IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SHAFT-COUPLINGS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co. Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SHAFT-COUPLINGS." A communication
from abroad by Francis O. Deschamps, Eddy L. Clark, and Edward H. Burr,.
all of the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SHAFT-
COUPLINGS." [A communication from abroad by Francis O. Deschamps, Eddy
L. Clark, and Edward H. Burr, all of the United States of America.]
This Invention relates to ball and socket shaft-couplings and has for its object
to provide a coupling of great strength and durability.
My Invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement
of parts as herein-after more particularly described.
In carrying the said Invention into practice, I provide a coupling device divided
longitudinally so as to form two sections, the said sections thereby constituting the
casing of the coupling.
Each section is composed of a solid central part, semi-spherical ends, and flanges,
which correspondingly coincide with each other when the said sections are secured
together as hereinafter described, whereby a twin coupling attachment is obtained
having sockets at each end and external annular flanges. The said sockets receive
two spheres keyed or screwed, as desired, upon the shafts which are designed to be
coupled together; the said spheres are formed with grooves, and the sections of the
coupling device are provided with threaded openings passing through the flanges,
into which are screwed steel pins or plugs. The lower ends of the said pins are
formed with semi-spherical cavities, into which are fitted small balls, a part of each
such ball is contained or works in one of the cavities and the other part in one of
[Pin G21

page_text: the grooves of the spheres before described, the said balls thereby acting as keys to
retain the spheres within the sockets, to couple the shafts so that when one of them
is driven the other will rotate therewith. The arrangement of the balls within the
said cavities and grooves also permits the two shafts to assume any angle in any
direction in respect to each other, to an extent determined by the size of the front
opening in the flanges. The sections of the coupling device are secured together
in any suitable manner, but
1 prefer to accomplish such result by means of X-shaped keys, which are driven
into corresponding dovetail slots formed in the flanges of the said sections, or, if
desired, the said sections may be screwed together, the screws passing either
through the central part or through lugs formed thereon and on the flanges. As
the small balls wear, the steel pins or plugs are screwed up or adjusted to take
up the lost motion resulting from such wear, consequently there will be no play or
looseness of the spheres within the coupling.
In some cases the two shafts are provided each with its respective coupling, the
said couplings being connected by an intermediate shaft or connecting rod. The
use of this rod or shaft permits of the coupling together of two lines of shafting
which are widely divergent from each other in either their vertical or horizontal
'alignment.
In other cases I use a single ball and socket for coupling the two shafts, in which
case one of the said shafts is secured to the sphere and the other to the casing. The
casing is parted vertically into two sections with hemi-spherical recesses formed
therein, into which enter the small balls. The sphere is also provided with
corresponding recesses for the said balls. In lieu of the recesses being formed
directly in the casing, the recessed pins may be substituted therefor.
I have described the pins or plugs as being threaded, but they may be made
without threads-and-provided-with-a-shoulder,-upon-which-rests-a-spiral-spring-
screw nuts holding the said pins and springs in position within the casing. In
this construction the ordinary wear of the balls is taken up by the springs and any
undue wear thereof is taken up by adjusting the screw nuts.

page_text: by the said Williain Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th August 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SHAFT-
COUPLINGS." A communication from abroad by Francis O. Deschamps, Eddy
L. Clark, and Edward H. Burr, all of the United States of America,
This Invention relates to ball and socket shaft couplings, its object being to
provide a coupling of great strength and durability.
The said Invention consists essentially in the novel construction combination and
arrangement of parts as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is an elevation of the twin coupling.
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereon
Figure 3 is a plan of the twin coupling the top cover being removed.
Figure 4 is an end clevation.
Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section of the coupling sections through the
flanges thereof, the ball being in elevation.
Figure 6 is a similar view of a modification.
Figure 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of a coupling, the casing of which is
divided vertically, one shaft being secured to the ball and the other to the casing..
Figure 8 is a front view of the same.
Figure 9 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating a modification in which
the couplings are connected by a sliding or yielding shaft or bar.
Figure 10 is an end view of the socket of the said sliding shaft.
Figure 11 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating the bar or shaft connecting
the couplings, arranged to slide or yield in one of the balls.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a coupling device A divided
longitudinally on the line a, a, Figure 1 so as to form two sections A' A². The
said sections constitute the casing of the coupling. Each section is composed of a
solid central part b, semi-spherical ends 6, 6, and flanges b³, b, which correspond
and coincide with each other when the said sections are secured together as herein-
after described, whereby a twin coupling attachment A is obtained having sockets
63, 63, Figure 2 at each end thereof, and external annular flanges b². The said
sockets receive the spheres C C', keyed or otherwise secured upon their respective
shafts D, D', which aro designed to be coupled together. The said spheres are
formed with grooves c, c, and the sections A' A' are provided with screw-threaded
openingspassing through the flanges b, into which are screwed steel pins or
plugs FF. The lower end of each of the said pins is formed with a semi-
spherical cavity -G G are small balls, a part of each of such balls is contained
and works in the cavity f¹ and the other part in one of the grooves c of the
spheres CC. The said balls G G thereby act as keys to maintain the spheres
CC' in position within the sockets 63, 63, and to couple the shafts D D' so that
when one of the said shafts is driven the other will rotate therewith. The arrange-
ment of the balls G G within the cavities f¹, f, and the grooves c, c, also permits the
two shafts D D' to assume any angle in any direction in respect to each other,
to an extent determined by the size of the front opening in the sockets b³. The
sections A' A² are secured together in any suitable manner, but I prefer to
accomplish such result by means of the keys H H which are driven into coinciding
dovetailed slots h, h, formed in the flanges 62, 63, of the said sections, as shown in
Figures 1, 3, and 4, If desired, tho said sections may be screwed or bolted

