Year: 1886

page_text: I WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No 11 Wellington Street Strand London in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
(communicated from abroad by Andrew S. Hallidie of San Francisco, California,
United States of America) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new article of manufacture, namely, a rope or cable
composed of strands formed of wires, the individual strands being covered with
flat metal strips, and having between each of said strips a small thread or wire to
prevent the strips from chafing at their edges. Fibrous filling is also placed between
the wires forming the strand before the covering-strip is put on, in order to form a
more complete and smooth cylindrical strand.

page_text: 62310
I WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE of No 11 Wellington Street Strand London in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a Communication from abroad by Andrew Smith Hallidie of 'San Francisco,
California United States of America) and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
:4
"
My Invention relates to wire ropes or cables composed of strands, which strands
are themselves composed of wires.
The object of the invention is to diminish or avoid altogether the wear upon
the wires, due to their frictional contact with sheaves or other supports, or to the
internal frictional contact of the strands with each other.
°
My Invention consists, first, of a wire rope or cable composed of strands, each
strand formed of wires and covered with strips of flat metal wound about the
completed strand.
My Invention consists, further, of a rope or cable composed of strands formed of
wires, having a fibrous filling between the wires, so as to form a complete and
smooth cylindrical strand, said strand being covered with strips of flat metal wound
thereon.
"My invention consists further, in interposing a thread or wire between the
coils of the flat metallic strips wound upon the strands, to prevent chafing of the
edges.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention
Figure 1 is a side view of a single strand, showing the flat metal strip partly
wound thereon.
Figure 2 is a cross-section on linex of Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows a side view of the strand partly covered with the flat strip, and
showing also the filling material.
Figure 4 is a cross-section on line of Fig. 3.
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1, excepting that the wire interposed
between the strips is shown.
Figure 6 is a cross-section of Fig. 5 on line x x thereof.
Figures 7. and 8 are side and cross-section views, showing the mode of fastening
the end of the covering-strip.
Figure 9 shows a cross-section of the finished rope.
In the drawings, a a represent the individual wires of which the strand is
formed, which may be twisted, if desired, about a core C, Fig. 1, of fibrous material
adapted to fill the spaces or crevices. The spiral spaces or crevices on the surface
of the strand, between the individual wires, are filled with fibrous material c, Fig. 3,
which filling brings the strand to a comparatively smooth cylindrical exterior.
These fillings also prevent the individual wires from frictional contact and chafing
with or upon each other, whereas in use, without this filling, the wires are reduced
in strength, and they become liable to break. The outer covering b, is a metallic
flat strip laid spirally around the strand, as shown, either single or in multiple,

page_text: The section of this strip are brazed together, and the ends are secured by
passing them through the strand and clinching, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 at h.
When the strands thus made are formed into a rope, as shown in Fig. 9, the
smooth exteriors of these covering-strips, bearing upon each other, diminish the
friction caused by the movement of the strands upon each other under flexure, and
protect the individual wires on the exterior of the strands wholly from the wear
which they would otherwise incur during such movement, and they protect not
only the interior surface of the strands in contact with each other, but also the
exterior surfaces, which are the outer surfaces of the rope, and in contact with the
supports on which the cable rests.
The inner fibrous material protects the inner surfaces, or surfaces within the
strands, from the effects of the lesser movements of these surfaces. A fibrous thread
or wire d is, when used, interposed between the edges of the folds of the flat strips,
and protects the edges from frictional contact.
I am aware that it is not new to cover a wire rope with a wire covering, and
I do not claim this covering of a finished rope.
A covering thus applied to a finished rope, protects the outer surfaces, and, to
that extent, performs the same function as the strand-covering in my rope; but
by applying the flat covering-strip to the strands, I protect the entire body of the
individual wires, not only from the internal wear, or wear of wires by frictional
contact with themselves, but I also protect them from the external wear.
I do not, however, limit myself to the use of the flat covering-strip only in
connection with the fibrous filling, as I may use it without that filling, and without
the fibrous thread or wire d.
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-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a wire rope composed of a series of strands
made up of individual wires, each of said strands being covered with flat strips
wound around the same, whereby each strand presents a smooth surface, circular
in cross-section, and all abrasion of the strands is avoided, substantially as
described.
2. As a new article of manufacture, a wire rope composed of a series of strands
made up of individual wires, having a fibrous filling between the same, each of
said strands being covered with flat strips wound around the wires composing the
same, whereby each strand presents a smooth surface, circular in cross-section, and
all abrasion of the strands is avoided, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the strands of a rope made of individual wires, and
having a covering of flat strips wound thereon, a thread or wire d interposed
between the edges of the folds of said strips, substantially as described.