Improvements in or connected with Driving Mechanism for Actuating Sheep Shearing Apparatus and other Tools.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Driving Mechanism for Actuating
Sheep Shearing Apparatus and other Tools.
I, JOHN WALKER NEWALL, of the United University Club, Pall Mall,
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Where a large number of sheep shearers work together the power for driving
the cutting apparatus is most conveniently derived from an overhead horizontal
shaft driven by a steam engine or otherwise. On the other hand where the number
of shearers is not large I find it best to drive the apparatus by means of a crank
turned by manual labour. For power driving I arrange a bearing for the over
head shaft at each place where a shearer is to work. The bearing is pivoted to the
jaws of a fork formed upon the under side of a socket piece. The socket piece fits
upon the lower end of a hanger or hollow support bolted to the roof beams of the
building or otherwise carried and projecting vertically downwards. The forked
socket piece is held up to its place upon the hanger by a pin screwed fast' into it.
The pin is vertical and is within the hanger. The head of the pin rests upon a
disc or washer which at its periphery bears upon a shoulder inside the hanger.
This attachment allows the socket piece to turn in an horizontal plane and the
bearing held in the fork of the socket can rock upon its pivots in a vertical plane.
Thus the bearing is able to accommodate itself to any want of truth in the shaft
which it carries.
Immediately beyond the bearing a bevilled wheel is fixed upon the shaft; the
teetli of this wheel may be of metal but are preferably of wood or hide or com-
pressed fibre. The teeth are formed upon a ring which is divided into eight or
other number of segments. The body of the wheel is a metal disc and the tooth
segments are applied to its face; they rest also against the exterior of a ring flange
formed upon the disc. The tooth segments are encircled by a hoop which binds
them tightly to the face of the flange and this being somewhat inclined to the
face of the disc the segments are driven into the acute angle between the faces and
so are locked fast. This bevilled wheel drives a pinion upon the upper end of a
spindle which is held in a rocking frame. The rocking frame is pivoted to the
upper side of the main bearing; the pivots are horizontal and at right angles to
the driving shaft, so that the movement of the frame about its pivots will carry
the pinion in or out of gear. A catch lever parallel to the shaft is jointed to the
under side of the bearing; its end is slotted and a horizontal pin fixed into the
rocking frame passes through the slot. The slot is so formed that when the pinion
is in gear, the frame is held fast by the catch lever but by lifting the catch lever
it may be liberated and the pinion can then go out of gear. In a similar manner
the catch lever locks the frame when the pinion is out of gear. A spring pressing
upon the catch lever keeps it in place until the frame is intentionally released.
From the bevilled pinion the sheep shearing apparatus is driven by a jointed driver
of peculiar construction hereinafter described.
When employing manual power I provide apparatus consisting of a standard
with a suitable base bolted to the floor or otherwise fixed. At a convenient height
a horizontal stud is provided upon the standard and upon this a fly wheel with a
crank handle is mounted. An endless cord or chain passes around the fly wheel
and drives a small pulley upon an horizontal axis carried in bearings upon a bracket
at the top of the standard. If a driving cord be employed the groove in the pulley
1: waved in order to give it sufficient bite upon the cord. Upon the same axis with
the pulley there is a bevilled wheel with teeth of metal, wood, hide or of compressed

page_text: fibre and this drives a bevilled pinion upon the upper end of a short vertical spindle
carried in a bearing upon the end of the brackets which has sufficient overhang
to keep the jointed driver which is to be attached to the spindle, well clear of the
standard.
The jointed driver, which is of the same construction whether it is to be driven
by power or by the manual mechanism, is made in sections of convenient length.
The first or uppermost section may be two feet. more or less in length. It consists
of an inner steel rod or spindle and an outer tubular jacket which does not revolve
with the spindle but which provides the necessary stiffness and protection. The
spindle at its upper end is connected by a Hooke's joint with the short vertical
spindle driven by the bevelled wheel. The jacket tube at its upper end is provided
with a hemispherical head which is received into a corresponding bottomless cup
from which the jointed driver hangs suspended. The centre of these spherical
surfaces is at the intersection of the centre lines of the Hooke's joint. Thus both
the jacket and the spindle with it can swing freely about the same point and the
jacket as well as the spindle can rotate about a longitudinal axis; these freedoms
being obtained by the hemispherical head being so held in its cup as to permit of
rotative movement in any direction about the centre of the spherical surfaces.
