Improvements in Automatically Disengaged Catches for Cage Lifts.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st May, 1896-Accepted, 21st Aug., 1396
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatically Disengaged Catches for Cage Lifts.
I, LOUIS WILMOTTE, of 16, Rue Nicolay, Seraing, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The principle of the system of catches hereinafter described, consists in the
application of rolling motion for operating catches on the landings or stopping
places of the cages of mine pits, or shafts or the like.
This rolling motion is produced by means of an inverted pendulum, the base of
which terminates in a curved surface on which it rocks or oscillates.
This curved surface rests on a horizontal surface or on an inclined surface which
forms a support and the ends or stops formed on said inclined surface limit the
oscillations of the pendulum.
The form of the pendulum is such that its centre of gravity will always fall
outside the centre of the curved surface, or the centre of the rolling motion. The
result of this arrangement is such that the peudulum is constantly being drawn or
attracted in the direction of the location of the centre of gravity.
This property serves as the basis of two different arrangements or types of catches
according as the centre of gravity is located to the left or to the right hand of the
centre of the curve of the roller.
In one arrangement, the centre of gravity of the pendulum is situated between
the centre of the curve and the stop formed on the inclined support whereby the
pendulum is permanently drawn towards said stop. Only a sustained pressure can
maintain it against the stop on the opposite side which is the disengaged or
inoperative position of the catch.
In the other arrangement, the centre of gravity of the pendulum is situated
between the centre of the curve and the stop formed on the inclined support so
that it is always being drawn towards said stop, which in this arrangement is its
disengaged position. Sustained pressure is required to maintain it against this
said stop.
In order to prevent the pendulum from slipping on its bearing surfaces, the latter
are provided laterally with teeth in the form of a rack in which there engages a
tooth forming one piece with the pendulum, in the same manner as a tooth of a
pinion engages with its rack.
With these preliminaries, it is easy to design an apparatus having the properties
necessary for the operation of the catch mechanisms at the landing places of the
cages in mine shafts. For this purpose, it is sufficient to arrange a pendulum at
each end of a suitable bar, such as for example, an angle iron bar, thereby
constituting an apparatus which, when connected together in pairs, is capable of
filling the functions of a set of catches.
In one arrangement, the catches or pendulums support the cage in a direct
manner. The bearing parts of the pendulums upon the supports are made to
terminate in the form of bearing surfaces or seats resting on an extension of the
bearing surfaces. The stop is formed by a cross-piece of iron, so as to prevent
the pendulums from tipping; or the stop may be constituted by a spring buffer
designed to deaden the shock due to a too sudden impact of the cages upon the
catches, and also for the purpose of giving more elasticity to the mechanism.
These spring buffers are constructed and proportioned in such a manner as to
hold the cage on a level with the lauding under its greatest load.

page_text: A system of levers and rods may be provided to allow of operating the whole of
a set of catches.
In another arrangement in which the catches are released or removed under load
the arrangement is analogous to the preceding one, and differs therefrom only by
the addition of supplementary levers and rollers, which allow of releasing the
catches without preliminary raising of the cage.
For this purpose the parts which are in contact with the cages and the catches,
are formed according to a curve which is an arc of a cycloid described by the
rolling movement of the pendulum on its bearing surface. This arc of a cycloid
is determined so as to correspond very nearly to the angle of friction of the
materials in contact.
In this arrangement this catch is locked when it supports the cage. This locking
operation is effected by means of a lever fixed on to a shaft carrying a roller, which
is caused by means of a lever to engage with a rib formed in one piece with the
bearing surface or seat. A forward push of the lever suffices to place the catches
in their operative position, whilst a push in the rearward direction serves to
disengage the roller from the rib and to release the catches which thereupon
automatically reassume their inoperative position.
In an arrangement in which the catches become automatically released or
removed the catches are always open and therefore a forward thrust of the
operating lever is required to move them under the cage.
As soon as the cage rests upon the catches, it is sufficient for the operator in
order to keep them closed, to release his hold on the lever; but at the first rising
movement of the cage, the catches at once reassuine their original open position
without the aid of the attendant charged with the engaging operation.
Dated this 21st day of August 1895
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
.
70 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.
Improvements in Automatically Disengaged Catches for Cage Lifts.
I, LOUIS WILMOTTE, of 16, Rue Nicolay, Seraing, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
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 :-
The principle of the system of catches hereinafter described, consists in the
application of rolling motion for operating catches on the landings or stopping
places of the cages of mine pits, or shafts or the like.
This rolling motion is produced by means of an inverted pendulum (A), Fig. 1
and 2, the base of which terminates in a curved surface a, a on which it rocks or
oscillates.
This curved surface a, a rests on a horizontal surface c, c Fig. 1 or on an inclined
surface C, C, Fig. 2 which forms a support and the ends or stops B, B₁ formed on
said surfaces limit the oscillations of the pendulum.
The form of the pendulum is such that its centre of gravity P will always fall
outside the centre 0 of the curved surface a, a or the centre of the rolling
motion.
The result of this arrangement is such that the pendulum is constantly being
drawn or attracted in the direction of the location of the centre of gravity.
This property serves as the basis of two different arrangements or types of catches
according as the centre of gravity is located to the left or to the right hand of the
centre of the curve of the roller.

