IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS AND WHEELS FOR SHAFTING AND GRARING
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Quintin Dunlop and Thomas John Martin, of
Ballymacarrett, in the County of Down, Engineers, and William
Orr, of Ligoniel, in the County of Antrim, Flax Spinner, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS AND WHEELS FOR SHAFTING
AND GRARING."
Sealed the 18th September 1869, and dated the 12th July 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Quintin Dunlop,
Thomas John Martin, and William Orr at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 12th July 1869.
We, QUINTIN DUNLOP and THOMAS JOHN MARTIN, of Ballyma-
carrett, in the County of Down, Engineers, and WILLIAM OHR, of
Ligoniel, in the County of Antrim, Flax Spinner, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS AND WHEELS
FOR SHAFTING AND GEARING," to be as follows:-
This Invention cousists in imparting elasticity to the joints and
wheels of shafting and gearing by means of springs or india-rubber, cork,
or other similar elastic substance introduced into either half of the
[Pries 8d.]

page_text: coupling and acted upon by the other half, or between the rim and arms
or at the centre of the wheel, in order to equalize the strain, impart a
more regular motion, and lessen any shock arising from suddenly
increased or diminished velocity in the revolution of the shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Quintin Dunlop, Thomas John Martin, and
William Orr in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th January
1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, QUINTIN
DUNLOP and THOMAS JOHN MARTIN, of Ballymacarrett, in the County
of Down, Engineers, and WILLIAM ORR, of Ligoniel, in the County of
Antrim, Flax Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Quintin Dunlop, Thomas John Martin,
and William Orr, Her special licence that we, the said Quintin Dunlop,
Thomas John Martin, and William Orr, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Quintin Dunlop, Thomas
John Martin, and William Orr, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS AND
WHEELS FOR SHAFTING AND GEARING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Quintin Dunlop, Thomas John Martin, and William
Orr, our executors or administrators, 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 he
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Quintin Dunlop, Thomas John
Martin, and William Orr, 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,
that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the transmission of motion to machinery by
means of shafting and gearing, and is intended to prevent or reduce the
irregular movement arising from the overrunning or backlash of any
portion or portions of the machinery. The mode by which we propose
to prevent or reduce such irregular movement is by imparting elasticity
to one or more joints or couplings and wheels of the shafting and
gearing by introducing springs or india-rubber, cork, or other similar
elastic substance or substances into either part or half of the joint or
coupling so as to be acted upon by the other part or half of such joint
or coupling, or by introducing such springs or other elastic substance or
substances between the rim and arms or at the centre or boss of the
wheel.
The joint or coupling of our Invention is composed of two separate
parts, each of which is attached to or fixed upon a shaft. One of these
parts consists of a circular block of iron or other metal bearing on the
outer side, the form and appearance of but differing in dimensions from
an ordinary face coupling. The inner or adverse side is furnished with
one or more cavity or cavities extending from the boss to or towards
the periphery of the joint or coupling, and of sufficient size to receive
and give working freedom for a snug or paw or snugs or paws upon the
other part of the joint or coupling. The above-described part of the
joint or coupling is also furnished with a chamber, preferably of a
cylindrical form, extending from its periphery towards the cavity or each
of the cavities above described, and in or near to the direction of a line
at right angles to the adjoining face or side of such cavity or cavities,
but leaving a diaphragm or bottom sufficiently strong to resist the
strain of the spring or other elastic substance or substances. when
under compression. A perforation is made in the diaphragm or bottom
to admit the connecting rod or bolt of the spring or other elastic
substance or substances which is or are placed in the chamber already
described. The other part of the joint or coupling consists of a circular
plate or disc of iron or other metal of the same diameter as and on its
outer side resembling the circular block part already described. On the

page_text: inner or adverse side this plate or disc is furnished with a snug or paw
to project into the cavity or each of the cavities of the circular block
part. A socket is provided in the face of the snug or paw to correspond
in position with the perforation of the diaphragm above mentioned, so
as to receive the connecting rod or bolt of the spring or other elastic
substance or substances, which is fastened into the socket by a pin, and
thereby attaches the spring or other elastic substance or substances
to the snug or paw. The socket is made of sufficient size to permit the
connecting rod or bolt by a movement on the pin as a centre to accom-
modate itself to the relative positions of the spring or other elastic
substance or substances and the snug or paw when at work.
We may
cover the orifices of the spring chambers by a rim of sheet iron or other
similar substance surrounding the periphery of the circular block part.
Instead of placing the spring chambers at the periphery of the circular
block part and leaving diaphragms between them and the cavities, we
may reverse that arrangement by placing the spring chambers at the
cavities and leaving the diaphragm towards the periphery. In the
latter arrangement the snugs or paws will not be attached to the springs
or other elastic substance or substances, but will bear upon them; and
where the shaft may be required to be capable of running in either
direction we may place springs or other elastic substances right and left
according to the last-mentioned arrangement. Where the diameter of a
joint or coupling must be limited and great power is required we may
increase the thickness of the joint or coupling and multiply the
number of springs attached to each snug or paw. The arrangements
for applying springs or other elastic substance or substances at the
centre or boss of a wheel are similar to those already described with
reference to a joint or coupling. In order to apply springs or other
elastic substance or substances between the rim and arms of a wheel the
toothed or other rim is furnished at one side with an internal flange
carrying two or more blocks. in each of which is a chamber or chambers
to contain a spring or springs or other elastic substance or substances,
as already described with reference to a joint or coupling. An arm from
the centre or boss of the wheel is extended and formed so as to cover
and lie in contact with the perforated diaphragm or bottom of the
chamber or chambers in each of the corresponding blocks carried by the
flange on the rim of the wheel, and the arm has a socket in which the
connecting rod or bolt of the spring or other elastic substance or
substances is attached, as already described with reference to a joint or

