IMPROVEMENTS IN GEAR FOR TRANSMITTING ROTARY MOTION
Year: 1885

page_text: I JAMES MURDOCK NAPIER of York Road Lambeth in the County of Surrey
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GEAR FOR TRANSMITTING ROTARY MOTION," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in Gear for transmitting motion
in machinery from a driving to a driven part.
By means of my improved Gear a torsional strain can be transmitted from place
to place so that an axis in any position can by its means be made to drive another
axis however situate.
In the improved Gear universally jointed chains contained in stationary guide
tubes or passages are employed.
Each link of the chain carries a transverse pin or axis which connects it with a
lug projecting from the next link of the series.-The joint pin in one link is at
right angles to the joint pin in the next link so that the chain is universally jointed
but nevertheless when confined in a rigid guide tube or passage it is able to
transmit torsional strains.
The guide tube or passage is preferably made in parts, which when placed
together enclose the chain within it-These parts are so formed as to prevent
endwise movement of the chain.
Two axes in the same plane but at an angle the one to the other may in some
cases be directly connected by an universally jointed chain contained in a guide
tube or passage the axes in this case will be placed tangentially to the curvature
of the chain and the chain will be connected with each axis by one end. Usually
however it will be preferable to employ straight connections in conjunction with
the curved chains-Such straight connections consist of rods also enclosed in tubes
which keep them in place. The rods are jointed so that longitudinal strains may
not come upon them and so that they need not be made exactly to length-They
have collars at their ends which being received into recesses in the guide tubes
or passages keep them in proper position relatively to the chains which they
connect.
The straight guide tubes also it is convenient to make in sections and to retain
them in place in sockets made in two halves or parts.

page_text: I, JAMES MURDOCH NAPIER of York Road, Lambeth in the County of Surrey,
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:-
This invention has for its object improvements in gear for transmitting motion.
in machinery from a driving to a driven part.
By means of my improved gear a torsional strain can be transmitted from place
to place so that an axis in any position can by its means be made to drive another
axis however situate.
In the improved gear universally jointed chains contained in stationary guide
tubes or passages are employed.
Each link of the chain carries a transverse pin or axis which connects it with a
lug projecting from the next link of the series. The joint pin in one link is at
right angles to the joint pin in the next link so that the chain is universally jointed
but nevertheless when confined in a rigid guidé tube or passage it is able to
transmit torsional strains,
The guide tube or passage is preferably made in parts which when placed
together enclose the chain within it. These parts are so formed as to prevent
endwise movement of the chain.
Two axes in the same plane but at an angle the one to the other may in some
cases be directly connected by an universally jointed chain contained in a guide
tube or passage; the axes in this case will be placed tangentially to the curvature
of the chain and the chain will be connected with each axis by one end. Usually
however it will be preferable to employ straight connections in conjunction with
the curved chains. Such straight connections consist of rods also enclosed in
tubes which keep them in place. The rods are jointed so that longitudinal strains
may not come upon them and so that they need not be made exactly to length.
They have collars at their ends which being received into recesses in the guide
tubes or passages keep them in proper position relatively to the chains which they
connect.
The straight guide tubes also it is convenient to make in sections and to retain
them in place in sockets made in two halves or parts.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation part in section and Figure 2 is a side elevation of
gear for transmitting rotary motion arranged in accordance with my invention.
Figure 3 is a side elevation and Figure 4 is an end elevation of one of the links
of the driving chain.
Figure 5 is a side elevation and Figure 6 is an end elevation of another
link links of this pattern are in the chain arranged alternately with links of the

page_text: Figure 1 illustrates the arrangement in the gear of the chain such as I have
described. In this figure the tubular corner bearing A is shown with its cover off
revealing the chain in the half diameter hollow of the bearing A.
The cover is
formed with the other half diameter hollow so that when it is fixed to the bearing A
the chain works round as in a bent tube-to the ends of the chain are attached
rods ab which can be rotated freely in tubes a¹ b¹. The ends of these tubes are
fitted to each end of the bearing A and are held in and supported by the bearing A
when its cover is put on but are free to be taken out along with the chain when
the cover is removed. A collar is provided on each rod a. b at a³ ³ which serves
to keep the rods and chain in position while rotating as they work in the spaces
left between the ends of the tubes a¹ 61 and the bottom of that part in the
bearing A into which each tube fits-the rod a and tube a¹ are shown broken off
but rod b at its end 63 is flattened off so as to fit freely into the cut in rod 6* which
rod is also flattened at its other end and fits freely into a cut in rod b. This mode
of using rods in several lengths so fitted together is intended to facilitate the
making up of required lengths in the connections as well as to give play for
adjusting the rod or rods to length between the bearings. Tube 6¹ is also shown
coupled by the coupling B to tube 66 a space being left between the tubes at 6' for
adjusting to length. In Figure 2 the cover A¹ of bearing A is seen.
As is represented in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 each link of the chain carries a
transverse pin or axis which passes through an eye in the next link-thus the
chain is universally mobile but is able when confined in a tube to transmit a
torsional strain the links are advantageously alternately of brass and iron-The
links of the chain may be varied in figure to suit for sharp and for easy turnings.
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.-Gear for transmitting rotary motion consisting of a chain confined in a
curved guide tube or passage substantially as described.
2. The combination in gear for transmitting rotary motion of a chain and a
curved guide tube or passage made in two half diameter or trough like parts
substantially as described.
3. The combination in gear for transmitting rotary motion of a chain of links
connected by transverse pins in adjacent links at right angles to each other; with
a curved guide tube or passage substantially as described.
4. The combination in gear for transmitting rotary motion, of a chain, and rods
jointed to the extremities of the chain and guide tubes or passages in which the
chain and rods are confined substantially as described.
5. The combination in gear for transmitting rotary motion, of a chain confined
in a guide tube or passage and rods jointed to the extremities of the chain and
collars on the rods confined in recesses and preventing longitudinal movement of
the rods substantially as described.
6. The combination in gear for transmitting rotary motion; of guide tubes or
passages and rods within them made in parts so jointed together as to permit
variation in length and collars on the rods and recesses confining the collars and
preventing longitudinal movement, and a mobile coupling connecting the rods so
that, although they are not aligned a torsional strain may be transmitted from one
rod to another substantially as described.
1000