AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR DRIVING BELTS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I EUGENE SMITH of Nº 11 and 13 Beale Street, in the City and County of
San Francisco, State of California, one of the United States of America, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR
DRIVING BELTS 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 a hinge for uniting the ends of belts, and it consists of
two pieces of thin steel, each bent upon itself so as to enclose an end of the belt
between its two sides, the lights or folded edges of the two being so formed as to
receive a hinge-pin, while the edges at one side of the belt project beyond those
upou the opposite side to protect the leather.
It also consists in certain details of construction, all of which will be more fully
explained by reference to the accompanying Drawings ;-in which :—
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my hinge.
Figure 2 shows its application to a belt.
Figure 3 is a transverse section, showing the ends of the plates projecting beyond
this line of rivets upon each side of the belt.
Figure 4 is a transverse section showing, a line of rivets through that part of the
plate which extends beyond the one on the opposite side.
This Invention is designed to unite the meeting ends of belts in a better and
more durable manner than by lacing, and at the same time to protect the belt from
cracking or chafing as it passes over pulleys.
A A are the two meeting ends of the belt.
B, B are thin steel plates which are of a width equal to that of the belt, and of
such a length as to allow them to be folded over the ends of the belts, and be
riveted upon them.
The bent edges C of these metal plates are cut out like a hinge so as to fit
together, and be held in place by a pin D, which is riveted at both ends.
Sufficient play in the joint is provided to allow the pin to be removed at will.
The edges of the plates, which are on the inside of the belt and next to the
pulley, are shorter than the outside edges, and do not extend as far beyond the rivet
holes a, which pass through both plates.
The outside portions of the plates have extension b with rivet holes ƒ which pass
only through them and the belt.

page_text: These extensions prevent the chafing or cutting of the belt upon the opposite or
inner side as it passes over the pulleys, and also protects it upon the opposite side
whenever it passes over tightening pulleys if such are used.
The rivet holes are punched through the steel plates so as to form a bur upon
the inside.
These burs extend into the belt a short distance, and thus protect the belt from
the chafing action of the rivets, and the rivet from the chafing action of the hinge,
and also help to prevent the tearing of the leather.
At the same time that the holes are punched, a counter-sunk impression is
left on the outside of the plates around the edge of each hole for the purpose
of receiving the head of the rivet, so that it may present a smooth surface to the
pulley.
If the hinges are required for belts which run over very small pulleys, a sufficient
portion of the protection necessary for the double row of holes, may be left off, so
that it may readily conform with the diameter of a small pulley, and intersecting
tightener, and at the same time be longer than the edge of the hinge on the opposite
or inside; the object of this is also to prevent chafing the leather which would be
due to the hinge conforming to the shape of pulleys running on opposite sides of
the belt.
The ends of the hinge are also bent or bevelled from the inner edges next the
belt, outward so as to relieve the belt from any chafing action of the hinge.
Those portions of the hinge which lie against the belt are indented or roughened
so as to increase the grip or hold upon the leather when the rivets are headed up.
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:
Firstly The means for securing belt ends and uniting them, consisting of the
thin metal plates folded over the ends of the belt, riveted thereon, and hinged
together at the meeting point, said plates having the extensions b upon the upper
sides, substantially as herein described.
Secondly-The thin metal plates, folded over the ends of the belt, having the
extensions b, and the rivet-holes, with burs projecting inward, said plates being
loosely hinged at their meeting points, substantially as herein described.
Thirdly In combination with a belt, hinges consisting of thin metal plates.
connected together by a hinge-pin, the ends of said plates enclosing the belt ends
to which they are riveted, and having the surfaces in contact with the leather
roughened, and the ends bevilled or turned up, substantially as herein described.
Dated this Twelfth day of March 1884.