IMPROVED STEAM GEAR FOR WINCHES
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERICK HOWARD LIVENS residing at 33 Portland St Lincoln in the County
of the same City Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVED STEAM GEAR FOR WINCHES" 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 the application of steam power to the winches in use
on small vessels which hitherto have been worked by hand at the same time it is
applicable to any similar winch or hoisting barrel which may or may not have
hand gear attached to it.
The usual arrangement of winch or "dandy" gear consists of a horizontal rope
barrel with double purchase hand gear arranged immediately over it at one end
and driven by convenient winch handle the motion being received by a large spur
wheel on the axle of the said barrel. By my Invention this spur wheel is utilized
for receiving the motion of the steam gear which is placed immediately under it and
by an arrangement hereafter described the steam gear can be at any time
disconnected and the hand gear used.
Motion is supplied by an oscillating steam cylinder actuating a crank shaft
which in turn drives a countershaft by means of a pinion and wheel another
pinion on the countershaft gearing into the main spur wheel on the barrel just
described.
All these parts are carried by one casting or bedplate and a starting valve and
reversing motion are combined thereto. The cylinder trunnions form the steam
and exhaust passages the bearing for the outer one being bolted to the bed plate.
By preference the steam is received through this into the cylinder steam chest by
means of a passage cast in the bedplate and coinciding with an opening through
the said bearing. The bottom of the gland box of each trunnion is formed by a
loose cap or bush put in from the opposite side so that by removing the same
packing. can be introduced and then tightened up afterwards in the usual way,
these loose caps also form the passages conveying steam to or from the trunnions.
The passage from the bearing on the exhaust side of the cylinder passes down
through the bed plate and has a branch passing to the seating on which is bolted
the stop valve. This branch forms one of three ports the other two being
respectively the steam inlet from the boiler and the passage cast in the bed plate
leading to the steam admission trunnion mentioned above.
A

page_text: The stop valve consists of a three way plug valve with passages arranged so that
steam can be shut off from the boiler then by about one third of a turn any
condensed water which may collect in the pipe can be blown through into the
exhaust pipe and by the next movement steain admitted to the cylinder steam
chest.
The reversing gear is a link having a circular groove or slot formed in it and
struck with a radius equal to its distance from the cylinder trunnion; this link is
pivotted on its centre and a block pivotted to the slide valve spindle slides up and
down therein as the cylinder oscillates. This link is further secured by a bolt at
one end passing through a slot formed in an arm cast on the loose bearing described
above according as the bolt is at one or other end of this slot the position of the
link is changed with reference to the path described by the block on the slide valve
spindle. When the link is in mid-position its curvature coincides with an arc
struck from the centre of the trunnion and there is no movement to the valve
when the cylinder oscillates at one end of the slot it causes the valve to move in
a proper manner for producing the rotation of the crank shaft in one direction
whilst at the other end of the slot the engine will rotate in the reverse direction ;
it is fixed in either of these positions by a suitable nut.
The slide valve spindle may be parallel to the piston or at an angle thereto
approaching a radial line drawn to the centre of the trunnion by preference it
projects from the back end of the cylinder.
A lever is pivotted on the crank shaft with a slot in the other end suitable for
dropping over the countershaft either on one side or the other of the pinion on this
shaft which slides thereon; and the lever sliding also on the crank shaft this pinion
is kept either in or out of gear with the spur wheel on the barrel according to the.
position of the lever.
In the accompanying Drawings A is the rope barrel and B the main wheel
thereon, C is the pinion gearing into this wheel and shown both in and out of
gear D and E are the wheel and pinion on the counter and crankshafts respectively
H is the lever or clutch and F and G are these two shafts J is the crank disc and
fly wheel and K is the crank pin. L and M are the outer and inner trunnions
forming respectively the steam and exhaust passages, N is the stuffing box.
0000 are the glands and P P are the loose caps which are removed when fresh
packing is required to be introduced Q is the slide valve spindle and R is the valve
S is the block in the slot-link sliding up and down therein and T is that link
pivotted on the bolt U and secured by the bolt V which is shown in the centre of
the slot, in this position the valve has no motion, and the engine will of course not
run, but by fastening the link at the end of the slot marked "forward " rotation
will take place in the direction of the arrow, whilst when at the other end marked
'back" the rotation will be reversed. W is the three way stop and starting valve,
X Y and Z being the ports formed in it and communicating respectively with the
passage to the cylinder, that to the steamchest and the branch to the exhaust
XX is the passage formed in the bed plate and X' is that communicating with it
in the bearing for the outer or steam admission trunnion; Y¹ is the pipe conveying
steam from the boiler; Z' is the branch to the exhaust passage Z from the inner
trunnion M and Z³ is the exhaust steam pipe.
kr
W¹ is the plug of the starting valve, W' and W' the spindle and hand lever.
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
I claim
First: The combination of an oscillating engine with countershaft gearing, stop
valve and reversing motion constituting steam gear for a winch as above described.
Second-The arrangement for repacking the trunnion gland boxes, and the
method of arranging the passages in the bed plate in connection with the trunnion
caps and with the stop and starting valve.
Third: The reversing motion as hereinbefore described in connection with the
oscillating cylinder,

page_text: Fourth-An oscillating engine and counter gearing carried by one bed plate in
the manner shown.
Fifth-The improved steam gear for winches substantially as described and
represented in the annexed Drawings.