An Improved Tension and Take-up Device, chiefly designed for Wire Fences.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 7th Apr.,
1894
TROYIDIUNAL DE ECIFICATION.
An Improved Tension and Take-up Device, chiefly designed for
Wire Fences.
I, GEORGE FRANCIS GREGORY, of Boarzell, Hurst Green in the County of
Sussex, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved tension and take-up device chiefly designed
for wire fences.
It is well-known that wires, chains, and the like, when extended between two
points of attachment, expand or contract when exposed to variations of temperature,
and, under certain other conditions may be unduly stressed by the action of
external forces, and consequently may become too tight or too slack.
The object of my said invention is to provide an automatic device, of a cheap
and simple character, which will compensate for variations in the length of an
extended wire or the like.
According to my invention I place or secure a spring at one of the two points
between which the wire, for example, extends, and I attach one end of the wire, by
any suitable means, to the said spring, or to a rod or bar which forms part thereof
or is arranged to bear thereon. The said attachment is made in such a manner
that when the wire is made taut the spring is distorted to such a degree as is
deemed expedient.
For example, I may provide a spiral spring, one end of which bears upon or is
secured to a suitable support, and the other end of which is provided with an eye
to which the end of the wire is secured after being passed through the coils or
convolutions of the spring.
"
Or the wire may be secured to one end of a rod which passes axially through
the convolutions of a spring or springs, or through a series of "Belleville discs
and at its opposite end is secured to the spring or springs, or is provided with a
fixed or removable head or washer suited to bear upon the said springs and exert
compression thereon.
I may adopt any other suitable arrangement of spring or springs and connections
or attachments whereby distortion of the said spring or springs is effected by the
initial tightening of the wire so that any slackening thereof may be compensated
by the automatic recovery of the spring, and the stress set up by tightening of the
wire, or when the wire is stressed by the collision of an animal therewith for
example, may be modified by the elastic resistance of the spring or springs, and not
exerted against resistance which is comparatively inelastic.
The said device is particularly designed for the prevention of sagging in fence
wires, such as ordinarily occurs in hot weather, and would also be useful for
preventing the sagging of telegraph lines, wire or chain guys and stays, and there
are many other purposes to which such a cheap, simple and efficient device is
applicable.
Dated this 8th day of June 1893
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improved Tension and Take-up Device, chiefly designed for
Wire Fences.
I, GEORGE FRANCIS GREGORY, of Boarzell, Hurst Green, in the County of
Sussex, Barrister-at-Law, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved tension and take-up device chiefly designed
for wire fences.
It is well-known that wires, chains, and the like, when extended between two
points of attachment, expand or contract when exposed to variations of temperature,
and, under certain other conditions may be unduly stressed by the action of external
forces, and consequently may become too tight or too slack.
The object of my said invention is to provide an automatic device, of a cheap and
simple character, which will compensate for variations in the length of an extended
wire or the like.
According to my invention I place or secure a spring at one of the two points
between which the wire, for example, extends, and I attach one end of the wire, by
any suitable means, to the said spring, or to a rod or bar which forms part thereof
or is arranged to bear thereon. The said attachment is made in such a manner
that when the wire is made taut the spring is distorted to such a degree as is
deemed expedient.
For example, I may provide a spiral spring, one end of which bears upon or
is secured to a suitable support, and the other end of which is provided with an
eye to which the end of the wire is secured after being passed through the coils
or convolutions of the spring.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the accompanying drawing which illustrates one method of carrying my
invention into practice.
A is one of a series of posts or supports which may be of wood, iron or other
suitable material secured in the ground for example between which posts the
wires forming a fence are extended. One of these wires is shewn at B having
its end secured to the eye C of an eyebolt C¹ which passes througn a hole in the
post A. The other end of the eyebolt is provided with a nut C2 and between
the said nut and the post I place a spiral spring D through which the eyebolt
passes.
It will be seen that when the wire B is tightened at the other end thereof
so as to be made taut the spring D will be more or less compressed and
consequently when in hot weather or from any cause the wire slackens and tends
to sag the spring will take up the slack and maintain the tightness of the wire.
If the wire is subjected from any cause to a stress greater than its initial stress,
that is to say the stress put upon when it was first stretched in position, the
spring will give and prevent breakage of the wire or injury to its support, the
slack being again taken up when the extra stress is removed.
Instead of a spiral spring as shewn I
suitable form of spring.
may use "Belleville discs" or any other
I may adopt any other suitable arrangement of spring or springs and connections
or attachments whereby distortion of the said spring or springs is effected by the
initial tightening of the wire so that any slackening thereof may be compensated
by the automatic recovery of the spring, and the stress set up by tightening of the
wire, or when the wire is stressed by the collision of an animal therewith for
example, may be modified by the elastic resistance of the spring or springs, and not
exerted against resistance which is comparatively inelastic.

page_text: The said device is particularly designed for the prevention of sagging in fence
wires, such as ordinarily occurs in hot weather, and would also be useful for pre-
venting the sagging of telegraph lines, wire or chain guys and stays, and there are
many other purposes to which such a cheap, simple and efficient device is
applicable.
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 I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a stretched wire or the like, and with the support.
therefor, of a spring which connects the wire to the support, substantially as
described, and for the purpose specified.
2. The method of securing a wire to its support by means of a spring substan-
tially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing for the purpose.
specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.