Improvements in Cranes and other Lifting Appliances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cranes and other Lifting Appliances.
I WILLIAM CRAVEN of The Vauxhall Ironworks, Osborne Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to improvements in cranes crabs and other lifting
appliances and is more particularly applicable to that class of lifting machinery in
which steam or other motive power is used.
As usually constructed the motive power is transmitted to the lifting barrel
through a rotating shaft and by suitable devices the direction of rotation of the
lifting barrel may be caused to alternate according as the weight is required to be
raised or lowered. In some cases the barrel is rotated positively by power in
either direction in such a manner that the weight is always under control and
cannot run down under the action of gravity.
In other cases the mechanism is so arranged that on the release of a detent the
weight may run down under the action of gravity being controlled in its descent by
a suitable brake.
The object of my said invention is to combine these two methods of lowering the
weight and to bring them under the control of a single lever or handle in such a
manner that the attendant may by varying the position of the handle either allow
the weight to run down under the action of gravity while restraining its descent or
may lower it by causing the winding barrel to be positively rotated by power in a
reverse direction to that in which it runs when lifting. To effect this combination
I apply the principle known as coil friction that is to say I employ a brake consisting
of a drum round which is coiled in one or more convolutions a Hexible band coil or
rope one end of which is fixed while a weight hereinafter referred to as the brake
weight is suspended from the free end. The weight to be used for such purpose
will depend on the number of convolutions of the band or rope and the weight to
be restrained. The brake drum may be fixed on the same axle as the lifting barrel
or may be connected therewith by suitable gearing.
With a suitable brake weight the coil will present very little resistance to the
rotation of the brake drum inside the coil in one direction (say the lifting direction)
but will effectually prevent its rotation in a contrary direction (say the lowering
direction). If however the brake weight be lifted to a very slight extent so as to
free the coil from its pull the brake drum can rotate with very little resistance in
the lowering direction and the load suspended from the lifting barrel can run down.
By regulating the pull of the weight on the brake coil the free descent of the .load
can be restrained and regulated at will. I provide a suitable lifting device for
raising the brake weight and I combine the mechanism for relieving the brake coil
from the pull of the brake weight with the mechanism used for reversing the direc-
tion of rotation of the lifting barrel preferably by operating both mechanisms from a
single controlling lever in such a manner that when the lever is in its extreme
position say to the left the lifting barrel will be lifting and when the lever is in its
extreme position say to the right the lifting barrel will be rotated positively in the
lowering direction while at an intermediate position the mechanism for relieving
the brake coil from the pull of the brake weight will be brought into action, and the
coil will be wholly or partially relieved from the pull of the brake weight according
to the position of the controlling lever. In passing to the positive lowering position
the controlling lever will have passed the point at which the brake weight is raised

page_text: so that when lowering the load positively the brake weight will be up and the
brake drum will be entirely free from the pull of the brake weight.
In some cases instead of the brake weight being suspended directly from the
brake coil it may be mounted on a lever one end of which may be attached to the
brake coil. The brake weight relieving mechanism will then act by sliding
the brake weight along the lever to or from the fulcrum of the lever.
A spring may also be used in lieu of a weight in which case means such as for
example a rotating screw may be provided for regulating the tension of the spring
and its pull on the brake coil.
Dated this Fourteenth day of December 1891.-
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cranes and other Lifting Appliances.
I WILLIAM GRAVEN of The Vauxhall Ironworks, Osborne Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :--
My said invention relates to improvements in cranes, crabs and other lifting
appliances and is more particularly applicable to that class of lifting machinery in
which steam or other motive power is used.
As usually constructed the motive power is transmitted to the lifting barrel
through a rotating shaft and by suitable devices the direction of rotation of the
lifting barrel may be caused to alternate according as the weight is required to be
raised or lowered. In some cases the barrel is rotated positively by power in
either direction in such a manner that the weight is always under control and cannot
run down under the action of gravity.
In other cases the mechanism is so arranged that on the release of a detent the
weight may run down under the action of gravity being controlled in its descent by
a suitable brake.
The object of my said invention is to combine these two methods of lowering
the weight and to bring them under the control of a single lever or handle in
such a manner that the attendant may by varying the position of the handle
either allow the weight to run down under the action of gravity while restraining
its descent or may lower it by causing the winding barrel to be positively rotated by
power in a reverse direction to that in which it runs when lifting. To effect this
combination I apply the principle known as coil friction that is to say I employ a
brake consisting of a drum round which is coiled in one or more convolutions a
flexible band, coil or rope one end of which is fixed while a weight hereinafter
referred to as the brake weight is suspended from the free end. The weight to be
· used for such purpose will depend on the number of convolutions of the band or
rope and the weight to be restrained.
The brake drum may be fixed on the same axle as the lifting barrel or may be
connected therewith by suitable gearing. In the example illustrated in the
accompanying drawing to which reference is hereinafter made and in which only
so much of a crane is illustrated as is needful for explaining my said invention,
A is the lifting barrel, B is the brake drum gearing with the lifting barrel by means
of a pinion and toothed wheel indicated at 6 and a respectively.
C is the flexible brake band. firmly secured at c and coiled three times round the
brake drum B. From the free end of the brake band is suspended a weight D
sliding freely in a weight box D'
With a suitable brake weight the coil will present very little resistance to the
rotation of the brake drum inside the coil in one direction (say the lifting direction,

page_text: but will effectually prevent its rotation in a contrary direction (say the lowering
direction). If however the brake weight be lifted to a very slight extent so as to
free the coil from its pull the brake drum can rotate with very little resistance
in the lowering direction and the load suspended from the lifting barrel can run
down.
By regulating the pull of the weight on the brake coil the free descent of the
load can be restrained and regulated at will. For raising the brake weight I use a
sliding cam bar E working through the weight box D and through a mortice in
the brake weight, D. In the cam bar E is a notch or depression e¹. When the
notch e is immediately under a bolt d' fixed in the weight D the latter exerts its
full force on the brake band C.
If however the cam bar E is slid to the left or right the bolt d' will ride on the
upper edge of the cam bar and the coil C will be released from the pull of the
weight.
The sides of the notch e are inclined so that the bar e' may easily slide upwards
when the cam bar E is moved longitudinally.
When near the centre a slight longitudinal motion of the cam bar suffices to
partially or wholly relieve the coil C of the pull of the weight.
In some constructions of crane I prefer to combine the mechanism for relieving
the brake coil from the pull of the brake weight with the mechanism used for
reversing the direction of rotation of the lifting barrel preferably by operating both
mechanisms from a single controlling lever or hand wheel H in such a manner that
when the hand wheel is in its extreme position say to the left the lifting barrel will
be lifting and when the lever is in its extreme position say to the right the lifting
barrel will be rotated positively in the lowering direction while at an intermediate
position the mechanism for relieving the brake coil from the pull of the brake
weight will be brought into action and the coil will be wholly or partially relieved
from the pull of the brake weight according the position of the controlling lever.
In passing to the positive lowering position the controlling wheel will have passed
the point at which the brake weight is raised so that when lowering the load
positively the brake weight will be up and the brake drum will be entirely free
from the pull of the brake weight.
The handwheel is connected with the usual gearing levers and links for stopping
and starting the hoisting and lowering motions. The mechanism for governing the
hoisting and lowering motions which I do not claim varies considerably according
to the construction of the crane to which it is applied and the mode of applying and
using my said invention to cranes of various constructions may be modified as will
be well understood while retaining its essential feature. For example in some cases
instead of the brake weight being suspended directly from the brake coil it may be
mounted on a lever one end of which may be attached to the brake coil. The
brake weight relieving mechanism may then act by sliding the brake weight along
the lever to or from the fulcrum of the lever.
A spring may also be used in lieu of a weight in which case means such as for
example a rotating screw may be provided for regulating the tension of the spring
and its pull on the brake coil.
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. In a crane the use combination and arrangement of a rotating brake drum, a
coiled brake band fixed at one end and free at the other end, a weight and a weight
relieving motion substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
shown.
2. In a crane the use, in combination with the mechanism, for governing the
hoisting and lowering motions, of a coiled brake band stretched by a weight at its
free end and provided with means for automatically relieving the coil from the pull

page_text: :
of the weight as the hoisting or lowering motions are brought into action substan
tially as hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 14th day of September 1892.
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.