IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT COUPLINGS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Inglis, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT
COUPLINGS." A communication from abroad by Ebenezer Edwin Gilbert,
Sealed the 5th May 1868, and dated the 8th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Inglis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th November
1867.
I, WILLIAM INGLIS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHAFT COUPLINGS," a communication from Ebenezer Edwin Gilbert, residing
at Montreal, Canada, to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the coupling together of lengths of shafting
in an improved manner without rigidly bolting them to each other, but so as
to form a strong and simple coupling possessing the peculiarities and advantages
of what is generally known as a universal joint; and it consists in forming the
end of each shaft or a piece fixed thereon with lugs or teeth projecting
parallel to the shaft, and in placing angular or wedge-shaped blocks in the
spaces which occur between the teeth when the two shafts are put together,
the teeth and the angular blocks being encircled by a wrought iron or steel

page_text: band or hoop. The angular blocks may be held in position by means of
annular plates fitted to the band and having bolts passed through the blocks;
screws may be applied radially or otherwise for adjusting the blocks.
It is preferred to allow play between the outsides of the coupling teeth
and the encircling band and endwise to suit the angle or the plane in which
it may be desired that the shafts coupled together should work freely.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Wiliam Inglis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
INGLIS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Inglis, Her special licence, that I, the said William Inglis,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Inglis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT COUPLINGS,"
(a communication to me from abroad by Ebenezer Edwin Gilbert, of
Montreal, Canada,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Inglis, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Inglis, 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
in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to
say:-
This Invention has for its object the coupling together of lengths of shafting

page_text: in an improved manner without rigidly bolting them to each other, but so as
to form a strong and simple coupling possessing the peculiarities and advantages
of what is generally known as a universal joint; and it consists in forming the
end of each shaft or a piece fixed thereon with lugs or teeth projecting parallel
to the shaft, and in placing angular or wedge-shaped blocks in the spaces
which occur between the teeth when the two shafts are put together. The
angular blocks may be held in position by means of an external encircling
band or hoop and annular plates connected by bolts passing through the blocks
or in an equivalent manner.
And in order that the said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be hereinafter referred to, and representing various
modifications and applications of the improved coupling. The same reference
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts in all the Figures.
Figures 1 and 2 are sectional views at right angles to each other of one
modification of the coupling, and in this example the ends of the shafts 1, 4,
have forged on them four lugs or teeth projecting parallel to the shafts, namely
two, 2, 8, on one shaft, 1, and two, 5, 6, on the other shaft 4. The shafts are
put together with the teeth, 2, 3, of one disposed at right angles to those 5, 6,
of the other, and angular blocks 7 are placed in the spaces between the
teeth, and transmit the strain from the teeth of one shaft to those of the other.
It is preferred to have the contact surfaces between the teeth 2, 3, of one
shaft and the blocks 7 at right angles, as shown with the contact surfaces.
Between the blocks 7 and the teeth 5, 6, of the other shaft a wrought iron or
steel band or hoop 8 is put over the blocks 7, and the teeth and annular
plates 9, are fitted to the sides of the hoop and being connected by bolts 10,
passing through the blocks 7 serve to keep the parts together.
Some play or
space is allowed between the outsides of the teeth and the band 8 and endwise
between the teeth and the plates 9, to suit the angles or planes in which it
may be desired that the shafts 1, 4, coupled together should work freely.
Figures 8 and 4 represent a second modification, in which a cast-iron
coupling piece 11 is keyed on the end of one of the shafts 1, this coupling
piece being formed with the projecting teeth 2, 3. The other shaft which is
not shown is to be fitted with a similar coupling piece. The blocks 7 are
adjusted and held in position by radial bolts 12 which are screwed into a
central block 13; this arrangement is equivalent to and is substituted for the
external hoop or band (8) of the first modification.
A third modification is shown in Figures 5 and 6, and in this example the
four bolts 12 are welded together at the centre instead of being screwed into a

page_text: separate block. An important application of the improved coupling is for
connecting the crank shaft of a pair of engines for driving a screw propeller
with the line of shafting leading to the propeller, and an example of this
application is shown in Figure 7, which is a sectional side elevation. The
improved coupling may however be applied wherever a continuous or inter-
mittent rotatory motion has to be imparted by a shaft or spindle in circum.
stances wherein it is desirable to provide for a slight angular or parallel
deviation of the part acted upon; thus it may be conveniently applied
for connecting a rocking shaft or spindle to an oscillating valve of the
kind used in what is known as the "Corliss" steam engine. This appli-
cation is shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, Figure 8 being a cross section
of the valve showing the inside of the end disc 4, which is formed with
two projecting teeth on its outer side, as indicated by the dotted lines. The
angular blocks 7 are formed or fixed upon a disc, as shown in Figure 8, whilst
the inner end of the valve spindle 1 is formed with a cross-head, the ends of
which constitute teeth 2, 3, which act through the blocks 7 upon the teeth on
the valve disc 4. The parts are shown together in Figure 9. In all the modifi-
cations of the improved coupling the parts have all the freedom of the ordinary
universal joint within the range for which the proportions are designed, whilst
in addition they admit of the coupled shafts being out of line whilst retaining
parallelism.
Having thus particularly described the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that the Inventor does not
restrict himself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that
what is considered to be novel and original and is claimed as secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the constructing of
couplings for shafts substantially in the improved manner herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Inglis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM INGLIS. (L.S.)