Improvements in Self-regulating Lowering Apparatus for Fire Escape and other Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-regulating Lowering Apparatus for Fire
Escape and other Purposes.
I, JAMES MORAN of 72 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin, Ireland, Hotel
Proprietor 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 apparatus forming the subject of the present invention is designed to provide
improvements in the means of lowering human beings or other bodies or weighty
objects the apparatus being such that it will regulate itself at an approximately
constant speed of descent no matter what the weight of the person or article being
lowered (in other words the heavier the load and the quicker the attempted speed
of descent the more the brake will apply itself and the more the brake action
consequently) at the same time the lowering of one load will wind up a second cord
chain or rope (advantageously a wire rope) ready for the next lowering operation―
when the revolving parts of the apparatus will revolve in the opposite direction
the brake acting equally effectively as before. That is to say my apparatus works
the same in both directions-and whichever way the said parts are revolving the
brake applies itself with equal force while the one rope is lowering and the other is
being wound up.
And in order that my present invention may be the more easily understood and
readily carried into practice I will proceed to fully describe same with reference
to the drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 is an exterior view (in elevation) of the apparatus as suspended by the
ring Z ready for use.
Fig. 2 is an edge view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 1-1 Fig. 1 and Fig. 34 is the cover B
removed.
Fig. 4 is a view of Fig. 1 with the cover B removed and parts of the interior
shown in section.
Fig. 5 is an edge view, and
Fig. 6 is a plan of the actual brake device-removed from the apparatus.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
A is the hollow case-advantageously a casting in one piece (but having a
removable cover such as B-shown detached at Fig. 3A) with the tubular outlets or
mouths C and D-the whole apparatus being suspended by the ring Z or held or
suspended in any other equivalent or suitable manner.
E is a hollow treble flanged drum which is free to revolve within the case A. and
on its outer periphery this drum E has three webs or disc-like flanges E' E' and E³
the outermost edges of which latter have their bearings against the smooth inner-
most periphery of the case A.
Thus these flanges E' and E2 form between them a deep groove or com-
partment X ou the exterior of E and similarly E2 and E3 form between them the
compartment Y.
On the inside periphery of the drum E is formed or mounted an internal ring of
teeth F which constitute part of an internal--or as I term it an epicycloidal-gear
hereinafter explained.
G is an intermediate toothed wheel-free to revolve on the firmly mounted
strong stud or axis H.
I is the centre pin or axis carrying the brake device such as M M Figs. 3, 4,
5 and 6.

page_text: This pin has its bearings in the back of the case A and in the front or cover B
thereof see Figs. 1 and 3.
J is a toothed wheel rigidly keyed or fixed on or formed integral with the
axis which wheel J gears with and is driven by the intermediate toothed
L is cross bar or radial arms rigidly keyed or connected to 1 or formed integrally
with I.
wheel H.
Two heavy segmental brake blocks M M are mounted on axes N which pass
through radial slots in L so that these brake blocks M are thus secured to L while
free to move on the pins N in the said radial slots in L.
Or if desired instead of two radial arms such as L any other suitable number
may be similarly arranged and mounted and a brake block such a M mounted on
each such arm.
As a modification of these tangentially acting brake blocks-instead of each
being formed all in one piece M as in Figs. 5 and 6-same may be formed in
two parts respectively hinged or pivotted to the axis N which in this case would
not be mounted in a radial slot but would or may be a fixed pin on the radial
arms L.
QQ are insertion pieces in the brake blocks and may be of leather or any other
suitable material which serve as the actual frictional contact surfaces against the
inside circumference of the drum E.
R is the wire rope (or it may be any other suitable rope, chain, cord or
equivalent) wound up onto the drum E in the compartment X of the said drum E.
S is the second and separate rope ready to be wound up (in the opposite direction
to the said rope R) in compartment Y when rope R is being unwound.
The inner end of the rope R is permanently and very securely fixed in and to
the compartment X and similarly the inner end of the rope S is very securely and
permanently fixed in the compartment Y.
