CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE ROPES, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING SUCH ROPES
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
STIRLING NEWALL, of Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Seventh day of August, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Stirling Newal!, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, thesaid Robert Stirling Newall, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Robert Stirling Newall, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time andat
all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE ROPES,
AND IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING SUCH ROPES;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Robert Stirling Newall, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Stirling Newall, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference

page_text: being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters of
reference marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates,-
First, to a mode of making wire ropes, by "laying" wires round a core
to form a strand, and by laying strands round a core to form a rope when
the number of wire or strands exceeds three. I may here remark that I do
not confiue myself to any particular kind of core; it may be of wire, of
hemp, cord, or spun yarn, or other fibrous material, or it may be a filament
of caoutchouc, or leather, or hide.
Secondly, to certain machinery for making such ropes, whereby the indi-
vidual or separate wires are prevented from being twisted in themselves, and
whereby the wires are laid into strands, and the strands into ropes.
Thirdly to a method of joining and of attaching a hook or eye, or other
fastening, to the end of a rope.
And in order to give the best information in my power, 1 now proceed to
explain the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 represents part of a machine for making wire ropes of six strands
surrounding a core, each strand being composed of six wires surrounding a
core.
Fig. II. represents an elevation of one end of the machine, partly shewn
at Fig. I. I may here remark, that in both Figures some parts are left out,
and wheels represented by mere circles, &c., in order that the Drawings may
not appear confused; but I believe any person may perfectly understand the
machinery from the Drawings I have given. a is the main shaft, which is
hollow, and thus allows of the passage of the core round which the strands
are laid.
The main shaft a turns in bearings at 6; and c, d, is a wheel fixed
to the shaft a, by which motion is communicated to that shaft from a steam
engine or other power. e is a reel, on which the core intended to be used for
the interior of the rope is wound; ff, are six arms fixed to the shaft a, and
braced or tied together by rods or bars to give them stiffness; g, g, is a
frame or series of arms fixed to the shaft a, but of smaller radius than f, f, so
that the shafts of the bobbin frames h, h, which revolve in bearings on the
ends of the arms f, f, g, g, will incline towards that end of the main shaft a
at which the strands are laid into a rope, as shewn in Fig. I. Instead of the
arms g, g, being braced by rods, they form the arms or spokes of a large
wheel, the circumference of which runs on the pulley g¹, so as to prevent the
main shaft vibrating. On the shafts h, h, are fixed two sets of arms or framesi, i
with bearings in the ends of them for the spindles k of the six bobbins,
which carry the wires for making the strands, the core being on a seventh
bobbin, carried in a frame of the shaft h; or the seven bobbins may be

page_text: arranged in suitable bearings at equal distances round the shafts h, h. The
bobbins are retarded in their movement, by screwing up the nuts of their
centre pins, so that the wires shall not roll off the bobbins too easily. In the
ends of the shafts / are fixed tubes h¹,the other ends of the tubes revolving in
bearings at h. Several plates ³, with six equi-distant holes in each of them,
are fixed to different parts of the tubes for the purpose of keeping the wires
separate, so that they will not be laid into a strand until within a few inches
of where the strands are laid into a rope at c.
The core of the strand passes
from the bobbin 1 thro' a hole in the shaft h, down thro' the tube h¹,
whilst the wires from the bobbins pass thro' inclined holes near the ends cf
the spindles k, thro' inclined holes in the ends of the shafts h, thro' holes
in the plates h³, and then meet round the ccre at h², where they are laid
into strands, which then pass thro' six inclined holes in the end of the
main shaft a, near c, where they are laid into a rope round the core
which passes thro' the shaft a from the bobbin e. On each of the
bobbin spindles k are fixed bevel toothed wheels m, driven by the inter-
mediate toothed wheels n, which turn on studs fixed to the arms i. These
wheels n take into the wheels o, which are prevented from revolving by the
straps or bars p fixed to them and to the arms f, the shafts h passing
thro' the naves or bosses of the wheels o, as shewn in Fig. I. On the
ends of the shafts h are fixed the bevel wheels q, driven by the intermediate
wheels r, which turn on studs fixed to the arms f, f. These wheels r take
into the wheels, which is prevented from revolving by being attached to the
frame b. The main shaft a passes thro' the nave of the wheel s. It is
evident that the angle of the lay or the quantity of twist in a given length of
strand will depend on the number of revolutions the bobbin frame makes
while the machine revolves once. I recommend that the strands should have
double the twist of the rope; therefore the wheels 9 are in proportion to the
wheels s, as one to three, so that the bobbin frame shall revolve three times
while the machine revolves once; and as one twist is taken off the strands in
the act of laying them into a rope, two twists will therefore remain on the
strand, and the wheels m and o must be so proportioned, that the bobbin
spindles shall revolve twice while the bobbin frame revolves three times,
so that the wires will not be twisted in themselves, which they would be if
they were not made to revolve in the reverse direction of the strand. It is
also evident that the quantity of twist in a given length of rope will depend
on the number of revolutions the shaft a makes during the time that a
given length is drawn. This may be regulated at pleasure, by suitably
arranging the speed of the shaft a to the speed given to the grooved drawing
rollers t, t, which receive motion from a bevel wheel u, fixed to the shaft a,

