Improvements in Apparatus for Actuating Lifts, Elevators, and similar Machinery.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Actuating Lifts, Elevators, and
similar Machinery.
We, ARTHUR WILBRAHAM DILLON BELL, Civil Engineer, and JOHN
WELSBY, Mechanical Engineer, both of the City of Wellington, in the Colony
of New Zealand, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for actuating lifts, elevators,
and similar machinery, and more particularly to the method of arranging the ropes
and pulleys of such machinery.
The principal objects of our invention are:-
1. So to arrange the ropes and pulleys that a single rope or multiple ropes may
be arranged with pulleys so placed that either the power or velocity may be readily
increased or diminished with greater simplicity in working than heretofore, and
accurate adjustment of the tension on the single or several ropes, and in such a
way that each rope lies in a vertical plane throughout its length.
2. To remove the liability of the ropes becoming entangled and reduce the
friction, at the same time that the speed of the lift can be readily increased or
diminished.
3. To provide a simple differential apparatus for lifts and elevators.
We attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which :-
Fig. 1 is a front view of our apparatus shewing treble gear in action.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the same but with double gear in action.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the same with only single gear in action.
Fig. 4 shews an alternative method of arranging the upper pulleys.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the lower part of our apparatus in detail and drawn to
a larger scale.
Fig. 6 is a side view of the same.
Fig. 7 is a front view of the pulley frame.
Fig. 8 is an end view of the same.
Fig. 9 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 10 shews a method of lifting from a jib or cat head.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
a, is the cylinder commonly used for lifts or elevators actuated by steam or
water power.
b, is the piston and rod of the same.
c, is the cross head attached to the piston rod b, and carrying pulleys p, p¹, & p².
c¹, are guide bars or rods fastened to the cross head c, and extending upwards so
as to form guides for a purpose to be hereinafter described.
d, is a beam or support to which is attached a guide piece d', through which the
bars or rods c', slide freely.
r, are the ropes or chains which may be either single or in duplicate, or of any
number desired or required for safety, and working parallel with one another in
grooves formed in the pulleys for the purpose, see Fig. 6.
p², p², are pulleys to receive the lower ends of the ropes, turning freely in
bearings q, which are capable of sliding in the guides c¹.
p3, are the upper guide pulleys for the ropes, working in bearings fastened to a
beam or support s.
P are the upper guide pulleys placed on suitable supports s¹, in a vertical
position in places where this arrangement is more convenient.
DO31

page_text: q', are cotters or wedges for securing or releasing the bearings
purpose to be hereinafter described.
and for a
t, is a snatch block having a weight t¹, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.
u, is a jib or cat head.
is a lifting hook for the rope or chain.
y, are set bolts to receive the terminal ends of the ropes.
It will be seen from this description of the several parts, and by reference to the
drawings, that our invention consists in arranging the ropes and pulleys attached to
an ordinary elevator or hoisting machinery, in such a manner that a series of
pulleys p, p, p, are in a vertical plane with the piston rod; that these pulleys may
be arranged to take one or more ropes, such ropes working all truly parallel with
one another, each capable of bearing the whole load in case of accident; that these
ropes are guided over pulleys p, p, &c. in the manner of ordinary pulley blocks,
but placed separately in such a manner that each set of ropes is in the same plane
and therefore do not cross or chafe, thus rendering them much less likely to become
deranged, which is a very important feature in working with long lifts and short
cylinders.
The apparatus as shewn in the drawings elevates the load by the depression of
the piston, the power being applied above the piston and the load being elevated to
a greater distance than the stroke of the cylinder.
The pulleys, p, are capable of being fixed in position in the guides c', by means
of the cotters q', in which case the pressure on the piston is free to act on all the
ropes equally, all the three pulleys being fixed in position in the guides c¹, and
rising and falling with the said guides and the piston rod b, thus giving a speed to
the load L, of six to one of the piston speed see Fig. 1.
When the cotter g' of the uppermost pulley is withdrawn and its slide q, released,
the said pulley will assume the position shewn in Fig. 2, and will remain in that
position during the stroke of the piston rod b; the ropes attached to this pulley
then receive no power or pull from the piston, and the only acting pulleys are the
two below which then give a speed of four to one to the load L, in comparison to
the piston speed as shewn in Fig. 2. In like manner if the cotter g' of the second
pulley is also withdrawn, the pulley p, alone will be actuated, and the speed of the
foad will be as two to one of the piston speed, as shewn in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3ª is
shewn a method of throwing the pulleys p¹, & p², out of gear without the use of
cotters q¹.
We thus have the facility of rapidly regulating the height of the lift or the load
to be lifted, the greater weight being deposited on the lower floors of a building if
desired, and the lighter weights on the upper floors, at the same time that by two
or more liftings from one floor to the other the heaviest weights may be lifted as
high as desired.
By the set bolts y, the tension on each rope may be set to the greatest nicety so
that all may act exactly together.
In Fig. 10 is shewn a jib or cat head over which one of the four ropes working
in the grooves of the pulleys may be carried, so as to lift weights at the same time
that the other ropes are attached to a cage or elevator or weight, thus making the
apparatus suitable for lifting weights and actuating hoists. We prefer this to be
done in the following manner :--
One of the ropes being led through the snatch block t, and over the jib or cat
head u, and pulley u', the weight t', descends and holds the hook against a stop on
the cat head or jib and out of the way when not in use, but so soon as the rope is
required to be put in action for lifting, the ram or piston descends lifting the
snatch block, which is then pinned to the cat head allowing the hook v, to
descend and pick up a load, which is lifted by the return of the actuating piston.
It is evident that the pulleys p, p', p³, might be placed on this method with a like
effect, in cases where the lift is actuated by a downwards working piston or ram in
the cylinder, pull rods being attached to the cross head on the ram and connected

page_text: to the pulley frame, and also that increased speed may be obtained by increasing
the number of pulleys.
We are aware that prior to our invention lifts and elevators have been actuated
by ropes working together parallel with one another on the same sheaves, this
being done for safety in case one rope should break, and also that double power
has been obtained by the arrangement of such ropes acting over a pulley, we
therefore do not claim such a combination broadly.
It is further evident that in some cases the differential gear is not required, the
slide bars c', can be dispensed-with and a plain cross head used, of the type shewn
in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination in apparatus for actuating lifts and elevators, of the cross
head €, with a series of pulleys such as p, p', p², and pulley p³, with ropes r, giving
any required speed to the load, all substantially as set forth.
2. The combination in apparatus for actuating lifts and elevators, of the cross
head c, having guide bars c, working through a guide d', with pulleys p', p², having
sliding bearings 9, or their equivalents, by which they can be thrown out of gear
to give differential action to the lift, all substantially as set forth.
3. The combination in apparatus for actuating lifts and elevators, of the series of
pulleys and ropes for lifting the cage, with snatch block t, and jib u, actuated by
one of the ropes r, for lifting weights, all substantially as set forth.
Dated this 1st day of May 1801
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.