Novel or Improved Variable Speed Gear.
Year: 1898

page_text: Novel or Improved Variable Speed Gear.
I, HERBERT AUSTIN, Works Manager to the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine
Company, Limited, of Sydney Works, Alma Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
--
This invention has for its object novel or improved gear for use in varying the
speed of a driven shaft, or of a driven wheel or pulley, in relation to the speed
of a driving shaft or driving wheel or pulley.
Upon the driven shaft, or otherwise upon an axis around which the driven
wheel or pulley revolves, is mounted a pair of arms in the outer ends of which
are carried the ends of a short spindle, and upon this spindle is carried a cone of
pulleys. These pulleys are geared by means of a wheel, pinion, or pulley, which
is around the spindle which carries them, with a wheel, pinion, or pulley which
is mounted upon the driven shaft, in the case in which the arms are carried upon
such a shaft, or is, otherwise, mounted upon a circular bearing surface upon which
it turns. The arms are carried upon the driven shaft, or upon cylindrical bear-
ing surfaces, as the case may be, in such manner that they are just an easy
turning fit thereon. A cone of pulleys corresponding to the driven cone, that is
to say, to the cone first above described, is fixed upon the driving shaft, or is
mounted upon a suitable cylindrical surface around which it can readily turn,
and this driving cone drives the driven cone through the medium of a belt, as in
the ordinary manner of driving one cone of pulleys from another. When the
belt is as tight as is required for driving, the arms aforesaid are at a considerable
inclination with the line joining the axes of the driving cone and the driven
shaft or driven wheel or pulley, and when it is required to slacken the belt so as
to shift it from one pair of pulleys of the cones to another pair, the arms are
moved towards the line which joins such axes. The belt may then be moved
by means of a belt shifter on to another pair of pulleys, as desired. To facilitate
the moving of the belt from one pair of pulleys to another, the steps are made
with a comparatively small rise, that is to say, the difference in diameter between
two adjacent pulleys is comparatively small, and the sideway faces of these steps.
are bevelled or inclined to give the belt a lead from a pulley of smaller diameter
on to one of larger diameter.
Dated this Sth day of September 1898.

page_text: Manufacturers, 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:
This invention has for its object novel or improved gear for use in varying the
speed of a driven shaft, or of a driven wheel or pulley, in relation to the speed
of a driving shaft or driving wheel or pulley.
Upon the driven shaft, or otherwise upon an axis around which the driven
wheel or pulley revolves, is mounted a pair of arms in the outer ends of which
is carried a short spindle, and upon this spindle is carried a cone of pulleys.
These pulleys are geared by means of a wheel, pinion, or pulley, which is around
the spindle which carries them, with a wheel, pinion, or pulley which is mounted
upon the driven shaft, or is, otherwise, mounted upon a circular bearing surface
upon which it turns and which has an axis which is common with the axis of the
inner ends of the arms. The arms are just an easy turning fit upon the shaft or
bearing upon which they are mounted. A cone of pulleys corresponding to the
driven coue, that is to say, to the cone first above described, is fixed upon the
driving shaft, or is mounted upon a suitable bearing around which it can readily
turn, and this driving cone drives the driven cone through the medium of a belt,
as in the ordinary manner of driving one cone of pulleys from another. When
the belt is as tight as is required for driving, the arms aforesaid are at an angle
with the line joining the axes of the driving cone and the driven shaft or driven
wheel or pulley, and when it is required to slacken the belt so as to shift it from
one pair of pulleys of the cones to another pair, the arms are moved in a direction
to slacken the belt. The belt may then be moved, by means of a belt shifter or
otherwise, on to another pair of pulleys, as desired. To facilitate the moving of
the belt from one pair of pulleys to another, the steps are made, preferably with
a comparatively small rise, that is to say, the difference in diameter between two
adjacent pulleys is comparatively small, and the sideway faces of these steps
may be bevelled or inclined to give the belt a lead froin a pulley of smaller
diameter on to one of larger diameter.
In order that the invention may be readily understood, I will proceed to describe,
by way of example, a practical application of the same, as illustrated by the
drawings herewith.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the novel or improved gear. Figure 2 is an
elevation thereof looking in the direction of the arrow Figure 1. Figure 3 is a
sectional plan, taken on line of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a plan of the
entire mechanism.
A is the driving shaft and B the driven shaft. Upon the shaft A is fixed a
cone of pulleys C. A pair of arms 1) are mounted at their inner ends around
the axis of the driven shaft B. These arms are joined together by a sleeve d
which surrounds the shaft B, and the sleeve is prolonged at its ends to form
journals which are mounted in fixed bearings ee whereby any sideway pull of
the arms is borne entirely by the bearings and the shaft B thus relieved from
any strain or friction resulting therefrom. The outer ends of the arms D are
formed as bearings f within which is mounted a spindle g. A cone of pulleys C'
is fixed upon the spindle y in position between the arms D, and on an end of the
spindle g is fixed a spur wheel which gears with a spur wheel h¹ fixed upon the
driven shaft B. It is preferred to drive the cone C downwards from the cone C
through the medium of a belt which is substantially vertical, as shewn; and in
the normal condition of working, that is to say, when the belt is tightened for
driving, the pair of arms 1 stand at right angles, or approximately so, to the
line joining the centres of the shafts A and g, as best seen by Figure 1. The
arms are turned about the axis of the shaft B by means of a lever E which is
fixed to the sleeve d. This lever is provided with a catch i for engagement with
teeth of a quadrant F, whereby the lever may be held in any position into which
it has been moved to tighten the belt. The upper portion E¹ of the lever E is

