IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENERS FOR DRIVING BELTS
Year: 1884

page_text: I GEORGE SMITH of 12 Lower Free Lane Leicester in the County of Leicester
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENERS FOR DRIVING BELTS to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in making Belt or Band Fasteners of Steel or Metal, in
such shapes or forms, that an Instantaneous Application and powerful Grip, can
be made on the two ends of a Belt or Band, to secure the ends together, to make
the Belt or Band endless for easy running without jumping, over pullies or drums.
1st The ends of the Belt or Band to be secured together, can be either butted
end to end, and be secured between an inside and outside serrated steel or metal
plates, made half Hexagon or of a semicircular shape so that the inner plate will
not strike or come in contact with the pulley or drum which the Belt or Band.is
running on the previous named steel or metal plates, are caused to close together
on the ends of the Belt or Band by the action of a screw or screws in the centre of
the plates and between the ends of the Belt or Band, thereby leaving the inside
of the Belt or Band clear from any obstruction.
2nd A Modification of the previous described Belt or Band Fastener can be used,
by each end of the belt or band being turned or bent back in the shape of a hook
or half loop and the Fastener constructed with a Rigid arched or semicircular
serrated plate, having a double curved projection in the centre and with a double
joint or hinge at each end and two short serrated levers hinged thereto and pro-
vided with a wedge shaped headed bolt or screw, the head of which same bolt
engages with the curved loop ends of the Belt or Band previously described as
being bent back and the ends of the two short levers and presses the levers up
towards the rigid arched serrated plate thereby gripping the ends of the belt or
band between the two short serrated levers, and the rigid arched serrated plate,.
leaving the inside of the belt or band quite free to pass over any diameter of
pulley or drum without coming in contact with any obstruction from the Fastener.
3rd A Modification of the last named Belt or Band Fastener can be used by each
end of the belt or band being turned over or bent back in the shape of a hook or
half loop and the fastener constructed with a rigid arched semicircular serrated
plate having a double curved projection in the centre inside to receive the two ends
of the belt or band with a double joint or hinge at each end and two short serrated
ID 217