The rope R is wound on the drum E in one direction and the rope S in the
opposite direction so that the unwinding of rope R will thereby revolve the drum E
and thereby wind up rope S and vice versa.
In Fig. 4 the brake device (shown separately in Figs. 5 and 6) is shown in dotted
lines in its position in the apparatus-while part of the flanges E³ and E2 are
broken away to show the rope R wound on drum E in compartment X.
The operation is as follows:-
When the load (person or package or other object etc.) is put on the rope R the
latter at once begins to unwind itself off the drum E and thereby revolves said
drum in the direction of the arrows x x
Fig. 4.
Now as the internal teeth F (on the inside circumference of E) will revolve H
the latter in its turn will rapidly revolve the gear wheel J which being fixed on
axis I carrying the arms L and blocks M the latter will be thereby quickly revolved
in the direction shown in dotted arrows in Fig. 4 i.e. the blocks M will revolve in
the opposite direction to E and this rapid revolving of M will thereby cause the
latter to fly out tangentially and thus by centrifugal force press the friction pieces
or brake surfaces QQ against the inside circumference of the revolving drum E
and thereby effectually act as a powerful brake to thus automatically prevent the
too rapid revolution of drum E.
Thus whether the load be heavier or lighter immediately the drum E quickly
revolves the tangential blocks M M fly outward and prevent any excess of speed
and thus it is impossible for a certain speed to be exceeded-the maximum speed
permitted depending on the centrifugal force imparted to blocks M by the gearing up
of F, H, J, the length of the radial arms L the weight of blocks M and the friction
material employed as insertions Q.
When the rope R is unwound or the lowering operation completed the rope S is
correspondingly wound up and the next lowering operation is performed with
rope S in identically the same manner as with rope R except that the drum E and
parts thereby actuated are all revolved in the opposite direction-my apparatus

page_text: working equally well and the speed thereof regulated equally effectively in both
directions.
<<
If desired a single chain may be used instead of the two ropes etc. R and S as
described in which case the outside periphery of drum E would then be formed like
a "sprocket" wheel or rag-wheel to act in connection with such chain (the
flanges E E and E3 and separate compartments X and Y all being dispensed
with) the chain being passed round the portion of the drum E formed as a sprocket
wheel and the latter is arranged and mounted in the case A so that all chances of
"slip" of the chain (or escape of the latter from off the sprocket) would be
obviated the two ends of the said chain depending from the outlets C and D
(which would of course be in the same plane as the line of travel of the chain round
drum E) so that as one end of the said chain descends the other end thereof would
ascend ready for the next lowering operation and so on-the brake blocks M M
acting in both directions exactly the same as before described.
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 :-
1. In self-regulating lowering apparatus-for fire escape and other purposes-the
combination of a revolving druin a chain or ropes or equivalent passing around the
outside thereof, radial arms arranged and mounted within and revolved in
the opposite direction to the revolution of said drum a radial slot in-i.e. a slot parallel
with the radial direction of each such radial arm towards the outer end thereof
and a brake block mounted at about its centre upon a pin free to slide in each
such radial slot so that such brake block can by centrifugal force and friction
act equally effectively in either direction of revolution as a brake against the
inside periphery of said drum substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
2. In self-regulating lowering apparatus for fire escape and other purposes of
the character described-I claim the combination therewith of brake blocks such
as M M respectively mounted on pins free to move in radial slots in radial arms
such as L so that when the latter are caused to rotate in either one direction or
the other by the rope or equivalent on the exterior of the drum such as E such
brake blocks will by reason of said radial slots be free to centrifugally press
against the inside periphery of such drum and act as a brake thereon equally
effectively in either direction of rotation substantially in the manner and for
the purposes herein before described and as illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
"
3. The improved arrangement and construction of self-regulating lowering
apparatus having a self-acting brake device acting by centrifugal force and friction
equally effectively in either one direction or the other so that immediately one
lowering operation is completed a second rope or the second end of a chain or
equivalent is ready and available for use substantially in the manner and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
201 .
CT11000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.