Improvements in and Connected with Friction Couplings Governed by Electricity.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 14th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 29th June, 1888
Improvements in and Connected with Friction Couplings Governed
by Electricity.
We, JOHN SMITH RAWORTH, of 112 Belvedere Road, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, and HENRY MANNINGTON SAYERS, of 112 Belvedere Road Lambeth
in the County of Surrey, electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :--
Our invention relates to an improved friction coupling (which may be either plain
or geared) applicable to ordinary machinery for transmitting power from one shaft to
another either with or without alteration of speed, and has special reference to
transmitting power to or from electric motors or dynamos but is also applicable to
other purposes.
We obtain the power for bringing the friction surfaces into forcible contact from
one or more electro-magnets either with or without the intervention of wedges,
screws, or levers.
The friction surfaces may be either plain or grooved as in ordinary mechanical
couplings.
The simplest form of coupling constructed according to our invention consists of
a cone or disc on one shaft and a hollow cone or a disc on the other shaft or on the
pulley.
The cone or one of the discs is provided with grooves in which are wound electric
conductors through which a current of electricity may be sent in such direction as to
produce rings or zones of alternate polarity.
These poles attract the adjacent disc or hollow cone into forcible contact thereby
forming closed magnetic circuits.
The adhesion between the surfaces causes the driving shaft to carry the driven
shaft or pulley along with it at the same speed.
Suitable rubbing contacts are provided for making electric connection with the
above mentioned conductor.
Another form of plain coupling may be constructed according to our invention by
using a plain bored iron ring carried on one shaft by a plate or arms and a plate or

page_text: boss on the other shaft or pulley to which are attached by hinges or slides one or more
electro-magnets the poles of which revolve close to the internal bored surface of the
rings mentioned above.
Suitable rubbing contacts are provided for making electric connection with the
electro-magnets.
As soon as a current of suitable strength is turned through the electro-magnet or
electro-magnets by means of a switch it is or they are strongly attracted to the iron
ring and the driving connection is complete.
On breaking the connection the magnet or magnets is or are released from contact
either by springs or suitable revolving weights and levers.
In constructing a geared coupling for transmitting power from one shaft to another
shaft or pulley with a difference of speed between the two, we use an ordinary "Jack
in the box" motion or an equivalent epicycloidal train according to the amount of
variation in speed desired and we supply a brake strap to the fulcrum wheel which
may be actuated by an electro-magnet or by mechanical means. We also fix an
electro-magnetic coupling such as hereinabove described between the said fulcrum
wheel, and the wheel frame or cross head which carries the travelling wheels, or
between the carrier wheels and the said wheel, frame, or crosshead. By means of
these magnetic couplings and brake strap, we can :-
A. Fix the fulcrum wheel to a stationary object in connection with the brake strap,
causing the driven shaft to revolve at a different rate from the driver.
B. Fix the carrier plate of the travelling wheel to the fulcrum wheel and allow
the latter to run loose thereby causing the whole to act as a plain coupling and both
shafts to revolve at the same speed.
C. Liberate the brake on the fulcrum wheel and the connection between the carrier
plate of the travelling wheel and the fulcrum wheel thus allowing the driving shaft
to revolve freely without influencing the driven shaft.
The advantages of this arrangement for use with electro-motors driving tramcars,
locomotives, hoists, and the like where a heavy weight has to be put into motion
are obvious as it enables a power of two, three or four to one to be employed for
starting and a direct driver of one to one to be used for steady work without the use
of complicated levers or clutches.
Dated this 13th day of August 1887.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and Connected with Friction Couplings Governed
by Electricity.
We, JOHN SMITH RAWORTH, of 112, Belvedere Road, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, and HENRY MANNINGTON SAYERS, of 112, Belvedere Road,
Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Electrician, 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:
Our invention relates to an improved friction coupling (which may be either
plain or geared) applicable to ordinary machinery for transmitting power from
one shaft to another either with or without alteration of speed, and has special
reference to transmitting power to or from electric motors or dynamos but is also
applicable to other purposes.
We obtain the power for bringing the friction surfaces into forcible contact
from one or more electro-magnets either with or without the intervention of wedges,
screws, or levers.
The friction surfaces may be either plain or grooved as in ordinary mechanical
couplings.
A simple form of coupling constructed according to our invention consists of a
cone or a disc on one shaft, and a hollow cone or a disc on the other shaft or
on the pulley, the cone or one of the discs being provided with grooves in which
are wound electric conductors through which a current of electricity may be sent
in such direction as to produce rings or zones of alternate polarity. These poles
attract the adjacent disc or hollow cone into forcible contact, thereby forming
closed magnetic circuits. The adhesion between the surfaces, causes the driving
shaft to carry the driven shaft or pulley along with it at the same speed.
Suitable rubbing contacts are provided for making electric connection with the
above mentioned conductor.
Referring to the annexed illustrative drawings Figures 1 and 2 shew a simple
form of coupling according to this invention wherein discs are employed. Figure 1-
is a part sectional elevation and Figure 2 a face view of the disc at the left side
of Figure 1. This form of coupling comprises two discs a and 6 of iron or
other magnetizable metal. The disc a has one or more grooves c c in its face
which grooves contain an electric conductor wound so as to produce alternate
poles in the rings or annular portions of inetal d e f. One end of the conductor
makes contact with the metal and the other end is in connection with the insulated
ring g and the brush h.
On sending a current through the conductor the disc (which by preference is
able to move longitudinally on its shaft to which it is secured by a feather) is forcibly
attracted to the disc a and if one disc be made to revolve the other will revolve with
it. If preferred two ring contacts similar to 9 may be used instead of making
body contact.

