IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC GEAR FOR THE PREVENTION OF OVERWINDING
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Lewis of Aberdare in the County of
Glamorgan Civil Engineer, and William Henry Massey, of Henley-on-Thames
in the County of Oxford Mechanical Engineer for an invention of "IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Lewis and
William Henry Massey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 23rd March 1882.
WILLIAM THOMAS LEWIS of Aberdare in the County of Glamorgan Civil Engineer
and WILLIAM HENRY MASSEY of Henley on Thames in the County of Oxford
Mechanical Engineer " IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC GEAR FOR THE PREVENTION
OF OVERWINDING"
This Invention has for its object improvements in automatic gear for the
prevention of overwinding.
For this purpose we so arrange the gear that the engineman cannot turn on the
steam to the engine by which the winding drum is driven, unless the reversing
lever of the engine is in position for the winding machinery to be run in the
proper direction according to the position of cage or cages in the pit, thus if the
cage be at the top of the pit the engineman cannot run the cage upwards (except
very slowly) and so the danger of drawing the cage suddenly into the head gear
is avoided, but there is nothing to interfere with the proper handling of the cage
or cages, which can always be lifted slowly off the keeps or fangs, and also be
worked slowly and safely when nearing the end of their travel or at any other time
when it is undesirable that the engine man should have the power of giving the
engines full steam and so causing an accident.
Our gear is so arranged that if the cage is being wound up the pit and the
engineman neglects to shut off steam or move over his reversing lever in
proper time, then one or other or both of these operations are performed auto-
matically, the lever or levers being moved over slowly or quickly to suit the
particular case, and the winding engine so stopped by the time the cage arrives at

page_text: the top of the pit or at any rate slowed down so that if the engine runs further
than it ought it may then be stopped (without risk of damage) by the ordinary
steam or other self acting brakes in common use.
One way of obtaining these results is as follows:-A lifting steam stop valve is
used on the steam inlet pipe of the engine, and the stem of the valve passes up
through a stuffing box so that it may be worked by a stopping and starting lever
in the ordinary manner. The top of the steam stop valve has a horizontal plate or
head secured to it upon which a small block may be slid to and fro and this block
is connected in any convenient way to the ordinary reversing lever. A horizontal
lever having two arms or projections is mounted upon a vertical axis in such a
position that whenever the steam stop valve is open one arm moving in one
direction may strike against the sliding block so as to set the reversing lever into
mid position or if the engine is running in the opposite direction and the horizontal
lever is turned in the opposite direction another of its arms may then strike the
block and similarly shift the reversing lever to mid-position. The lever is
connected by gear to the winding mechanism in such a manner that when one of
the cages is brought near to the top of its proper travel, at the point where the
steam ought to be shut off, one arin is made to strike the sliding block, whilst
when the other cage is brought near the top of its travel, the other arm is made to
strike the block and so in either case carry the reversing lever over towards mid
position as long as the steam stop valve remains open when it ought to be shut.
If the steam valve is lowered so as to shut off steam at the proper time then the
block is clear of both arms of the lever and if after the valve is closed one of the
arms or projections of the lever travels over the top of the sliding block the valve
cannot be opened except slightly. And when the engines are stopped by the
engine man in the ordinary way by closing the steam stop valve at the proper
time, then when one or other of the cages is brought to the end of its travel one or
other arm of the lever will have been brought above the top of the sliding block
before mentioned, and the stop valve cannot then be opened except very slightly
to admit of slow handling of the engines only until the reversing lever has been
moved over to cause the engine to run in the opposite direction, but when the
reversing lever has been so moved over then full steam can be at once turned on.
If it is required that the automatic gear shall shut the stop valve, then the stem
is fitted with a rocking T piece centred in the stem, the ends of which are kept
within the grooves of two sliding pieces one of which is connected with the
reversing lever, and the other worked by the winding mechanism so that the valve
cannot be opened at the wrong time; or if the engineman neglects to close the
valve it will be closed by the gear. This gear can be used alone or in combination
with the gear described above, so that whatever may be required to be done may
be done automatically in case, of the accidental starting and running of the engines,
or of the engine-man neglecting to do his proper duty.
Both these gears or a modification of them can be used in combination with a
governor so that the shutting off of the steam or the reversing of the engines may
be done automatically when the engines are running at a dangerous speed.
We do not limit ourselves to the exact details of the apparatus above described;
the sliding pieces or blocks might be segments of rings sliding in annular grooves
and rotating discs with one or more projections may be used instead of the two
armed lever other parts of the apparatus might also be varied.
In a similar manner also to thats above described sliding pieces attached to or,
worked by the reversing lever the steam lever the winding mechanism and the
governor can be used in twos threes or fours so as to hold back springs or weights
and prevent them from coming into action to cause an alteration in the speed
of working of the engine unless two or more things shall happen together.
Thus if steam is not shut off at right time and the reversing lever is not
brought over then the control gear shall do what is necessary to rectify this
error or if steam is shut off and reversing lever attended to but the speed of
engine is dangerous (as it might be if a bigger load than usual is being sent

page_text: down the pit) then again the control gear shall do what is necessary to rectify the
error.
We are aware that various arrangements of automatic gear for the prevention of
overwinding are now used but our gear differs from all arrangements heretofore
suggested in that the proper working of the engine is in no way interfered with
that the gear is at all times ready for action and has not at any time to be put
out of action to allow of the engines being worked and that it is practically out
of the power of the engine man to render the gear inoperative.
Apparatus arranged in a similar manner to that above described is applicable
not only to winding engines used at pits and mines but also to engine planes hoists
cranes, and other winding or hauling machinery.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Thomas Lewis & William Henry Massey in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 23rd September 1882.
WILLIAM THOMAS LEWIS of Aberdare in the County of Glamorgan Civil Engineer
and WILLIAM HENRY MASSEY of Henley on Thames in the County of Oxford
Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC GEAR FOR THE PREVENTION
OF OVERWINDING."
This invention has for its object improvements in automatic gear for the
prevention of overwinding.
For this purpose we so arrange the gear that the engineman cannot turn on the
steam to the engine by which the winding drum is driven unless the reversing
lever of the engine is in position for the winding machinery to be run in the
proper direction according to the position of cage or cages in the pit, thus if the
cage be at the top of the pit the engineman cannot run the cage upwards (except
very slowly) and so the danger of drawing the cage suddenly into the head gear is
avoided but there is nothing to interfere with the proper handling of the cage or
cages, which can always be lifted slowly off the keeps or fangs and also be worked
slowly and safely when nearing the end of their travel or at any other time when
it is undesirable that the engine-man should have the power of giving the engines
full steam and so causing an accident.
One way of obtaining these results is shewn at Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings
hereunto annexed. Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 a plan of the
apparatus. A lifting steam stop valve is used on the steam inlet pipe of the
engine and the stem of the valve passes up through a stuffing box so that it may
be worked by a stopping and starting lever in the ordinary manner.
In figures 1 and 2 the valve box is marked A the valve stem is marked B and
the stopping and starting lever is marked C. The top of the steam stop valve has a
horizontal plate or head D secured to it upon which a small block E may be slid
to and fro and this block is connected in any convenient way to the ordinary
reversing lever marked F. A horizontal lever G having two arms or projections is
mounted upon a vertical pin or axis G¹ carried by a standard G2 from the cover of
the valve box. The position of the horizontal lever is such that whenever the
steam stop valve is open one arm moving in one direction may strike against the
sliding block or preferably as the drawing shews strike a pin E' which stands up
from it so as to set the reversing lever F into mid position or if the engine is
running in the opposite direction and the horizontal lever is turned in the opposite
direction another of its arms may then strike the pin E' and similarly shift the
reversing lever to mid-position. The horizontal lever G is by a rod G³ connected
by gear to the winding mechanism in such a manner that when one of the cages is
brought near to the top of its proper travel, at the point where the steam ought to
be shut off, one arm is made to strike the pin E' of the sliding block, whilst when
the other cage is brought near the top of its travel the other arm is made to strike
the pin E¹ and so in either case carry the reversing lever over towards mid-position
as long as the steam stop valve remains open when it ought to be shut.
We have not shewn any way of connecting the horizontal lever G with the
winding mechanism to move it as above described at the times required as it may
be done in any of the ordinary ways in which the levers of automatic stopping
mechanism of winding engines are now shifted whenever the winding mechanism
is to be stopped automatically if the engine-man should neglect his duty.
If the steam valve is lowered so as to shut off steam at the proper time then the

page_text: slide E with its pin E¹ will be clear of both arms of the lever and if after the
valve is closed one of the arms or projections of the lever travels over the top of
the pin E the valve cannot be opened except slightly. When the engines are
stopped by the engine-man in the ordinary way by closing the stean stop valve at
the proper time, then when one or other of the cages is brought to the end of its
travel one or other arm of the lever will have been brought above the top of the
pin E and the stop valve cannot then be opened (except very slightly to admit of
slow handling of the engines) until the reversing lever has been moved over to
cause the engine to run in the opposite direction but when the reversing lever has
been so moved over then full steain can be at once turned on.
If it is required that the automatic gear shall shut the top valve, then the stem
is fitted with a rocking T piece centred in the stem, the ends of which are kept
within the grooves of two sliding pieces one of which is connected with the
reversing lever, and the other worked by the winding mechanism so that the valve
cannot be opened at the wrong time; or if the engine-man neglects to close the
valve it will be closed by the gear. This gear can be used alone or in combination
with the gear described above, so that whatever may be required to be done may
be done automatically in case of the accidental starting and running of the engines,
or of the engine-man neglecting to do his proper duty.
In place of the the two armed lever G of the apparatus above described, a plate
to which a rectilinear to and fro movement can be imparted from the winding
engine may be used as shewn at Figures 3 and 4. The plate G is shewn to have
a slot in it which corresponds to the gap between the two arms of the two
armed lever. When the pin E' is below the slot the stop valve can be opened or
closed freely but if it is below the solid portion of the plate G the stop valve
cannot be opened except very slightly. The action is therefore just the same as
when the two armed lever is used.
Another way in which the same action is obtained is shewn at Figures 5 and 6.
In this case the stop plate G is carried by an axis G¹ which receives a slow and
continuously revolving motion from the winding engine-and the slide E with its
pin E' is replaced by an arm E jointed to the top of the valve spindle B-the
arm E is also (as the slide E was in the arrangement first described) connected to
the reversing lever F. When the valve is lifted and opened the upper end E¹ of
the arm E will stand in the path of the plate G and will be moved by it so as to
shift the reversing lever to mid-position and when the stop valve is closed and the
plate G has been carried over the end E¹ the valve cannot be opened until the
reversing lever has then been moved into position to bring the arm E to the
position shewn by full lines-the engine therefore cannot be started in the wrong
direction.
In a similar manner also to that above described sliding pieces attached to or
worked by the reversing lever the steam lever the winding mechanism and the
governor can be used in twos threes or fours so as to hold back springs or weights
and prevent them from coming into action to cause an alteration in the speed of
working of the engine unless two or more things shall happen together. Thus if
steam is not shut off at right time and the reversing lever is not brought over then
the control gear shall do what is necessary to rectify this error or if steam is shut
off aud reversing lever attended to but the speed of engine is dangerous (as it
might be if a bigger load than usual is being sent down the pit) then again the
control gear shall do what is necessary to rectify the error.
One way in which this may be carried out is shewn at Figures 7 and 8 in
which B is the stem of a steam stop valve used preferably in addition to the
ordinary stop valve-the valve is arranged to close by its own weight but can be
lifted and held open by the action of inclines on sliding bars C. The inclines act
upon the ends of a lever D which is jointed at its centre to the top of the valve
spindle. One bar C may be moved endwise to and fro by a governor another by
the winding engine according to the position of the cage and another by the
reversing lever. If all the slides were in such a position that both ends of the

page_text: lever D are resting at the bottom of inclines in all the bars the steam valve would
be entirely closed. If one or both of the bars on either side were in such a position
that one end of the lever was resting at the top of an incline on that bar then the
valve would be half open-and if both ends of the lever were lifted by inclines ou
the bars at both sides the valve would be held fully open.
Automatic gear arranged in the manner herein before described is applicable
not only to winding engines used at pits and mines but also to winding engines
used at engine planes and hoists cranes and other winding or hauling machinery.
Having thus described the nature of our invention and the manner of performing
the same we would state that we are aware that various arrangements of automatic
gear for the prevention of overwinding are now used but our gear differs from all
arrangements heretofore suggested in that the proper working of the engine is in
no way interfered with--that the gear is at all times ready for action and has not
at any time to be put out of action to allow of the engines being worked and
that it is practically out of the power of the engine-man to render the gear
inoperative.
What we claim is :—
First. The combination of automatic gear for the prevention of overwinding
substantially as herein before described and illustrated at Figures 1 to 6.
Second. The combination of automatic gear for the prevention of overwinding
substantially as herein before described and illustrated at Figures 7 and S.
In witness whereof I the said William Henry Massey have hereunto set my
hand and scal this Twenty second day of September in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.