Improvements in "Grips" for Cable Railways.
Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by EDWARD DYER DOUGHERTY, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturing Engineer.]
Improvements in "Grips" for Cable Railways.
I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide a cable grip embodying one or more
gripping clamps capable of being depressed towards a base piece and grip the cable
between the opposed surfaces of the clamps and base piece and to further provide
means for raising and lowering the cable into or out of contact with the gripping
surfaces.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents one view of an apparatus
designed to pick up a single cable or a cable on one side of the carriage only. Figure 2
represents a face view thereof in elevation. Figure 3 represents a modified form of the
apparatus.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate similar views of apparatus for picking up and gripping
a cable lying on either side of the car or carriage and which is similar in principle
and mode of operation to the single grip about to be described.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts in the various views or figures.
The apparatus consists of two vertical metal plates A A secured to a frame or
bracket B by means of which they are supported on the car or dummy which carries
the grip mechanism. The upper ends of the plates A are connected by means of the
yoke the vertical sides C₁ of which are forked to embrace the plates A. To the
lower ends of the plates A at D is fixed the base piece or block D' which is preferably
made of metal the length thereof corresponding with the width between the outer
edges of the plates A. In the centre of the upper horizontal bar of the yoke is
formed a boss C perforated axially to receive the shank of a screw c a collar c formed
on this shank or stem bearing against the lower face of the boss. On the upper end
of the screw shank is rigidly fixed a hand wheel c³. Between and parallel with the
plates A are placed other plates E the outer edges of which are in sliding contact

page_text: with the inner edges of the plates A. These plates E are connected at their upper
ends to a double cross piece E' integral with which is formed a nut e formed with an
internal thread to receive the screw c. Lower down they are rivetted or screwed to
horizontal plates E2 which extend on each side to the outer edges of the plates A thus
forming guides which serve to keep the plates A and E in the same vertical plane.
The base block D₁ is constructed with an inclined face D2 the upper or central
portion of the block being formed into a rounded boss that is perforated longitudinally
for the reception of a bolt d a dovetailed groove is also cut in the face D² for the
reception of a wearing plate d' which may be changed at pleasure. On the bolt d are
pivotted the arms F of the grip jaw F which is made of a width to correspond with the
width of the base block. The face of the grip jaw is inclined parallel to the face D2 of
the base block and is also similarly grooved for the reception of a wearing plate f¹.
The upper ends of the arms F of the grip jaws are pivotted to links F2 and by means
of these are connected with studs f1 formed on or attached to one of the sliding
plates E2.
The apparatus described comprises the whole of the grip mechanism and it will be
readily seen that by turning the hand wheel C³ the plates E E' and E2 will be raised or
Jowered relatively to the plates A and through the medium of the links F' the arms F
and the grip jaw F¹ will be caused to oscillate on the bolt d and consequently grip or
release the cable G.
The mechanism for picking up and lowering the cable G consists of two arms H
which are mounted one at each end on a shaft or axis G¹ which traverses the base block
longitudinally and is capable of revolving therein. About the middle of the shaft G¹
is mounted a toothed wheel G2 which engages with a similar toothed wheel G³
suitably mounted in the cut away portion of the base block. A rack G engages with
the wheel G³ this rack being formed on or attached to the bottom of a plate G³ which
fits so as to be free to slide between the plates E and is supported at its upper end by
links J attached to the quadrant lever J' which is pivotted to the yoke Cat J² and is
provided with an ordinary spring stop J³ which engages with a notched quadrant J*
and retains the lever J¹ in any desirable position.
In the drawings the lever J is shown in its lowest position the plate G³ and the
arms H being elevated this being the position of the parts after the cable has been
raised and placed between the gripping jaws. By raising the lever J' sufficiently the
plate G³ will be lowered and the wheels G and G³ turned until the arms H are in
the position indicated by dotted lines. The arms H consist preferably of a series of
rollers mounted on a central axis so as to reduce friction. The outer rollers h¹ are
bell shaped or expanded so as to enable them to pick up the cable. To ensure the
discharge of the cable when the jaws are relaxed dischargers K. are employed. These
consist of wedge shaped plates attached to rods K' which are fixed to cross bars K2
the latter being rivetted to the vertical rack plate G³ so as to rise and fall therewith.
In the head of the discharger is formed a slot k through which passes a bolt or
stud which is fixed in the base block and serves as a guide for the discharger. As
the rack plate G' descends the dischargers descend along therewith and the inclined
faces coming in contact with the cable force the same from between the gripping jaw
and the base block.
In Figure 3 is shown a modification of the apparatus above described.
In this case the rack plate is formed in one piece with the discharger and placed
outside the grip jaw and base block where it gears with a pinion on the same stud
or shaft as that on which the wheel L is mounted. This communicates the motion
imparted by the rack through the carrier L' to the wheel L² on the axis of which is
mounted the picking up arm H. The links F are dispensed with and the oscillatory
motion imparted to the grip jaws F1 by means of slotted plates E³ fixed to the
plates Ethrough the slots of which plates E pass studs e fixed in the top of the
arms F. The letters of reference not alluded to indicate parts corresponding with
those indicated by the same letters in the previously described figures.
Figure 4 represents a front view of an apparatus designed to pick up and grip a
cable lying on either side of the centre of the grip carriage and Figure 5 is a side

page_text: elevation thereof. In this apparatus the base block is formed with grip faces on both
sides the grip jaws are in duplicate and are rule jointed so that each pair lie exactly
opposite to each other; the rack G is formed with teeth on each side; two sets of
driving gear and cam plates are employed and the discharger has an inclined face on
cach side. The general construction and mode of operating the mechanism is similar
to that described with reference to the single grip and does not require to be specially
described.
Figure 6 shows a form of apparatus that is intended to utilize one set of pick up
arms for the elevation of either of two cables that lie on opposite sides of the grip
body either one being eligible for use as may be required. The gripping jaws are
constructed and operated in the same manner as previously described but the partial
rotation of the shaft d on which the pick up arms are fixed is effected by the sub-
stitution of a shaft and worm gear for the rack and pinions previously described. A
single wheel N gears with the worin barrel N¹ and also with a similar wheel N' on
the shaft G that carries the pick up arms. The shaft N³ may be caused to revolve
by hand wheel or other means as may be found most convenient and the pick up
arms being pivoted in the centre of the apparatus can be caused to pick up whichever
cable is required.
It will be apparent that other changes in the details of construction and method of
operating the various parts may be made without exceeding the scope of this invention
and therefore I do not limit myself the exact form described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the same
is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a cable gripping device the combination with a base block or stationary jaw
such as D of a hinged or movable jaw F operated by link or cam or equivalent
mechanism in manner substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a cable gripping device the combination with a sliding rack bar of a pick up
arm such as H and suitable gearing engaging with the rack bar for operating the pick
up arm substantially as described and illustrated in the annexed drawings.
3. In a cable gripping device the combination with the movable and fixed jaws of
cable dischargers K substantially as described.
4. In a cable gripping device the combination of rack G and cable discharger K
substantially as described and illustrated in figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a cable gripping device having jaws on both sides the combination of the said
jaws with pick up arms located midway between the two sets of jaws and capable of
being operated so as to place the cable in either pair substantially as described and
shown in figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a cable gripping device the combination with a stationary jaw and a pivoted
jaw of arms such as H for picking up the cable and carrying it in between the jaws
and a vertically sliding ejector for discharging the cable from between the jaws
substantially as described.
7. The combinations of parts forming the respective modifications of the improved
cable gripping and discharging mechanism substantially as described and illustrated
in the annexed drawings.
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