Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Cleaning and Lubricating Hoisting and like Ropes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1897-Accepted, 9th Oct., 1897
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Cleaning and
Lubricating Hoisting and like Ropes.
I, WENZEL OPPL Manager, of Imperial Mines in Pribram (Bohemia) in the
Empire of Germany, 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 :—
The present invention relates to apparatus for cleaning and lubricating hoisting
and like ropes and is distinguished by the simplicity of its construction and the ease
with which it may be used. Owing to its small weight the apparatus can be easily
transported and enables ropes to be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated without
stopping them in their work. Lubrication with the apparatus according to the
present invention is moreover very economical as owing to its peculiar construction
not only waste of the lubricating medium adhering to the rope thus contaminating
the building or place in which the rope is used, such as a mine is avoided but also at
least 50% of lubricating material is saved as compared to the lubricating devices
used hitherto. The lubricating by means of this apparatus besides does not present
any danger for the attendant as it can be effected from a fixed platform.
In the accompanying drawing the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1 in elevation, in
Fig. 2 in longitudinal section and in Fig. 3 in plan.
The apparatus chiefly consists of a receptacle A made in two sections and preferably
tapering downwards, the two sections being connected by a hinge B. The two sections
of the receptacle A can be pressed together by means of caps g g' or by any other
fastening means. This receptacle having an opening D in its lower part is divided
into two chambers P P¹ by means of walls or casings L. L¹ resting on a support M of
felt or like material. The chambers P P communicate with each other by means of
slots in the cross-walls L L. To enable the area of the opening for the passage
of hot lubricating medium introduced into the chamber P, to be altered as desired
the walls L L are provided with valves which can close the openings ll.
Any of the well known rope-lubricating substances such as a mixture of machine
oil and dog ointment may be employed. The cleaning of mine hoisting ropes consists
in cleaning them from the slime coming from the mine and in lubricating the surface
of the cleaned ropes by means of the lubricating material. The cleaning of the
hoisting rope from slime is effected by cleaning devices which are preferably arranged
partly outside the receptacle A and partly inside it.
The cleaning device outside the receptacle A consists of two cheeks or
brackets K K' which are pivotted on brackets J secured to the receptacle. In K K'
are arranged fixed pins p surrounded by helical springs 8 which may be replaced by
other suitable means for pressing the hollow sleeves o forward. The spiral springs 8
rest with one end against the inner wall of the bracket the opposite end bearing
against a hollow sleeve o carried on the pin p. This sleeve o is secured to a
casing m containing rubber or elastic plates or brushes a secured to the casings m
by means of bolts n. The bolts project through corresponding longitudinal slots
in the front wall of the brackets and rest against them in front by means of
their heads n¹.

page_text: By means of this arrangement constant contact of the plates a with the rope F
to be cleaned is secured for as the cross section of the ascending rope which is
wound up on the drum in the building varies the helical spring presses the rubber
plates a against the rope.
As can be seen from Fig. 1 the cheeks K K¹ are preferably arranged not in the
same plane the plates a being a slight distance apart from each other in order to
avoid too great a friction during the cleaning. This cleaning device which may be
called the preliminary cleaning device cleans the rope from the coarse adhering inud
and further finer cleaning of the rope is effected by means of rubber or elastic
plates bb'c c arranged in the receptacle A, one over another and under the felt layer M.
Similarly to the cleaning the lubrication of the rope is effected in several stages.
The preliminary lubrication is effected by rubber plates & forming a conical top of
the chamber P₁ and pressing against the hoisting rope, while the final lubricating is
effected by means of two brackets QQ arranged in a similar manner to the
brackets K K¹ The brackets QQ are also pivotted on brackets J secured to the
receptacle A and their elastic plates e e' are also preferably arranged at a slight
distance from each other and in contact with the hoisting rope. In order to enable
the pressure of the helical springs s in the cheeks K K1 or Q Q1 to be regulated there
is screwed on to the pin p a sleeve S which when turned in one or in the other
direction increases or diminishes the tension of the spring.
The whole apparatus is placed in a conical opening in a platform E arranged in the
shaft near the rope pulleys, in such manner that its seat or flanging ff¹ rests on the
platform. In order to secure the receptacle A to the platform E there are arranged
on the latter hooks or catches h h¹.
The process of cleaning and lubricating is, in short, as follows: The apparatus is
opened by disengaging the caps or catches g g¹ and the brackets K K¹ and Q Q¹
are swung away from the fixed arms J by releasing the screws i from the screwed
hole ¹. Then the hoisting rope is surrounded by the two sections of the receptacle,
said sections are firmly pressed together and again securely closed.
The whole apparatus is then brought on to the platform E into the position shown
in Fig. 1 the screws i of the brackets K K¹ and Q Q¹ being screwed into the holes i
of the brackets J to thus secure the brackets in position. The apparatus rests with
its seat ff1 on the platform and is prevented from moving upwards by the hooks
or catches h h which are partly rotated so as to be over said flanges.
The chamber P is then filled with the lubricating material and the valves k k¹ are
opened as soon as the rope begins to move in order to enable the lubricant to pass
from the chamber P into the chamber P¹, the supply being regulated as desired by
means of the valves k¹ as has been before explained.
The plates a a clean off the mud or slime adhering to the ascending rope. The
second cleaning of the rope is effected by the plates bb. The mud removed from
the rope is discharged through the opening D of the receptacle A. The plates c c
clean the rope for the third time.
The rope now cleaned on its surface, enters the vessel P1 and takes up the
lubricant, the excess of which is wiped off by the plates d d. The conical end of
the chamber P1 prevents the lubricant mass from being splashed out of the
apparatus.
In the second lubricating device e e¹ the lubricant is pressed between the strands of
the rope and the excess of it is wiped off into the receptacle A.
In this way the rope is lubricated in a perfectly uniform manner, as it is not only
coated throughout the whole of its length with the lubricant but this mass is also
pressed into the rope by the fine lubricating device at e e¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A rope lubricating device comprising a receptacle as A made in two hinged
sections, adapted to surround the rope and placed on a platform or support as E.

page_text: said receptacle being divided by partitions L L¹ resting on a plate M, into two
chambers as P P¹ the inner chamber being traversed by the ascending rope and
closed at the top by conical elastic pressing plates as d d the lubricant entering the
inner chamber through the passages the area of which can be regulated by means
of valves substantially as described.
2. In rope lubricating apparatus of the character described, the arrangement of
pivotted brackets K K¹ Q Q¹ which can be secured in position by screws as i and
carry devices to be applied against the rope, the lower one, as a a cleaning the
rope from the coarse mud and slime while elastic plates as bbc c, arranged
within the receptacle and in contact with the rope effect a finer cleaning of the
rope prior to its lubrication, in the chamber P¹ and the upper device serving to
press the lubricant into the strands of the rope substantially as described.
3. Cleaning and lubricating brackets as K K', or QQ having hollow sleeves o
adjustably mounted on the spindles p supported in the brackets, elastic plates
being arranged in the casing m on said sleeve, said plates being forced forward
by spring surrounding the spindle the tension of the spring being regulated by
means of a sleeve S, substantially as described.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete rope-
cleaning and lubricating apparatus, substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.