IMPROVEMENTS IN BELTS OR BANDS FOR TRANSMITTING POWER AND MOVEMENT."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joshua Heap, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of
Lancaster, Tool Maker, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BELTS OR
BANDS FOR TRANSMITTING POWER AND MOVEMENT."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joshua Heap at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th November 1880.
JOSHUA HEAP, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Tool
Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BELTS OR BANDS FOR TRANSMITTING POWER AND
MOVEMENT."
My Invention relates principally to a former Invention for which Letters Patent
bearing date the Nineteenth day of March in this current year, and numbered
1199, have been granted to me. In the said former Invention strips or fillets of
leather were riveted to corrugated ribands of metal. From the result of experiments
with belts so formed I have been led to believe that the attachment of the leather
to the metal ribands has the effect of increasing the strain upon the parts, and the
object of my present Invention is to remedy this defect. To this end I so connect
the leather with the metal ribands as that there shall be no rigid attachment which
would prevent the said ribands from moving at a rate of speed differing from that
of the leather. In one construction, when forming a belt having two metal ribands,
I take a piece of leather and I place a strip of leather or other suitable material
down the centre and on each side thereof, and over these strips I place wider
covering strips of leather or other suitable material, which overhang the central
strip on both sides and the outer strips on the inner side thereof. I then rivet,
A number of these
screw, stitch, or secure these strips to the piece of leather.
pieces are then threaded on to two metal ribands by passing the latter through the
channels formed by the application of the said strips. In the cases of narrower or
wider belts one or more than two metal ribands may be used. In some cases a
continuous leather strap or fillet may be formed with a channel or channels to
contain a metal riband or two or more metal ribands. In place of the strips first
named washers of leather, wood, or other suitable material, may be used to keep
the covering strips at the required distance from the leather piece. An entire

page_text: covering of leather or other suitable material may take the place of the aforesaid
covering strips. I prefer to use ribands or fillets of rolled steel, but I do not confine
myself to this material, and when it is advisable that the belt shall have an amount
of elasticity I corrugate the said ribands. In some cases material other than leather
may take the place of the aforesaid leather pieces or fillets. I do not confine
myself to the method of forming the channels to receive the said ribands so long as
the pieces or part forming the adhering surface are or is not riveted, sewn, or other-
wise made fast to the riband or ribands. To connect the ends of the metal ribands
I prefer to make a hingė joint. I bend two pieces of sheet steel to clip the ends of
the riband, and I cut the said pieces so that they will interlock, and I rivet these
pieces to the ends of the riband, and I connect them together by means of a
hinge pin. Two or more lengths may be so connected together to form an
endless belt.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joshua Heap in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th May
1881.
"
JOSHUA HEAP, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Tool
Maker. IMPROVEMENTS IN BELTS OR BANDS FOR TRANSMITTING POWER AND
MOVEMENT."
My Invention relates principally to a former Invention, for which Letters Patent
bearing date the Nineteenth day of March 1880, and numbered 1199, have been
granted to me. In the said former Invention strips or fillets of leather were riveted
to corrugated ribands of metal. From the result of experiments with belts so
formed i have been led to believe that the attachment of the leather to the metal
ribands has the effect of increasing the strain upon the parts, and the object of my
present Invention is to remedy this defect. To this end I so connect the leather
with the metal ribands as that there shall be no rigid attachment which would
prevent the said ribands from moving at a rate of speed differing from that of the
leather. I prefer to use ribands or fillets of rolled steel, but I do not confine myself
to this material, and when it is advisable that the belt shall have an amount of
elasticity, I corrugate the said ribands.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I have attached
hereunto a Sheet of illustrative Drawings, to which I will hereinafter refer. In the
said Drawings Fig. 1 represents a short piece of belting constructed in accordance
with my present Invention; Fig. 2 represents a cross section of the same, and
Fig. 3 a longitudinal section. In the said Figs. a, a, are pieces of leather, and b, b,
are metal ribands, which connect together a sufficient number of such pieces to form
a belt for transmitting rotatory motion. To the upper side of each piece are secured
narrow strips of leather c, c, and upon these strips are secured broader covering
strips d, d'. It will be seen that each of the outer strips d projects on one side
only of the strips c, whilst the strips d' project on both sides of the strips c. The
spaces between the strips c form channels to receive the ribands b, and the covering
strips d keep the pieces a in position upon the said ribands. In the example the
said ribands are supposed to be made of rolled steel, which is corrugated, as in the
cases of the ribands used in my said former Invention, and as indicated by Fig. 3.
The thickness of each of the strips c is such as that sufficient room is left for the
riband, allowance being made for the corrugations therein. The strips c and d are
riveted, screwed, stitched, or otherwise secured by any suitable means to the pieces
of leather a. In the example the parts are secured together by means of lengths
of screwed wire e, e, which are screwed through the three thicknesses of leather by
means of an ordinary machine, this being the method of securing which I consider
to be most suitable and convenient. If preferred the parts may be further secured
by the employment of a suitable glue or cement. The pieces a, so prepared, and in
number suitable to the required length of belt, are threaded on to the three ribands,
and the ends of the said ribands are secured together in any suitable manner so as
to form an endless belt. The method of securing the said ends which I now prefer
to employ is shewn in Figs. 1 and 3 of the Drawings. Each end of the riband is
folded over a metal bar f, which is in length about equal to the width of the riband
and the two ends thus prepared are brought together and are connected by means
of two connecting plates g, g, which are secured by means of screws, which
are screwed into tapped holes in the bars f. One plate g, or more than two
may be used, according to the width of the belt, or a wider plate secured by
more than two screws may be used. It must be understood that the steel
ribands are not riveted or positively attached to the pieces a in any way which
will prevent the movement of the ribands in the direction of their length within

page_text: the channels in which they lie. When such a belt is in use it will be found that
the said ribands have a slow motion within their channels, that is to say, the
ribands in practice travel a little more quickly than the pieces a, which are in
contact with the drums or pullies, and I have found that if this independant motion
is not permitted the strain upon the ribands is greatly increased, as herein before
mentioned. The number of ribands may be less or more than three, or a single
riband may be used when making a narrow belt. In some cases I use a continuous
leather belt formed with channels for the ribands in place of the short piece a, or
I use pieces longer in proportion than the indication in the Drawings. In place of
the leather strips c washers of wood or other suitable material may be used to keep
the strips d, d, at the required distance from the pieces a, or from the leather belt,
as the case may be, and also if preferred, an entire covering of leather or other
suitable material extending across the width of the belt may be substituted for the
strips d, d¹. I do not confine myself to any particular method of forming a channel
to contain the ribands, or of connecting the pieces a or the belt proper to the
ribands, so long as the said ribands are free to have the independant motion, as
described, nor do I confine myself to the use of steel for the ribands, as other metal
might be used, and also it may be advantageous in some cases to use other than
metal in the formation of the said ribands, as, for example, a belt might consist of
leather pieces a strung upon continuous leather fillets, or of one leather belt outside
another leather belt so connected therewith as to have the independant motion.
In some cases the pieces a, or the belt or parts which are designed to have frictional
contact with the drums or pullies, may be of other material than leather, as I do
not confine the application of my Invention to leather belts.
Having now fully set forth-and indicated the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which I carry the same into practical effect, I would have it to be
understood that I claim,-
First. The method of forming driving belts, substantially as set forth and
indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The belt, consisting of pieces of leather hung or threaded upon a
riband or upon ribands of metal, the connection of the parts permitting of different
rates of motion, substantially as set forth and indicated.
And, Lastly. The belt consisting of a part or of parts which has or have frictional
contact with the drums, pullies, or revolving bodies, and of a belt or of belts of
steel or other material, which is or are free to have when the belt is at work a
travelling motion upon the said part or parts in addition to the motion common to
all the parts of the belt, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Heap, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
in presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
41, John Dalton St., Manchester,
(Agent for the Patentee.)
JOSHUA HEAP. (L.S.)