Improvements in Fastenings for Belts for Driving or Turning Machinery.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Fastenings for Belts for Driving or Turning
Machinery.
I Joseph WhitehEAD of No. 8 George Street, within Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Agent
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
By these fastenings I am enabled to connect or join the ends of driving-belts to
each other so as to secure on the one hand the greatest strength, and on the other the
smooth and even flow of an endless belt.
This is effected by placing the ends of the belts together, both pointing in one
direction, and then putting them between two plates of metal each having on the sido
in contact with the belt serrated grooves, running along its whole length so as to
extend across the belt from one edge to the other, the elevated portions of them fitting
into the grooves of the other. In the centre is placed a thin pad of felt, leather or other
suitable substance which is so shaped as to spread out at the bottom and fill up the
groove across the belt at the junction. The whole is then firmly bolted together, by
bolts passing through from one plate to the other.
The central body, above described, can, in some cases, be conveniently dispensed
with; and for belts which have to do heavy work, and pass over pulleys with large
diameters, I do not use it, but put in its place thin plates of metal thickly studded
over on both sides with short pins, which piercing the inner faces of both ends of the
belt, firmly lock them together, whilst the serrated grooves hold the outer sides, thus
obviating danger of tearing out at the bolts.

page_text: Machinery.
I JOSEPH WHITEHEAD of No. 8 George Street within the City of Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, Agent, 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 :-
By these Fastenings I am enabled to connect, join or fasten the ends of driving
belts to cach other, so as to obtain, on the ono hand the greatest strength, and on the
other the even flow of an endless belt. This is effected by spreading the pulling
strain of running driving belts (which in belts fastened in the ordinary way, is nearly
wholly on the bolts, rivets, lacos, or other means of joining then used) over the whole
width of the belt from one edge to the other, by means of plates with prepared faces,
bolted together, through the joined ends of the belts, one being on one side and the
other on the opposite one as hereinafter described-the consequence being that the
liability to tear into the holes made in the belt for the bolts, rivots, or laces is
removed.
The way in which this is performed is as follows:-
The ends of the belt are placed together, both pointing in one direction, and then
they are inserted between two plates of metal, having, on the sides in contact with the
belt, grooved, serrated faces, or any otherwise prepared faces, effective for the purpose
of gripping the belt across its whole width from one edge to the other. In the centre
is then placed a thin pad of India Rubber, Gutta Perclia, Felt, Leather, or other
suitable substance, which is so shaped as to spread out at the bottom, and fill up the
groove across the belt at the junction-Holes are then pierced from cus plate through
the two ends of the belt and the central pad to the other plate, and then the whole is
bolted together.
The central body, above described, may, if desired, be dispensed with; and, indeed,
for belts that have to do heavy work, and pass over pulleys with large diameters, I do
not use it.
I am aware that plates of metal on each side of the joined ends of a belt, and bolted
together through them, have long been in use, but in those cases the pulling strain is
on the bolts, and they are, in time, liable to tear cut. In my fastening, on the
contrary, the pulling strain is spread equally along the whole width of the belt, and
nearly wholly removed from the bolts, so much so, indeed, that even when the
plates are not bolted tight up, their prepared faces above the bolts, have such leverage

page_text: put upon them that they clip the ends of the belt so tightly as to hold them firmly in
their places.
The plates may be made of rolled iron or steel, or of malleable Cast Iron, steel,
brass, or any other suitable metal.
Figure 1. Shews the outside appearance of the metal plates.
Figure 2. Shews the inside appearance of the metal plates.
Figure 3. Is a sectional elevation of the belt and fastening when joined, A. and A.
being the metal plates, B. and B. the ends of the belt, and C. the central body or pad.
Figure 4. Is a plan of the belt and fastening when joined.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :—
1. The principle of spreading the holding power of the joining or piecing of
running driving belts across the whole width of the belt, by means of plates, with
prepared faces placed next the belt, on opposite sides of its joined ends, and bolted
together through them (as before explained) the result being that the pulling strain is
not wholly borne by the bolts, but by the whole width of the belt, from one edge to
the other. And I claim this principle if it is not spread across the whole width, but
only across a part or parts of the width of the belt.
2. The invention of the shaped central body.