IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR AND IN THE METHOD OR METHODS OF MAKING WIRE ROPES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Smith, Engineer, of 69, Princes Street,
Leicester Square, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR AND IN THE METHOD OR METHODS OF MAKING WIRE ROPES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
August 1857.
I, ARCHIBALD SMITH, Engineer, of 69, Princes Street, Leicester Square,
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR AND IN THE METHOD OR METHODS OF MAKING WIRE
ROPES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements refer to the manufacture of flat wire ropes,
& consists of two branches.
In the first place, that of producing from the same machine and at the
same time two strands for ropes; one having the lay or twist in one direction
(say, to the right hand), the other with the lay or twist in the contrary
direction (or to the left hand). This I accomplish by putting a double.
number of bobbins or reels in the laying machine described in the Speci-
fication of a Patent granted to William Smith, of 10, Salisbury Street, Strand,
jointly with myself, dated the 8th day of March 1852, also by the same.
addition of a double number of bobbins or reels to a machine for which a
Patent was granted to me on the 14th day of Feb³ 1857.
'
The second branch of my Invention is in the construction of a machine in
which the required number of right & left hand round ropes are made,
stitched, sewn, or laced together, forming a flat rope at the same time before

page_text: quitting the machine. This is accomplished by bringing the two sets of round
ropes into certain positions immediately on their being twisted, where lacing
or sewing wires are shuttled or inserted between & around them, by which
means they are drawn into a firm & compact flat rope.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Archibald Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARCHIBALD
SMITH, Engineer, of 69, Princes Street, Leicester Square, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Archibald Smith, Her special licence that I, the said Archibald Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Archibald
Smith, executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR AND IN THE METHOD OR METHODS OF MAKING WIRE ROPES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Archibald Smith, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Archibald Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My improvements in wire rope making for making right and left handed
twisted strands or ropes at the same time is fully shewn and set forth by the
accompanying Drawing, Sheet No. 1, wherein Fig. 1 shews a side elevation and
Fig. 2 a plan of a horizontal machine, the general construction in its framing,

page_text: manner of being supported in upright standards, having antifriction wheels
fixed on the horizontal timbers, being similar in its general features to that
described in the Specification of a Patent granted to William Smith and
myself, in March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, wherein the
bobbins or reels containing the wires to be laid into strands or strands to be
laid into ropes are supported in pivot frames laying in a horizontal position;
also to that of a Patent granted to myself last year, in which the reel frames
are placed at an angle with the horizon or axis of the general machine. The
novelty in this machine consists in there being two reels in each compartment
of the revolving cylinder instead of one, as in the two former cases, and of
its having a double draw-off arrangement to receive the right-hand strands
or ropes from one end, and the left-hand ones from the other end. In this
machine are shewn seven pairs of reels, the wires or strands from one set
being led in one direction, and those of the other set in the opposite direc-
tion. For instance, the wires or strands from the reels a, a, a, a, are passed
through the end of their spindle at 6 in the direction denoted by the arrows,
and are led along by the side of the rods through holes in the rings of the
wheels to the laying plate at the ends of the machine, where they are laid
together and drawn off by the drawing-off apparatus, the lay in the two strands
or ropes so produced being in different directions.
Fig. 4 shews a side view of part of one of the reel spindles with an arm
below, to which is fixed the weight for keeping it in a vertical position so as
to prevent the possibility of the wires or strands being twisted by its turning
over; Fig. 5 is a plan of the same part, shewing one reel on its spindle, and
one spindle with a dotted reel, the wire or strand passing through the hollow
bearing C. Instead of the reels being in the centre line of the machine,
they may be hung below the centre, so that their weight may prevent them
from being turned over or carried around by the revolution of the cylinder
containing them.
One form of the second branch of my Invention for making flat ropes is
shewn by the Drawing No. 2, wherein Fig. 1 represents a side elevation and
Fig. 2 a plan of a machinge for receiving strands, in which they are laid up
and stitched together before they leave it; Fig. 3 is a front view (looking
towards the left), shewing the supporting standard, and antifriction wheels
within which the cylinders revolve, and the cylinder reels, &c.; Fig. 4 is a view
of the back or left-hand end of the machine, shewing the spur wheels on the
ends of the revolving cylinders, the driving wheels, and connecting rod from
the crank on the main shaft. Each cylinder contains three reels supported in
horizontal carriages or frames having holes in one end for the passage of the