page_text: together as shown in Figures 2, 5, and 6, the screws or bolts passing either through
the central part b, through lugs formed thereon, or through the flanges b². The
said sections may be joined together in any other suitable manner.
As the balls GG wear, the pins F F are screwed up to adjust the said balls
and consequently prevent play or looseness of the spheres C C¹ within the
coupting.
If desired the spheres may be formed with one or more grooves as shown in
Figure 6, then the sections A' A must be provided with additional pins and
cavities, to correspond with the number of grooves in the spheres, for the reception
of the additional balls G G.
In Figure 9 I have shown the shafts D. D', each provided with a coupling A.
The said couplings being connected by an intermediate shaft or connecting rod D³
which may be firmly secured to the spheres C C¹ to form a rigid shaft or rod, or it
may be arranged as hereinafter described. The use of the said rod or shaft
permits the coupling together of two lines of shafting, which are widely divergent
froin each other in either their vertical or horizontal allignment.
In Figure 7 I show the application of a single ball and socket for coupling the
shafts D, D', in which case one shaft is secured to the sphere C and the other to
the socket or casing A.
I sometimes connect the sphere of the driving shaft with that of the driven
shaft, by means of a rod or shaft capable of a longitudinal movement, or I connect
the driving shaft to the ball and the driven shaft to the socket casing or vice versa,
in such a manner that the longitudinal vibrations of the coupled shafts are
absorbed or taken up to prevent the binding of the spheres in the sockets of the
coupling
In Figure 9 D represents the driving shaft and D' the driven shaft, each of
which is provided with a ball and socket coupling as shown. The sockets A are
secured to the said shafts and the balls or spheres C Care connected by a rod or
shaft D. This rod is in two parts d, d' fitting into one another as shown, so as to
leave a space d². The sliding parts d, d', of the rod D² may be rectangular in
form as illustrated in Figure 10, or they may be circular in outline, one part being
provided with one or more feathers or keys fitting into corresponding recesses in
the other section or part, they may also be formed with interlocking lugs, or
connected together in any other suitable manner, which will permit of their yielding
or sliding together longitudinally. It is obvious, in consequence of the adjustability
of this yielding shaft that in setting the couplings in position upon the shafts
designed to be coupled, or in lining up the same that the said shafts may be secured
in their bearings and the sockets A of the couplings attached thereto, before placing
the balls or spheres and connecting rod D2 in position. The sliding or yielding of
the said rod permits the balls to come together to such an extent that they may be
readily inserted in their sockets, after the shafts D D' have been lined up, and the
socket casings A³ secured thereto. When all the said parts are in position any
longitudinal vibration or end thrust of the shafts is taken up by the yielding or
sliding of the rod D³ thus preventing a binding action of the spheres C, C',
within their sockets. Hence the working parts of the coupling are preserved from
undue wear.
If desired the rod D³ may be in one piece throughout, one end being rigidly
connected to the sphere C of one coupling, and its opposite end entering an opening
in the sphere C¹ of the remaining coupling such opening being of sufficient length
to provide space for the movement of the said rod therein. This construction is
shown in Figure 11,ds being the end rigidly secured to the ball C, the opposite end
of the said rod D being rectangular or of other suitable shape, and entering a corre-
sponding opening c³ in the ball C¹ so as to be free to slide therein, to allow for all
longitudinal vibrations or end thrust of shafts D, D¹.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 7 the rod D is dispensed with, the shaft D
with its rectangular end, entering the opening c¹ in the sphere C; which allows a
sliding movement of the said rod.

page_text: If desired the screw plugs or caps F may be dispensed with and pins or cups Fi
used in lieu thereof as shown in Figure 7. They are formed with shoulders f"
shanks and have encircling springs f*. The said parts are held in position
within the openings f by means of an abutting scrow or pin 76. The effect
whereof is, that as the balls G, G, wear and tend to have play in the grooves c of
the spheres C C such play is taken up by the expansion of the springs, ƒ*. Any
undue wear of the said balls G is overcome by screwing up the pins fƒ³.
A rubber spring placed between the ends of pins F1 and the screws or pins .f"
may be substituted for the spiral springs *.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondents and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The shaft coupling composed of sections A' A² having semi-spherical
ends 6,6', with flanges b, b, provided with adjustable pins or screw-plugs F F
having semi-spherical cavities ff, substantially as shown and described.
Second. The combination, in a coupling having sections A', A², secured together,
of the shafts or rods D, D', provided with grooved spheres C C', and the keys or
balls G, G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The coupling composed of the sections A' A³ having ends b¹, b¹, with
sockets 63, 63, and openings f, f, in flanges bb, the adjustable plugs F with grooves,
the keys or balls GG, and ineans for locking the said sections together, all substan-
tially, as shown and described.
Fourth. The twin coupling device composed of sections A³, A², having the
sockets bbs, flanges 62, 6, formed integrally therewith and provided with adjustable
plugs F with sockets f', in combination with spheres CC¹ grooved as shown for the
reception of the keys or balls G, G, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. A shaft coupling consisting of a socket or casing provided with one or
more semi-spherical recesses, a sphere adapted to enter the said socket or casing
and provided with corresponding and coinciding recesses, and a ball or balls adapted
to enter the said recesses, and connect the said parts together, substantially as shown
and described.
Sixth. The combination of the shafts D D' provided with coupling devices
constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described, and the inter-
mediate shaft or connecting rod D³, as set forth.
Seventh. A ball and socket coupling provided with adjustable recessed pins F
substantially as shown and described.
Eighth. In a ball and socket or other coupling device, the pins F' F' constructed
substantially as shown and described, screws ƒª and an elastic medium between the
said screw and pin as set forth.
Ninth. The combination, with a ball and socket coupling device of a yielding or
sliding shaft, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Ninth day of August in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.