IMPROVEMENTS IN ROPE-CLAMPING APPARATUS CHIEFLY DESIGNED TO FACILITATE THE HAULING OF VEHICLES ON " RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and C° Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, in the County of Middlesex do hereby
declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROPE-CLAMPING
APPARATUS CHIEFLY DESIGNED TO FACILITATE THE HAULING OF VEHICLES ON
"
RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The object of my invention is to provide improved means for clamping and
holding a travelling wire rope so as to cause it to move a tram-car or other vehicle
or a carrier, and at the same time to avoid risk of injuring the rope in the act of
clamping the same.
I make use of endless chains, of clamping blocks of suitable shape to fit the
surface of the rope, and I provide elliptical ways within which the said chains
may move, and also clamping-blocks operated by screws that press the endless
chains against the sides of the rope. By these means the wire rope is not liable to
injury, because the chains of clamping-blocks will move with the wire rope until
the friction of the clamping surfaces is sufficient to overcome the inertia of the car
or other article to be moved.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of the wire rope and clamping apparatus.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the same, and
Figure 3 is a view shewing details of construction of the said apparatus.
The wire rope a is moved or propelled in any desired manner and passes between
the two chains c d, each of which is made of blocks jointed together so as to
render the chains flexible, and the surfaces of the blocks adjacent to the wire rope
are grooved semicircularly to fit the wire rope a.
The joints in the chains are made, as shown in Figure 3, with the curved surfaces
of the joints corresponding. with the same portions of the grooved faces in order
that there may not be any angles or projections at the joints, that will injure the
wire rope.

page_text: Tho chains c, d pass around movable guide rollers or friction pulleys ff, and
between the plates g and check pieces or plates h, so that the chains are free to
move around the guide rollers or friction pulleys which in turn move upon their
axes, whereby the friction of the parts is reduced to a minimum; hence when the
rope a is not clamped, the car or other vehicle or carrier to which the plate g is
attached can remain stationary or nearly so, and the wire rope a will run upon one
of the chains cor d, if the plate g stands vertically, or between such chains if the
plate g lies horizontally.
Between the guide rollers or friction pulleys ƒ there are sliding clamping-
blocks l, m, operated by the screw-shaft r that passes through the blocks l, m, and
is provided with right and left handed screw-threads, so that by turning the
shaft in one direction by hand or other power applied to a crank or to a pulley 8,
the clamping blocks l, m will be drawn together to press the clamping chains forcibly
upon opposite sides of the wire rope and hold the same. This clamping operation
is not sudden, but there is a slip of the rope between the chains and of the chains
around their guide rollers until the inertia of the article to be moved is overcome
by the increasing friction produced by the pressure of the screw and clamping-
blocks.
Under some circumstances it will only be necessary to revolve the clamping-
'screw in the opposite direction to loosen the rope, but where it is desired to drop
the wire-rope a, it is preferable to make the plate g in two parts sliding upon
stationary cross-rods or metallic supports, and to place india-rubber or metallic
springs t between the blocks 1, m and the plate g, within the openings for the said
clamping-blocks, in order that the springs may act to keep the two parts of the
plate g together under the ordinary operation of clamping and relieving the rope,
but when the clamp is to be opened and the rope dropped, the further movement
of the screw-shaft r still further separates the clamping-blocks l, m, and with them
moves the two parts of the frame g away from each other and separates the chains
enough to allow the rope to drop from between them. The reverse motion again
secures the rope after it has been placed between the chains.
It should be observed that instead of movable pulleys f, f, I may employ fixed
guides around which the chains may be caused to travel, but I prefer to employ
the movable pulleys or friction rollers, as there will be less friction with this
construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
First. The endless chains of grooved clamping-blocks, in combination with the
guiding pulleys or friction rollers f. f and clamp-plates l, m, constructed, arranged,
and operating substantially in the inanner, and for the purpose, herein set forth.
Second. The plate g divided, and receiving in openings therein the sliding
clamping blocks 2, m, in combination with the actuating screw-shaft r and endless
chain of grooved clamping-blocks, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially
in the manner, and for the purpose, herein set forth.