page_text: In one arrangement Fig. 1 the centre of gravity of the pendulum A is situated
at the left hand of the centre O of the curve whereby the pendulum is permanently
drawn towards the stop B. Only a sustained pressure can maintain it against the
opposite stop B¹ which is the disengaged or inoperative position of the catch.
As soon as the pressure ceases the pendulum A returns to its first position. In
the other arrangement, the centre of gravity of the pendulum is situated at the
right hand of the centre O of the curve so that it is always being drawn towards
the stop B' which in this arrangement is its disengaged position. Sustained
pressure is required to maintain it against the stop B, which is the engaged
position.
In order to prevent the pendulum A from slipping on its bearing surfaces, the
latter are provided laterally with a recess in which there engages a tooth E Fig. 4,
forming one piece with the pendulum, in the same manner as a tooth of a pinion
engages with its rack.
With these preliminaries, it is easy to design an apparatus having the properties
necessary for the operation of the catch mechanisms at the landing places of the
cages in mine shafts. For this purpose, it is sufficient to arrange a pendulum A
Fig. 3 at each end of a suitable bar D, such as for example, an angle iron bar,
thereby constituting an apparatus which, when connected together in pairs, is
capable of filling the functions of a set of catches.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 to 7, the catches or pendulums A support
the cage in a direct manner. The bearing parts of the pendulum upon the supports
are made to terminate in the form of bearing surfaces or seats & resting on an
extension of the bearing surfaces C, C. The stop B¹ is formed by a cross-piece of
iron, Fig. 7 so as to prevent the pendulums from tipping; or the stop may be
constituted by a spring buffer designed to deaden the shock due to a too sudden
impact of the cages upon the catches, and also for the purpose of giving more
elasticity to the mechanism. These spring buffers are constructed and proportioned
in such a manner as to hold the cage on a level with the landing under its greatest
load.
A system of levers and rods may be provided to allow of operating the whole of
a set of catches, see Fig. 13 & 14. In their normal position the pendulums A
are always disengaged (dotted lines of Fig. 4); a forward pressure on the lever H
is necessary for engaging them under the cage which by its weight allows to
maintain them in this position as long as the cage is not lifted, at which moment
the catches return to their disengaged position without the aid of any one.
The arrangement shown in Fig. 8 to 11 in which the catches are released or
removed under load is analogous to the preceding one, and differs therefrom only
by the addition of supplementary levers and rollers, which allow of releasing the
catches without preliminary raising of the cage.
For this purpose the parts which are in contact with the cages and the catches,
are formed according to a curve which is an arc of a cycloid described by the
rolling movement of the pendulum on its bearing surface. This arc of a cycloid is
determined so as to correspond very nearly to the angle of friction of the materials
in contact.
In this arrangement this catch is locked when supports the cage. This locking
operation is effected by means of a lever fixed on to a shaft carrying a roller, which
is caused by means of a lever to engage with a rib formed in one piece with the
bearing surface or seat. A forward push of the lever suffices to place the catches
in their operative position, whilst a push in the rearward direction serves to disengage
the roller from the rib and to release the catches which thereupon automatically
reassume their inoperative position.
In an arrangement in which the catches become automatically released or removed
the catches are always open and therefore a forward thrust of the operating lever is
required to move them under the cage.
As soon as the cage rests upon the catches, it is sufficient for the operator in
order to keep them closed, to release his hold on the lever; but at the first rising

page_text: movement of the cage, the catches at once reassume their original open position
without the aid of the attendant charged with the engaging operation. In Fig. 12
the pendulum or catch A is provided with.a buffer which supports the cage with its
head R resting on the spiral spring.S.
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: :-
▸
A system of automatically disengaged catches for cages of mine pits and the like
constituted by a pendulum the base of which terminates in a curved surface rolling
on a horizontal surface or on an inclined surface, the form of the pendulum being
such that the centre of gravity falls outside the centre of the curved surface or
rolling surface so that the catches fall automatically in the direction of the location
of the said centre of gravity, the slipping of the pendulum being avoided by means
of a tooth provided laterally on the said pendulum and engaging in a corresponding
recess made laterally in the rolling surface, the latter being provided with stops
for limiting the oscillations of the pendulum..
Dated this anth
1000
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicant.