IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS, AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, FOR IMPARTING MOTION TO OR ARRESTING MOVING OR ROTATORY SHAFTING AND OTHER MACHINERY
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Henry Varley, of Mildmay Park Works,
Stoke Newington, Civil and Mechanical Engineer, and Edward
Furness, of 6, Lavell Street, Albion Road, Stoke Newington, Civil
Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS, AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, FOR
IMPARTING MOTION TO OR ARRESTING MOVING OR ROTATORY SHAFTING AND
OTHER MACHINERY."
Scaled the 12th December 1873, and dated the 4th July 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Henry
Varley and Edward Furness at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th July 1873.
We, FREDERICK HENRY VARLEY, of Mildmay Park Works, Stoke
Newington, Civil and Mechanical Engineer, and EDWARD FURNESS, of 6,
Lavell Street, Albion Road, Stoke Newington, Civil Engineer, both in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention.

page_text: for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS, AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, FOR
IMPARTING MOTION TO OR ARRESTING MOVING OR ROTATORY SHAFTING AND OTHER
MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object the prevention of shocks and strains
due to overcoming inertia, and arresting the momentum of bodies in
motion.
To arrest quickly a heavy body in motion it is necessary to stop it
gradually at first, and augment the retardation rapidly. We effect this
by means of an elastic coupling of such a form that the motion against
the clastic stops can be controlled to any extent desirable, and the elastic
pressure be under complete control, exerting sufficient force to accom-
plish the work to be done, easing itself proportionately as the work to be
done decreases. For this purpose we employ either plungers or pistons
fitting into cylinders or springs, compressed by cams, cranks, eccentrics,
screws, or screw-shaped cams, actuated either radially or axially in such
a manner that the pressure exerted will be proportionately accumulated
until it reexerts a force equal to the work to be done, casing itself when
the accumulated power is in excess of the work doing.
When we employ plungers to be worked axially we prefer either a
screw-shaped cam on the shaft, or its modifications, by which the plunger
or piston is actuated like the ram of a hydraulic press working in a
water-tight cylinder. We place in the water or any suitable fluid either
balls of solid caoutchouc or india-rubber balls filled with air or any
suitable clastic substance to act as universal springs or air vessels, or
holders may be employed affixed to the cylinders or plungers, and
distribute through the water or any suitable fluid an elastic resistance on
the face of the plungers. The further the plungers are forced into the
cylinders by the cams the greater the compression of the caoutchouc
balls, which recxert upon the cams a resistance retarding the motion
originally imparted. As these cams quietly glide into their work there
is no slipping or seizing, and when the work is taken off they quictly
return to the normal position.
We also employ cylinders actuated radially or tangently to the axis of
rotation, but for this purpose we employ cams, eccentrics, and cranks to
actuate the plungers in the same manner as aforesaid.