page_text: Fig. 3, which takes into and drives the bevel wheel v, fixed on the shaft
of the pinion w, which turns in suitable bearings on the framing x. The
pinion w takes into and drives the wheely, fixed in the shaft of the grooved
roller t¹, and this wheel y takes into and drives the wheel y¹ on the shaft of
the roller t². On the shafts of the rollers t, t³, are wheels y³, worked by
intermediate wheels driven by wheels y on the shafts of the rollers t, t². A
is a weighted lever moving on a fulcrum A¹, and is for the purpose of causing
the rollert to press against the roller t¹, and the roller t³, to press against t²,
in such a manner as to hold the rope with sufficient force between them, and
by their revolution to draw the rope which is laid by the revolution of the
machine. The shafts of the rollers t, t1, t2, t³, are capable of movement in
curved slits in the framing x, in order that the rollers may be set nearer to
or farther from each other, and there are several sets of such rollers to corre-
spond with the size of the rope. They are of larger or smaller diameter,
according as the angle of the lay is to be less or greater. I recommend that
the angle of the lay of a six-strand rope be as follows:-
Diameter of rope
One twist in
-
1
14 inches,
6 7 8 9 10 11 inches;
that is, in making a half-inch rope, the machine shall revolve once whilst
the rope is drawn a length of six inches, and so on. The rope as it is
made is wound on the drum B, driven at a speed proportioned to that of
the rollers t, t¹, by wheels suitably arranged, as will be understood from
Figs. 1 and 3. c is a screw worked by wheels from the shaft B¹; it
moves up and down the swivel c¹, so as to coil the rope regularly on to the
drum. The motion of the screw is reversed by a tumbling hammer, which
acts on a clutch between the wheels c². The clutch B2 is for reversing the
motion of the drum when the machine is reversed, in which case the
wheels y and y' are taken off and put on the other ends of the roller shafts,
so as to be driven by the pinion w¹, and thusdrive the rollers t, t¹, t², t³, in the
proper direction. B³ is a friction wheel, so that the shaft shall slip as the
drum gets full of rope, otherwise the motion of the drum would be too fast
for the speed of the rollers t. The rim of the drum is slightly conical, so that
the paws B, being turned towards the centre, the rope may be lifted off the
drum without its being uncoiled. When necessary, the ends of two wires are
to be joined by twisting them together for the length of a few inches; or
where they are large enough they may be joined by welding them together.
It will be found that if a wire be twisted it will be materially weakened in
proportion to the number of twists in a given length, and hence it is im-
portant, in making wire ropes, that the individual wires of which they are
composed shall not be twisted in themselves; and it will be found that the

page_text: machinery above described will prevent the wires being twisted, will lay
several wires together into a strand and several strands into a rope at one
and the same time, and thereby make more perfect ropes than when the
strands are first made, and afterwards laid into a rope by hand. I would
remark, that machinery employed in the manufacture of wire ropes may be
varied so long as the mode of preventing the wires from being twisted is
preserved; and I will now describe machinery suitable for such purpose, which
may be worked by hand or otherwise.
Fig. 4 represents a machine for making strands or ropes. a is an upright
capable of moving not easily; b is a shaft with six arms fixed to it, carrying
the pinions c, which revolve in bearings on the ends of the arms;
d and e
are two wheels fastened together, which revolve on the shaft b; f and gare
two wheels fixed to a shaft moving in bearings, and carrying a handle ;
h is a wheel fixed to the shaft b; d is double the size of c, f and e are
equal, and g is two thirds the size of h. Therefore if g be moved a turn
and a half, h, and the arms carrying the pinions, will revolve once; d
will revolve one and a half times, or half a. turn faster in the same
direction as the arms, and consequently make the pinions revolve once in the
reverse direction of the arms, and thus prevent the wires being twisted. One
of the ends of the wires is fastened to the hooks of the pinions, and the other
ends are fastened to a hook or vice at the other end of the rope walk. The
wires are kept separate and in their proper places by passing them thro' holes
in a number of plates of thin iron or wood, the holes being equidistant, and
the plates about six feet apart. They must be supported at intervals and turn
round, so that the wires shall not be laid between the plates. The instrument i
consists of a plate of iron, with as many equidistant holes in it as there are to
be wires or strands in the strand or rope, the holes being arranged round a
central hole thro' which the core passes, the holes being a very little larger
than the wires or strands. The ends of the wires before being fastened to the
vice are passed thro' the holes in i, corresponding to those in the plates. A
workman lays the wires or strands into a strand or rope by turning the
instrument round, and at the same time gradually drawing it along towards
the machine; another workman turning the machine, so that the arms, and
consequently all the wires, make one revolution for every turn of the instru-
ment is the machine being moveable on wheels, it is gradually drawn towards
the vice. As the wires become shorter by being laid into a rope, the core is
kept tight by fixing a weight to it by means of a cord passing thro' the
shaft 6 and over a pulley.
Fig. 5 represents another method of giving motion to the hooks and wires.
Instead of the pinions c, there are small cranks c fixed to the ends of the