page_text: levers hinged thereto but without the wedge shaped headed bolt or screw pre-
viously described and provided with two or more screws or bolts passing through
the short serrated levers and the rigid arched or semicircular serrated plate for the
purpose of gripping the ends of the belt or band between the two short serrated
levers and the rigid arched or semicircular serrated plate as previously explained.
In the second and third modification of Belt or Band Fastener, the ends of the belt
or band are placed in the centre of the belt or band Fastener, and the ends of
belt or band bent backwards, right and left between the two short serrated levers
and the rigid arched or semicircular serrated plate and secured by the Clamping
screws described.
4th A Modification of the Belt or Band Fastener with two double serrated jaws
opening right and left, jointed or hinged together in the centre of the jaws, pro-
vided with two or more screws or bolts passing through the upper and lower levers
of each jaw nearest the centre for the purpose of gripping the two ends of the belt
or band between the said jaws.
The novelty of this invention is the simple and effective way in which the ends
of a belt or band can be secured together for the purpose of making an endless
belt or band by the use of the serrated grippling plates and levers or jaws and the
easy and rapid mode of attaching and detaching these Belt or Band Fasteners and
the great saving of time effected and the greater durability of the Belts or Bands
by not having to make any holes in the belts or bands and their suitability for any
width or strength of belts or bands made from any materials whatever.
1004
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page_text: I, GEORGE SMITH of 12 Lower Free Lane, Leicester, 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 will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of one form of grip and Figure 2 a side
view of the same; Figures 3 to 9 are similar views of modified forms of the grips.
The method adopted in this invention is to grip the ends of the belt or band
between plates which are preferably grooved, serrated, or roughened so as to take
firm hold of the belt; the roughened surfaces may be pressed together in a variety
of ways some of which are illustrated and explained by this specification.
In Figures 1 and 2 A is the belt to be joined. B is a curved plate grooved or
otherwise roughened to increase the hold upon its inner face B¹ against which the
belt is pressed by the plate C and bolt or bolts D, the latter being screwed up as
tight as necessary. It will thus be seen that the band is compressed tightly between
the plates B and C whose contiguous faces are roughened so that the desired hold
is obtained upon the ends of the belt without making holes in it.
Both plates B and C are curved to suit the drums over which the belt passes,
and where the diameter of these is known the curve of these plates may be set off
to the proper radius. Plate C may if desired be lined with leather or equivalents C¹
to prevent the plate slipping over the drum or the noise of the contact of this plate
upon the drum: the plates may be made of any suitable material preferably steel,
malleable iron, or brass.
In Figures 1 and 2 the belt is butt jointed, but in the modification shown in the
other figures the ends are either turned over or separated by the fastening.
In the form shown in Figures 3 and 4 the plate B has hinged or jointed to each
of its ends supplemental plates or extensions E the faces B¹ and E¹ being roughened;
the bolts D are carried by a central plate F whose length is equal to the breadth
of the plate B and whose faces F¹ are hollowed or curved to suit the curve of the
belt against which it presses. The face F2 is also hollowed to suit the pulleys or
drums over which it will have to pass. In using this form of the fastener the ends
of the belt are placed in position the supplemental plates E are folded over upon
it the bolts D inserted and the plate F drawn tight upon the belt holding it tight
and compressing it between plates B and E.
The form shown in Figures 5 and 6 is substantially the same as that of Figures 3
and 4 but the plate F is dispensed with and two sets of bolts D are used one set
for each plate E; by dispensing with the central plate F the two portions of the
belt are brought nearer together.
In the form shown in Figures 7 and 8 the supplemental plates E are hinged to
the centre of plate B instead of to the ends and plate B is itself divided across, the
two portions being hinged together, as shown thus making a flexible fastener which
will adopt itself to the size of drum over which it has to work.

page_text: The bolts D draw the plates B and E together compressing the ends of the belt
Leather or
between them as in Figures 1 and 2 the ends not being turned over.
equivalent facings E¹ may be used in this case also if desired.
The bolts D are preferably made with their heads sunk in countersunk holes in
the plates E; they may be screwed into or otherwise secured to the plate C if
desired.
In Figure 9 the bolts are dispensed with the ends of plate B being turned over
and carrying rollers G and H eccentrically pivotted whose length corresponds with
the breadth of plate B and a portion of whose surface is grooved or roughened to
correspond with the roughening B¹ upon the inner face of B-In fixing this fastener
the rollers are turned as at G and the end of the belt inserted; when the pressure
comes on and the belt is tightened and the roller is turned round by the belt as it
partly recedes till it assumes more or less the position shown at H, the eccentric
pivotting causing it to approach nearer to plate B and grip the belt between the
two roughened surfaces as before. The tighter the belt is strained the tighter it is
held. To facilitate the releasing of the belt if required arrangements may be made
for turning the rollers back, such for instance as squaring the end of the spindle.
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. In a belt fastener the method of securing the ends of the belt by gripping
them between two opposing faces substantially in the manner specified.
2. A belt fastener consisting of two curved plates such as B and C adapted to
be drawn together by one or more bolts D substantially in the manner and for the
purpose specified and shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.
3. In a belt fastener the combination with an outer curved plate such as B of
supplemental plates such as E hinged or jointed to the extremities of B and adapted
to be closed in upon B substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.
4. In a belt fastener the combination with a divided outer plate such as B of a
divided inner plate such as E all the parts being united at a common centre and
each pair of the jaws thus formed being adapted to be drawn together by bolts D
substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified and shown in Figures 7
and 8.
5. In a belt fastener the combination with a curved plate such as B of eccentric
rollers such as G H adapted to be pulled round by and grip the ends of the belt
substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified and shown in Figure 9.
Dated this 24th dox of Sentember 1885