page_text: strand, as described in the last machine. These reels being in the horizontal
centre of the machine will also have weights hung below to keep them from
turning over, so that their spindles will at all times be in a horizontal position,
or they may be hung in inclined frames according to my last Patent, thereby
avoiding the bend which takes place at the end of the spindle in the horizontal
or parallel plan. In either case the reels must be placed below the centre of
the frame; or a suspended weight must be adopted to prevent the twist of
strands within the cylinders. The reels being filled with strands to form a
flat rope are put into their frames, and the friction being adjusted, the strands
are passed through holes in the ends of the reel frames, and then led to a bar
of the revolving cylinder passing over a small pulley, are then led to the
laying apparatus, as hereafter described.
At the back end of the machine stands a frame having a reel in a line with
the centre of each cylinder, the strand from which passes through a hole in
the axis of the spur wheel gudgeon, and is led along by the side of a bar
of the cylinder. Motion is given to the cylinder spur wheels by means of the
centre wheel A mounted on a short axis B, in which wheel there are six
projecting pins a, a, a, a, a, a.
C is a crank on the end of a horizontal shaft
from the first mover; D, a connecting rod, which, by catching a pin, draws
the wheel around one-sixth of a revolution at each revolution of the crank,
and as the diameter of this wheel is as 6 to 4 of the small wheels, each recl
cylinder will revolve one-fourth of a revolution in the direction of the arrows.
The cylinders containing the reels having the left-hand strands will turn to
the right, and those having right-hand strands will turn to the left.
The manner in which the strands pass through and from the cylinders is
farther illustrated by reference to Fig. 2, where the strand denoted by the
number 1 from the reel E on the fixed frame passes through the hole in the
centre of the projecting shaft of the spur wheel, is led to the pulley 2 fixed on
the bar of the cylinder; the strand from the reel F is led through the centre
of its frame at 3, passes around a pulley 4; the strand from G passes in
like manner through at 5, is led to a pulley on the third bar; and that from
the reel H to the centre of its frame, supported in the middle of the front
running wheel of the machine; the three before-mentioned strands emerge
from the ring, and the fourth from the centre, and are then ready for being
taken to be laid up. These reel cylinders are made in the usual manner,
having three wheels I, J, K, with arms and hollow centres to form bearings
for the reel frames, the back end wheels being tooth wheels, and are united
together by bolts passing through their rings, having distance tubes between
the wheels, and are screwed up tight at the ends, the front ends being sup-

page_text: ported and running between the antifriction wheels, and the back ends
revolving on the centre gudgeons or axles of the spur wheels.
Instead of the cylinders being placed one above another in the manner
shewn they may be spread out into a horizontal plane or in any other manner,
provided that each adjoining pair turns in opposite directions, so that if when
laid up and placed side by side they present the appearance of Fig. 6, No. 1,
and of delivering the strands in a convenient direction for being led away to
the laying apparatus. Nor is it absolutely necessary that the reel cylinders
should be moved by the intermittent motion, as the motion may be continuous.
by suitable gearing at one-half the velocity of the crank and rod plan, nor
to any definite number of round ropes to form a flat rope, or of the strands in
each round rope, as the machine may be made to suit the particular work for
which it is required.
The machinery for laying up the round ropes and stitching them together
at the same time forming a flat rope is as follows:-At M, Figs. 1 and 2,
there is a frame standing on the floor containing six endless chains; see also
Figs. 11 to 16, on Sheet No. 1; each of these chains has four projecting links
with a hole for the reception of a strand. Fig. 11 shews a front of this laying
frame with the chains; Fig. 12 is a side view of the drawing-down rod;
Fig. 15 is a side view of one chain; Fig. 13 is a horizontal section of a pair
of chains with the strands passing through the projecting links; Fig. 10 is a
plan of semicircular arch pieces fixed at the top and bottom of the frame at
10, around which the chains pass.
On the drawing down side there is to be a guide piece for the chains from
the upper arch down as low as the catch or pull piece of the drawing down
rod when at its greatest height, to keep the chain in its proper place; Fig. 8
shews a side and edge view of these arch pieces. Either the top or bottoni
set of arch pieces to be adjustable by having a slot and a set screw, so that the
chain may be kept tight. At or near the strand link in each chain there is to
be a rivet head or pin projecting on one side, two of which are shewn by 12,
Fig. 15, and also on the plan, Fig. 13. These chains are drawn around the arch
pieces by the drawing down rod, Fig. 12, which is formed at its upper part
of six stems moving up and down in guide holes in the top of the frame, and
in the part below at 15. Each of these six stems is furnished with a hinged
pull piece, shewn by 13 at Fig. 12; behind which and between it and its
main stem there is a small spring to cause it to catch over the pins 12, but is
prevented from rubbing against the links and rivets in going up by the head
of a pin 14 passing through the main rod, which allows it to be pushed forth
by the spring only sufficient to catch over the pin. The hook part of this pull

