Improvements in Crane Weighing. Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Appl.cation, 3rd Oct., 1893
Comp ete Specification Left, 2nd July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Crane Weighing. Machines.
I, WILLIAM SMITH, Civil Engineer, 88 Fountainhall Road, Aberdeen, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The collar
This invention consists in an apparatus where the weighing machine is suspended
from the crane jib leaving the crane hook and lifting chain or rope free from the
weighing machine. The crane hook is attached to a tube or sling the top of which
is screwed on to another tube having oblong slots in opposite sides. A ball
attached to the end of the lifting chain forms a stop against the lower end of the
slotted tube in lifting the load. In the tube-slots a pair of pauls are fixed by a
hinge pin through each. The top of each paul is barbed like an arrow on the
outer side, and the lower end terminates in a weight or spring to make the paul fall
outwards at the top so that the barbs may project automatically over a collar on
which they suspend the load. The pauls may be fixed alternatively in the collar
and the barbed ends hang downwards to catch the slotted tube in which the slots
are for this purpose not necessarily carried through the tube but may be merely
recessed to form a barbed head for the reception of the barbs on the pauls. In all
other details the alternative weighing machine remains the same.
corresponds to the platform of a weighing machine, and rests on the knife edges of
the primary lever of the weighing machine. The knife edge plate ends of the
collar are carried down vertically by plates bolted to them, the lower ends of
which plates are formed into knife edge eyes, and a pair of guide links attached to
the casing by the usual weighing machine knife-edge attachments for such links,
are inserted in the knife-edge-eyes for the purpose of steadying the collar on the
knife-edges of the primary lever. A guide tube is supported on the outer case of
the apparatus below the collar, for the introduction of the elotted tube and pauls.
For disengaging the pauls a forked lever is fixed on the casing so that on the
handle of the lever being pulled upwards the forks press the pauls inwards clearing
the barbed points off the collar. The handle is pulled upwards by the craneman
pulling a cord passed over pulleys or directed by cranks. The automatic paul and
collar apparatus above described is enclosed in a suitable casing which is suspended
from the jib of the crane. The casing may be made to enclose also one or more
weighing machine levers or the primary lever may be carried separately on the jib.
of the crane. The graduated steel yard of the weighing machine with the moveable
weight is erected on the crane platform.
The operation of weighing is conducted as follows:-The crane hook with the
tubes as above described is lowered to receive the goods in the ordinary course of
unloading, they are then raised until the pauls automatically hook on to the collar
of the weighing apparatus or to the slotted tube, the crane chain or rope is lowered
slightly to prevent the unknown weight of the chain or rope from affecting the
accuracy of the weighing, the weight is balanced on the steelyard by the craneman
or his weighing assistant, registered, the chain or rope is heaved taut taking the
weight off the collar, and the craneman pulls the trigger which presses the pauls
inwards clear of the collar and lowers the load.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1893.

page_text: Improvements in Crane Weighing Machines.
I, WILLIAM SMITH of 88, Fountainhall Road Aberdeen, North Britain, Civil
Engineer, 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 consists in an apparatus where the weighing machine is suspended
from the crane jib leaving the crane hook and lifting chain or rope free from the
weighing machine. The load to be weighed is lifted by the crane hook and rope
independently of the weighing machine, until, on reaching the height of the weighing
machine pauls, it is automatically placed upon the weighing machine, so that it
may be weighed independently of any moving part of the crane, thereby giving
always an accurate weighing of the goods.
My invention consists also of a suitable crane and arrangement of levers, to
convey the weight of the goods by means of the said levers, together with the
necessary slings and rods, to a steelyard mounted on the framework of the crane,
at the most suitable level for the convenient registration of the weight by the
craneman or his assistant.
While I have contrived and perfected a suitable crane and arrangement of
levers &c. for this purpose, as herein described, the automatic clutches for seizing
and freeing the load for the purpose of weighing, may be adapted to any suitable
arrangement of levers or description of crane.
Figure 1. is a section shewing the automatic clutch for transferring the weight
of the goods from the crane rope on to the weighing machine platform. Figures 2 & 3
are elevation and plan of the same, and Figure 4 is elevation of weighing crane.
The crane hook A is fastened to an open cage or cylinder B the upper end of
which receives a smaller tube C screwed firmly into it and forming a stop against
which the button D on the end of the crane rope E bears while suspending or
heaving up the goods on the crane hook. The upper end of the tube Ċ is formed
into a pair of ratchet shoulders to receive the two pauls F F which drop auto-
matically into engagement with the ratchets on C when the crane hook and
cylinders reach the level of the weighing machine. The pauls F F are suspended
by the pins G G from the weighing platform H H, which sits upon a pair of knife
edges II set in the first lever J J on which it is steadied by the plates K K bolted
to the ends of the platform H H, the lower ends of which are formed into knife-
edge-eyes L L, and a pair of guide links mm attached to the casing by the usual
weighing machine knife-edge attachments for such links n, are inserted in
the knife-edge-eyes L L. A guide tube O is supported on the outer case of the
apparatus below the platform for the introduction of the ratchet tube C to the
pauls FF. For disengaging the pauls from the ratchets a forked lever P is fixed
on the framework of the crane or the casing of the clutch, so that on the handle of
the lever being raised the forks press the bevelled surface of upper end of pauls
inwards, clearing the barbed ends of the pauls off the ratchets of the tube C. The
handle of the forked lever P is pulled upwards by the craneman pulling a cord or
rods passed over pulleys or directed by cranks such as the rods and cranks
marked 999. The automatic paul and platform apparatus above described is
enclosed in a suitable casing or frame R R suspended from the jib of the crane.
The graduated steelyard S of the weighing machine with the moveable weight W is
erected on a stand S' on the crane platform. The primary weighing lever J is a
forked lever having the load suspended on a pair of knife edges II near the middle
of the lever, the forked end being bung by knife edges within a pair of slings u u
to the second lever V which is hung in a pair of slings X X suspended within brackets
on the crane jib, the other end of the lever V connecting with the steelyard by

page_text: means of a connecting rod on knife-edge bearings y y. The level of the weighing
machine and steelyard is adjusted by means of the adjusting screw Z fitted in the
top of the stand S¹.
The operation of weighing on the above described weighing crane is as
follows:-
The crane hook A with the tubes B and C the button D and the crane rope E are
lowered to receive the goods, and then raised till the pauls F F automatically hook
on to the ratchets in the tube C and suspend the crane hook A and tubes B and C
E are
with the goods from the weighing platform. The button D and crane rope
then lowered so as to keep the button clear of the bearing on the lower end of the
tube C and also of the bottom of the tube or cage B. The goods are then weighed
by the craneman or his assistant by means of the shifting weight W on the steel-
yard S, and registered or recorded in the usual way. The crane rope is then
heaved taut so as to bring the button D hard up against the lower end of the tube C
thus relieving the platform and pauls of the weight of the goods. The craneman
then raises the handle of the lever P which presses the pauls out of gear with the
ratchets on C, and lowers away the goods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1. In a crane weighing machine the apparatus for automatically clutching the
load raised by the crane rope and suspending it from a crane platform bearing upon
the knife-edges of the primary lever so that no variable weight belonging to the
crane is introduced to the operation of weighing, substantially as specified.
2. In a crane weighing machine the arrangement of levers and steelyard so that
the craneman may weigh goods suspended by the automatic clutch, substantially as
above described.
4
3. In a crane weighing machine the arrangement of the several parts of the
crane so as to adapt them specially for the clutch and levers aforesaid substantially
as above described.
Dated this 30th day of June 1894.