Improved Means for Regulating the Tension of Driving Bands or Belts.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Regulating the Tension of Driving
Bands or Belts.
We, ELWIN RUFUS HYDE of 29 Osgood Street, Springfield, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Manufacturer, and RICHARD CHEW HORNER, of
66 Bancroft Street, in said Springfield, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to langers for pulleys having means for changing the
position of the pulley or pulleys upon the hanger for the purpose of tightening the
bolt or belts passing over the former, and the invention has especial reference to
means of this nature when used in connection with idler-pulleys which serve to
guide a belt from a primary shaft to a machine having a vertically adjustable
operating shaft.
The object of our invention is to provide a hanger for pulleys which will be
provided with means whereby the latter can be quickly and conveniently adjusted
upon the hanger in a right line and through a considerable range of movement, by a
person standing upon the floor of the room to the ceiling of which the hanger is
secured.
To this end our invention consists in the hanger constructed and operating as
hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the drawings in which like letters designate like parts in the
several figures,
Figure 1, is a side elevation of our improved hanger, the same being shown in
connection with a primary shaft and a machine having a vertically adjustable
operating shaft.
Figure 2, is a perspective view of one of the brackets of the hanger.
Figures 3 & 4, are similar views of one of the threaded hubs and adjustable blocks,
respectively.
Figure 5, is a front elevation of the hanger.
The letters A A¹ designate the two brackets of the hanger each of which consists
of two legs a united to an intermediate portion a¹ of considerable length and oach of
which legs terminates at its upper end in a foot a through which passes the screws
or bolts which secure said brackets to the ceiling or other suitable support. Along
their lower edge the brackets A A¹ are provided with a dove-tail rib and within
said rib is a longitudinal groove a*. Braces a secured at each end to one of said
brackets serve to rigidly connect them together. Upon each of said brackets which
thus form parallel ways is mounted a block B, which blocks are provided within their
upper surface with a dove-tail groove b to receive the rib a³, thereby enabling them
A threaded hub is connected to
to be moved back and forth upon the brackets.
each of said blocks within the groove b, by means of a pin on the former entoring an
orifice in the latter as shown, or in any convenient manner, which hubs enter and
travel in the grooves a*, and are thereby prevented from pivotal movement upon their
connecting pins. Upon each of the blocks B are located bearings for the ends of
the shaft carrying the idler-pulleys. The form and number of idler-pulleys used will
of course be governed by circumstances. We have shown a drum B₁ extending from
one bracket to the other and mounted at each end in one of the bearings and a
fixed shaft B also mounted at each end in one of said bearings and having loosely
mounted thereon two pulleys . Provision is thus made for two belts either of
which can be moved laterally at will, but it will be understood that we have shown
such construction for the purpose of illustration merely and do not limit ourselves
thereto. To the front end of bracket A is secured a plate a and to the front end of
the bracket A is secured a plate a', which plates respectively contain bearings c for

page_text: the front ends of screw-shafts C C said shafts being mounted therein in such manner
as to revolve without endwise progression. Said screw-shafts extend rearwardly
within grooves a and enter the hubs bon blocks B, see Figure 1 in which one of the
blocks is partly broken away. The shafts (Care provided with right and left-hand
screw-threads, respectively, and hubs are similarly threaded. At their front ends
said shafts CC are each provided with a bevel gear which gears mesh with
corresponding gears d upon opposite ends of a cross-shaft D mounted in bearings d¹
on the plates aa', whereby revolution of one of the screw-shafts is transmitted to the
other in an opposite direction, in the usual manner. Plate a is also provided with a
bearing e for the upper end of a vertical shaft E, which shaft carries at its upper end
a bevel gear el which meshes with the gear c¹ of shaft C. Shaft E extends down-
wardly to within easy reaching distance of a person standing on the floor, and carries
at its lower end a hand-wheel e or other similar device whereby it can be revolved
manually. It follows from the construction just described that by means of shaft E,
shafts CC can be operated in unison to move blocks B back and forth upon the
brackets A A', and that said blocks will always be in alignment. It is obvious also
that the belts or belt led over one or more of the idlers carried by said blocks will
be slacked or tightened as said blocks are moved in one or the other direction.
As herein before sinted, the compensating hanger thus constructed is especially
designed for use in connection with machines having a vertically adjustable operating
shaft, and we have accordingly illustrated it in connection with such a machine. The
letter F designates a machine for surfacing metal comprising a bed upon which the
work to be operated upon is secured, and an emery wheel mounted upon a
vertically adjustable shaft carrying the band-wheel f. By the vertical adjustment of
the wheel it is enabled to operate upon work of various degrees of thickness, and by
means of the compensating hanger its operating belt can be kept tight in each of its
various positions.