page_text: piece has a cavity, shewn on the face by Fig. 16, into which the projecting pin
enters, and by which means will be drawn down in a right line steadily by the
rigidity of the main pulling rod. The bottom end of this chain pulling rod is
jointed to a bell crank AX, which is worked by a connecting rod BX from a
erank Cx on the main shaft, see Fig. 17, and is drawn down at the same time
that the cylinders receive one quarter turn, as before mentioned.
the top of the stitching
The next part of the machine is that of stitching the round ropes together
by the insertion of sewing wires introduced between the strands as they are
successively brought into the positions by the movements of the chains. This
is accomplished by the stitching arm N, which is formed at the upper part of
the spindle O having a bent concentric part P. The end of this concentric
part is fitted into the socket of a frame for carrying a thin reel containing the
lacing wires. This reel frame is furnished with a spring bolt attached to a bell
crank, which spring bolt catches into a notch of the end of the arm, so that
when it is carried across between the strands into the position shewn at Q
No. 2, the outer end of the bell crank of the reel frame comes in contact with
the end of a rod which is moved up at the right time before its operation is
required, see also No. 1. There is also a spring catch 19 fixed horizontally. in
standard R, No. 1, which is pushed into a recess of
the lower side of the reel frame and prevents its being carried back again
until the long arm has gone back, a change of the strands taken place, and is
again returned. Fig. 18 shews the top of this bent rod, the end 16 being the
part that acts upon the bell crank, and the part at 17 draws down the hori-
zontal spring catch by the link 18 fixed in the bottom of the catch. Fig. 19
shews a top view of the standard on which the reel is supported when in a
state of rest, and in which the horizontal catch is hinged; 19 being the catch,
and 20, the guide hole for the rod 16 to work up and down in. Fig. 20 is the
reel and its frame laying on the standard with part of the arm P. Fig. 21
shews the bell crank, bolt, and end of the arm detached from the frame. The
bent rod, Fig. 18, is also seen by 21 in Fig. 17, and is on the end of a short
crank spindle 22, see No. 2, etc. This crank spindle is turned by having
spur wheel 23 on it of twice the diameter of the pinion 24 on the main shaft
that drives it by the intermediate wheel 25. The arm of this small crank and
the rod to be at its highest point at the time the concentric arm has brought
the reel into the standard, when the horizontal spring under the catch in the
standard will prevent its return with the arm, at the same time that the end of
the rod will have forced back the spring bolt which confined it in the socket of
the reel frame. The reel arm N is moved by another arm R fixed on the same
spindle O. by means of the connecting rod S, taking its motion from another
a

page_text: crank T fixed on or forming part of the upright spindle U. On the lower
part of the spindle U there is a bevil pinion V of one-fourth of the diameter
of the wheel W by which it is driven. This bevil wheel has four pins pro-
jecting on its back i, i, i, i, which are in turn drawn around through one
quarter of a revolution at every revolution of the main shaft and crank. Just
above the stitching spindle there is a frame containing a pair of horizontal
rollers for compressing the flat rope in its thickness, the upper one being forced
down by a weighted lever or spring, and also a pair to compress it sideways to
an uniform width; these rollers are shown by Fig. 22, in the Sheet No. 2; or
they may be passed through a compressing rectangular die, as shewn at Fig.
23, Sheet No. 2, or, if necessary, through both rollers and die. The drawing-
off machinery is of the usual kind, but with flat drums for the flat rope to pass
around, and have also an intermittent motion by the pin wheel x, which drives
a pinion on the same spindle, only whilst the rod DX is being drawn back by
the crank. The speed at which these wheels are driven relative to that of
the other parts of the machine, so as to produce the required lay and stitching
of the rope, is to be regulated by the diameter of the pinion to be used,
with any convenient means of changing the pinion, by a lowering frame or any
plan of change wheels now in common use.
The operation of the entire machine, and the manner in which it will be
used, will be as follows:-The reels in the revolving cylinders being furnished
with a supply of strands, and put into thin frames, and adjusted with the
requisite friction, the ends of the strands are brought from the front of the reel
part of the machine, as before described, passed through the holes of the links
of the endless chains, those from the lower right hand cylinders to the right
hand chains, from the two top ones to the middle chains, and from the left
hand cylinders to the left hand chains, are then passed through between the
compressing rollers or die, when they are fastened to a band or rope passed
around the draw or flat drums. The cranks for turning the cylinders, for
drawing down the chains, and for driving the draw-off apparatus are so set, that
these three operations takes place and end at the same time, and at the end of
this movement the crank for moving the stitching arm begins to draw around
the stitching pin wheel, one-fourth of a turn of which will produce one revo-
lution of the small stitching crank. The rod for liberating the stitching reel
will also have received a movement down, if the reel has been standing on the
pillar, but up if it has been at rest, on the other side. In this state of things,
if motion be given to the driving rigger MX setting the main shaft in motion;
suppose the cranks to have drawn the cylinders and chains around one-
quarter of a turn, to have advanced the rope the amount of lay determined on

