs may be applied to draw the segment back in the opposite
direction

page_text: In place of using two segments a ring which normally fits loosely within the
pulley and which is divided at one point of its circumference might be used and a
V wedge inserted between the ends the ring being prevented from turning
around the shaft in a similar manner to that above described.
The drum upon which the cable is to be taken up as it comes from the covering
machine tends to be driven by the friction clutch at about the same speed but
faster than the drum on the tension shaft. As the strain on the cable which is
being wound up increases the clutch slips so allowing of the load being quickly
and easily taken up the slip taking place automatically as is required either with
light or heavy cables or with larger or smaller take up drums whilst the speed of
the driving pulley on the friction shaft may be allowed to remain the same for
any size of cable or dru̟m.
nated thin 10th day of May 1897
Improvements in Rope and Cable Making Machinery.
We, PERCY WALKER, Engineer, of 60, St. John's Park, Blackheath, Kent, and
ALEXANDER MAXWELL GRANT, Engineer, of 43, Bexley Road, Belvedere, Kent, 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:
و,
The "take up' or "draw off" gear in the following description is intended
mainly to apply to electric cable covering machines, but is also applicable to any
description of cable spinning, covering, and stranding machines, as used in the
manufacture of hemp, or steel wire ropes, electric and other cables, and consists
of a specially designed parallel friction clutch for transmitting motion from the
tension shaft at the end of the covering machine to the drum on to which the cable
is to be wound. The friction clutch is designed to give great but readily variable
holding power.
66
On the take up" or draw off" shaft of the drum or upon a shaft geared with
it by wheel gear we mount loosely a pulley driven by a belt or wheel gearing from
the tension shaft. Within the pulley or ring or loose spur or bevel wheel we place
two semi-circular segments which together form a ring which fits loosely within
the pulley.
The abutting ends of the segments are inclined to one another and between them
is placed a V wedge which can be thrust outwards and so made to press the two
segments apart from one another.
The central part of each segment is thereby first made to bear against the
interior circumference of the pulley and then the ends of the segments are thrust
outwards and they also are made to bear against the inner circumference of the
pulley and so obtain a very firm hold upon it.
The segments are held to the shaft so that they cannot turn around it. To effect
this the shaft has fixed upon it a disc which lies within the interior of the pulley.
Each segment has a radial projection extending inwardly from it and these pro-
jections lie between other projections which stand out from the face of the disc.
To thrust the V wedges outwards we cause a stem at the back of each to rest

page_text: upon a lever which is pivotted to the disc. The levers lie parallel with the shaft
and pins screwed through their ends are made to bear upon inclines on a collar
which can be shifted endwise to and fro along the shaft. The collar can be shifted
endwise to and fro by a lever one forked arm of which enters between two flanges
formed around the collar whilst the other arm is weighted or drawn downwards by
springs in a direction to cause the wedges to thrust the segments apart.
If desired springs may be applied to draw the segment back in the opposite
direction.
In place of using two segments a ring which normally fits loosely within the
pulley and which is divided at one point of its circumference might be used and a
V wedge inserted between the ends-the ring being prevented from turning
around the shaft in a similar manner to that above described.
The drum upon which the cable is to be taken up as it comes from the covering
machine tends to be driven by the friction clutch at about the same speed but
faster than the drum on the tension shaft. As the strain on the cable which is
being wound up increases the clutch slips so allowing of the load being quickly
and easily taken up the slip taking place automatically as is required either with
light or heavy cables or with larger or smaller take up drums whilst the speed of
the driving pulley on the friction shaft may be allowed to remain the same for
any size of cable or drum.
Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 an end view partly in section of "take up "
mechanism constructed as above described.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section and Figure 4 an end view of the friction
clutch having two semicircular friction segments.
Figure 5 a longitudinal section and Figure 6 a cross section of the modification
in which a ring divided at one point in its circumference is used in place of the
segments.
"
In Figures 1 and 2 A is the shaft of the tension drum or pulley at the end of
a covering or spinning or stranding machine. B is the drum of the "take up
mechanism onto which the cable is to be wound and B an ordinary guide moved
to and fro in the usual way to lay the cable uniformly. C is a shaft geared with
the shaft of the drum B through change wheel gear. Dis a pulley mounted loosely
on the shaft C and driven by a belt from a pulley on the shaft A. E is a disc lying
within the pulley and fixed to the shaft C. FF are two semi-circular segments of
slightly less circumference than the interior of the pulley D. F¹ is a radial pro-
jection extending inwardly from the centre of each segment. El are projections
from the face of the disc E between which the projections F' can slide to and fro.
G is a spring by which each segment can be drawn inwards.
HH are V wedges between the ends of the segments. H' is a stem at the back
of each wedge resting upon a lever I. Each lever is pivotted at I¹ to projections
E on the back of the disc E. KK are pins screwed through the forward ends of
the levers and resting against inclines L₁ on a collar L which can be slidden end-
wise along the shaft C. M (see Figure 2) is a lever by which the collar can be
moved to and fro. M is a link by which the longer arm of this lever is connected
to a lever N drawn downwards by a readily adjustable spring or weight.
When a clutch such as shewn at Figures 5 and 6 is used it may be actuated in
the same way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
-
1. "Take up" or
"draw off" gear for rope and cable making machinery pro-
vided with clutch mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described and illus-
trated in the drawing annexed.
2. The construction of the clutch mechanism substantially as herein before
dacaribed and illustrated at Figures 3 and 4.

page_text: 3. The construction of the clutch mechanism substantially as herein before
described and illustrated at Figures 5 and 6.
Dated this 15th day of December 1897