CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RIGGER AND PULLEY BANDS FOR DRIVING MACHINERY, AND ROPES AND LINES FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WILLIAM SIEVIER, of Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent. under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twentieth day of September, in the second year of Her
reign, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert William Sievier, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Robert William Sievier, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Robert William
Sievier, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RIGGER AND PULLEY BANDS FOR DRIVING MACHINERY,
AND ROPES AND LINES FOR OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Robert William Sievier, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar mouths next and immediately

page_text: after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Robert
William Sievier, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of certain improvements in rigger and pulley bands for
driving machinery, and ropes and lines for other purposes, applies to such
bands, ropes, and lines as are formed by having the strands of different
material composing the same, platted, knitted, or interwoven, one with the
other, instead of twisted together as in the ordinary process of rope making;
and consists in novel or improved methods of making or manufacturing such
bands, ropes, or lines, by the peculiar introduction of wire in the manufacture
of such bands, ropes, and lines, whereby their strength is increased; and
further in the use and application of peculiar arrangements and constructions
of mechanism or machinery, whereby such kind or description of bands, ropes,
and cords are platted or knitted.
And I will first describe the novel or improved modes or methods of making
such bands, ropes, and lines, with the peculiar introduction and use of the said
strands of wire, and then the novel arrangements of machinery by which they
are manufactured. The wire used in the manufacture of the bands or ropes
may be of any suitable metal, and should be properly annealed, and is to be
platted or twisted around a core or internal part composed of strands of other
material, platted or twisted together in any manner, the wire being afterwards
covered by other coatings platted over it.
The operation of making the round ropes or bands, consisting of several
coatings, is performed as follows:-The core is first prepared and wound on a
reel and placed next the machine,, where the first covering of platting of wire
or any fibrous material is to be given; it passes up this machine and receives
the plat from the travelling bobbins thereof, and is then wound on a drum or
reel, and is in this state taken to the next machine, which it passes through in
like manner and receives the second coating, and being again wound on a reel
it is taken to the third machine, and so on, until the rope or band is completed
to the thickness or strength desired; or the same effect will be produced by
the peculiar and novel arrangement of consecutive machines, leading direct one
into the other, as described hereafter. The flat bands or ropes are platted at

page_text: one operation, the prepared wire and other strands being wound upon the
bobbins of the machine, and directly platted into the complete bands by the
movements of the inechanism; and I will now refer unto the Drawings
hereunto annexed, the better to illustrate my present Invention.
Fig. 1 shews a portion of a rope having a core a, composed of a number of
strands of different materials (india-rubber or caoutchouc strands may be
intermixed therewith if desired); over this core is platted the single wires b, b,
which are again covered by a coating d of other strands of fibrous materials,
intermixed, if desired, with strands of caoutchouc, and I prefer the fibrous
strands to be saturated with some solution to render them impervious to
water.
Fig. 2 shews another portion of rope with the same description of core a and
outer covering d, but having two, three, or more wires b, platted or interlaced
upon the core, in place of the single wires, as in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shews a portion of a flat band composed of strands of fibrous and
other materials, with strands of wire 6 interlaced or knitted with them.
If thought desirable these ropes may have a second outer coating of
fibrous materials as a further protection to the wires, or they may be manu-
factured of wires, platted coating after coating upon a core, or even without
a core, and then covered by other material; or there may be more than
one platting of wire used in forming these ropes with a coating or covering
of hemp or other fibrous material platted between them, so that the
several layers or coatings of wire will be thereby properly intermixed with
the other materials; or pieces of canvas or any other woven or felted fabric
may be wound around the coatings of wire, or between several of them, and
the whole covered by a platted coating of fibrous strands, as desired. It must
be understood that the wire strands are wound upon the bobbins of the
platting machine, and platted in the same manner as the hemp or other
strands.
I would here remark that in all the round bands or ropes, whenever the
outer casing becomes worn or injured, it may be removed and a fresh outer
coating platted in its place, or a new covering may be platted over the old one;
also that other strands than hemp and other fibrous materials or caoutchouc
may be used and combined with the wire, such as strands of leather, raw hide,
skin's, or intestines of animals, or prepared gut band, and that by repeating
the layers or coatings of platting, any sized rope may be made, the diameter
only depending upon the number of coatings. The strands of each coating
should cross or lay upon or over each other at the same angle, so that upon

page_text: any extraordinary tension they may bear equally the same strain. This is
easily effected by conducting the strands from the bobbins to the platting or
interlacing point at the same, angle, which will at all times take place when
proper speed is given to the taking-off motion as the rope is made.
Having now stated and described the improvements in the bands, ropes, and
lines, and the method of treating them in the ordinary machinery, I will now
proceed to describe the novel arrangement of apparatus whereby I carry my
Invention into effect, although I do not intend to confine myself to the use of
the same.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation or representation of a consecutive arrangement of
three platting machines A, B, C, of the ordinary construction for making
round ropes or bands, in passing through which the rope receives, three
coatings of platting, and between each coating it passes through a vessel
containing a solution of india-rubber, tar, or a mixture of pitch and resin
dissolved in turpentine or naptha, or any other preparation, to render the
ropes waterproof, and attach the coats firmly to each other. The core for the
rope is previously prepared and coiled upon the reel a, and prevented from
turning too freely by friction cords and weights. The core 6 is passed from
the reel to the vessel c containing the preparation before named, and having
passed through it, takes up a sufficient portion thereof. The core in this state
is conducted by the guide pulley d up the centre of the first machine a, and
then over the pulley e at the top; and f, f, are the bobbins containing the
strands for forming the first covering, which is platted upon the core at the
point g, where all the strands meet. The now covered core 6 passes from the
first machine over the pulleys h and i, between which there is suspended upon
a loop or slack of the rope the weight k, whereby the cord is kept at the
proper degree of tension, at the same time it will allow of the second machine
B being stopped whenever required, without the necessity of immediately
interrupting the operations of this first machine, the weight descending
carrying down the rope as it coated, and keeping it at the same tension all
the time. The rope l is passed down to another vessel m, where it takes up a
further portion of the preparation, and thence to the second machine B, where
it receives a second coating of platting; the rope n then passes over a similar
arrangement of pulleys and tension weights to the third machine c; where it
receives another portion of the preparation from the vessel o, and the third
coating or platting from the bobbins, and then passes off as a finished rope p,
and is wound upon a reel. These several machines should be put into motion
by separate means, and be capable of being thrown one or the other out of

page_text: work, as required, for the purpose of changing the bobbins, and to take
up any portion of rope one machine. may have. made while the other was
stopped..
Fig. 5. shews a novel arrangement of two platting machines A and B,
placed one within the other, and wherein the rope or core receives two
coverings or coatings of platting; Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the same.
The inner or smaller machine A being put into action by a toothed wheel a,
on one of the spindles 6 of the larger machine, the spindles c of the inner
machine being furnished with toothed wheels, d, gearing one into the other in
the same manner as a separate machine; and these machines, should be
stopped or set in motion simultaneously, as they work one immediately under
the other. Strong flat bands may be made from these ropes or bands by
sewing or combining any number of them together in the usual way. Flat
bands or ropes for pits or mines are formed, or the wires and fibrous material
may be platted or knitted into smaller flat bands or braiding, and afterwards
combined so as to form a larger band fit for driving machinery or other useful
purposes to which the same may be applicable.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not claim as my Invention the use of wire in the manufacture of ropes
generally, as I am aware that ropes and standing rigging and stays for ships
or vessels have been heretofore made of wire strands, but which have been
placed lengthwise of the rope in straight lines or nearly so, and forming a core
around which a covering or coating has been placed to secure them in one
bundle; neither do I claim as my Invention any of the ordinary platting
machinery herein shewn and described, as this is well known and in use; but
I do claim as my Invention the novel use and application of coatings of wire
platted over one another or interlaced between other coatings of platted or
woven or felted materials, as herein set forth. and described, for the manu-
facture of ropes and flat bands; and, lastly,. the improved manner or method
of making such ropes and bands or lines by the use and application of the
novel arrangements of consecutive platting machines or mechanism herein
shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert William Sievier, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
(L.S.) R. W. SIEVIER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of March,
in the second year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said
Robert William Sievier came before our said Lady the Queen in Her
Chancery, and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every
thing therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the
T
Inrolled the Twentieth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-nine.