Improvements in or appertaining to Washers for Machinery.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Washers for Machinery.
I, THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP, of County Chambers, Martineau Street,
Birmingham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
If a washer be placed between two pieces of machinery which are not true
with one another-that is if their faces are not parallel with one another the
pressure between such faces will not be regular notwithstanding the fact that
the washer itself may be quite true and even throughout.
Now it is often important-as in the case of the end thrust of a shaft whether
such end thrust be taken by a rubbing surface or by a set of balls or rollers-
and in many other cases of moving pressures and in many cases of still pressures
-that such irregular or straining pressures be prevented and I prevent them
thus:-
I construct a washer which has a ridge or elevation right across the centre of
one of its faces and another ridge or elevation right across the centre of its
other face but the two ridges or elevations are at right angles with one another.
The effect of this is that the centre of the pressure is coincident with the centre
of the hole in the washer.
Having thus centred my pressure I may if I like place my specially made
washer between two other washers for the purpose of redistributing the pressure
over a larger area and this pressure will always be practically central even if the
surfaces kept apart (by what I hereby term my "rocking washer" or automatic
pressure centering washer") be unparallel to one another to the extent of several
degrees.
If I place my rocking washer between two other washers such two other
washers may have their edges turned inwards towards one another so that my
rocking washer will appear to be placed between two box lids but the edges of
these two lid shaped washers must clear one another or the object of my rocking
washer will be frustrated.
This rocking washer was specially invented by me for use in connection with
my patent system of tube making (numbered 18307 in the year 1897). In
working out this invention I found that the slightest irregularity in the ball
races caused rubbing as well as rolling and was prejudicial to the action of the
balls on the races and on the tube but that this new rocking washer got over
the difficulty.
Dated this 16th day of December 1899.

page_text: Improvements in or appertaining to Washers for Machinery.
I, THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP, of County Chambers, Martineau Street,
Birmingham, 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:-
-
If an ordinary washer be placed between two pieces of machinery which are
not true with one another that is if their faces are not parallel with one
another (and I may here instance the case of a nut screwed tightly up against
an irregular casting or the case of a screw propeller shaft bearing endwise con-
tinuously and heavily up against a bearing whose position may alter slightly,
and which alteration if ever so slight, will cause all the rubbing and straining to
be on one side only of the collar on the shaft and the ring which takes the end
thrust of the said collar) then the pressure between such surfaces being irregular
(and possibly in some cases all on one side, or even all on one very small area,
which said small area is in some cases at some distance from what should be
the centre point of mean pressure) will exercise injurious strains or injurious
wearing away, or both combined on the apparatus or machinery where such
irregular pressure is applied, notwithstanding the fact that such ordinary washer
may itself be quite true and even throughout.
Now as it is always advisable and often very important as in the case of the
end thrust of a shaft, when such end thrust is taken by a set of balls or rollers
that such irregular wearing away or straining pressures be prevented-and-I
prevent them thus:-
I construct a washer which has a ridge or elevation right across the centre
of one of its faces and another ridge or elevation right across the centre of its
other face, but the two ridges or elevations are at right angles with one another;
the effect of this is that the centre of the pressure is coincident with the centre
of the hole in the washer.
Having thus centred my pressure I may, if I like, place my specially made
washer between two other washers for the purpose of re-distributing the pressure
over a larger area, and which pressure will always be practically central, even
if the surfaces kept apart (by what I hereby term my rocking washer" or
automatic pressure centering washer") be unparallel to one another to the
extent of several degrees.
"
If place my rocking washer between two other washers, such two other
washers may have their edges turned inwards towards one another, so that my
rocking washer will appear to be placed between two box lids, but the edges of
these two lid shaped washers must clear one another or the object of my rocking
washer will be frustrated.
This rocking washer was specially invented by me for use in connection with
my patented system of tube making--numbered 18307, in the year 1897. In
working out this invention I found that the slightest irregularity in the ball
races caused rubbing as well as rolling, and was prejudicial to the action of the
balls on the races, and on the tube, but that this my new rocking washer got
over the difficulty.
It now appears that it will be specially useful in connection with heavy bridge
work, heavy girder work, heavy crane work, heavy foundation work, and in
many other cases of heavy structural work, where it is advisable to get the full
strength of those parts of the heavy screwed rods or bolts employed, which are
their weakest parts, namely the screwed ends; and here I may remark that the

