Improvements in the Method of and Means for Eliminating or Avoiding Friction in the Moving Parts of certain Machines or Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1900-Accepted, 26th May, 1900
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Eliminating or
Avoiding Friction in the Moving Parts of certain Machines or
Apparatus.
I, HENRY PHILIP HOGHTON, of 11, George Street, Cheetham Hill, 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 a method of and means for eliminating or avoid-
ing friction in the moving parts of certain machines or apparatus.
My invention is particularly useful in the construction of aneroid barometers
and in machines or apparatus generally for recording delicate variations in
weights or forces.
In carrying my invention into effect instead of mounting the operating levers
of such mechanism in bearings as at present whereby rubbing contact or friction
is engendered, generally speaking I support such levers by means of springs so
that the same are operated by overcoming the resistance of the springs only
and no rubbing contact exists.
By way of example I will describe my improved method in constructing a
kind of aneroid barometer although I do not limit it to this use alone. I
provide delicate flat springs which may be secured one or more in the horizontal
and another or others in the vertical plane, and support by means of these
springs a lever secured to the springs.
A third set of springs, which are preferably spiral, are also secured to the
lever and to supports, and arranged at such an angle or angles as will ensure
the delicate flat springs being in tension when there is little force on the lever
beyond its weight. The fulcrum of the lever is approximately in a line. lying
in the intersection of the planes of these springs. One end of the lever is con-
nected by a spring to a vacuum chamber or series of vacuum chambers such as
are at present employed in the aneroid barometers or to a vacuum chamber of
curved tube, elliptic in cross section. The 'slightest motion of the vacuum
chamber due to variations in atmospheric pressure at the point of attachment is
imparted to one end of the lever and multiplied by the other end.
This movement of the lever is effected by overcoming the resistance of the
supporting springs. No rubbing contact of surfaces is set up and friction is thus
avoided, so that the slightest variations of atmospheric pressure are recorded
by the lever. To record these variations I employ a flat cylindrical spiral spring
twisted with a right hand spiral for part of its length and a left hand spiral
for the remaining part. When spirals of these forms are drawn away from
each other as the spirals stretch they unwind. The right and left hand spiral is
attached one end to a fixed point and the other to the operating lever, or when
no lever is used directly to the vacuum chamber, so that the spirals are unwound
or rewound according to the direction of deflection of the lever. A pointer or
indicator is or may be attached to the spiral at the point of junction of the right

page_text: and left hand spirals where the action of unwinding is greatest. This point is
capable of showing, by the angular movement of the pointer upon a dial, the
maximum variation of atmospheric pressure, which might be represented by a
number of revolutions of the pointer.
To record these revolutions I attach a second pointer nearer to one end of the
spiral where the angular motion or unwinding action of the spiral is less than
one revolution and a dial is graduated to record the number of revolutions of
the other pointer.
The method described of supporting the operating lever may be varied.
As a modification in which however a slight friction may take place I may
use a lever with a cylindrical rod across it on which flat springs are wound form-
ing a fulcrum in the line of the tangents of the springs.
The position of this fulcrum changes as the cylindrical rod winds on one
spring or set of springs and off another spring or set of springs.
Or the other ends of the supporting springs instead of coming direct from the
fixed point to the cylindrical rod as tangents may be wound upon a fixed cylin-
der so that in winding and unwinding as described the fulcrum travels around
the surface of the fixed cylinder.
And instead of the spiral index spring I may employ a right and left hand
wire twine spiral. Again I might suspend the operating lever at its centre of
gravity by means of a spring or springs the actuating force acting on it at an
angle with gravitation.
The mechanism may be immersed in spirits or liquid to obviate jars and to
secure the steady working of the moving parts.
Although one lever only has been mentioned I might use a series or the lever
or levers may be dispensed with and the right and left hand spirals be con-
nected directly to the vacuum chamber.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Eliminating or
Avoiding Friction in the Moving Parts of certain Machines or
Apparatus.
I, HENRY PHILIP HOGHTON, of 11, George Street, Cheetham Hill, 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 and accompanying drawings:-
My said invention relates to a method of and means for eliminating or avoid-
ing friction in the moving parts of certain machines or apparatus.
My invention is particularly useful in the construction of aneroid barometers
and in machines or apparatus generally for measuring weights and forces or
recording delicate variations in weights or forces.
In the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 represents in elevation a portion of my invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan thereof.

page_text: Figs. 5 to 9 show modified methods of carrying out my invention.
Figs. 10 to 13 show further modifications of another type of aneroid baro-
meter.
In carrying my invention into effect instead of mounting the operating levers
of such mechanism in bearings as at present whereby rubbing contact or friction
is engendered, generally speaking, support such levers by means of springs'
so that the same are operated by overcoming the resistance of the springs only,
and no rubbing contact exists.
By way of example I will chiefly describe my improved method in the con-
struction of a kind of aneroid barometer shown in Fig. 3 although I do not
limit it to this use alone. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 provide delicate flat
springs aa which are secured, one or more, in the horizontal plane to a fixture
or fixtures and another spring or springs in the vertical plane, and support
by means of these springs a, e, a lever d d secured to the springs.
The intersection of the planes of these springs when no force is acting on the
lever is the fulcrum of the lever and is approximately the fulcrum in all other
positions of the lever when force is applied thereto.
A third set of springs e e which are preferably compounded of helical and flat
springs are also secured to the short arm of the lever d d and to supports,
not shown, and arranged at such an angle or angles as will ensure the delicate
flat springs a being in tension or not deflected by disturbing force.
The short arm and fulcrum piece generally of the lever is shown in
plan on a slightly enlarged scale in Fig. 1" the positions of the different springs
thereon being shown in dotted lines. The springs a c e intersect at about the
centre of the bored out recess 2 the recess ensuring the springs being attached
at the required distances from the approximate fulcrum.
The object of carrying the springs beyond the fulcrum before attaching to the
fulcrum piece is to minimise the resistance to turning of the lever keeping the
fulcrum more nearly in the same line.
The supporting springs e e may be dispensed with in cases where the
springs a care not so extremely delicate as to he practically interfered with or
seriously deflected by other force than the force to be measured. One end of the
leverd is connected by a flat spring or springs f to the vacuum chamber g, or
series of vacuum chambers, such as are at present employed in aneroid haro-
meters or to a vacuum chamber of curved tube, elliptic in cross section.
The slightest motion of the vacuum chamber due to variations in atmospheric
pressure, is, at the point of attachment, imparted to the arm d', of the lever did,
and multiplied by the arm d.
This movement of the lever is effected by overcoming the resistance of the
supporting springs a ce. No rubbing contact of surfaces is set up and friction
is thus avoided, (the resistance being always less than the force), so that the.
slightest variations of atmospheric pressure are transmitted to the lever d. To
record these variations I employ an indicator attached. to a very thin flat cylin
drical helical or spiral spring secured to the lever d and twisted right hand for..
part of its length and left hand for the remaining part.
When helices of this form thus arranged are drawn away from each other as
they stretch they unwind. Instead of the above springs I may employ a wire
twine similarly right and left hand laid.
A pointer or pointers is or are secured at any desired point or points on the
helices to record angular movement.
In diagram Fig. 3a duplex arrangement is indicated, two levers d with support-
ing springs as described being used. Each end of the spring his secured to one
of the levers d d so that as the same are vibrated by means of the flat springs f
secured to the levers dd and the vacuum chambers g the helices, which are at all
times in tension, are wound or unwound according to the variation of atmospheric
pressure effecting the direction of deflection of the levers d; d. A pointer or
indicator is attached to the helices preferably at the point of junction of the

page_text: right and left hand portions where the angular motion is greatest. This point of
the helices will show by the angular movement of the pointer i upon the dial j
the maximum variation of atmospheric pressure which might be represented by a
number of revolutions of the pointer. The right and left hand helices as shown
in the drawings is greatly exaggerated in diameter so as to clearly show the
contrary twists.
To record these revolutions I attach a second pointer & nearer to one end of the
helices where the angular motion or unwinding is less than one revolution, and
a dial is graduated to record the number of revolutions of its pointer k.
Instead of duplicate levers being employed one or more levers may be used
connected to one end of the helices the other end being attached to a fixed point.
One arrangement of this kind is indicated in a diagramatic form in Fig. 10.
In this fig. two levers d d are suitably disposed with relation to the helices h.
One end of the helices is attached to a fixed point the other end being connected
to the longer extremities of the levers d d by means of fine springs .
The levers d d of which any suitable number may be employed might be
arranged so that their longer ends converge at or about the same point.
In Fig. 4 I show a portion of the right and left hand helix on a greatly enlarged
scale showing a method of securing the pointer to the helices. The pointer is
provided with a boss inserted within the helices and secured thereto in any
suitable manner. The ends of the springs may be provided with plugs m slotted
to receive the thin strips n to connect the ends of the helices to the levers dd.
When levers are employed at both ends of the helices h, for fine reading,
I may give a table of errors arising from the slight lateral motion of the spring /
for use especially when recording extreme differences, and to compensate for any
other disturbing factor.
The method described of supporting the operating levers d may be varied.
In order to facilitate exact reading of the dial I propose in some cases to employ
means which shall cause the dial to travel in the direction in which the pointer
or indicator is moving bodily.
By employing such means I am enabled to synchronise the movements of the
dial and pointer so that the pointer is approximately at all times an equal distance
from the dial.
An example of mechanism for achieving this object is indicated in Figs. 11, 12,
and 13. Fig. 11 is an elevation of one form of lever and parts designed for this
object, two, three or more levers being employed such levers being disposed at
suitable angles behind the dial, as indicated in Fig. 13.
to
Fig. 12 is a plan view of the T shaped arm d and supporting bracket y. In
a device of this kind the dial is attached by means of suitable springs
arms & fulerumed at all times at or about the part of the arm beyond the
fularum being connected by thin flat springs a to a conveniently shaped
bracket or support y shown more clearly in the plan view Fig. 12. The
extremities of the longer ends of the arms d are connected to vacuum chambers g¹
by means of springs f. Any variations affecting the diaphragm of the vacuum
chamber are by means of the indicated arrangement of levers (of which a system
of two or more are employed, see Fig. 13) communicated to the dial and a corre-
sponding movement of the dial consequently occurs. By these means the dial
movement synchronises sufficiently accurately with the movement of the pointer
for my purpose.
The dial is traversed with and against the action of helical springs or the
like z.
To suspend the weight coming at * I propose to employ light coiled or other
springs e.
In Fig. 13 I have indicated in plan view on a smaller scale a movable dial j
provided with a system of three levers and vacuum chambers g¹ for the purpose
of traversing the dial with the pointer or indicator, I do not however confine
myself to any particular number.

page_text: To prevent angular movement of the dial during its traverse I employ suitable
means to guide the latter as indicated at 2 Fig. 13. The spring 3 shown in
Fig. 11 is one employed to take the place of the usual vacuum chamber extending
spring.
It will be apparent that this arrangement for moving the dial is susceptible
of modification.
As a modification, in which however a slight friction may take place, I may use
a lever, with a cylindrical rodo across it forming part of or secured to the lever
on which flat springs are wound forming a fulcrum in the line of the free
tangential part of the supporting springs. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 5.
The other ends of the flat springs are secured to a fixed point not shown in
the drawings.
The position of this fulcrum changes as the cylindrical rod winds on one
spring or set of springs and winds off the other spring or set of springs.
Or the other ends of the supporting springs
instead of coming direct from
a fixed point to the cylindrical rod o of the lever as tangents, may be, wound
upon a fixed cylinder q so that in winding and unwinding as described the fulcrum
travels around the surface of the fixed cylinder, as shown in Fig. 6.
Again, I might suspend the operating lever at its centre of gravity by means
of a spring or springs the actuating force transmitted through the spring or
springs s acting in the direction of gravitation. This arrangement is shown in
elevation in Fig. 7 and in plan in Fig. 8.
It must be understood that the parts shown in the drawings are generally
greatly exaggerated in strength or thickness for the sake of clearness."
The mechanism may be immersed in spirits or liquid to obviate jar and to secure
the steady working of the moving parts.
The lever or levers d.
may in some cases be dispensed with and the right
and left hand helices be connected directly to a series of vacuum chamber's shown
in Fig. 9.
In an apparatus for weighing, the weight would be attached or applied to
the spring or springs f instead of the vacuum chamber the small arm d of
the lever dd being arranged in a suitable position for gravitation such as is
shown at s in Figs. 7 and 8. In a weighing machine or apparatus the right
and left hand helices h might be dispensed with and a suitable spring attached
to the lever dd instead to resist its moving without a force being applied to
the 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 what
I claim is:-
1) As means for eliminating or avoiding friction of the operating levers of
aneroid barometers and in machines or apparatus generally for measuring
weights and forces or recording delicate variations in weights or forces, support-
ing such levers by means of springs such as a c arranged in planes at angles
with each other, with, where necessary, a spring or springs to support the
lever and ensure the springs a c remaining in tension or prevent their deflec-
tion otherwise than by the forces to be measured the fulcrum of the lever when
the lever is undisturbed by force being in a line lying in the intersection of
the planes of the springs and at all other positions being approximately in this
line substantially as described and shown with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of
the drawings.
2) For the indicated purpose supporting the operating lever by means of flat
springs wound at one end upon a cylinder forming part of or secured to the
lever, the other ends of the springs being attached to fixed parts or wound upon
a fixed cylinder substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.
3). For the indicated purpose suspending the operating lever at its centre of

page_text: gravity by means of a spring or springs and transmitting force substantially
as described and shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.
4) As means for recording the variation of atmospheric pressure, connecting
one or more levers supported by means of springs in accordance with claims 1
to 3 to a vacuum chamber or tube or vacuum chambers and to right and. left
hand helices provided with a pointer or pointers so that the vibration of the
lever due to variation of atmospheric pressure upon the vacuum chamber or
tube causes winding or unwinding of the helices and revolves the pointer or
pointers the angular movement of which is recorded upon a dial or dials sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.
5) As means for recording weights and forces or the variations of weights
and forces connecting a lever or levers supported by means of springs in accord-
ance with Claims 1 to 3 to the weight or force to be ascertained and to a right
and left hand helices provided with an indicating pointer or pointers or to
a spring resisting the motion of the lever substantially as described.
6) As means for obtaining rotary motion with an absence of friction the
employment of right and left hand helices the point of junction of the spirals
being rotated by the winding or unwinding of the helices due to the extension
or retraction of one or both ends of the same substantially as described and
shown.
7) The combination with a series of vacuum chambers of right and left hand
helices provided with a pointer or pointers so that as the helices are wound or
unwound due to the retractive or expansive action of the vacuum chambers
the pointer or pointers is or are rotated to record on a dial or dials the variations
of atmospheric pressure upon the vacuum chambers substantially as described.
8) In aneroid barometers, or other instruments or apparatus of the indicated
nature, traversing the dial, so that it shall practically synchronise with the
movements of the pointer or indicator so that more delicate readings are obtain-
able, in the manner, and substantially as herein described, particularly with
reference to Figs. 11, 12 and 13.