page_text: We also use a spring accumulator, with gliding block, either worked
axially or radially in place of plungers or pistons working in cylinders,
by which we also obtain a uniformily gliding resistance accumulator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Henry Varley and Edward Furness in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
HENRY VARLEY, of Mildmay Park Works, Stoke Newington, Civil and
Mechanical Engineer, and EDWARD FURNESS, of 6, Lavell Street, Albion
Road, Stoke Newington, Civil Engineer, both in the County of Mid-
dlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Frederick Henry Varley and Edward
Furness, Her special licence that we, the said Frederick Henry Varley
and Edward Furness, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Frederick Henry Varley and Edward Furness, 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 APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, FOR IMPARTING MOTION TO OR
ARRESTING MOVING OR ROTATORY SHAFTING AND OTHER MACHINERY,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Henry Varley and
Edward Furness, 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 be 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 Frederick Henry Varicy and
Edward Furness, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object the prevention of shocks and strains
due to overcoming inertia, and arresting the momentum of bodies in
motion.
To arrest quickly a heavy body in motion it is necessary to stop it
gradually at first, and augment the retardation rapidly. We effect this
by means of an elastic coupling of such a form that the motion against
the elastic stops can be controlled to any extent desirable, and the elastic
pressure be under complete control, exerting sufficient force to accom-
plish the work to be done, casing itself proportionately as the work to
be done decreases. For this purpose we employ either plungers or
pistons fitting into cylinders or springs, compressed by cams, cranks,
eccentrics, screws; or screw-shaped cams, actuated cither radially or
axially in such a manner that the pressure exerted will be proportionally
accumulated until it reexerts a force equal to the work to be done,
easing itself when the accumulated power is in excess of the work
doing.
When we employ plungers to be worked axially we prefer either a screw-
shaped cam on the shaft, or its modifications, by which the plunger or
piston is actuated like a ram of a hydraulic press working in a water-
tight cylinder. We place in the water or any suitable fluid either balls
of solid caoutchouc, or india-rubber balls filled with air or any suitable
elastic substance, to act as universal springs or air vessels; or holders may
be employed affixed to the cylinders or plungers, and distribute through
the water or any suitable fluid an elastic resistance on the face of the
plungers. The farther the plungers are forced into the cylinders by the
cams the greater the compression of the caoutchouc balls, which reexert
upon the cams a resistance retarding the motion originally imparted.
As these cams quietly glide into their work there is no slipping or
seizing, and when the work is taking off they quietly return to their
normal position.
We also employ cylinders actuated radially or tangently to the axis of
rotation, but for this purpose we employ cams, eccentrics, and cranks to
actuate the plungers in the same manner as aforesaid.

page_text: We also use a spring accumulator, with gliding block, either worked
axially or radially, in place of plungers or pistons working in cylinders,
by which we also obtain a uniformly gliding resistance accumulator.
In order that this Invention may be more clearly understood, and also
the manner in which the same is to be performed, we shall now describe
the various modes by which the Invention is made applicable to various
descriptions of machinery.
In arresting a heavy body in motion it is necessary to exert a force
equal to the dynamic effect of the weight of the body multiplied by the
square of its velocity; and if this is effected instantaneously a great
concussion is the result, such being the effect when a piece of machinery
is rapid rotation is suddenly arrested by clogging, causing the cogs of
the wheel to be stripped off, or the shafts to be broken or distorted, this
being a frequent occurence with rolling or crushing mills, and applies
generally to all machinery in motion, especially to machinery subject to
rapidly varying strains. The frequent sudden shocks and strains which
machinery of all kinds has to overcome, due to the momentum of the
moving parts of the machines themselves, and the sudden shocks of the
varying work to be donc, causes often breakages which would not occur
if these strains came gradually into action. For this reason machinery
is often designed much heavier than is actually necessary for the work
to be done, particularly such machinery requiring to travel at high
speeds, such as rolling or crushing mills; and this to certain extent is
actually aggravating the evil, as when a very heavy mass of machinery
has to be got into motion previous to putting on the work the power
required is at first excessive; and afterwards, as each portion of the
machine gets into motion, such power required is reduced to that merely
to overcome friction. But, presuming such machinery is suddenly
stopped, the strains will equal the accumulated force originally exerted
to get the machinery into motion instantaneously, and cach portion will
then receive a blow proportionate to its weight multiplied by the square
of its velocity.
The object of this Invention is to supply a means for arresting a body
in motion quickly without concussion, also to give motion to a body
without a sudden shock. We effect this as follows:-By altering the
direction of the force of such strains, and controlling them gradually

page_text: by a counteracting spring or elastic force accumulator. In rotatory
shafting this we accomplish in one method by making the wheel W,
Fig. 1 and 2, loose on the shaft a. The boss of the wheel has a screw-
shaped face S against a similarily screw-faced cam S¹ at the end of the
plunger or piston working in a water-tight cylinder c with requisite
packings i, i, between the plunger and shaft, and plunger and cylinder;
the circumference of the cylinder and plunger is concentric with axis of
the shaft. The plunger has lugs 9, 9, or projections on it fitting easily
into slots or recesses, which allow the plunger to glide into the cylinder,
but prevent it turning round in it; and we place india-rubber balls f, f,
or an elastic material ƒ, ƒ, surrounded by water or any suitable fluid in
the cylinder. Upon motion being communicated to the wheel W it
turns in the direction of the arrow. The screw-shaped boss S acting on
the similarly shaped face S¹ of the plunger, and the fixed collar n on the
other side of the wheel acting as an abutment force it into the cylinder,
and compress the elastic material until the shaft is driven round by
the screw-shaped boss S acting against the plunger, like the horns of
a common clutch. Now should there arise any sudden strain on the
shaft a the wheel W will not receive the shock, but will continue to
rotate, and force the plunger further into the cylinder along the shaft,
and be gradually retarded by the additional compression of the balls ƒ, f,
until they react with a pressure sufficient to overcome the momentum
of the wheel; and upon the strain being reduced the plunger will be
forced out, gradually resuming its original position by the screws.
gliding back over one another in proportion as the strain is taken off.
We prefer the pitch of the screws to be wide, or the inclination so rapid
that the elastic material may be able to overcome the resistance the
better in forcing back the plunger to its original position, and for the
reason the nearer the faces of the screws are parallel to the axis of
rotation the better they will act in communicating the rotatory motion
to the shaft to be driven.
Figures 1 and 2 represent the coupling as applied to an ordinary
iron rolling mill, the motive power being communicated to the loose
wheel W, which conveys by means of the inclined surfaces of the screw-
shaped boss S acting against the similar face S' of the plunger similar

page_text: Assuming that the rollers are running at a speed suitable for the
ordinary work of rolling iron of a required section, and from some cause
or other a great retardation is imposed, it is necessary to allow the rollers
to rotate at a slower speed to give time for overcoming the obstacle; in
this case our coupling accomodates itself to the work, for, when the
rollers are retarded by the work the loose wheel instead of slackening its
speed continues to revolve and forces the plunger into the cylinder
until the obstacle be overcome by the roller running at a reduced
speed, then the compressed elastic material or air reexerts a force
between the screw surface of the loose wheel and the shaft of the
coupling, which power is again given out by increasing the speed of the
rollers as the work reduces, in this way the elastic pressure exerted
between the cylinder and plunger utilizes the force of sudden blows and
shocks.
Having now described the action of the coupling as applied to a
rolling mill, we wish it to be distinctly understood that the same mode
of using our coupling is applicable in utilizing the shocks or strains
occurring to other machines, being of especial advantage where shafting
is driven directly off the engine, such as engines working either paddle
or screw shafts of steam vessels or similarly driven shafts; for these
several purposes we dispose the various parts of the coupling to utilize
the strains in the most direct manner according to the varying require-
ments and nature of the machinery. Or this coupling may be attached
to an automatic clutch or device for engaging or disengaging machinery
to be driven, as shown by Fig. 20. Also right and left-handed screws
may be so combined as to allow the strains to be utilized, whether the
shaft is driven in either direction of rotation, whether to the left or right,
so that the shaft may be reversed suddenly whilst in motion without
injury, as shown by Fig. 19.
Fig. 3 shows another arrangement of the coupling; the screw S in this
case is formed on the shaft itself, which may be driven in either
direction, and accomplishes the same result by forcing the piston D in
the cylinder C, which forms part of the wheel W towards either end,
and compressing the elastic material f,f, surrounded by water or suitable
fluid.
Fig. 4 represents a double form of coupling; the shafts a and a¹ have
de coram chened come SS which when rotated act