page_text: utilised, also, for shifting the belt, for which purpose it is provided with an in-
wardly projecting fork &, which passes on opposite sides of the belt, and is pivoted
at its lower end to the upper end of the portion E of the lever so that it may be
moved sideways to shift the belt. A multiple guide G is formed with open-
ended slots l, into one or other of which the portion E of the lever passes as the
lever is moved inwards to tighten the belt. These slots correspond, respectively,
in position, with the positions of the pulleys of the cone C. When the lever has
been pulled backwards to sufficiently slacken the belt to enable it to be shifted
from one pair of pulleys to another, the upper portion E¹ of the lever is clear
of the guide G and it may then be moved sideways to shift the belt to the right
pair of pulleys, and will then be in position to enter the corresponding slot as
it is moved inwards to tighten the belt. The operating edge of the catch i is
struck from the centre of the pin m by means of which the upper portion E¹ of
the lever is pivoted to the lower portion E, and thus when the catch is down it
will always properly engage with the ratchet teeth of the quadrant Finto what-
ever position the upper portion E of the lever may have been moved sideways in
relation to the lower portion E. The sideway faces n of the steps of the cones of
pulleys may be inclined somewhat, as shewn, to facilitate moving the belt from a
pulley of smaller diameter to a pulley of larger diameter.
It will be obvious that the driving may be the reverse way to that above de-
scribed, that is to say, the shaft B may, if desired, be the driving shaft and drive
the shaft A through the medium of the spur wheels h h and the cones of
pulleys and C. In such case, the shaft B may be the upper, otherwise the
belt would be shifted by hand.
In cases in which no considerable variation is required between the relative
speeds of the shafts carrying the cones of pulleys, it will be obvious that a plain
pulley having a width of tace corresponding to that of the cones may be em-
ployed in lieu of either of the cones, as the speed will of course be varied if the
belt is shifted along a plain pulley and on to a step of a cone of greater or less
diameter than that upon which the belt was previously running. It is much
preferred, however, to use a pair of cones, as by so doing only a comparatively
slight movement of the arms is required to slacken or tighten the belt.
The driving gear may be adapted for a rope in lieu of a belt, 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-
1. Novel or improved variable speed gear which comprises a turning piece
mounted to turn about the axis of a shaft, or wheel, or pulley, a coue of pulleys
carried by the outer end of the turning piece, gearing between the axis about.
which the turning piece turns and the axis of the said cone, a second cone of
pulleys, a belt or rope connecting the two cones or pulleys, and means by which
said turning piece may be moved to tighten or slacken the belt or rope, substan-
tially as described, and also the modification described in which a plain pulley,
is substituted for one of the cone pulleys.
2. The novel or improved variable speed gear, substantially as described with
reference to the drawings herewith.
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