An Improved Universal Joint for Flexible and other Driving Shafts.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 14th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Universal Joint for Flexible and other Driving Shafts.
We, FREDERIC YORK WOLSELEY, of Oriental Club, Hanover Square, London,
Gentleman, and PHINEHAS PEARSON CRAVEN, of 20, Gower Lane, Forest Gate,
in the County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved universal joint for connecting together
the parts of driving shafts intended to rotate at an angle with one another, and more
especially for what are known as flexible shafts, that is to say shafts which are used
for actuating machines that require to be placed in various positions and at various
angles with reference to an ordinary driving shaft or other source of motion, as for
example for actuating the knives of a sheep shearing machine, which has to be
moved bodily into various positions while the knives are in motion in order to
enable the shearing operation to be performed on the various parts of the body of
the sheep for actuating the drills of portable drilling machines which require to
be placed in various positions to suit the shape of the articles to be drilled, and so
forth but the improved joint is also applicable for connecting together the parts
of ordinary shafting which are required to revolve at an angle with each other.
The improved universal joint is constructed as follows:-
A cylindrical tube has formed therein, at one end, one part of a hollow spherical
bearing to receive a ball or sphere somewhat similar to that employed in a ball
and socket joint. The other end of the aforesaid tube is screwed internally and
has screwed into it a plug the inner end of which is hollowed out to form the other
part of the aforesaid hollow spherical bearing. The ball or sphere which fits into
the said spherical bearing is formed on or secured to one end of a connecting bar or
rod constituting one length of the shaft. This ball or sphere has formed round it,
preferably in the same plane as the aforesaid bar or rod, a recess or groove into
which take the ends of two studs secured into the cylindrical tube diametrically
opposite to one another and projecting into the hollow spherical bearing. The
other end of the length of shaft may either have formed thereon or secured thereto
a similar ball or sphere which takes into the hollow spherical bearing of another
similar universal joint, or it may be fixed into the outer end of the plug which is
screwed into the tube of the next universal joint, and so on for any required number
of lengths of shafts and corresponding universal joints. It will be understood that
the aforesaid studs fixed in the tube and the corresponding groove formed in the
ball or sphere constitute the means by which the rotary motion of one part of the
shaft is communicated to the next whatever may be the angle (within certain limits)
at which those parts are placed with reference to one another; and that by
employing a sufficient number of lengths of shaft and corresponding universal joints
any required total length of shaft may be made up, and that the shaft so made up
will transmit motion at almost any angle and in almost any position with reference
to the main driving shaft or other source of motion.
Dated this 13th-day of March. 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Universal Joint for Flexible and other Driving Shafts.
We, FREDERIC YORK WOLSELEY, of Oriental Club, Hanover Square, London,
and PHINEHAS PEARSON CRAVEN, formerly of 20, Gower Lanc, Forest Gate, but
at present of 32, Chaucer Road, Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and-by-the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates to an improved universal joint for connecting together the
parts of driving shafts. intended to rotate at an angle with one another, and more
especially for what are known as flexible shafts, that is to say shafts which are used
for actuating machines that require to be placed in various positions and at various
angles with reference to an ordinary driving shaft or other source of motion, as for
example for actuating the knives of a sheep-shearing machine, which has to be
moved bodily into various positions while--the knives are in motion in order to
enable the shearing operation to be performed on the various parts of the body-of
the sheep; for actuating the drills of portable drilling machines which require to
be placed in various positions to suit the-shape of the articles to be drilled, and so
forth; but the improved-joint is also applicable for connecting together the parts
_of-ordinary-shafting which are required to revolve at an angle with each other.
The accompanying drawings illustrate various forms of construction of the
improved universal joint.
-Figure is a sectional elevation of a portion of a flexible shaft,
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively end elevations of one of the universal joints, and
Figures 4 and 5 are sections on line X X and Y Y, respectively, of Figure 1.
A is a cylindrical tube having formed therein at one end as shewn, one part of a
hollow spherical bearing to receive the ball or sphere B which is somewhat similar
to that employed in a ball and socket joint. The other end of the tube A is
screwed internally and has screwed into or otherwise secured in it a plug C the
inner end of which is hollowed out as shewn to form the other part of the hollow
spherical bearing. The ball or sphere B, which fits into the said spherical bearing,
is formed on or secured to one end of a connecting bar or rod D constituting one
length of the shaft. The ball or sphere B has formed round it, preferably in the
same plane as the bar or rod D, a recess or groove E into which take the ends of
two studs F secured into the cylindrical tube A diametrically opposite to one
another and projecting into the hollow spherical bearing as shewn. The other end
of the length of shaft may be fixed into or formed with the outer end of the plug C¹
which is screwed into the tube of the next universal joint as shewn, and so on for
any required number of lengths of shafts and corresponding universal joints. It
will be understood that the studs F fixed in the tube A and the recess or groove E
formed in the ball or sphere B constitute the means by which the rotary motion of
one part of the shaft is communicated to the next whatever may be the angle
(within certain limits) at which those parts are placed with reference to one another;
and that, by employing a sufficient number of lengths of shaft and corresponding
universal joints, any required total length of shaft may be made up, and that the
shaft so made up will transmit motion at any angle within certain limits and in
almost any position with reference to the main driving shaft or other source of
motion.
In some cases, instead of one end of the connecting bar or rod D being fixed to
or formed with the outer end of the plug C as in Figure 1, it may have a ball or
sphere formed thereon or secured thereto at both ends: and each universal joint
may consist of a pair of balls or spheres as illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8.
In Figure 6. A is a cylindrical tube, similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 5, into
one end of which is screwed (by means of the hexagonal head A2.or otherwise) a

page_text: ring A the inner end of which forms one part of the spherical bearing to receive
one of the balls or spheres B. C is a plug fitting loosely in the cylindrical tube A,
having hollow spherical bearing surfaces in its two ends which form the other parts
of the bearings to receive the balls or spheres B as shewn. In this case the studs F
are fitted into holes in the plug C through which holes they may pass loosely, being
sufficiently held in place by the cylindrical tube A.
In Figure 7 the cylindrical tube A consists of two pieces adapted to be screwed
together after the two balls or spheres B and the plug C are placed in position.
In Figure 8 the balls or spheres B are held in place, in the hollow spherical
bearing surfaces formed in either end of the plug C, by means of screw caps A³, the
studs F being carried by the said plug C as in Figure 6.
It will be seen that in Figures 6, 7 and 8, the axes of each pair of studs F, and
consequently the planes of the two recesses or grooves into which they project, are
placed at right angles to each other, but this may be varied as desired.
Figure 9 shows diagrammatically a piece of flexible shafting constructed as above
described G G are single universal joints as shown in Figure 1 for example,
and H I may be double universal joints as shown in Figures 6, 7 or 8 for
example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
First The improved universal joint for flexible and other driving shafts,
consisting of the tube A having one part of a hollow spherical bearing formed in
one end thereof, the ball or sphere B formed on or secured to the bar or rod D and
having a groove E formed therein preferably in the same plane as the said bar or
rod D, the studs F secured in the tube A and taking into the said groove E, and
the plug C having the other part of the hollow spherical bearing formed therein
and having fixed thereto or formed therewith the end of the next connecting bar or
rod D, all arranged, combined and operating as hereinbefore described, and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings.
Second-The modification of the aforesaid improved universal joint hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings.
Third-The modification of the aforesaid improved universal joint hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings.
Fourth-The modification of the aforesaid improved universal joint hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings.
Dated this 13th day of December 1890.
F. Y. WOLSELEY.
P. P. CRAVEN.
-Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.