Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of 151 Strand, London, Patent Agent (a communica-
tion to me from abroad by Joseph C. Potts, of Berwyn, in the County of Chester and
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, gentleman) 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 :-
One object of my invention is to so modify the construction of friction clutch shown
in my patent, No. 557387, as to adapt the same for use as a shaft-coupling, further
objects being to provide powerful clutching mechanism, to relieve the shafts from
longitudinal strain on the operation of the clutch, and to provide for the positive
locking of the discs together in addition to the frictional clutching of said discs.
These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a shaft-coupling constructed in accordance
with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 1. 2, but
on a smaller scale. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3. 4, Fig. 1; and
Figs. 4 to 6, views illustrating other forms of clutch embodying my invention or
illustrating special features of the same.
In Fig. 1, A, A' represent the two shafts which are to be coupled together, the
shaft A having a disc or wheel, B, the hub of which is keyed or otherwise firmly
secured to the shaft, so as to be incapable of turning independently thereof. To the
shaft A is keyed or otherwise secured a hub, D, which has a series of longitudinal
grooves, a, for the reception of lugs b, projecting inward from a disc, F, which is thus
compelled to turn with the hub, but is free to slide longitudinally thereon and from
and toward the disc B. Sliding longitudinally on the hub of the disc B is a disc, F¹,
and the inner faces of the discs F, F and both faces of the disc B are provided with
leather-faced wooden blocks or other equivalent friction-surfaces, as shown in Fig. 1.
To openings near the peripheries of the discs F and F, outside the periphery of the
disc B, are adapted a series of bolts, d, the opposite ends of which are provided with
hangers G, carrying cam-levers H, the short arms of which bear upon the outer faces
of the discs F, F, while their long arms are connected by rods, j, to suitable pivot-lugs
on grooved sleeves I, one of which is free to slide longitudinally on the shaft A, the

page_text: other sliding on the shaft A¹. It will therefore be seen that when the levers are
actuated so as to cause their cam-faces to press upon the opposite discs F, F¹ the
friction faces of the latter will be forced into contact with those of the disc B, the
disc sliding on the hub of said disc B, and the disc F sliding on the hub D, and being
compelled to turn therewith, owing to the engagement of its lugs & with the grooves a
in said hub. Both discs F, F' will therefore be clutched to the disc B and all three
discs will be compelled to turn together, so that if the shaft A is the driving-shaft its
motion will be transmitted to the shaft A', through the medium of the discs, B, F
and F and hub D, while if the shaft A' is the driving-shaft its motion will be
transmitted to the shaft A through the medium of the hub D and dises F, F' and B.
If desired, only one of the sleeves I may be free to slide, the other having a
longitudinal bearing against a fixed collar on its shaft.
The bolts d form a simple and effective means of connecting the hangers for the
opposite sets of levers, and by threading the outer ends of these bolts and providing
them with nuts d' ready adjustment of these hangers is permitted to compensate for
wear of the parts. This construction is not absolutely essential to the proper carrying
out of my invention, however. For instance, in Fig. 4 I have shown cam-levers
hung to a frame H', which engages with notches in the periphery of the disc B, and
is thus caused to turn therewith, this frame carrying the disc F', and the disc F being
clamped between said dise F and the disc B.
In ordinary friction clutches or couplings it is usual to hang the lever for operating
the sleeve I to a rigid fulcrum adjacent to but independent of the shaft on which the
sleeve slides. This plan is objectionable, because the thrust of the lever is exerted to
cause end wise movement of the shaft. In order to overcome this objection, I make
the operating device in the form of a toggle, one arm h, of which is hung to a slip
ring, i, on the sleeve I, the other arm ¹, being hung to a liko ring ", on a fixed
collar I, on the shaft, so that when the toggle is straightened it will have a tendency
to separate the sleeve and collar, and thus cause longitudinal movement of the sleeve,
strain on the shaft, however, being prevented, as the pressure in one direction is
counteracted by a like pressure in the opposite direction.
In order to prevent undue deflection of the two arms of the toggle, I prefer to
provide the jointed ends of the same with a yoke, m, which extends over the shaft, and
by contact with the latter, serves to prevent deflection of the levers after they have
reached the straight line or point of greatest extension-see Figs. 1 and 3.
It is advisable in many cases to provide for readily locking the discs of the two
shafts together, so as to prevent slipping of the shafts in the event of undue strain
being exerted upon the driven shaft. I therefore provide a locking bolt, which is shot
into place just before the frictional clutching of the discs is completed; any subse-
quent rotating movement of one disc, independent of the other, being thus effectually
prevented as long as the clutch is closed. As in Fig. 5 this bolt is guided in an open-
ing in the disc Fi and is adapted to enter any one of a series of openings in the disc B,
these openings being, by preference, of considerable extent circumferentially so as to
increase the likelihood of the bolt entering the same.. It should be understood, how-
ever, that owing to the fact that the frictional clutching of the discs is not yet
completed, there is always more or less slipping between the discs at the time the bolt
is projected so that, even should the latter happen to strike a solid portion of the disc,
it will slip past the same, and enter one of the openings in the disc.
The bolt, a, shown in Fig. 5 is operated by a bell-crank lever, n', hung to the
disc F, and connected by a rod p¹ to an arm p, also hung to said disc, this arm being
acted upon by pins carried by the forked end of a curved arm s, hung to the operating
sleeve I.
When the bolt n, is retracted, the arm p, occupies a horizontal position as shown
in Fig. 6, and during the earlier portion of the movement of the sleeve I, the pins
slide along said arm without moving the same; but as the sleeve I nears. the limit of
its movement the arms, comes in contact with the end of the hub B, and its free end
is lifted, so as to raise the arm p, and project the bolt, a reverse movement being
effected on the retraction of the sleeve I.

page_text: 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. The combination of the two shafts with a clutching device, comprising three
discs, and means for clamping the outer discs upon the intermediate disc, said inter-
mediate disc being carried by one shaft, and the outer discs by the other shaft, and
the disc-structure of one of the shafts being free to move longitudinally in respect
thereto, all substantially as specified.
2. The combination of the two shafts, the three discs, one carried by one shaft, and
the others by the other shafts, bolts carried by the discs of one shaft and cam-levers
for effecting the forcing of the discs together, all substantially as specified.
3. The combination of the two shafts, the three discs, one carried by the one shaft
and the others by the other shaft, bolts carried by the latter discs and two sets of
cam-levers, carried by said bolts, one set acting on one disc, and the other on the
other disc, all substantially as specified.
4. The combination of the sliding sleeve of a friction clutch, a fixed collar on the
shaft, slip rings carried by said collar and sleeve collar, and toggle arms connecting
slip rings, all substantially as specified.
5. The combination of the operating sleeve of a friction clutch, a fixed collar on the
shaft, toggle arms connecting the collar and sleeve, and a stop yoke for limiting the
movement of said arms as set forth.
6. The combination of the operating sleeve of a friction clutch, bolt for positively
locking parts of the clutch together, a bell-crank lever connected to said bolt, an arm
carried by the sleeve of the clutch, and an intermediato pivoted arm, connected to said
bell-crank lever, and acted upon by the arm of the sleeve, as the latter is moved,
substantially as specified.
71 1
זA
1000