page_text: against the screw-shaped ends of plungers S¹, S¹, the screws in this
instance are left and right handed, that on a being left handed, and
that on a right handed, formed as shewn by Fig. 7. There is a short
length of square shafting B, which works in a square recess in the
plunger S¹, or a part of the cylinder itself may be cast of such section,
and part of the plunger made to fit the same, so that although it allows
them to advance or recede will not allow them to turn round in the
cylinders upon rotatory motion being communicated to either of the
shafts a or a¹ and cause the other to turn in the same direction likewise.
C is the cylinder, which is made water-tight by suitable leathers or
packings i, i, which are held in their places by the covers n, n, which
form abutments for the screw-shaped cams to work against and take the
thrust. Upon motion being communicated to shaft a in the direction which
we will call right, it will cause the plunger S¹ to advance into the
cylinder and cause the air balls or elastic material to be compressed, and
will, acting as heretofore explained, cause the shaft a¹ to be drawn
round in the right direction. In the same manner if the shaft a¹ be
made to revolve to the left or in the direction of against the inclined
surface formed on S¹ the same result will occur and the rotatory motion
will be communicated to the other shaft in the same direction,
throwing any strain on the elastic material f, f, placed between the
plungers.
Fig. 5 represents a coupling with one plunger S¹ which can be
forced into the cylinder against an elastic material whichever way
the shaft may be driven round by means of the double thread, both left
handed and right handed, as shown by the perspective view, Fig. 9.
-
Fig. 6 shows a coupling for shafts; in this case the cylinder itself may
be formed square or any suitable form inside, and the plunger made to
fit, so as to allow it to have longitudinal motion in the cylinder, but at
the same time to cause them to rotate together.
Fig. 8 is a section showing the square portion of the interior of
cylinder taken across K, K. Fig. 7 shows a plunger, part of which is
square, made to suit such cylinder, the other end being screw shaped.
Fig. 10 represents a means of coupling two shafts so as to cause them
to rotate together. a and a¹ are the shafts, either of which may be
driving or driven. C is the coupling keyed to shaft a' acting as the

page_text: cylinder in the before mentioned cases. The plunger S', with screw-shaped
face, may be formed to the shapes of both left and right-handed threads,
the left extending half the circumference, and the right the other half.
S¹ is a plunger fixed on to the shaft a. f, f, are the elastic balls filled
with air surrounded by water, or this space may be filled with any
elastic material, the motion to be communicated from shaft a to shaft a
(or it may be communicated from shaft a¹ to shaft a) upon the commence-
ment of its rotation the plunger will, by its screw-shaped face acting on
the similarly shaped end of the cam S, force it into the cylinder C until it
compresses the elastic balls or material, so that they react with a force
sufficient to overcome the friction of the machinery driven from the
shaft a¹ and the work doing by it, and should the work increase either
by sudden strain or otherwise the plunger will be forced into the
cylinder or the work decrease, and it will immediately be forced out
again by the action of the elastic material, and in this case, as the
plunger is forced in it carries with it the shaft on which it is fixed,
giving to it a longitudinal motion, this action being more especially
applicable in taking up the back lash or end thrust of screw-propeller

page_text: either way the shaft may be driving. For consiceness, we show one
shape of cam only.
Fig. 13 shows how the same result may be accomplished by having
the cylinders fitted tangently to the axis of rotation. C, C, are the
water-tight cylinders fitted with plungers S¹, S¹; s, s, are the cams; a,
the shaft driving; W, the disc or wheel to be driven in the direction of
the arrows.
Figs. 14 and 15 show an arrangement by which a wheel W with cylinders
C, C, fitted with plungers working in water surrounding an elastic
material, such cylinders to oscilate on trunions, and the plungers to be
attached direct to pins on a disc or to have connecting rods, and the
cylinders to be bolted or cast on the wheel of the shaft a, on which the
disc W is fitted, revolving by the crank motion of the pins forcing the
plungers into the cylinders and compressing the elastic material in the
manner as before until the resistance is sufficient to cause the wheel W
to be driven round, or a small connecting pipe P may be used with the
clastic material or air balls to equalize the pressure between the two
cylinders. Or this connecting pipe as applied to this Invention may be
used or not in every instance when applicable.
Fig. 17 represents a spring resistanco accumulator which effects the
same result as the before-mentioned Figures. S is an eccentric fixed to
the shaft a (being driven round in the direction of the arrows) forces
the curved wedge-shaped piece against the inside of flange cast on the
disc W in proportion to the work to be done by the disc W driven in the
same direction.
Fig. 21 represents one way in which an eccentric revolving against a
lever L the thrust is received directly on the plunger working in a water-
tight cylinder C, with water or suitable fluid surrounding air balls or
elastic material f, f, or this cylinder and plunger with water surrounding
an elastic material may be applied to resist a blow or strain given direct,
such as a buffer on railway carriages, or in hydrostatic balances for
weighing or for testing tensile strength of materials.
.
Fig. 24 shows an application of this Invention to a weighing machine
by applying a pressure guage p to a cylinder filled with water surrounding
elastic balls or other elastic material, and a lever L is attached to the

