other Winding Engines to Prevent Overwinding.
Year: 1887

page_text: other Winding Engines to Prevent Overwinding.
We THOMAS KIRKLAND, Junior of West Gate Works Mansfield Nottinghamshire
Engineer and THOMAS BARNETT of Teversall Nottinghamshire Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
Our Improved apparatus consists of the following parts, a bed plate provided with
bearings in which a screwed shaft revolves, one end of the shaft carries a toothed
bevel wheel which gears into a similar wheel secured on the main shaft of the winding
engine to which the apparatus is applied or an intermediate shaft deriving motion
therefrom, the screwed shaft is provided with a screw threaded nut one end of which
slides in a parallel guide which prevents the nut from turning with the screw, two
arms project from the nut, one arm slides in two slotted links, one of the links is
connected to a slide valve of the steam engine which works the brake of the main
steam Engine, the other link is connected to the slide valve of a steam Engino which
operates a lever to close the stop valve of the main steam engine, which stop valve is,
opened by a balance weight adjustable on the lever. The two slide valves work in a
steam chest or chests placed at any convenient distance from their respective cylinders
are provided with steam and exhaust ports and connected by suitable piping to their
cylinders.
The two slide valves are connected by links to two independent hand levers,
conveniently placed for the attendants uso, the two hand levers may be worked
connected together or independently, the connection being made by a clutch or other
suitable apparatus.
+
The other arm projecting from the nut slides in a slotted link, jointed and
connected to one end of a lever which rocks on a fulcrum carried by a slotted link,
which is operated by the reversing lever of the main steam engine, the other end of

page_text: the lever is connected by a link to a frame which surrounds the two hand levers before
named, or studs carried by the links connected to the levers.
The whole of the slotted links and frame are carried by suitable guides.
By the employment of the above described apparatus the overwinding of the
hauling rope is prevented, as at any desired point, the steam to the main engine is
automatically shut off and the brako applied.
When the engine has been stopped it can be again started by the attendant
moving the two independent hand levers so as to take off the brake and put on the
steam, or the engine inay be stopped at any intermediate point.
Datad this Thirteenth day of January 1887.

page_text: Figure 1 shows a plan of our improved apparatus connected to a winding engine.
Figures 2 and 2 show a plan of the apparatus.
Figures 3 and 34 a side view of the same.
Figure 4 shows a side view of a three armed lever Z and Figure 5 a side view
a hand lever P and a valve Q each severally referred to hereafter.
of
To prevent overwinding we employ our Improved automatic apparatus which is
designed with the intention of making it impossible for the engine to make more
than a certain number of revolutions before being automatically brought to a state
of rest whilst within this limit to give to the engineman control of the amount of
steam supplied to the engine and also the use of the brake.
;
The way we propose to accomplish this is, by automatically shutting off steam to
the winding engine at a certain determined point and afterwards gradually applying
the brake until the cage is brought to rest. This gradual application of the brake we
propose to be such that when first applied, the brake strap should be just brought in
contact with its drum, and afterwards tightened by admitting more steam by means
of a V, or other device, until the pressure is full on (The points where steam is ent
off, and the brake applied, would, of course, vary at almost every colliery), so as to
obtain a direct motion from the main drum shaft, and at the same time to interfere as
little as possible with existing arrangements, we propose to detach the valve chest
from the brake cylinder; and also to apply a small cylinder F (Fig. 1), whose
piston rod shall be connected to a lever working the main stop valve, so that when
steam is applied at the bottom of this cylinder it raises the piston and opens the valve.
When open to the exhaust, a balance weight G (Fig. 1) on the end of this lever shuts
the valve. The valve chest in this case is also detached from the cylinder.
These two valve chests we propose to make in one casting B (Figs. 1. 2. 3), and;
secure it to a bed-plate A which bed-plate is placed in any convenient position in the
engine-house, so that a shaft N, part of which has a screw-thread cut thereon, may be.
rotated by a bevel wheel 0 (Fig. :) keyed thereto, and driven by another bevel.
wheel secured to the winding drum shaft.
In the valve chest are two independent slide valves, onc, C in connection with the
steam brake cylinder, the other D with the cylinder for working the stop valve, and
to which they are connected by suitable pipes.

page_text: The valves C. D are connected to two turned valve rods, H. J, which work through
stuffing boxes. The other ends of the rods are made in the form of slotted links, to
the ends of which are attached connecting rods to two hand levers K L which
correspond to the brake and steam levers at present in use, and will hereafter bo
designated as such.
On the screwed shaft N is a nut M having two arms one arm of which passes into
the two slotted links. This nut M travels backwards and forwards in suitable guides
as the screwed shaft N is rovolved by the winding drum shaft and has therefore
a corresponding and definite position for every movement of the cage.
The slide valves C. D are arranged, so that when both the handles K L for working
them are upright the brake is full on and the steam shut off to the main engine; and
when one of the cages is at the top of the shaft, the arm from the nut M pressing
against one end of the slotted links H J has forced them into this position. By
pulling the handles K L over, away from the nut M, the steam is put on to the main
engine, and the brake taken off. When the other cage arrives at the top, the nut M
has travelled backwards and pushing at the other end of the slotted links H J, has
again brought the handles K L into the vertical position taking off the steam and
putting on the brake. In order to re-start the engine, the handles K L must
be pulled over away from the nut M, i.c., in the opposite direction.
By this description it will be understood that the handles K L can be moved either
way from the upright position, depending on the position of the nut M; and that
when so moved to the extremety of the motion allowed them, the valves C D are in
such a position that steam is full on to the main engine and the brake is off. At
intermediate points, steam may be partially on, or the brake partially off. Either of
these levers KL can be worked independently, as at present.
On the length of slot in the links H J, and the travel of the nut M, depends the
length of time steam is allowed on to the engine, and the point of application of
the brake.
Supposing it is arranged for the steam to be shut off after the engine has made
fifteen revolutions, and the brake to be gradually applied after seventeen revolutions―
the total number being twenty revolutions. Within these limits, the engineman has
control of his levers, so that he can give less steam, or apply the brake in order to
wind slower, or to stop.
The adjustment of the point of cut-off of the steam, and application of the brake,
we should propose to be that at which with the beaviest load and normal pressure of
steam the cage would be brought to rest, say half a revolution from the top; and then
by pulling his handle over, the engineman could give what more steam might be
required to bring it to the surface.
This adjustment obviates the necessity of ever requiring steam to be on to the
engine for a longer period than that determined on as the point of cut-off, except
in the case of a less pressure of steam than the normal one; and this is obviously an
important point, as all over-winds must occur from obtaining too great a speed at a
certain point or in other words, allowing steam to be on for too long a time.
The case of a low steam pressure is one which may occur, and must, therefore, bo
provided for.
In order to give steam for a longer period, it is only necessary to pull over the
handles K L in the same direction as that in which the nut M is travelling at the timo ;
but in doing so the handles K L must pass through the vertical position, and, therefore,
the brake be momentarily put on, which would be undesirable, we therefore, provide
a hand lever P, which is connected with a valve Q (Fig. 5) in the steam pipe leading
to the brake-cylinder; so that when this hand lever P is raised up, the valve Q is shut
and the connection which would otherwise be made between the brake slide-valve C
and its cylinder F (Fig. 1) is closed. Immediately the engineman leaves hold of this
lever P, the valve Q opens, both by the weight of the lover and pressure of steam
on the valve, which would be of the ordinary conical disc type, but with the steam
pressure acting on its underside, thus tending to keep it open, unless pulled upwards
by extraneous force.

page_text: Spring catches are fitted to the steam and break levers, and slide on circular guides,
in which are spaces, so that when the catches are within these, steam is off and the
brake on.
This portion of our apparatus has been designed to bring the cages gradually to
rest, from the condition of great velocity when winding up and down the shaft; and
we now come to the case of a comparatively small velocity when raising from the
props, but which is not infrequently a source of over-winding.
In order to provide for this, we have arranged a locking apparatus, which comes into
action as quickly as desired after the cage is raised and which pulls the handles K L
at once into the vertical position, thereby shutting off steam and putting on the brake,
and holds them there without it being possible for the attendant to alter their position
until he has reversed his engine.
This locking apparatus consists of a slotted link R, through which the other arm of
the nut M before mentioned works. This slotted link R is connected to a lover S.
The fulcrum of this lever S is attached to a link T, working in guides, and which can
be moved through a small distance by means of a rocking lever Z which rocking lever
can only be moved by the reversing lever X of the main engine; and this movement
is effected by making the rocking lever Z with three arms, and securing a block Y to
the reversing lever X, which comes in contact first with one arm and then with the
other, as it is pulled over from the one side to the other to reverse the engine thereby
moving the third arm backwards and forwards, and with it the link T carrying the
fulcrum.
The other end of the lever S working on this fulcrum is attached to a frame V
surrounding the brake and steam levers K L and consequently by making the
mechanical advantage as great as desired, any given motion of the slotted link R
attached to this lever S can be made to give the requisite motion to bring the
handles K L back from their position of admitting steam to the vertical position of
steam being off and the brake on. As the slotted link R derives its motion from the
nut M, this is, of course, equivalent to saying that at any given distance of the cage,
from the top of the shaft the steam can be arranged to be automatically shut off, and
the brake applied. As this motion has brought the ends of the slotted links H J
connected with the brake and steam valves in contact with their arm of the nut M, it
is impossible for them to be again moved until some. alteration of their position has
been made; and this alteration is effected by moving the fulcrum, through pulling
over the reversing lever X of the engine, thereby allowing the hand levers K L to be
moved over, so as to take off the brake, and apply steam for winding down the shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
The construction and employment of automatic apparatus to prevent overwinding
substantially as described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
Dated this Twelfth day of October 1997
H. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Agent.