page_text: Another form of plain coupling may be constructed according to our invention
by using a plain bored iron ring carried on one shaft by a plate or by arms, and a
plate or boss on the other shaft or pulley to which are attached, by hinges or slides,
one or more electro magnets the poles of which revolve close to the internal bored
surface of the bored iron ring. Suitable rubbing contacts are provided for making
electric connection with the electromagnets. As soon as a current of suitable
strength is passed through the electro magnet or electro magnets by means of a
switch it is or they are strongly attracted to the iron ring and the driving connection
is complete. On breaking the electric connection the magnet or magnets is or are
released from frictional contact with the ring either by springs or by suitable
revolving weights and levers.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an arrangement of coupling of this kind with hinged
electro magnets. n is a plain bored ring carried on a shaft n¹ n² is a plate or boss on
the other shaft ; to this plate or boss are attached, by hinges at k electro
magnets m m. On a current of suitable strength being passed through the electro
magnets they are strongly attracted to the iron ring n and the driving connection is
complete. On breaking the electric connection the magnets are released from contact
with ring n by means of springs or suitable revolving weights and levers. These are
not shewn but their arrangement will be obvious. The hinges are in the arrangement
shewn, placed between the conductor and the rubbing surface but if preferred they
may be placed between the centre and the conductor.
In constructing a geared coupling for transmitting power from one shaft to another
shaft or pulley with a difference of speed between the two, we use an ordinary
"Jack in the box" motion or an equivalent epicycloidal train according to the
amount of variation in speed desired, and we supply a brake strap to the
fulcrum wheel which may be actuated by an electro magnet or by mechanical
means. We also fix an electro-magnetic coupling such as hereinabove described
between the said fulcrum wheel and the wheel frame or crosshead which carries the
travelling wheels, or between the carrier wheels and the said wheel, frame or cross-
head. By means of these magnetic couplings and brake strap we can
A. Fix the fulcrum wheel to a stationary object in connection with the brake strap,
causing the driven shaft to revolve at a different rate from the driver.
B. Fix the carrier plate of the travelling wheel to the fulcrum wheel and allow the
latter to run loose thereby causing the whole to act as a plain coupling and both
shafts to revolve at the same speed.
C. Liberate the brake on the fulcrum wheel and the connection between the carrier
plate of the travelling wheel and the fulcrum wheel thus allowing the driving shaft
to revolve freely without influencing the driven shaft.
The advantages of this arrangement for use with electro-motors driving tramcars,
locomotives, hoists and the like where a heavy weight has to be put into motion are
obvious as it enables a power of two, three or four to one to be employed for starting
and a direct driver of one to one to be used for steady work without the use of
complicated levers or clutches.
Figure 5 shews one form of such geared coupling constructed according to our
invention.
Z is a driven shaft on which is keyed a boss or plate p able to move longitudinally
on the said shaft q is a shroud or case carrying two loose wheels and running
loose on the boss of the plate p.
2
s is a wheel keyed on the driving shaft and a wheel running loose on the same
shaft. This wheel is the fulcrum wheel.
vis a plate attached to the side of a bearing to.
provided in the plate v, the wheels, and shroud q.
Grooves fitted with conductors are
Rubbing contacts g h and g' are respectively provided for the wheels and for
the shroud q. The plate is stationary and does not require rubbing contacts.
Assuming the shaft to revolve and no current to be passing, the four wheels srrt
will revolve without imparting motion to the shaft z. On a current being sent through
the contacts g¹¹ the shroud q will be attracted to the plate p, and, on sending a

page_text: current through the conductor in the plate the fulcrum wheel t will be stopped and
the shaft z will revolve at half the speed of the shaft x.
By cutting off the current in the plate and sending a current through the
contacts g h and the wheels the whole arrangement becomes a plain coupling and
both shafts and z will revolve at the same speed.
In place of the plate va brake strap actuated by an independent electro magnet
may be used if preferred. It is obvious that this method of adapting electrically
controlled couplings for the purpose of producing variations in speed as between one
shaft and another may be applied to various forms of epicycloidal and hypocycloidal
trains and to the simple geared train as used for the back gear of a lathe."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
1. A friction coupling governed by electricity in which the electric conductors are
contained in a groove or grooves in the face or surface of the coupling substantially
as described.
2. In a friction coupling governed by electricity the use of hinged or sliding
electro magnets substantially as described with reference to and illustrated in
Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings annexed.
3. The combination with a frictional coupling or frictional couplings governed by
electricity of wheels so arranged that the two coupled shafts can be made to rotate at
different relative speeds by simply varying the electric circuit or circuits substantially
as described.
4. The improved variable gearing constructed arranged and operating substantially
as described with reference to Figure 5 of the drawings.
Dated this 14th day of May 1868.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.