Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 11th Feb., 1887.
I, ALEXANDER HENRY REED, of Suffolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill, Cannon
Street, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
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This invention relates to improvements in belting such as is commonly used in
transmitting power; and it consists in a belt composed of two or more layers or folds
of textile fabric united throughout its length by a series of pointed tacks driven
through the layers and clinched, all of which is more fully pointed out in the
following specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing
in which:
Fig. 1 represents a transverse section of a belt constructed according to the
invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan or face view of a portion of such a belt.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
In this drawing the letter A designates the body of a belt which is composed of a number
of layers of a textile fabric, such as duck, either of a single piece of such material
being folded in a proper manner or of several layers placed one upon the other. In
the example shown in the drawing the belt is composed of four layers of duck, and
the material in this case is folded to cause its outer edges to meet in the centre and
then both the double portions thus formed are folded on to each other about the said
centre thereby forming a four ply belt. These layers are united by a series of pointed
tacks properly distributed and driven through all the layers composing the belt.
The projecting points of these tacks are bent over or clinched as shown in fig. 2
of the drawing thereby firmly uniting the layers. That surface of the belt upon
which the tacks are clinched is intended to be in contact with the rims of the pulleys
when the belt is applied to use.

page_text: Heretofore it has been customary to unite the layers of leather or other material
composing a belt by means of rivets, but in their use it is necessary to punch or pick
out holes for the passage of the rivet shanks in which operation the threads or fibres
from which the fabric is woven are cut through and torn, thereby seriously impairing
the strength of the finished belt. The use of pointed tacks for uniting the textile
layers avoids not only the necessity of punching or picking out holes, which operation
involves time and expense, but the tacks in penetrating the material push or force
the threads or fibres to one side without cutting or tearing them. As a considerable
number of tacks are employed in uniting the layers, the belt, in reverse to being
injured is rendered more sound by the lateral compression of the fibres or threads in
the fabric.
In addition to impairing the strength of the belt, rivets render the same more liable
to slip on the pulleys, owing to the fact that the large heads, which must be employed
to fasten the shanks, form large depressions whereby a considerable portion of the
available frictional surface is removed. If the heads of the rivets come into contact
with the pulley, the percentage of slip is not decreased as but a small amount of
friction is obtainable between the two metallic surfaces. The numerous large heads
also render the belt less pliable and in rounding smaller pulleys is liable to slip, which
reduces the possible power that can be transmitted through the belt.
The small portion of the tack which is clinched sinks into the material of the belt
and forms but a very small depression and consequently does not influence the
efficiency of the belt. By the use of these clinched tacks a belt is provided which
presents all or nearly all of its frictional surface to the pulley, and one which is as
pliable and strong as the leather belt usually employed while its production involves
less expense.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
A belt composed of two or more layers or folds of textile fabric united throughout
its length by a series of pointed tacks driven through the layers and clinched,
substantially as shown and described.