Midway in the length of the jacket tube I provide a bearing to steady the spindle;
this consists of a ball with a passage through it, through which the spindle passes,
fitting easily. The jacket tube is divided where this ball bearing is inserted and a
disc is attached to each end. Seats to receive the ball are provided in the disc and
screws draw the two discs together and cause them to clip the ball lightly. Below
the first section of jacket and spindle, a second shorter section is connected. Thé
spindles are connected by variable bevelled gear of well known type; there is a
pinion at the end of each spindle and when the spindles are in line the teeth of
these pinions lock together all round, every tooth of the one pinion being in the
interval between two teeth of the other pinion. When the spindles are not in line
then the teeth gear on one side and drive in the ordinary manner. The jacket
tubes are hinged together end to end and the axial line of the hinge is a tangent to
the pitch line of the pinions.
The jacket tubes being thus hinged together from a continuous chain without
the aid of the spindles which they contain; this is a novel feature.
I generally provide three sections of jacket and spindle as described but this
may be varied: The terminal section is connected with the shearing apparatus by
a pinion joint as already described. The weight of this shearing apparatus |
partially support by a cord passing up over an overhead pulley and then descending
to a counterpoise. Where the driving is by manual mechanism I mount upon
the standard of this mechanism a disc for sharpening the cutters. The axis of the
sharpening disc is horizontal, it is carried in a bearing upon a bracket fixed to the
standard and a bevelled pinion is fixed on the axis. The pinion gears with another
similar pinion on an axis at right angles to the first and this axis is adapted to be
connected with the driving mechanism in the place of the shearing apparatus when
this has been removed for the cutters to be ground.
Dated this Sixth day of Avouct 1901
JNO. W: NEWALL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Driving Mechanism for Actuating
Sheep Shearing Apparatus and other Tools.
I, JOHN WALKER NEWALL, of the United University Club, Pall Mall,
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 relates to mechanism for actuating a flexible shaft by means of

page_text: which motion is transmitted to a sheep shearing apparatus or other tool which it is
requisite to be able to move about while same is in operation; and it also relates to
a special arrangement and construction of the flexible shaft itself.
Throughout this Specification whenever the words "a flexible shaft" are used
they must be understood to refer to a compound shaft composed of sections of
rigid shaft running in corresponding sections of rigid sheath, the various sections
of shaft and sheath being connected together as. hereinafter specified and
claimed.
It will be understood that the apparatus may be driven either by hand or by
power.
In my explanation I shall refer to the several drawings which accompany the
Specification and in which the same numerals refer to the same parts in any
drawings where they may occur.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a complete machine embodying my improvements
as arranged for hand driving.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a top joint of my flexible driving shaft.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of an intermediate bearing of my flexible driving
shaft.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an intermediate hinged joint of my flexible driving
shaft.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a suitable form of coupling for connecting my
flexible driving shaft with the shear or other apparatus to be actuated.
Fig. 1 shows a hand driving apparatus consisting of a base 1 carrying an upright
pillar 2 to which is attached a bracket 3 carrying a pin on which revolves the fly
wheel 4. The fly wheel has a handle 5 by which it is revolved. The rim of the
fly wheel is formed either into teeth or a groove and by means of a chain or rope,
as the case may be, it drives pinion 6 which is fixed on one end of a spindle
running in a bracket 7 fixed to the top of the pillar. At the other end of the
spindle is fixed à bevel wheel 8 which drives a bevel pinion 9 fixed to the top of a
vertical spindle 10 working in a bracket 12.
For driving by power
arrange that a shearing apparatus can be worked from
each bearing of the main shaft, on which as many driving wheels 8 are mounted as
there are shears to be driven, each wheel driving a pinion 9 carried in a
bracket 12.
It will be seen that. the lower part of the bracket 12 is enlarged so as to form an
inverted cup with a flange 27 at the bottom. To the top end of spindle 10
which is carried in bracket 12 is attached the bevel pinion 9, and at the bottom a
fork 24 which forms part of a universal joint; the other fork 25 of the universal
joint forms the top of the flexible shaft 26. To the flange 27 is attached a flanged
riug 28, which is shaped inside to form a segment of a sphere. In this hollow
portion of a sphere swings a hollow ball 29 with a neck projecting downwards
which forms the top portion of the sheath of the flexible shaft 26.
The cross piece 24* which forms the connection between the two forks of the
universal joint of the shaft has its centre at the centre of the cup and ball 28, 29
which form the universal joint for the sheath, and so it will be seen that the sheath
can both bend out of line and turn round without interfering with the free rotation
of the shaft. Into the neck of the ball 29 is fixed a light piece of steel tube 30
and at the other end of the steel tube is a hinged socket 32. Bearings are formed
for the shaft in each socket, and if any one length of shaft is very long one or more
intermediate bearings may be provided as shown at 31. This bearing consists in a
ball 31 through which the shaft 26 passes, and which is held lightly in bearings
made to receive same in sleeves secured to the adjacent ends of the two parts or
lengths into which the section of sheathing is divided. The hinged socket 32 is
joined to a corresponding socket on the next length of sheath by means of pins 34.
Any one length of shaft drives the next length by means of two variable bevel
wheels 33, 33* fixed to their respective ends. The axis of motion of the hinged
sockets passes through the centre of the pitch line of the bevel wheels.

page_text: There may be as many sections of shaft's sheath similar to the one already
described as may be necessary, but the bottom length is generally arranged as
shown in Fig. 5. Close to the lower end of the bottom length is arranged a joint
by means of which one shear can be quickly detached from the shaft and another
one substituted. The two portions of shaft drive one another by means of the
tongue and groove 35, and these are prevented from coming apart by making one
part of the sheath overlap the other part 30* and fastening them together by a
clamp collar 36.
The screw collar is coned, the end of the sheath is also coned and screwed and
split part way up, so that when the two cones are screwed together the sheath is
compressed.
The socket 32 is preferably capable of rotating freely on the end of the
sheath 30x, and the socket 32x to which it is pivotted may also be capable of
rotating round the driving spindle 38 of the shear or other tool. The shafts are
connected by variable bevel wheels 33, 33* as before.
Instead of the bottom joint being constructed as described it may be of the
same form as the top joint, that is to say the shafts 30* and 38 may be connected
by a Hooke's joint and the sockets 32 and 32* be connected by a ball and socket
joint concentric with such Hooke's joint.
If it is required to relieve the hand from part of the weight of the shear and
shaft this may be done as shown in Fig. 1 by a cord 39 which after passing over a
pulley 40 fixed in any convenient way comes down to a counterbalance weight 41,
or a spring may be used instead of a weight.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The joint for connecting two sections of a flexible shaft, consisting in a
Hooke's or universal joint connecting the sections of shafting and a ball and socket
joint concentric therewith connecting the parts within which the shafting revolves,
substantially as specified.
2. The intermediate bearing in a stationary rigid sheath in which a section of a
flexible shaft revolves, consisting in a ball through which the shaft passes, such ball
being held lightly in bearings formed to receive same in sleeves secured to the
adjacent ends of the two parts or lengths into which the section of sheath is
divided, but which parts or lengths are rigidly connected togetlier, substantially as
specified.
3. A flexible shaft composed of sections of rigid shafting revolving within
sections of rigid sheathing and connected together by variable bevel wheels, the
sections of sheathing being hinged together, in combination with a Hooke's or
universal joint for connecting the top or the bottom section of shafting, or both, to
the shaft by which it is to be driven or which it is to drive, such Hooke's joint
being surrounded by a ball and socket joint concentric therewith and formed on the
parts within which the shafting revolves, substantially as specified.;
Dated this 6th day of April 1892.
JNO. W. NEWALL.