IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY BRAKE APPARATUS FOR CAGES OF HOISTS AND LIFTS
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I THOMAS HICKEN of Dunchurch near Rugby in the County of Warwick
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SAFETY BRAKE APPARATUS FOR CAGES OF HOISTS AND LIFTS " and in what
manner the saine is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
My Invention relates to an improved safety device for mine and other similar
cages, whereby the cage will be prevented from falling in the event of the hoisting
rope giving way. This improved device consists essentially in the combination
with the guides and guiding brackets of the cage, of wedges which are held out of
action by the tension of the hoisting rope, but on the breakage of the latter are
caused to grip the guides and so arrest the fall of the cage.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification in which Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 a plan of the cage
(with the top removed) showing the combination of mechanism constituting this
invention.
a a are the usual wire rope or other guides at either side of the cage, b b are the
looped brackets at top and bottom of the cage which embrace the guides a and are
securely fixed to the frame work of the cage. cc are wedge shaped grippers
inserted through the looped brackets band between them and the guides a the
upper and lower wedges on the same side being connected so as to work
simultaneously by being formed on the same bar c¹. The wedges have their
smaller ends upwards and are fitted in suitable seats in the brackets b, so that on
receiving a relative upward motion they will become tightened in the brackets
and clamp the guides between them and the brackets. The wedges are held out of
operative position so as to allow the brackets to work freely on the guides, by the
weight of the cage hanging on the hoisting rope, acting through a central sliding
rod d to which the hoisting rope is attached, and a pair of levers e e pivoted to the
cage framing and engaging between pins on the bars c' or otherwise, so that when
the rod d is held up, the wedges are pressed down out of contact with the guides,
but in readiness for immediate action.
The wedges are thrown into action on the breakage of the rope by the action of
a spring g or a weight or its equivalent, which being released on the breakage of
the hoisting rone forces the wedges unwards.

page_text: 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
1st The combination with the guides and guiding brackets of a cage, of wedges
fitted in the brackets and adapted to grip the guides, substantially in manner
herein described.
2nd The combination with the wedges adapted to grip the guides in the manner
described, of the mechanism whereby the wedges are held out of action by the
weight of the cage on the hoisting rope, and are thrown into action immediately
on the breakage of said rope, substantially as shown and described.
THOMAS HICKEN.
By his Agents, A. M. & W Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, W.C.