IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PULLEY BLUCRO AND SHEAVES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PULLEY BLUCRO AND
SHEAVES." A communication from abroad by John James Doyle, of
Brooklyn, King's County, State of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th June 1864.
1, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PULLEY BLOCKS
AND SHRAVES," to be as follows:-.
The object of this Invention is to obviate a large portion of the friction
attending the use of pulley blocks as at present constructed, and at the same
time to reduce the dimensions of a block of a given power, while the smallest
sheave of the same will admit of the rope bending or conforming to it perfectly
without the liability of rupturing its outer fibres.
The Invention consists in the employment of one or more excentric sheaves
Price S1

page_text: ma puney DOCK I Comection WILLI Sheaves 01 the ordmarу concentric
construction.
In the ordinary kinds of blocks an axle is used, having two trunnions
suited to revolve in bearings which are affixed to the outside cheeks or shell
of the blocks. Upon this axle are placed certain pulleys or sheaves, so pro-
portioned in the circumference of their peripheries that each sheave shall be
capable of taking up its proper proportion of rope, and at the same time the
circumference of the eye or bore of each sheave shall follow and correspond
with the motion of the circumference of axle, or otherwise perform their
revolution in equal times with it, and acting thus in a reverse manner to the
ordinary pulley blocks, in which the axis or pin is fixed, and have the several
sheaves revolving upon and around it with an increased ratio of speed from
left to right.
To effect this result three sheaves are employed, separated from each other
by checks, which are connected together at suitable distances apart by rods in
the usual manner. These sheaves are mounted upon an axle which has its
bearings in the outer cheeks only of the pulley block. One of these sheaves
is keyed or fixed to the axle, another is placed loosely but concentrically upon
it; and the third is also loose, but is placed excentrically upon the axle. The
first and second sheaves are of the ordinary construction, and therefore do not
require any particular description; but as regards the third sheave, its chief
feature consists in its excentricity with the axle. It is constructed with a hub
provided at one side with a flange, and another flange is made separately, and
secured to the other side of the hub by screws. This hub has a hole twice
the diameter of the axle, made centrally through it for the axle to pass through.
In the space or groove formed by the two flanges, there are placed a series of
antifriction rollers, which are encompassed by a grooved ring to receive the
rope. The rope is attached to the upper block in any convenient manner.
and passes around the several sheaves of the two blocks, which are constructed
precisely alike. By the excentric position of the third sheave. a very compact
pulley block of a given power is obtained with sheaves of practical dimensions,
and which will allow of a strong rope passing over without rupturing or
breaking the outer strands.
In case of the application of a larger number of sheaves in pulley blocks, a
second excentric sheave is applied for the purpose of admitting and preserving
a large and suitable diameter in the whole.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
1, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PULLEY BLOCKS AND SHEAVES,"
being a communication from abroad," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to prevent a large portion of the friction
attending the use of pulley blocks as at present constructed, and at the same
time to reduce the dimensions of a block of a given power very materially,
while the smallest sheave of the same will admit of the rope bending or con-
forming to it perfectly without the liability of rupturing its outer fibres.
The Invention consists of an improved construction of pulley blocks to be
employed in raising weights and materials, in the same manner as the ordinary
ones are used and applied, and which pulleys are constructed in the following
manner,

