IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH WINCHES AS. APPLIED ON SHIPBOARD
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John David Napier and Robert David Napier, of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH WINCHES AS. APPLIED ON
SHIPBOARD."
Sealed the 3rd February 1880, and dated the 5th August 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John David Napier and
Robert David Napier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
5th August 1879.
JOHN DAVID NAPIER and ROBERT DAVID NAPIER, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH
WINCHES AS APPLIED ON SHIPBOARD."
This Invention comprises certain improved arrangements which are advantageously
applicable in cases in which a ship is provided with two or more winches.
In carrying out the said improved arrangements a single prime mover or a single
set of steam engine details is provided for working two or more or all the winches
of a ship, the power of such prime mover being transmitted by shafting arranged
above or below the deck. This shafting rotates in one direction only, and each
winch is connected with it and has reversing gearing controlled by means of clutches
which are of the differential frictional-strap kind described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to Robert David Napier, one of the present applicants, and
dated 2 February 1867 (No. 299). In one modification the line shafting has on
it for driving each winch two bevil wheels which gear with a bevil wheel on the
first motion shaft of the winch, and as it is important that the bevil wheels should
be as small as possible consistently with the power to be transmitted, the friction-
clutch details are not placed between the two bevil wheels, as is done in some cases,
but are fitted in connection with the outer sides of the bevil wheels. The sliding
parts by means of which the engagement or disengagement of the clutches is effected
are acted on by levers which are connected by a link, so that both can be controlled
by one lever.
The same line shafting may be arranged to drive a windlass as well as two or
more winches.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John David Napier and Robert David Napier in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th February 1880.
JOHN DAVID NAPIER and ROBERt David Napier, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH
WINCHES AS APPLIED ON SHIPBOARD."
are
Our said Invention comprises certain improved arrangements which
advantageously applicable in cases in which a ship is provided with two or more
winches.
In carrying out our improved arrangements a single prime mover, or a single set
of steam-engine details, is provided for working two or more or all the winches of
a ship, the power of such prime mover being transmitted by shafting arranged
above or below the deck. This shafting rotates in one direction only, and each
winch is connected with it and has reversing gearing controlled by means of
clutches which are of the differential frictional-strap kind described in the Speci-
fication of Letters Patent granted to Robert David Napier, one of us, and dated
2 February 1867 (No. 299).
The same line shafting may be arranged to drive a windlass as well as two
or more winches.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we hereunto append a Sheet of explanatory Drawings
to be hereinafter referred to and representing an example of our improved arrange-
ments. In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a plan of a portion of a
ship's deck showing several winches as arranged with our improved driving
gearing; Figures 2 and 3 are a plan and an end elevation drawn on an enlarged
scale, and showing one of the winches and its connections with the line shafting.
In the modification shown in the Drawings the line shafting 4 is arranged upon
the deck, being disposed longitudinally and a little to one side of the centre line so
as to clear the hatchways and other projections. The line shafting 4 is carried in
suitable bearings fixed to the deck and is in lengths which are connected together
by toothed discs 5 or by universal joints or equivalent parts, allowing of slight
deviations of the several lengths from a rigid straight line. The shafting may be
driven by a set of engine details placed at 6, or any other convenient part of the
ship, and it may be continued further aft from the point 7, shown in Figure 1, to
drive a winch situated further aft than those shown at 8, 9, 10, whilst it may also
be continued forward from the point 11 to drive the windlass.
The gearing details of each winch are arranged so that the first-motion shaft 12
or the one first acted on by the driving power is at the same level as the line
shafting 4, and on one end of this shaft 12 there is fixed a bevil wheel 13 which is
in gear with two bevil wheels 14, 15, carried loosely on the line shafting 4. It is
important that the bevil wheels 13, 14, 15, should be as small as possible consistently
with the power to be transmitted, and to admit of this the clutch details are not
placed between the two bevil wheels 14, 15, as is done in some cases, but are fitted
in connection with the outer sides of the bevil wheels. The pins for the differential
levers of the frictional clutch combinations are fixed to the backs of the bevil
wheels 14, 15, instead of to separate discs attached to such wheels, and instead of a
single sliding sleeve movable along the shaft 4, by a lever serving for both clutches,
there are two sliding sleeves 16, 17, one for each bevil wheels 14, 15, but these
sleeves are made to move together in consequence of the levers 18, 19, by means of
which they are shifted, being connected by a link 20. The construction and action
of the details forming the clutch combinations do not require to be particularised

page_text: herein as they are fully described in the earlier Specification hereinbefore referred
to. A bearing block 21 is conveniently placed between the bevil wheels 14, 15, for
supporting the line shafting 4 close to those wheels.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the
precise details berein described or delineated, but that what we believe to be
novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by and in terms of
the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,—
1. The connecting of a single prime mover or a single set of steam engine details
by means of line shafting and suitable gearing with two or more winches, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
2. The arrangement of gearing and clutch details herein before described with
reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawings, for communicating the
power from the line shafting to each winch.
In witness whereof, we, the said John David Napier and Robert David
Napier, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.