Improvements in Automatic Clutches or Stopping Devices for Lifts, Mining Cages, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 6th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Clutches or Stopping Devices for Lifts,
Mining Cages, and the like.
We, ALBERT WILHELM PEUST of Wernigerode, and EDUARD TEWIS of
Frose (Anhalt) in the Empire of Germany, Electrician and Mine Director
respectively, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to clutches or stopping devices for lifts, mining cages and
the like, which devices produce an inimediate stoppage or fixing of the cage, on the
rope becoming slack or breaking.
Guide bars for the cage are fixed on both sides on the timbering of the shaft.
Discs revolubly mounted in the upper part of the cage, slide in slots in these guide
bars. These discs are provided at both sides with bevelled projections or wedge
pieces, and are connected by means of hinged arms with a cross bar of the vertical
main shaft. The lower end of the vertical main shaft is surrounded by a spiral
spring which, when the rope carrying the cage is kept taut, is compressed by the
weight of the cage, but on the rope becoming slack or breaking, causes a rotation
of the discs already mentioned so that their wedge-shaped projections enter the
slots of the guide bars. In this manner on the rope becoming slack or breaking,
the cage or lift is instantaneously fixed or held in the guide bars.
Instead of arranging only one disc ou each side of the cage, two such discs may
be employed by arranging them one above the other and allowing a common pinion
to gear with them.
Nothing is altered in the essential part of this invention if flat springs or the like
be employed instead of spiral ones. It is only essential that when the rope is taut
the wedge-shaped projections of the discs are kept out of the slots of the guide
bars, and on the rope becoming slack or breaking, they are forced into the slots by
spring pressure.
Dated the 9th day of May 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Automatic Clutches or Stopping Devices for Lifts,
Mining Cages, and the like.
We, ALBERT WILHELM PEUST of Wernigerode, and EDUARD TEWIS of
Frose (Anhalt) in the Empire of Germany, Electrician and Mine Director
respectively, 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 relates to clutches or stopping devices for lifts, mining cages and
the like, which devices produce an immediate stoppage or fixing of the cage on the
rone becoming slack or breaking.

page_text: This improved clutch device is shown in the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the upper part of a cage together with the guide bars
and clutch device, the rope being taut;
Figure 2 is a similar view with the rope slack;
Figure 3 is a section on the line vw of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a section on the line x y of Figure 2;
Figures 5 to 8 are details;
Figures 9 and 10 show a modified form of construction.
Guide bars a for the cage b are fixed on both sides on the timbering of the shaft.
In the upper part of the cage in addition to the vertical shaft c, there are arranged
supports d connected by crossbars d' and carrying revolubly mounted discs e.
Hinged arms or links f, the upper ends of which are connected to a cross bar g on the
vertical shaft, are connected to the discs e. The carrying rope h is attached in the
ordinary manner to the top of the vertical main shaft, whilst the lower end of
the said vertical main shaft is surrounded by a spiral spring k, which, when the
rope carrying the cage is kept taut, is compressed by the weight of the cage.
The discs e are provided on heth faces with wedges or bevelled projections e
which, when the rope is taut, lie outside the guide bars a but when the rope is slack
are forced into the slot of the guide bars by the action of the spiral' spring k,
which lifts the discs and causes them to be rotated by the links f. If the latter be
the case, the discs e act with their projections as wedges so that on the rope
breaking or becoming slack, the cage is instantaneously fixed in the guide bars a.
In order to still further ensure this fixing or gripping, the guide bars may have
corrugated sides as shown in Figure 8.
As soon as the rope f again becomes taut, the discs e again rotate until the
projections el come out of the guide bars and the cage is again free to move.
A modification is shown in Figures 9 and 10 in which instead of arranging only
one disc e on each side, two discs m and n are employed which are coupled to each
other by means of a pinion o so that the discs m and n always revolve in the same
direction. This device is attached to the cage in entirely the same way as shown
in Figures 1 to 4. On the rope becoming slack, the spring k forces the projections e
of the wheels m and n from below upwards into the guide bars a.
Nothing is altered in the essential part of this invention if flat springs or the
like be employed instead of the spiral spring k. It is only essential that when the
rope is taut the wedge-shaped projections of the discs are kept out of the slot of
the guide bars whilst on the rope becoming slack or breaking, they are forced into
the slots by spring pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An automatic clutch or stopping device for lifts, mining cages and the like,
characterised by an arrangement of discs (e) revolubly mounted on the cage and
provided with wedge like projections (e) adapted to be held normally away from a
slot in the guide bars (a) when the carrying rope is taut, but to enter said slot
under spring action when the rope is slack, whereby on the rope breaking or
becoming slack, an instantaneous clutching or stopping of the cage is produced,
substantially as herein before set forth.
2. A modification of the hereinbefore described automatic clutch or stopping
device for lifts, mining cages and the like, consisting in the arrangement at each side
of the cage of two discs (m and n) coupled together by a pinion (o) substantially
as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 5th don of L
2000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.