Improvements in Expanding Friction Clutches.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Expanding Friction Clutches.
I WILLIAM CONNELL of 82 Bisson Street, Weaste, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My said invention relates to expanding friction clutches for quickly throwing
moving parts of machinery in and out of action as is well understood.
I take a ring of cast metal and saw it about half way across its width from
opposite sides and at different parts of its circumference and also cut the ring
between these sawgates. Thus I obtain a ring which can be expanded outwardly
by pressure applied from within. I also provide a driver boss arranged in the
centre of the ring and having a driver tail entering a recess in the interior of the
ring. This boss is keyed on the shaft, so that the shaft in revolving causes
the ring also to revolve. Upon the central driver boss and diametrically opposite
to the tail, I mount between snugs two sliding plates adapted to be operated in
contrary directions by a sliding wedge connected to a sliding clutch on the shaft
operated by a handle or other means. The sliding plates are adjustably connected
by screwed studs or nuts with two double levers one being pivotted on each side of
the boss. The free arms of the double levers are connected to the slit expandable
portion of the ring. By moving the sliding clutch so as to pull on the wedge, the
sliding plates are pushed in opposite directions and the double levers are so operated
as to push out the spring portions of the friction ring, in other words to expand
the ring. The ring is enclosed in a friction box mounted loosely on the shaft and
carrying a pulley, gear wheel or other motion transmitter. When the ring is
expanded frictional contact takes place between the exterior of the ring and the
interior of the friction box so that the latter partakes of the motion of the ring..
On pushing back the wedge the ring contracts and the friction box stops.
The connections between the sliding plates and the double levers may be
adjusted by means of nuts so as to take up wear between the ring and the
friction box.
In place of the sliding plates and wedge I might use right and left screws passing
through the double lever heads and operated by a lever or other means from the
sliding clutch.
Dated this 20th day of March 1895
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
"
:I
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements.in Expanding Friction Clutches.
WILLIAM CONNELL, of 18 Pickford Lane, Dukinfield, in the County of
Chester, Millwright, (late of 82 Bisson Street, Weaste, near Manchester), 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 and accompanying drawings
My said invention relates to expanding friction clutches for quickly throwing
moving parts of machinery in and out of action as is well understood.

page_text: :
*
:
The annexed sheet of drawings will render the following description of my
invention more easily understood.
Fig. 1 is front view of my improved clutch.
Fig. 2 a sectional view with ring supporting the right and left hand screw.
Fig. 3 shows the central boss and snugs carrying the right and left screw.
I take a ring a of cast metal and saw it about half way across its width from
opposite sides and at different parts of its circumference as for example at a¹ and a 2
and also cut the ring circumferentially between these sawgates as at a 3. Thus
obtain a ring which can be expanded outwardly by pressure applied from within.
I also provide a driver boss b arranged in the centre of the ring a and having a
driver tail b¹ entering a recess a 4 in the interior of the ring a. This boss b is keyed
on the central shaft c by a key c¹ so that the shaft in revolving causes the ring a
also to revolve.
Upon the central driver boss b and diametrically opposite to the tail b¹ I mount
in snugs b 2 (see Fig. 3) a right and left screw d engaging with nuts e the said
nuts e carrying collars, which latter have studs f¹ engaging with the longer arms
of bell crank levers 9 centred on snugs 63 on the bosses b. The shorter arms of
the bell crank levers g engage with snugs a 5 formed on each side of the split ring a.
The right and left screw d carries a lever / situated between the snugs 62 as shown
in Fig. 3 and connected by links ii with a snug on the clutch collar; which slides
on the shaft
the clutch collar j being operated by a forked handle or by other
means.
g
The split ring a is enclosed in a friction box k mounted loosely on the shaft c.
This friction box may constitute a driving pulley or gear wheel or other means for
transmitting motion. The operation of the arrangement of parts hereinbefore
described is as follows. With the proviso that when the parts of the clutch are in
the position shown in full lines in the drawings the clutch is in its normal driving
state, let it be supposed that the clutch j is moved out to the position shown in
dotted lines in Fig. 2. The links ii will pull down the lever through the
indicated dotted path till the said links ii and lever h occupy the relative positions
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. By thus pulling on the lever the right and left
screw d is so turned so as to move the longer ends of the bellcrank levers y outwards
from the centre, thus pushing inward the shorter ends which are coupled to the
split ring a. The ring a is thus contracted so as to be drawn away from the
interior of the friction box k thus ceasing to drive the same, the friction clutch
being in this manner thrown out of gear with the central shaft c. To throw the
friction clutch again into gear I move the clutch collar j into the position shown in
full lines thus throwing the links ii and lever h into the fully indicated position
and turning the right and left hand screw d so as to move the lever g inwards, and
thus expand the ring a causing it to press against the interior of the friction box k,
which is thereby driven. The motion is transmitted from the revolving friction
box by any suitable means such for instance as tooth or frictional gearing or
belts or bands.
To adjust the bellcrank levers 9 to the exact degree which will bring about the
proper amount of expansion and contraction of the ring a, I slacken the screws ƒ³
which bind the collars upon the nuts e and then turn the nuts upon the screw d so
as to adjust them to their required position. I then re-adjust the collars on the
nuts e and again-tighten the screws 2. Instead of the right and left hand screw d
I might have a sliding wedge or part operated from the clutch j, so as to force
apart sliding plates connected by levers or other convenient means to the split
expandible ring a.
:
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.
1. The improved expanding friction clutch substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown

page_text: 2. A friction clutch consisting of a split expandible ring a mounted on a central
shaft and running within a loose friction box such as k, and capable of being
expanded and contracted by levers operated by a right and left hand screw and
levers (or by other equivalent expanding parts) worked by a sliding clutch collar
on the shaft substantially as described and as illustrated.
1
1007
For the Applicant,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Chartered Patent Agents.