page_text: coupling. A covering ring is fastened with bolts or screws to the rim
of the wheel and the blocks carried by the internal flange or either of
them on the side opposite to the flange in order to maintain the arms in
position, and the surfaces of the various parts working upon each other
are accurately turned and fitted together. We prefer to cast the rim
and internal flange and the blocks in one piece and all connected
together. The spring or other elastic substance or substances may be
attached to the snug or paw of a joint or coupling or to the arm of a
wheel by a headed connecting rod or bolt passing through a perforation
in the snug or paw or the arm instead of being pinned into a socket as
already described. The number and strength of the springs or other
elastic substance or substances introduced into a joint or coupling or
into a wheel is proportioned to the velocity and power required, or to
the nature of the work to be performed. We prefer to place the circular
block part of a joint or coupling and the rim part of a wheel upon the
driven shaft, but we do not confine ourselves to that practice.
And in order that the said Invention may be more particularly
described we shall proceed to refer to the Drawings on the Sheets here.
unto annexed, the same letters of reference indicating the same ɔr
corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1. (Sheet I.) is a plan of the circular block part of a joint or
coupling showing two spring chambers in section, and the snugs or paws
of the plate or disc part with the sockets in section, and the springs and
other elastic substance or substances and connecting rods or bolts.
Figure II. (Sheet I.) is an edge view of the two separate parts of a
joint or coupling before being put together with a cavity and a snug or
paw in section.
Figure III. (Sheet 2) is a plan, partly in section, of the circular block
part of a joint or coupling arranged with spring chambers at the cavities
and with springs right and left of some of the snugs or paws, which are
also shown in section.
Figure IV. (Sheet 2) is a plan of a wheel showing two spring
chambers in section and the arms with perforations in section, and the
springs and other elastic substance or substances and connecting rods or
bolts and covering ring.

page_text: Figure IV. in section.
a is the circular block part of a joint or coupling; b, b, are the
cavities; c, c, are chambers to contain the springs or other elastic
substances; d, d, are diaphragms between the cavities b, b, and the
chambers c, c; e, e, are perforations in the diaphragms d, d; f, f, are
connecting rods or bolts; f¹, f, are bolts used for convenience to com-
press springs while setting sungs or paws in position between them;
9, 9, are springs; and g¹, g', are india-rubber, cork, or other similar
elastic substances separated by discs of iron h, h, through which the
connecting rods or bolts f, f, pass; i, i, are india-rubber or other elastic
packings; and i, j, are discs of iron placed between the springs g, g, and
the diaphragms d, d; k is the circular plate or disc part of a joint or
coupling; 1,, are snugs or paws to project into the cavities; m, m, are
sockets in the snugs or paws 1, 1; and n, n, are pins fastening the con-
necting rods or bolts f, f, into the sockets m, m; o is the rim of a
wheel, and P is the internal flange; r, r, are blocks carried by the
internal flange p; s, s, are arms from the centre or boss; t is a covering
ring fastened with the bolts or screws v, v, to maintain the arms s, s, in
position; o, w, are perforations in the armis s, s, through which a
headed connecting rod or bolt may pass instead of being pinned into a
socket; x,, are blocks of wood to receive the paws in case of the
derangement or rupture of the springs.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we would have it to be understood
that we do not claim the use of joints or couplings and wheels except when
the same are constructed specially as herein described or of any of the
parts thereof, nor do we claim the use of any of the separate mechanical
parts which form the compound joints or couplings and wheels used by
us; but we claim,
1st. The prevention or reduction of the irregular movement of
machinery arising from overrunning or backlash by the use of one or
more of the compound elastic self-acting joints or couplings or wheels
constructed and applied as herein-before described.
And, 2ndly. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting
the compound elastic self-acting joints or couplings or wheels arranged

page_text: in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set
forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Quintin Dunlop, Thomas John
Martin, and William Orr, bave hereunto set our hands and seals.
this Eighth day of January One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
QUINTIN DUNLOP. (L.B.)
THO. J. MARTIN.
(L.B.)
WM. ORR.
(L.S.)