page_text: hook spindles. The other end of the crank is connected by a pin to another
set of arms d, of equal diameter to those carrying the hook spindles, which
work round an eccentric e fixed to the upright a. The length of the crank
must be exactly equal to the distance between the centres of the two sets of
arms. The wheel g, fixed to the handle shaft, works into the wheel h, fixed to
the shaft of the arm b, and on the handle being moved both sets of arms
move in the same direction. The machine is used in a similar manner to
Fig. 4. Instead of the eccentric arms, weights may be attached to the ends
of the cranks e, which will answer the same purpose, and bobbins may be used
instead of hooks; and I would here remark, that altho' the machinery described
is for making strands and ropes of a certain number of wires and strands, yet
it will be evident that the same machinery will be suitable for making strands
of fewer wires, or ropes of fewer strands, by not putting some of the parts into
action; or machinery may be constructed for making ropes of any required
number of wires and strands. And further, it will be evident that strands
and ropes, without cores, may be made by the machinery described, by simply
omitting such cores; but when the number of wires or strands exceeds three,
I recommend that a core be used; and it may generally be observed, that in
making such changes the wires and strands should be kept at equal distances
apart from each other and from a centre. But I prefer making the strands of
six wires surrounding a core, and a rope of six strands surrounding a core, to
any other number, tho' for some purposes ropes composed of a greater number
of wires round a core may be better adapted. Strands of three wires and
ropes of three strands are laid without a core.
A section of a six wire six strand rope is represented at Fig. 6.
The method of joining two ropes, and of attaching a hook or eye to the end
of a rope, is represented at Fig. 7.
The end of the rope is passed thro' a conical thimble, and the ends of the
strands doubled in; the rope is then pulled back till the doubled in part fits the
thimble, as represented. Melted brass is then poured amongst the ends of the
strands, which will prevent their being drawn out of the thimble. The end of
the other rope is treated in the same manner, and both thimbles are screwed
together by means of a right and left hand screw, and fastened by pins to
prevent their unscrewing. A hook a, or eye b, is fastened to the end of a rope
by a thimble in a similar manner. In order to prevent as much as possible
the ropes from decay, I coat them with a mixture of six parts tar, two parts
linseed oil, and one part tallow, melted and mixed together, and applied while
hot to the rope; or a solution of caoutchouc in caoutchoucine may be used.
And I would have it understood, that I am aware that it is not new to
make ropes from wire, different descriptions of such ropes having been long

page_text: known, and various modes of making them have been published in various
scientific works, and Patents have also been taken out in this country for
making certain descriptions of wire ropes. I mention these facts in order to
say, that I do not claim the making of ropes from wire generally, nor do I
confine myself to the precise arrangement of machinery herein described, so
long as the general character of the improvements, or any of them, is retained.
But what I claim, is,―
First, the methods of making wire ropes, whereby the individual wires are
prevented from being twisted in themselves.
Secondly, the method of making wire ropes by "laying" wires round a core
to form a strand; and by laying strands round a core to form a rope when the
number of wires or strands exceeds three, whereby the wires forming the
strands, and the strands forming the rope, are kept at equal distances from
their centres.
Thirdly, the laying the wires into strands and the strands into ropes at onc
and the same time.
Fourthly, the method of joining two ropes, and of attaching a hook or eye
or other fastening to the end of a rope.
In wituess whereof, I, the said Robert Stirling Newall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of February, Eighteen hundred
and forty-one (1841), that is to say, to the first two Sheets hereof, my
hand, and to this third and last Sheet my hand and seal.

page_text: I, William Johnstone Newall, of Crown Court, Philpot Lane, in the City
of London, Gentleman, make oath, that I am acquainted with the hand-
writing of Mr. Joseph Gordon, of Edinburgh, which is signed to the
acknowledgment of Mr. Rob. S. Newall Specification, and I believe it to be
his, and that at the time of taking such acknowledgment he was Justice of
the Peace for the City of Edinburgh.
Sworn at the Public Office, South-
ampton Buildings, this 6th day of
Feby., 1841, before me,
S. DUCKWORTH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the oath of William Johnstone
Newall, the Specification aforesaid was inrolled, word for word, as above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.