page_text: In the ordinary kinds of blocks an axle is placed, having two trunnions
suited to revolve in bushings or bearings, which are affixed to the outside
checks or shell of the blocks. Upon this axle are placed certain pulleys or
sheaves, so proportioned in the circumference of their peripheries that each
sheave shall be capable of taking up its proper proportion of rope, and at the
same time the circumference of the eye or bore of each sheave shall follow
and correspond with the motion of the circumference of axle, or otherwise
perform their revolution in equal times with it, and acting thus in a reverse
manner to the ordinary pulley blocks, in which the axis or pin is fixed and
have the several sheaves revolving upon and around it with an increased ratio
of speed from left to right.
In order to effect this result, one or more excentric pullies are placed loosely
on the axle of the block in connection with a fast pulley or one which turns
with the axle, as berein-after fully set forth.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of a set of the improved
pullies adjusted for use; Fig. 2 is a section of one of the blocks of the same,
taken in the line 2, 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section of an excentric sheave
pertaining to the same taken in the line y, y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section of
Fig. 3, taken in the line z, z.
In Fig. 1, A represents the cheeks of a pulley block, connected together at
suitable distances apart by rods B,. as usual; C, D, E, represent three sheaves
or pulleys, C being keyed or made fast to the axle F, D being placed loosely
but concentrically upon it, and E being placed excentrically upon the axle.
The axle has its bearings in the outer checks A only.
The sheaves C, D, require no particular description, but the sheave E being
constructed and applied in a novel way, and forming the gist of the Invention,
I will proceed to describe it minutely. The chief feature in this sheave E
consists in its excentricity with the axle F.
In Figs. 2, 3, and 4, a represents a hub provided at one side with a flange b,
which may be cast with it. Another flange c is made separately, and secured
to the other side of the hub by screws d. The hub has a hole e made
centrally through it for the axle F to pass through. The edges of this hole
are rounded off, so as to permit of the sheave maintaining a steady bearing in
corresponding grooves in the axle, and the hole is made twice the diameter of
the axle (see Figs. 3 and 4). In the space or groove formed by the two
flanges b, c, there are placed a number of friction rollers f, which are encom-
passed by a ring g, the outer surface of the latter being grooved circumferentially
to receive the rope G of the block. The rope G is attached to the upper
block; as shewn at h, and passes around the several sheaves of the two blocks,

page_text: as shewn in Fig. 1. Both blocks are constructed precisely alike, and the
rope G is arranged or applied in the usual way.
From the above description it will be seen that the excentric position of the
sheave E is due to the increased diameter of the hole e in the hub a, over the
diameter of the axle F, and this excentricity virtually diminishes the diameter
of the sheave to a degree equal to its excentricity, as seen in Figures 3 and 4.
By this arrangement I obtain in a very compact way a pulley block of a
given power with sheaves of practical dimensions, for if the sheaves D, E, be
each seven (7) inches in diameter, and the pulley C ten and a half (10)
inches, the proportion 3, 7, 10, is obtained on account of the diameter of
the sheave E being reduced by its excentric arrangement on the axle F, the
hole e of the hub of the sheave E being twice the diameter of the portion of
the axle F on which it rests.
A pulley block could not be constructed with sheaves of the above dimensions,
to wit, 3. 7. 10. for a strong rope could not bend or conform to the
periphery of a three-and-a-half inch pulley. as its outer fibres would rupture
or break, hence I obtain with sheaves of a practical size the result above
specified, and if the diameter the sheaves be enlarged as in the old way,
to obtain that proportion the block would be too large and cumbersome for
practical purposes.
I would remark that the friction rollers are simply to admit of the ring g
having a small compensating movement, either forward or retrograde, to adjust
any errors in the proper order of motion of the rope.
I would further remark that a sheave of nine inches diameter is about as
small as a strong rope will bend or work over without straining or fracturing
its outer strands, and hence a block constructed according to the present
Invention, with its sheaves D, E, of nine inches, and the sheave C thirteen-
and-a-half inches, will bear the proportion 4, 9, 13, while according to the
old plan, to obtain the same proportion, the sheaves would require to be
respectively 9, 18, 27 inches in diameter dimensions, which arrangement is
altogether impracticable.
When it is required to further limit the motion of an excentric sheave by a
proportional enlargement of its eye or bore, it may be necessary in regard to
the strength of its materials in the inner body of the sheave to dispense with
the use of the rope-bearing ring, and substitute therefor a set of concave-
surfaced rollers, having their axles or pins inserted into a pair of flange rings
free to move between the flanges of the inside body of the sheave upon which
the rollers travel, with the rope bearing directly upon them.
In case of the application of a larger number of sheaves in pulley blocks, a

page_text: second excentric sheave is employed for the purpose of admitting and preserving
a large and suitable diameter in the whole and full set of sheaves. The large
diminution of frictional motion and surface becomes more particularly apparent
in blocks having from three to six or more sheaves.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me
as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying. the same into effect,
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the
employment or use in a pulley block of one or more excentric sheaves in con-
nection with the ordinary concentric sheaves, one or more arranged to operate
in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)