page_text: insertion of one of my rocking washers under a nut makes it wholly unnecessary
either for the nut to be turned or the bedding on which it bears to be faced
since the employment of one of my rocking washers causes one half of the strain
to be on one side of an imaginary line drawn at right angles through the axis
of the nut and the other half of the strain to be on the other side of such line-
in other words the thread cannot be bent or even strained sideways.
My rocking washer is also useful in the manufacture of faced nuts:-When
nuts are faced in a lathe they are temporarily run on to a short screwed spindle
up against a turned collar; this screwed spindle generally fits the nut loosely,
for convenience, and so the turned collar cants over the rear end of the nut,
which is irregular because it has not been turned, and as a consequence of this
action the front end of the nut which has just been faced, is not at right angles
with the axis of the thread-and a moment's thought will make it evident that
when this want of squareness between the face of the nut and the axis of the
thread, has once been established, it cannot ever be got rid of by merely turning
the nut round and round and refacing it each time it is turned round. Now
this automatic pressure centering washer" of mine--by putting half the pres-
sure on either side of the rear end of the nut-so presses the thread of the nut
evenly all round up against the thread of the short screwed spindle, that we at
once get a nut whose faces are dead true with its thread.
I will now proceed to further explain my invention with the aid of drawings,
and to enable me to do so, I have appended three sheets of drawings through-
out on which, as far as possible, I have made the same letters refer to the same
or corresponding parts:-
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 on Sheet 1 represent my washer in its simplest form.
Figure 1 is an outside edge elevation, RE being the ridge or elevation,
running right across the top side of the washer, while CA shews where the
metal has been cut away to form or leave such ridge, and R E2 is the ridge or
elevation running right across the bottom side, but at right angles with RE,
while CA shews where the metal has been cut away to form or leave the
ridge R E².
Figure 2 is an outside edge elevation of Figure 1, turned a quarter round,
the same lettering denoting the same parts.
Figure is a plan of Figure 1, the same lettering denoting the same parts.
Figure 4 is a plan of Figure 2, the same lettering denoting the same parts.
Figures 5, 6 & 7 on Sheet 2 represent my washer with the two extra washers
added.
Figure 5 shews the arrangement in section where W is my new washer.
and L L are the two lid shaped extra washers partially encasing the washer W
with their edges turned at E E.
Figure 6 is an outside view in plan of Figure 5, the same lettering denoting
the same parts.
Figure 7 is an outside view in elevation of Fig. 5, the same lettering denoting
the same parts.
Figures 8, 9 & 10 on Sheet 3 represent my new washer arrangement in use
under three different conditions which often occur in practice, but in none of
them is there any straining whatever on the thread of the bolt.
Figure 8 is an outside elevation of my washer arrangement in use with a
nut, the under face of which is not true with the thread.
Figure 9 is an outside elevation of my washer arrangement in use where
the surface which receives the nut pressure is out of truth.
Figure 10 is an outside elevation of my washer arrangement in use, where
the surface which receives the pressure of the nut, and the undersurface of the
nut itself are both out of truth.
In all these figures the slope of the washer faces, and the inaccuracy of the
nut faces, and the bearing below it have been purposely somewhat exaggerated
to make my meaning more clear,

page_text: "
My rocking washer may be made in any suitable metal, either cast or forged,
and it may either be used "black or machined. For most ordinary purposes a
simple stamped black washer will do, stamped out of sheet iron or steel, and
without the extra lid washers: in special cases my rocking washer may be also
used as a spring washer. When I use it as a spring washer, I preferably make
it thus I first make it as an ordinary washer out of sheet steel, next I stamp
it to the desired shape with its two ridges at right angles to one another and
then I harden it in oil.
:
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
A washer with a ridge or elevation running right across one of its faces, and
another ridge or elevation running right across its other face-the one ridge or
elevation being at right angles to the other. substantially as herein described
and illustrated, and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 31st day of January 1900.
THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP.