Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1887
Complete Left, 18th Feb., 1838
Complete Accepted, 13th Apr., 1838
I WILLIAM SISSON of 10 Florence Place Falmouth, in the County of Cornwall,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to Clutch Mechanism in which the grip is obtained
by means of interlocking projections, and their object is to onable the clutches to bo
engaged and disengaged freely and to avoid the heavy shocks and consequent wear
and tear which are caused by the sudden engagement of clutches of this type
when running at high speed. The improvements are specially applicable to fast
running clutches in Cranes and Capstans.
In clutch mechanism constructed according to this invention the clutch handle, in
addition to actuating the clutch or clutches with which it is connected, also acts,
through mechanism provided for the purpose, in control of the motivo power of
the Machine of which it forms a part, so as that before the clutch or clutches can
be either engaged or disengaged the motion of the machine is either entirely arrested
or is reduced to such a slow rate of speed that the clutch or clutches can be engaged
freely and without causing heavy shocks, and can also be disengaged freely.
Immediately after the engagement or disengagement of the clutch or clutches
the handle is moved into such a position that it re-establishes the conditions in the
motive power which it disturbed in order to permit the operation of the clutch
or clutches as described, and it then ceases to act in control over the motive power
until a new movement of the clutch or clutches is required.
When there are more clutch handles than one in a machine each handle acts
in control of the motive power independently of the other or others.
Delhi h
1007
WILLIAM SISSON.

page_text: GUMIIDID DI BULTIVATION.
Improvements in Clutch Mechanism.
I WILLIAM SISSON of 1' Florence Place Falmouth in the County of Cornwall,
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 and accompanying Drawings
These Improvements relate to Clutch Mechanism in which the grip is obtained by
means of interlocking projections, and their object is to enable the clutches to be
engaged and disengaged freely, and to avoid the heavy shocks and consequent wear
and tear which are caused by the sudden engagement of clutches of this type when
running at high speed. The improvements are specially applicable to fast running
clutches in Cranes and Capstans.
In clutch mechanism constructed according to this invention the clutch handle in
addition to actuating the clutch or clutches with which it is connected also acts
through mechanism provided for the purpose in control of the motive power of the
Machine of which it forms a part so as that before the clutch or clutches can be either
engaged or disengaged the motion of the Machine is either entirely arrested or
is reduced to such a slow rate of speed that the clutch or clutches can be engaged
freely and without causing heavy shocks, and can also be disengaged freely.
Immediately after the engagement or disengagement of the clutch or clutches the
handle is moved into such a position that it reestablishes the conditions in the motive
power which it disturbed in order to permit the operation of the clutch or clutches as
described and it then ceases to act in control over the motive power until a new
movement of the clutch or clutches is required. When there are more clutch handles
than one in a Machine each handle acts in control of the motive power independently
of the other or others.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. A is a front elevation and Fig. B a side
elevation showing the improvements as applied to a Swinging Jib Steam Crane;
Fig. C is an enlarged view of clutch forks and their handles for operating the
clutches, and of various parts connected therewith, and Fig. D a plan at the line X. Y.-
1 is the Crane framing-2 a clutch fork for controlling the lifting and lowering
operations and 3. 31 another clutch fork (in two parts) for controlling the swinging
of the Jib, both acting through clutches with interlocking projections as shown in
Fig. B-The clutch fork 2 is secured upon a vertical shaft 4 which is made hollow at
the lower end and receives a sliding bar 5.-Upon the same shaft is secured a collar 6
carrying a fulcrum pin for the clutch handle 7. The clutch fork 3. 3¹ is secured
upon a hollow shaft 8 forming a loose sleeve upon the shaft 4 and provided with a
collar 9 (similar to 6) carrying a fulcrum pin for the clutch handle 10-Figs. E. F.
are enlarged detached views of the collars and clutch handles, Figs. G. H. of the
sliding bar 5, Figs. K. L. of the shaft 4-and Fig. M of the shaft 8.-11. 12 are
notched plates or sectors for locking the two clutch handles respectively in their
several positions and 13 is a bracket for holding the lower end of shaft 8-The inner

page_text: end of the clutch handle 10 passes through slots 14 and 15 in shafts 8 and 4
respectively and into a slot 16 in the sliding bar 5; and the clutch handle 7 passes
through a slot 17 in shaft 4, and into a slot 18 in the sliding bar 5. When either
clutch handle is moved downwards so as to clear its corresponding locking notches,
the inner end of the handle lifts the sliding bar 5, the slots in which are made with
clearances, such that when it is lifted by one handle the other handle is not thereby
disturbed The lifting of the sliding bar 5 operates a valve 19 on the steam supply
pipe, through a bell crank 20-rod 21, lever 22 and valve rod 23, so as that by the
time either handle has been moved downwards clear of its corresponding notches, the
steam supply bas either been completely shut off or so much reduced that the speed
of the engines becomes sufficiently slow to allow the corresponding clutch to be
disengaged freely and then to be reengaged freely and without dangerous shock.
The clutch handles are retained in position in the notches by springs as shewn in
Figs. E. F. The disengagements and reengagements of the clutches are performed
by moving the respective handles sideways, so as to partially rotate their respective
shafts, and the slot 15, has sufficient clearance for the handle 10, to allow of the
shaft 8 being rotated to the required extent without interfering with the shaft 4.
The slots 16 and 18 in the sliding bar 5 also have sufficient clearance to permit the
relative partial rotations of the shafts 4 and 8-The vertical movements of the clutch
handles may be availed of for regulating and controlling the speed of the engines
even when it is not required to shift the clutches, and this use of the handles is found
to be very convenient in practice. Sometimes there may be more than two clutches
each acting in accordance with this invention and sometimes there may be only one
such clutch. When there is only one clutch the hollow shaft 8 is not required.
When there are three clutches, two of the shafts for operating them may be arranged
as described and the third shaft may be on a separate axis. When there are four
clatches the shafts may be arranged in two pairs each as described; and so on for
more than four clutches, or by an extension of the plan of hollow shafting, there may
be one solid, and two or more hollow shafts, or that three or more clutches may
be operated in a way similar to that previously described for two clutches.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The arrangement of mechanism whereby clutches having interlocking pro-
jections, and which are run at high speeds, may be engaged and disengaged fruely
and may be readily engaged without subjecting the machinery in which they
are employed to sudden shocks, and to the wear and tear consequent thereupon,
substantially as shown and described without confining myself exactly to the details
of the said arrangement, the leading feature in which is, that the several operations
required to be performed in engaging or disengaging any one of the clutches
are effected by means of a single respective handle.
Dated this Sixteenth day of February 1888.
HY. C. CARVER,
Agent for Applicant.