Improvements in Winches, Cranes, and Hoists.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improvements in Winches, Cranes, and Hoists.
I, HEINRICH SPÜHL, engineer of St. Fiden near St. Gallen, Switzerland 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 :-
My invention consists in constructing a winch in such a manner that when the winch is
running free without any weight the gearing shall be say 1 to 1, whilst as soon as the
weight is on the drum the gearing is automatically changed to say 1 to 8.
In order to make my invention more clear I refer to the accompanying drawings in
which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views.
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show views of the automatically working coupling.
Fig. 4 is an end view of the winch showing the coupling and gearing wheels in section.
Fig. 5 is a top view of this automatic arrangement applied to cranes.
Fig. 6 shows a top view of a trolly crane with the automatic gearing arrangement.
Figs. 7 and 8 show the automatic gearing arrangement for hoisting machines.
Fig. 9 shows a particular form of the pulley in such a machine.
Figs. 10 and 11 show the automatic gearing arrangement in winches driven by a
pulley from the main driving shaft.
Referring to fig. 4. h² is the drum having on the one side of it the cog wheel h³
into which pinion gears and which works as soon as the strain comes in the
drum and on its other side the cog wheel into which cog -wheel h gears. The
automatic placing in and out of gear is caused principally by means of a double
coupling which is best shown in figures 1, 2 and 3. The end piece d of this coupling
is keyed on to the shaft a. The middle piece b runs loose on the shaft a and is
horizontally moveable on the same. The third piece C of the double coupling forms
a hollow shaft running loose on the shaft a but not being horizontally moveable
along the same, being held in place by means of the friction brake disc h and
ratchet wheel for preventing the crane or winch from flying back when the
handle is let go-these two wheels form a part of the usual arrangement for braking
and holding the winch and do not need any further explanation. e is a double
lever with a fork on one end which works into the groove on the middle piece b of
the double coupling this lever e is pivoted in the middle (Fig. 4) to the winch frame
and has at its lower end the set screw f' on which the spring fis constantly pressing.
The double coupling b Cd is formed in the following manner: the coupling which
joins the middle piece to the hollow shaft C consists of two waved discs (figs. 1 and 2)
which fit into each other-whilst that which couples the middle piece b to the shaft a―
that is to say to the piece d-is made in a sort of screw shape which may be
clearly seen from figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. When these two are coupled they
will have a tendency to set tightly into each other when the middle piece is turned
round by the lever handle g which is attached to it on account of the screwed form
and the more strain which is on the drum that is to say the heavier the weight to be
lifted the more the coupling pieces will lock together whilst in the case of the
coupling between and C the result is just the opposite; on account of the curved
surfaces of the discs, as soon as the strain is placed on the piece C the coupling
will have the tendency to go apart.
In a state of rest, the spring ƒ pushes the piece 6 having the curved disc b²
against the piece C, that is to say the spring f by means of lever e holds 6 and C
coupled and b and d uncoupled. When and C are coupled the cog wheel h
This is an easy
gearing into on the drum shaft is coupled to the handle g.
gearing and is used for drawing up or letting down the chain of the winch when
no weight is attached to the same. As soon however as the weight attached
to chain or cord i acts on the drum h² it will over come the power of the spring f
to hold the curved disc-coupling together which latter will in consequence be pressed

page_text: apart. As soon as this is pressed apart the coupling bd is pushed together and in
consequence the handle g is coupled to the shaft a and the pinion gears into the
cog wheel h³ or the drum shaft, whilst the wheel h runs round loosely with its hollow
shaft not interfering in the least with the working of the pinion 1ª From this it will
be seen that whilst no weight is attached to or acting on the drum the easy gearing of
say 1 to 1 (as shown in the drawing) is in force, and as soon as the weight to be lifted
acts on the drum, the power of the spring is not sufficient to over come the action of
the weight and hold coupling & C together, consequently this coupling is automatically
pressed apart and the coupling bd pressed together which immediately alters the
gearings from 1 to 1½-to say 1 to 7 or to any other suitable gearing according to
the purpose for which the winch has been made. As soon as the weight has been
removed the easy gearing will again be coupled to the handle g under the influence of
the spring f.
Fig. 5 shows the automatic gearing arrangement as applied to cranes, the working
is the following:
The broad cog wheel is set in motion by means of the cranks g g; this cog
wheel gears into cog wheel which is firmly fixed to the hollow shaft b which has
the two couplings 61 and 62. With this double coupling it must either be coupled to
the hollow shaft C C and so drive cog wheels h h h and h³ on the drum shaft, or it
must be coupled to d d¹ driving then shaft a, that is to say cog wheels 75 76 h² and
thus on the drum shaft which causes a very slow working of the drum h³.
Fig. 6 shows a trolly crane with the automatic gearing arrangement. In this
arrangement according to the position of the coupling piece 6 the power is transmitted
to the winding drum either by means of cog-wheels h h worm n, worm wheel n¹
or by the gearing wheels h³ and so to worm n. The power comes in the first place
to the coupling 6 from revolving shaft m by means of bevel wheels m² m² and
wheels 11 1.
cog
Figs. 7 and 10 show a hoisting machine in which, besides the automatic gearing
arrangement a particular construction of the gearing wheels and cord pulley may be
seen. Fig. 7 and 10 show a hoisting machine which may be worked by hand. To
one end n of the rope is fixed a lifting chair and to the other end n¹ a counter weight
of the same weight as the chair. The frame g¹ carrying the endless cord by means
of which the machine is set in motion. The transmission of the power is effected by a
ring of teeth o¹ (fig. 8) cast on to the piece o which forms the bearing of the shaft a, by
pinion on shaft a and planet wheels h³ ³ which turn on their pivots c³ fixed in the
dise c. The disc and hollow shaft is loose on the shaft a. The hollow shaft c has
its oval disc inside the planet wheel casing o¹ and forms together with the case cover c²
which is fixed to hollow shaft c, the whole.
If it is imagined that the planet wheel h³ running on the pivot c³ is taken away, it
will be clear that with the revolving of the rope frame g¹, the parts mentioned above
together with the hollow shaft c* and rope pulley will revolve too. The same will
be the case when the planet wheels are in their place, but since they gear into the
immoveable circle of teeth inside of o¹ and into the pinion H2 they will give the latter
and with it shaft a an accelerated motion. When now in consequence of the
weight of the lifting chair the coupling 62 is uncoupled, the coupling side 61 of
the hollow shaft b will be pressed into the side d' of piece d which is keyed on
to shaft a whereby the shaft a with pinion H2 and planet wheels H³, effect a slow
revolving of hollow shaft c* and with it the rope pulley c³. In order that the
cord may not slip when the lifting chair is loaded a pulley with a winding
groove a is used (fig. 9). A chain pulley may be substituted for this pulley if
desired.
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:
In winches and hoisting machines.
1

page_text: disc coupling side 6 and screw formed coupling side b', C having curved disc coupling
side Cand cog wheel, d having coupling side d' and spring d³ with shaft a,
lever e pivoted at e¹ and having screw f¹ and spring f and with pinion * on shaft a
and cog wheels h³ and h¹ on the winding drum shaft, in the manner and for the
purpose substantially, as described.
2.) The combination of double coupling Cd, lever e, spring f¹ pinion H³, planet
wheels HH, hollow shaft c having oval disc to which planet wheels are pivoted,
toothed casing o' on bearing o, with a cord pulley c having a winding groove a³ in
the manner and for the purpose substantially, as described.
Date:
1000
HEINRICH SPÜHL.
By Rayner & Cassell,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.