IMPROVED BREAK APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY WEIGHTS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the .
Invention of "IMPROVED BREAK APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY WEIGHTS."-A communication from abroad
by Pierre François Tanney and Edme Maitrejean, of Rue St. Sebastien,
Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 1st August 1864, and dated the 4th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th March 1864.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED BREAK APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY
FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY WEIGHTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improved break apparatus applicable to machinery
for raising and lowering heavy weights, has for its object to produce a
retarding apparatus, which shall not be entirely dependent upon the muscular
power exerted by the attendant, the several parts being so arranged and
combined that if by accident or otherwise the power exerted by the attendant
should be insufficient or suddenly fail, no accident, such as the sudden descent
of the weight, shall take place.
The retarding or break apparatus may be adapted to winches, windlasses,

page_text: cranes, jacks, and other lifting machinery, and is mounted on the axle of the
winding drum. It consists of a ratchet wheel fastened on the axle, and of two
plates, which are mounted loosely thereon. These plates are provided with
two pawls or clicks, which are intended to take into the teeth of the ratchet
wheel. The friction break itself is placed and acts upon the circumference of one
of the plates. When a weight is raised the ratchet wheel turns with the winding
drum and passes under the palls or clicks, and the friction break of course
does not act; when it is required to lower a weight it will only be necessary
to leave the winch handle and allow the break to act. This break surrounds
the plates, to which are secured the clicks or palls. The friction band of the
break is secured at one end to a fixed part of the framing, and the other end
is connected by a strap or link to one end of a short lever, the opposite end of
which is jointed to a rod or bar having a screw with a very sharp pitch cut
thereon. This screw passes through a female screw or nut secured to the
framing, and the screwed rod or bar is provided with a weighted hand lever,
whereby it may be turned in its bearing, and thereby drawn forward so as to
cause the short break lever to turn on its axis and tighten the friction band
on the ratchet pall plates. By means of this weighted hand lever any weight
may be lowered, either quickly or slowly, and always with safety.
+1.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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

page_text: Invention for "IMPROVED BREAK APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY WEIGHTS," being a communication from abroad
by Pierre François Tanney and Edme Maitrejean, of Rue St. Sebastien,
Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of "Improved Break Apparatus applicable to Machinery
for Raising and Lowering Heavy Weights," has for its object to produce a
retarding apparatus, which shall not be entirely dependant upon the muscular
power exerted by the attendant, the several parts being so arranged and
combined that if by accident or otherwise the power exerted by the attendant
should be insufficient or suddenly fail, no accident (such as the sudden descent
of the weight) shall take place.
The retarding or break apparatus may be adapted to winches, windlasses,
cranes, jacks, and other lifting machinery, and is mounted on the axle of the
winding drum. It consists of a ratchet wheel fastened on the axle and of two
plates, which are mounted loosely thereon. These plates are provided with
two palls or clicks, which are intended to take into the teeth of the ratchet
wheel. The friction break itself is placed and acts upon the circumference
of one of the plates. When a weight is raised the ratchet wheel turns with
the winding drum and passes under the palls or clicks, and the friction break
of course does not act; when it is required to lower a weight it will only be
necessary to leave the winch handle and allow the break to act. This break
surrounds the plates, to which are secured the clicks or palls.
band of the break is secured at one end to a fixed part of the framing, and
the other end is connected by a strap or link to one end of a short lever, the
opposite end of which is jointed to a rod or bar, having a screw with a very
sharp pitch cut thereon. This screw passes through a female screw or nut
secured to the framing, and the screwed rod or bar is provided with a weighted
hand lever, whereby it may be turned in its bearings, and thereby drawn
The friction

page_text: forward so as to cause the short break lever to turn on its axis, and tighten
the friction band on the ratchet pall plates. By means of this weighted hand
lever any weight may be lowered, either quickly or slowly, and always with
safety.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents an external elevation of a
windlass of medium power, with this safety apparatus applied; Fig. 2 is a
transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is an
end elevation. Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all
these Figures.
A is the drum shaft of the windlass, which is mounted in standards B, and
carries the drum T and the ratchet wheel R of the safety apparatus. The
clicks or palls C, C, which take into the teeth of the ratchet wheel, are fixed
upon the arms or plates P and P¹, mounted loosely upon the shaft A. The
plate or arm P is cast with a groove, like a pulley, for the reception of the
break F, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, which is composed of a number of small blocks
of wood arranged side by side upon a band of metal, one end of which is fixed
at the point f¹, the other end being attached by means of the link f to the
lever E. The arms or plates P, P¹, are attached together by means of bolts p,
two of which serve as axles for the palls C and C, which are made to bear
constantly upon the ratchet wheel R, by means of springs 1, 2, set upon the
inside of the plate or arms P. The lever E, which rocks upon the axle e is
attached to the connecting rod G, the drag of which regulates the amount of
friction of the break. For this purpose the extremity of the rod G is screwed
at g, Figs. 2 and 4, and works in a screw nut m fixed in a projection 6 of the
framing. The counterweighted lever L is fixed upon the nut m in such
manner as to impart rotary notion to it when it is itself raised or lowered,
which will effect a longitudinal movement of the connecting rod G, the screw
of which is of very sharp pitch. The ordinary parts which compose a windlass
are the wheel h keyed upon the shaft A, which takes into the pinion H
mounted upon the shaft k. This shaft carries the wheel 1, which takes into
the pinion keyed upon the shaft j, which receives the winches when there is
a heavy load to raise. When a load is being raised the drum T and ratchet
wheel R revolve in the direction of the black arrow, Figs. 1 and 2, the plates
or arms P, P¹, the palls, and consequently the break, remaining stationary.
Care must be taken to place the lever L in a suitable position to enable the
break to act immediately in case of accident. On the weight descending the
drum will be caused to rotate in the direction of the red arrow, Fig. 2,
carrying the palls and also the plates or arms P, P¹, round with it, these

page_text: latter only moving in proportion as the pressure exerted upon one of them is
greater or less. The descent of a load may then be effected at various speeds,
according to the position in which the lever L is placed, so as to cause the
break band or collar to press with greater or less force upon the edge of the
plate P; the lever may be held in the required position by means of a key
or other suitable fastening. Should the chain or cable break, and the load
consequently fall, this would not cause any shock or unwinding, as the weight,
which could alone be the cause, would no longer be present. The men who
may be working the apparatus are also effectually protected from the accidents
which frequently occur in consequence of the breakage of any one or more
of the parts.
I would observe in conclusion that I have shewn a windlass in the accom-
panying Drawing merely as an example of the application of the Invention,
which may be adapted to cranes, jacks, or any other analogous apparatus, the
dimensions of the parts being modified according to the nature of the appa-
ratus to which it is applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
0
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (LS.)