As shown, the belt G passes from a pulley or drum g on a power shaft, over
drum B' thence around the pulley on the emery wheel shaft, and thence over one
of the idler pulleys 63 back to pulley g. Whenever the operator changes the position
of the emery wheel vertically, he can readily make a corresponding adjustment of the
idlers, by turning shaft E, and is thus enabled to keep belt G taut at all times.
Any stretching of the belt, or wearing away of the emery wheel, can also be
compensated for in the same manner.
The hanger thus constructed is strong and durable, and permits a very delicate
adjustment of the idlers to be made.
We do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact construction or relative proportions
of the parts shown and described, as various modifications therein can be made within
the spirit of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The compensating hanger for pulleys therein described, comprising two brackets
adopted to be suspended parallel with each other from the ceiling or other suitable
support, a block movably mounted upon each of said brackets, one or more pulleys
located between said blocks and carried thereby, a screw-shaft mounted upon each of
said brackets and engaging a threaded hub on each of said blocks, and means sub-
stantially as described for revolving said shafts simultaneously, whereby said blocks
can be caused to move in unison upon said brackets, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. The compensating hanger for pulleys herein described comprising two brackets
adapted to be suspended parallel with each other from a suitablo support, a sliding
block mounted upon each of said brackets, one or more pulleys having their axes
mounted in bearings upon said blocks, a screw-shaft mounted in such manner as to
revolve without end wise progression upon each of said brackets, each of which screw-
shafts operatively engages one of said blocks at one end and is provided at its

page_text: opposite end with a bevel gear, a cross-shaft carrying at each end bevel gears which
mesh with the bevel gears on said screw-shafts whereby the three shafts are com-
pelled to revolve in unison, and means substantially as described for imparting a
revolving movement to one of said shafts substantially as set forth.
3. The compensating hanger for pulleys herein described consisting of two
brackets suspended from the ceiling and parallel with each other, a block, movably
mounted upon each of said brackets, a pulley shaft mounted at each end in one of said
blocks, a pulley carried by said shaft, two screw-shafts having a bearing in said
brackets each of which shafts operatively engages one of said blocks at one end and
carries a bevel gear at its opposite end, a cross-shaft carrying at each end bevel gears
which mesh with the gears on said screw-shafts, and a vortical shaft having at its
upper end a gear which meshes with one of the gears on said screw-shafts and
having at its lower end a hand-wheel or similar device whereby it can be revolved
manually, combined and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. In a compensating banger for pulleys the brackets A A¹ having the dove-tail
ribs a blocks B having dove-tail grooves b, shaft B having its ends mounted in
said blocks, and pulleys 63 loosely mounted upon said shaft, combined and operating
substantially as described.
5. The combination with brackets A A' having dove-tail ribs a³ and grooves a, of
blocks B each having dove-tail grooves therein and threaded hub b' located within
said groove, a pulley shaft mounted at its end on said blocks and screw-shafts CƠ
mounted at or near one end in bearings on said brackets and engaging said hubs b¹
at their opposite ends substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with brackets A A' each having a dove-tail rib a³ extending
along its lower edge and having groove a within said rib, of blocks B each having
dove-tail grooves in its upper surface and having threaded hub 6' located within
said groove, a pulley shaft carried at each end by one of said blocks, screw-shafts CC'
mounted in bearings at one end of said brackets, each of said shafts entering one of
said hubs at one end and having a gear c' at its opposite end, cross-shaft D
carrying gears dat its ends which gears mesh respectively with one of the gears c¹,
and vertical shaft E carrying at its upper end gear el which meshes with one of tho
gears c, and having at its lower end hand-wheel e³, arranged and operating
substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with brackets A A' of blocks B movably secured upon said
brackets, drum B' and shaft B² mounted at each end in one of said blocks and
pulleys loosely mounted upon said shaft, substantially as described.
8. The combination with brackets A A' of plate a secured to said bracket A said
plate having the bearings c d e thereon, plato a secured to bracket A' and having
bearings cd thereon, shafts CC¹ mounted respectively in said bearings c c, and
having gears c at one end thereof, shaft D mounted in said bearings d' d' and
having at its ends gears d meshing with said gears c', and shaft E mounted in said
bearing e and having at its upper end gear e¹ which meshes with the gear c¹ on said
shaft C, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
T : T... 10ea
ELWIN RUFUS HYDE.
RICHARD CHEW HORNER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.