IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR REGU- LATING AND ASCERTAINING THE LABOUR PERFORMED BY MANUAL OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GEORGE APPOLD, of Wilson Street, Finsbury Square, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day
of April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fourteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John George Appold, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
John George Appold, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John George Appold, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR REGU-
LATING AND ASCERTAINING THE LABOUR PERFORMED BY MANUAL OR OTHER POWER;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John
George Appold, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after

page_text: 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 complianco with the said proviso, I, the said
John George Appold, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:
My Invention relates to that class of machines which are worked by means
of friction bands or straps, embracing the rotating axes or bosses thereon.
And my improvements consist of applying to such machinery compensating
apparatus, which will come into action when the rotation of the axis requires
an effort of power greater or less than the determined power at which it is for
It is well known that a
the time being desired that the axis should work.
friction band or strap is liable to offer greater or less friction to the rotation of
an axis or boss, according as the rubbing surface is lubricated, and also
according as the rubbing surfaces are subjected or not subjected to dust or
grit. And it is the object of my Invention so to employ compensating appa-
ratus with friction bands or straps, that these causes of irregularity of action
may be obviated, and a correct regulation and ascertaining of the power in use
in turning an axis may be obtained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews an external view of a machine suitable for regulating and
ascertaining the labour performed by a prisoner, the machine being shown as
fixed to a wall or upright. Figure 2 is another elevation with the upper parts
uncovered. Figure 3 shows a similar elevation to that of Figure 2, but
partly in section; and Figure 4 shows a plan of the upper parts of the machine
with the cover removed. In all these Figures the same letters indicate similar
parts. A, A, is the external cover or caso for the works at the upper part of
the machine. B, dial and train of wheels indicating and recording the number
of rotations of the axes. D are weights which determine the constant amount
of labour or power to be required from a prisoner in keeping the axis D' in
motion. On the axis D' is a boss or enlargement D³. On the boss is placed
the strap or band D³, and the same is made to embrace the boss more or less
tightly by the screw bolt and nut I, which passes through the end of the con-
pensating lever G, which has on its under side an anguiar groove, which rests
on a knife-edge bearing at G¹, formed on the end of the bolt I. And there is
also a knife-edge bearing formed or fixed on tho under side of the strap, which

page_text: enters an angular groove formed on the upper surface of the lever G, by which
arrangement, when the lever G tends to move the bolt I downwards, it simul-
taneously tends to raise the lower part of the strap or band, and thus will the
two parts of the band more tightly embrace the boss the more the lever G
bears on to the roller H. The under surface of the lever G is curved excentric
to the boss D³, as shewn, and the lever G is supported by the roller H. The
strap or band is in two parts hinged together at L, and from the arm L' of the
lower portion of the band or strap descends a rod F, to which is fixed a
plunger K, fitting loosely in a barrel containing water, consequently the water
greatly resists any sudden alteration of the position of the piston, but the
piston can move slowly with little resistance from the watcr. E is the crank
handle for giving motion to the axis of the machine when the machine is
worked by manual labour; but it will be evident that if the axis be put in
motion by other power, a like arrangement of apparatus will regulate and
ascertain the power at any time employed in turning an axis, for it will be
evident that the power on the strap or band at D will govern the friction. It
is well known that when a simple strap or band-break is used on an axis or
boss, such as herein described and as heretofore practised, without self-acting
means of compensating for inequality of the friction offered, that such machines
are comparatively little to be depended on, and for the purposes of prison labour
cannot be depended on, because a prisoner is subjected to one state of labour
when the surfaces of the break are well lubricated, and to another state of
labour when the surfaces of the break and boss are dry, or subject to dust or
grit. And this is the case notwithstanding the weight at D remains the same,
the friction differing between the break and the boss according to the state for
the time being of the surfaces thereof in contact; but by applying self-acting
compensating apparatus so as to adjust the state of friction between the
rubbing surfaces, so as to maintain the same as nearly as may be uniform, as
results from the means herein described, a very useful machine is obtained.
And it will readily be understood, on examining the Drawings of the machine,
that in case the rubbing surfaces of the break and boss become dry or subject
to dust or grit, the effect will be, by reason of the application of compensating
apparatus, to cause the band or strap to be less binding on the boss by reason
of the end of the lever G being (as it approaches the end) more and more near to
the centre of the boss. Hence, as the weight D is caused to ascend by the
greater holding between the rubbing surfaces, the curved end of the lever G
will descend and allow the friction band or strap to be less binding; and on the
contrary, if the surfaces become too free from friction in their action, then the
descent of the weight at D will raised the curved end of the lever G on the

page_text: roller H, and it would, by means of the bolt I, cause the friction band or strap
to embrace the boss more tightly, as before stated.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the details, as herein described, so long as the peculiar character of my Inven-
tion be retained. But what I claim is, the constructing machinery for regu-
lating and ascertaining the labour performed by manual and other power
by applying self-acting apparatus to compensate for varying circumstances
to which the rubbing surfaces of such machinery are subjected.
In witness whereof, I, the said John George Appold, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-one.