page_text: by the speed wheels, and also to have drawn down the rod at the stitching
pillar, the first three operations will cease. The stitching arm and reel will be
then carried across between the strands, and on reaching the standard the end
of the bell crank will be resisted by the end of the rod, releasing the arm;
whilst the spring. catch in the top of the pillar will take hold of the bottom of
the reel frame, and on the turn of the horizontal crank the arm will be drawn
out, leaving the reel behind on the pillar. Next will take place again the
partial revolution of the reel cylinders, the chains moving half of the strands
which formed the lower strata of the last motion, into the upper position, and
half of those which formed the upper, into the lower position, thereby opening
a channel for the laying wires between the strands in the changed position;
the draw-off wheels will have drawn the commencement of the rope again
forward, and the upright rod 21 (Figs. 17 and 18) will have been drawn down
and liberated the reel from the pillar, as well as being removed from forcing
back the bell crank, the stitching arm will again be passed in between the
strands in their new position, the end will enter the socket of the reel frame,
the spring will push the bolt into the notch, and both will be immediately
drawn-back again-for-a- repetition. The form of arrangement of machinery
for forming flat ropes out of round ropes already made, and therefore not
requiring reel cylinders as before described, will be to place a frame similar to
that shewn by Figs. 3, 7, and 9, No. 1, in the situation of the reel cylinders.
In this frame the required number of right and left hand laid ropes on reels
are placed on fixed arms projecting from the posts; the ends of these ropes
are then unlaid, and the strands passed through the projecting links of the
stitching frame, and carried forward, passing the stitching arm, to the rollers,
and draw-off and heated in the same manner as described before.
The operation which takes place in this case will be, that each of the ropes
will be unlaid on the side towards the reels by the revolution of the chains
carrying around its strands in an opposite direction to which it was laid, and
and on the side towards the draw off they will be laid up again precisely in the
original manner, the lacing wires having been introduced at the time the
relaying takes place.
Another form of machine for making flat ropes from strands not requiring
the laying frame as previonsly described is shewn by Figs. 23, 24, and 25, on
Sheet No. 2, wherein Figure 23 represents a plan of a four-reel horizontal
cylinder machine; Fig. 24 is an elevation of the cylinders Jx and Kx, with
their long arms projecting forwards; these cylinders have tooth wheels at FX,
see Fig. 26, each pair geering together, and driven from a prime mover below,
and revolve on bearings GX, HX, on the carriage, Fig. 27; the axis of the

page_text: cylinder at GX & HX is hollow for the strands to pass through. From the front
bearing the cylinder is continued by the bent arms 30, and at the ends have a
small projection turned outward with a hole, through which the strands are to
pass; on the revolution of the cylinders, the arms of each pair turn towards
each other, the circle of revolution of one coming within that of the other,
as is farther shewn by Fig. 25, where X, X, X, X, represent the arms of the
cylinder JX, and i, i, i, i, that of the adjoining one KX. By this means the
strands are brought near each other as they advance to be laid and stitched.
Reels of right and left hand strands being put into these cylinders, and
brought through them as in the other machines, the ends are passed through
the hollow bearing, one being led along by each arm and passed through the
hole at the end; they are then passed through the compressing roller or die,
and on to the draw off, the laying being produced by the revolution of the
cylinders only, the arms of which interlock each other, as shewn by the
Diagram, Fig. 25. In combining these cylinders with the stitching apparatus
it will be evident that the converging strands from the points of the arms will
occupy the position of those in the other case between the laying frame and
compressing rollers. The stitching arm and reel will pass into the space m, m,
see Fig. 24 & 25.
The stitching wires in either of the before-described methods of laying up
ropes may be introduced between the strands by hand, whilst the strands are
kept open, changed, compressed, and drawn off by machinery.
I do not confine myself to any specific form or proportion of the several
parts of the machinery herein described, but I claim as my Invention,-
First, the use of a double set of reels for making right and left hand strands
or ropes in the same machine.
And, secondly, the laying up and stitching together simultaneously round
ropes, so as to form flat ropes.
And, thirdly, the unlaying, laying up, and stitching together simultaneously
round ropes already made, so as to form flat ropes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
ARCHIBALD SMITH. (L.S.)