page_text: screw-shaped cam S working against a similarly screw-ended plunger S'.
The body or substance to be weighted is hung on the lever L, or in this
way the torsional strength of a shaft may be tested, or this lever applied
in the same manner as shown by Fig. 25, and used as a dynamometer to
test the strain on the rope or chain passing over the pullies o, o, and W,
on the end of the lever, the lever rising and falling as strain varies,
and indicating the amount of the varying strain on the pressure
guage.
Figures 22 and 23 show an application of this Invention as applied
for a break for railway rolling stock, the lever L causing the stationary
clutch R to engage the clutch on screw-shaped cam S, the wheels W
being attached to the cylinder C, causing it to revolve against plunger S',
the screw faces acting against one another, and the collar acting as an
abutment force the plunger S' into the cylinder, and so gradually prevent
the wheel W from turning round, taking the strain on the clastic
material as before, and stopping the wheels without shock.
Figs. 26 and 27 show a simple means of adjusting by means of the
screws and V-shaped holes working at right angles to one another our
coupling on a shaft. or shafts, which is applicable for other similar
purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of our Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed
or put in practice, we hereby declare that we claim the Invention of
"Improvements in Couplings and Appliances Connected therewith for
Imparting Motion to or Arresting Moving or Rotatory Shafting and
other Machinery," as herein-before set forth and described, and also as
novel and important constituents of such our said Invention, we wish it
to be clearly understood that we claim, –
1st. The several forms of coupling as described for preventing shocks
and strains either in setting machinery in motion or arresting machinery
when in motion, or arresting quickly and reversing the motion originally
imparted, and the utilization of the longitudinal motion of the plungers
for engaging and disengaging machinery.
2nd. The use of solid india-rubber or clastic material, or india-rubber
balls or vessels filled with air, placed in a vessel or cylinder surrounded

page_text: by water or suitable fluid so as to distribute an elastic pressure through-
out the whole interior surface of such vessel or cylinder.
3rd. Also the use of plungers with screw-shaped cam to compress
elastic substances placed over or alongside the shaft, with or without
cylinder surrounding same.
4th. The employment of the screw-shaped face of cam and plunger,
both of such angle or pitch as to cause the same to act against one
another as a common fork clutch, by means of which we are able to
arrest machinery by an accumulating pressure which acts directly pro-
portionate to the resistance to be overcome and directly against the
cylinder or stop and the face of the plunger, by which we obtain a
gradual and rapid means of retarding, arresting, or reversal of motion
by direct pressure, whereby we avoid the heating, slipping, or seizing
which frequently takes place in frictional clutches, having at the same
time an accumulative force stored up between the face of plunger and
cylinder or stop ready to be given out when the work doing is slackened
as herein-before described.
5. We claim likewise the general arrangement of spring accumulator
and gliding block actuated by eccentrics or cams.
6. The use of eccentrics and cams in place of screw-shaped cams for
forcing the plunger into the cylinder, by which we effect retardation,
arrest, and reversal of machinery by an accumulating elastic resistance.
7. The application of this Invention to all machinery where the work
doing is likely to vary suddenly, such as rolling and crushing mills,
engines of all kinds, and especially screw-propeller shafts, when the
screw-faced plungers are arranged to take up the end thrust or back lash
due to the blade, suddenly leaving or diving deeper into the water or
from other causes.
8. The use of this Invention for arresting the wheels of rolling stock
and otherwise generally as a break.
9. Also the means by which the pressure accumulated in the cylinder
is made by arresting or retarding motion to indicate by means of
pressure guages the work doing, and generally employing this Invention
as a dynamometer.

page_text: 10. And lastly, we wish it to be understood that we do not confinc
urselves to the exact details herein-before described, which details or
arts of the Invention may be varied to suit special requirements, as
he same may be varied without departing from the principles of our
aid Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick Henry Varley and
Edward Furness, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this
Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
T. MORGAN,
Secretary,
FREDERICK HENRY VARLEY. (L.S.)
EDWARD FURNESS.
(L.S.)
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
S.W.