Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN LANG, of Thornsfield House, Wakefield in the County of York, Manager
of Wire-rope Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
[.
When, for towing, lifting and such like purposes, a rope is hauled by passing it
round or over drums or pulleys, the flexure tends to strain and wear the rope
particularly when it is a wire rope of considerable diameter. It is moreover often
difficult, especially in the case of towing by means of a stationary rope, to engage
the rope on the revolving drums or pulleys, or to disengage it therefrom. My
invention relates to rope hauling apparatus so arranged that the rope is grasped
and pulled without flexure and that it can be readily engaged, with or disengaged
from the apparatus. For this purpose, I mount on parallel axes at some distance
apart a pair of chain wheels, and pass round them an endless pitch chain consisting
of straight links jointed to one another. I, in like manner, mount another pair of
such wheels with their chain in such a position that when the 'two pairs of wheels
are driven at equal speed the chain of the one pair of wheels moves closely
alongside the chain of the other pair. The links of the chains have on their outer
faces longitudinal grooves suited to the size of rope that has to be hauled. This
rope is introduced into these grooves between the two parallel lines of links and is
gripped therein with such force as may be required, the pressure being given by
means of guide rollers along which the chains travel, and these rollers being
adjustable by screws or otherwise or being mounted in spring bearings so as to
press the two parallel chains closely together.
For facility of engaging and disengaging the rope, I arrange the framing which
carries the one pair of chain wheels and their set of guide rollers, so that it can be
moved bodily away from the other framing or that the one set of guide rollers can
be moved away from the other set, leaving a free space between the chains for
introducing or withdrawing the 'rope.

page_text: Rope-hauling Apparatus for Towing, Lifting, and such like
Purposes.
I, JOHN LANG of Thornesfield House, Wakefield in the County of York, Manager
of wire rope works 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 :-
When, for towing, hauling and such like purposes, a rope is hauled by passing
it round or over drums or pulleys, the flexure tends to strain and wear the rope
particularly when it is a wire rope of considerable diameter. It is moreover often
difficult, especially in the case of towing by means of a stationary rope, to engage
the rope on the revolving drums or pulleys, or to disengage it therefrom. My
invention relates to rope hauling apparatus so arranged that the rope is grasped
and pulled without flexure, and that it can be readily engaged with or disengaged
from the apparatus. For this purpose, I mount on parallel axes at some distance
apart a pair of chain wheels, and pass round them an endless pitch chain consisting
of straight links jointed to one another. I, in like manner, mount another pair of
such wheels with their chain in such a position that when the two pair of wheels
are driven at equal speed the chain of the one pair of wheels moves closely
alongside the chain of the other pair. The links of the chains have on their outer
faces longitudinal grooves suited to the size of rope that has to be hauled. This
rope is introduced into these grooves between the two parallel lines of links and is
gripped therein with such force as may be required, the pressure being given by
means of guide rollers along which the chains travel, and these rollers being
adjustable by screws or otherwise or being mounted in spring bearings so as to
press the two parallel chains closely together.
For facility of engaging and disengaging the rope, I arrange the framing which
carries the one pair of chain wheels and their set of guide rollers, so that it can be
moved bodily away from the other framing or that the one set of guide rollers can
be moved away from the other set, leaving a free space between the chains for
introducing or withdrawing the rope.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view and Fig. 2 is a transverse
section of apparatus according to my invention adapted for hauling a rope R or
for propelling a vessel on which the apparatus is mounted by hauling on a
stationary rope R. On a fixed lower framing A are mounted two chain wheels B
and several guide rollers C. An upper framing D which is jointed to A at E, has
also mounted in it two chain wheels B¹ and the same number of guide rollers C¹
as there are of those marked C in the lower frame. By means of a lever arm F,
worked by a screw G or otherwise, the whole of the upper frame D with its chain,
wheels and guide rollers can be caused to turn up on the joint E or can be turned
down to the position shewn in Fig. 2. Round the wheels B B and also round the
upper wheels B¹ B¹ pass endless chains H H¹ each consisting of a number of
straight links grooved along their external faces to receive the rope R, which is
firmly clamped between the two chains that are pressed together by the guide
rollers CC, the one set of rollers such as C¹ having their bearings pressed on by

page_text: springs K with a pressure that can be regulated by screws L. One of the
wheels B being driven, it may be directly by an engine acting on a crank M,
drives by gearing N N¹ the upper wheel B¹ and thus the two chains H H' are
caused to move together, hauling the rope, or hauling on the rope R that is clamped
between them. For the purpose of disengaging or engaging the rope R, the upper
frame is raised leaving between the two chains a clear space for the removal or
insertion of the rope R.
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. Rope hauling apparatus consisting of two chains caused to move at equal
speed while they are pressed together so as to clamp a length of rope between
them, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
2. Making the framing of rope hauling apparatus, such as is referred to in the
preceding claim, in two parts jointed together each part carrying one of the chains
so that the one chain can be moved from or towards the other for the release or
clamping of the rope, substantially as described.
1000