Improvements in Windlasses.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30:h Aug., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct., 189
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Windlasses.
1, WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of Mansion House Buildings, Queen Victoria
Street, in the City of London, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in windlasses.
Hitherto in constructing windlasses which are driven by capstans it has been
usual to mount two cable holders on a single windlass shaft the result being that
the cable holders in purchasing the anchors are driven together and in the same
direction.
According to my invention instead of having a single windlass shaft I employ two
windlass shafts placed end to end.
Near the abutting ends of the shafts I mount two bevel wheels loosely one upon
each shaft; into these bevel wheels gears another bevel wheel mounted upon the
capstan shaft. The two hevel wheels upon the horizontal shafts are capable of being
connected to their respective shafts by clutches which by preference are compound
clutches as described in the Specification of my former patent No. 1298 of 1885,
by which means each cable holder can be driven independently of the other either
or in opposite
separately or together and when together either in the same
directions.
Instead of the driving wheels being keyed or connected to the windlass shaft
and the cable holders being capable of revolving upon their shafts the driving wheels
can revolve independently of their shafts and the cable holders are secured to and
revolve with their respective shafts.
Each cable holder and its shaft (being capable of revolving independently of the
driving wheels when the clutches above referred to are out of gear) is provided
with a friction brake, one portion of which is carried by the cable holder and the
other by the frame work of the windlass which supports the spindles.
Preferably these friction brakes are of the well known type of cone brakes or
compound friction plates.
The pressure nut for applying the necessary pressure to the friction brake instead
of revolving as usual with the windlass shaft gears into a stationary screw thread
carried by the outer frames of the windlass.
The windlass can be driven by any convenient power; when a direct steam engine
is used I mount a pair of cylinders upon the windlass frame driving an endless worm
which gears into a worm wheel mounted upon the capstan shaft.
By the arrangement of the compound clutches upon the windlass shaft any
reversing gear upon the engine can be dispensed with, and the engine need only
run in one direction, the reverse action of the windlass being obtained by means of
the clutches.
004
1
L1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Windlasses.
I; WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of Mansion House Buildings, Queen Victoria
Street, in the City of London, Mechanical 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in windlasses.
Hitherto in constructing windlasses which are driven by capstans it has been usual
to mount two cable holders on a single windlass shaft the result being that the
cable holders in purchasing the anchors are driven together and in the same
direction.
According to my invention instead of having a single windlass shaft I employ
two windlass shafts placed end to end, and having the cable holders mounted thereon
in such a manner that they revolve with but can slide upon their respective shafts.
Near the abutting ends of the shafts I mount two bevel wheels loosely one upon
each shaft; into these bevel wheels gears another bevel wheel mounted upon the
capstan shaft. The two bevel wheels upon the horizontal shafts are capable of being
connected to their respective shafts by clutches which by preference are compound
clutches as described in the Specification of my former patent No. 1298 of 1885, by
which means either cable holder can be driven independently of the other or together
and when together either in the same or in opposite directions.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it
can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation, half in section, and,
Figure 2 is a plan, partly in section, of a windlass constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 3 is a central transverse section of the windlass together with an elevation
of a capstan for operating the same.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
a, a are the two windlass shafts, placed end to end as clearly shewn in Figure 1
and b, b are the cable holders adapted to slide upon feathers c and to revolve with
their respective shafts a, a.
d, d are the two bevel wheels mounted loosely one upon each shaft a near the
ends where they abut.
e is the bevel wheel mounted upon the driving or capstan shaft ƒ and gearing
with both of the wheels d, d.
9, 9 are the clutches by means of which the two bevel wheels d, d can be
connected to their respective shafts a.
When both of the clutches are out of gear each shaft a with its cable holder b is
capable of revolving independently of the driving wheels d. I therefore provide for
each shaft a friction brake g' one portion of which is carried by the cable holder b
and the other by the frame work h which supports the shaft a of the windlass.
Preferably these friction brakes are of the well known type of cone brakes or compound
frictional plates as shewn in Figure 1.
The pressure nuts ii for applying the necessary pressure to the friction brakes g',
instead of revolving as usual with the windlass shaft work upon screw threads cut
upon short stationary tubes j surrounding the shafts a, a and held in the outer
frames or standards k k of the windlass so that if a nut i be turned on its screw it
will push the cable holder b to which it belongs laterally along its shaft a and
press the friction plates together thereby holding or preventing the cable holder b
from revolving.
The windlass can be driven by any convenient power. In the drawings 1 have
illustrated two methods of driving it, videlicet :-Firstly by hand, by means of a
capstan 1, Figure 3 on the vertical shaft f and secondly, by a direct acting steam
engine m, m which is shewn as being mounted upon the windlass framing h. The

page_text: engine m m drives an endless worm n, Figure
Figures 1 and 3 carried upon the shaft f.
which gears with a worm wheel o,
p. p Figures 2 and 3 are clutch levers for operating the clutches g, g.
By this construction either of the shafts a, with its cable holder b, can be revolved
independently of the other it being only necessary for this purpose to engage one
of the clutches g with its bevel wheel d and to disengage the other clutch from its
bevel wheel; or both shafts a a with their cable holders bh can be revolved together
in the same direction by coupling the two clutches g, g together and engaging one
of them with one of the bevel wheels d; or the two shafts and cable holders can be
caused to revolve at the same time but in opposite directions by engaging each of the
clutches g g with their respective bevel wheels d d.
By the use of compound clutches upon the windlass shaft as hereinbefore described
it is unnecessary to employ any reversing gear upon the engine and the engine will
only be required to run in one direction, the reverse action of the windlass being
obtained by means of the clutches in the manner described.
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 1
claim is :-
1. A windlass having two shafts placed in a line end to end and provided with
driving gear and clutches arranged in such a manner that either shaft can be revolved
independently of the other, or both revolved together in the same direction, or in
opposite directions, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
2. The improved windlass hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
th day of August 1900.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.