Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
I, FRANCIS ROBERT LUCAS of Park Lodge, Hervey Road, Kidbrook, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In sounding apparatus as now commonly made the line for suspending the weight
is a thin wire. The wire is wound around the circumference of a reel and is led from
the reel over the circumference of a wheel and has the weight attached to its end.
The frame which supports the axis of the wheel is made capable of swivelling on a
hollow axis through which the wire passes on its way from the reel to the circum-
ference of the wheel so that the wheel can adapt itself to the direction in which the
wire may be passing from it.
The axis of the reel has a small pinion upon it which is made to gear with the first
wheel of a train of recording wheels or counter.
When the weight is allowed to drop, wire drawn off from the reel and the
number of revolutions made before the weight touches the bottom and ceases to draw
out wire are recorded by the counter.
With this arrangement if the weight is allowed to descend without impediment the
speed at which the reel carrying the wire is made to revolve is so great that it continues
to revolve for a distance and give out wire after the pull of the weight upon the wire
has ceased and from this cause the wire so given out becomes bent and kinked between
the reel and the wheel and from this cause the wire is liable to be crippled and
broken..
To avoid this it is usual to apply friction to the reel to limit the speed at which the
weight is allowed to fall-but uniess this is done skilfully breakages of the wire still
occur from the reel overrunning I construct the apparatus with an automatic brake in
such a manner that the weight may be allowed to drop without hindrance, and the
reel will be stopped the instant that the weight touches the bottom and its pull upon
the wire ceases. This 1 do by making the bearing in which the hollow axis of the frame
swivels, capable of rocking on a horizontal axis. Near to this axis I couple to the
bearing one end of a band brake which passes partly around the circumference of the

page_text: flanges of the reel. I also form the bearing with an arm extending from it and attach
to the end of the arm a strong spring which tends to turn the bearing in a direction
to tighten up the friction band against the reel. The weight suspended to the wire
passing round the wheel is just sufficient to overcome the action of the spring and
draws the frame downwards sufficiently to move the friction band away from the
circumference of the reel.
When the weight is allowed to drop draws wire freely from the reel without
hindrance and the instant the weight touches the bottom the spring comes into action
and tightens up the friction band and stops the reel from revolving. A weight might
be used instead of a spring for tightening up the friction band. I however prefer to
employ a spring.
I attach the counter to the swivelling frame which carries the wheel. This I do by
means of a spring socket so that it can easily be removed. The axis of the wheel has
a small pinion upon it which gears with the first wheel of the counter, the wheel
measures the length of the wire as it passes round it and the counter indicates the
total length of wire drawn out and I ensure that there shall be no slip of the wire
over the wheel by making the wire take one complete turn around the wheel instead
of simply leading the wire over it as heretofore.
D
AT
1
1007

page_text: 1, FRANCIS ROBERT LUCAS of Park Lodge, Hervey Road, Kidbrook, in the County
of Kent, 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:-
In sounding apparatus as now commonly made the line for suspending the weight
is a thin wire. The wire is wound around the circumference of a reel and is led from
the reel over the circumference of a wheel and has the weight attached to its end.
The frame which supports the axis of the wheel is made capable of swivelling on a
hollow axis through which the wire passes on its way from the reel to the circum-
ference of the wheel so that the wheel can adapt itself to the direction in which the
wire may be passing from it.
The axis of the reel has a small pinion upon it which is made to gear with the first
wheel of a train of recording wheels or counter.
When the weight is allowed to drop wire is drawn off from the reel and the number
of revolutions made before the weight touches the bottom and ceases to draw out wire
is recorded by the counter.
With this arrangement if the weight is allowed to descend without impediment the
speed at which the reel carrying the wire is made to revolve is so great that it
continues to revolve for a distance and give out wire after the pull of the weight upon
the wire has ceased and from this cause the wire so given out becomes bent and
kinked between the reel and the wheel and from this cause the wire is liable to be
crippled and broken.
To avoid this it is usual to apply friction to the reel to limit the speed at which the
weight is allowed to fall-but unless this is done skilfully breakages of the wire still
occur from the reel overrunning I construct the apparatus with an automatic brake in
such a manner that the weight may be allowed to drop without hindrance, and the reel
will be stopped the instant that the weight touches the bottom and its pull upon the
wire ceases. This I do by making the bearing in which the hollow axis of the frame
swivels, capable of rocking on a horizontal axis. Near to this axis 1 couple to the
bearing one end of a band brake which passes partly around the circumference of the
flanges of the reel-I also form the bearing with an arm extending from it and attach
to the end of the arm a strong spring which tends to turn the bearing in a direction
to tighten up the friction band against the reel. The weight suspended to the wire
passing round the wheel is just sufficient to overcome the action of the spring and
raws the frame downwards sufficiently to move the friction band away from the
circumference of the reel.
When the weight is allowed to drop it draws wire freely from the reel without
indrance and the instant the weight touches the bottom the spring comes into action

page_text: and tightens up the friction band and stops the reel from revolving. A weight might be
used instead of a spring for tightening up the friction band. I however prefer to
employ a spring.
I attach the counter to the swivelling frame, which carries the wheel. This I do by
means of a spring socket so that it can easily be removed. The axis of the wheel has
a small pinion upon it which gears with the first wheel of the counter, the wheel
measures the length of the wire as it passes round it and the counter indicates the total
length of wire drawn out and I ensure that there shall be no slip of the wire over the
wheel by making the wire take one complete turn around the wheel instead of simply
leading the wire over it as heretofore.
The drawing annexed shews a sounding-apparatus constructed as above described.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 an end elevation of the apparatus.
A is the reel around the circumference of which the wire is wound. B the frame
carried by a hollow axis which can swivel within a bearing C which is at right angles
to the axis of the reel and DD are horizontal pins in a line parallel with the axis of
the reel upon which the hearing C can itself rock. E is the wheel around which the
wire is led and which is carried within the frame B. F is a lever arm extending from
the bearing C. G is a strong spring passing from its end to one arm of a short
lever H which turns on a fixed bolt at H-the other arm of the lever bears against the
periphery of the reel A to put a slight amount of friction upon it but the spring might
at this end he attached to a fixed bolt and other means adopted for continuously putting
slight friction upon the reel should it be desirable to do so.
From the bolt a friction band 1 passes around the circumference of the reel to a
link J which is jointed to the end of a short arm on the underside of the bearing C so
that if no weight is drawing the frame B downwards the spring G acting on the long
lever arm F draws it upwards and draws the friction band tightly around the circum-
ference of the reel and stops it from rotating.
K is another lever arm extending from the bearing C it carries at its end a small
pawl which engages with ratchet teeth on a fixed are M. When the friction band
has been tightened around the reel by the action of the spring and the lever arm K
has been thereby turned into the position shewn by dotted lines in figure 1 the pawl
engaging with the ratchet teeth holds it from turning back and the reel is thereby
locked and prevented from turning and the weight can be hung on to the end of the
wire and remain ready to be let
до.
When a sounding is to be taken the pawl is
tripped and turned over so as to be out of action the lever arm F being held by hand
whilst doing so. When the pawl has been put out of action the frame B is allowed to
be drawn downwards by the weight on the end of the wire and the friction band being
thereby slackened the weight drops and draws off wire from the reel but immediately
that the weight touches the bottom the spring turns the frame into the position shewn
by dotted lines and the friction band is drawn tightly around the circumference of
the reel and the reel is instantly stopped from turning,
After a sounding has been taken in this way crank handles may be placed on to
the ends of the axis of the reel and the wire be again wound up on to it.
N is a cylindrical casing containing a train of recording wheels-this is pressed
into a cylindrical socket which projects outwards from the side of the frame B
and when so pressed into the socket the last wheel N¹ of the train of wheels comes
into gear with a pinion P on the axis of the wheel E.
When the sounding apparatus is not being used the casing N can be removed from
the socket O as above explained.
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. A sounding apparatus in which a wire is led from a reel over the circumference
of a wheel for a weight to be suspended to it and in which the frame carrying the
wheel is drawn upwards by a spring or equivalent and thereby caused to apply a
friction brake to the reel-when the weight is not hanging on the end of the wire.

page_text: 2. Carrying the wheel within a frame which can swivel on a hollow axis the bearing
for which can rock on horizontal axes and which frame is drawn upwards by a spring
or equivalent and thereby caused to apply a friction brake to the reel when the
weight is not hanging on the end of the wire.
3. Carrying the recording mechanism by the frame which carries the wheel to record
the number of revolutions made by the wheel.
4. Sounding apparatus constructed substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1888.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.