Improvements in Certain Drums for Holding Electric Cables.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Certain Drums for Holding Electric Cables.
I, THOMAS OXLEY, of Tudor Works, Pendleton, Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement;-
-
My invention consists in improvements in certain drums for holding electric
cables for purposes of carriage or transport and the object of my invention is to
facilitate the handling and turning about from time to time as may be desir-
able for the uncoiling of cables therefrom or other purposes of such drums for
holding electric cables as are provided with barrels and cheeks or flanges of steel
or iron and especially of such drums of the said kind as are of large capacity
and consequently of very great weight when cables are coiled thereon.
It is found in the use of the wooden drums hitherto employed to hold electric
cables for purposes of carriage or transport that a very convenient method of
turning a drum with a cable coiled upon it into position for the uncoiling of a
cable therefrom or to enable the drum to be rolled in any required direction or
other purposes is to place a strut or prop of some kind against a suitable pro-
jection upon one flange or end of the drum so that such strut or prop may serve
as a kind of pivot about which the drum may be turned by means of a crow-bar
or like appliance inserted into the central orifice or other opening in the other
flange or end of the drum or otherwise made to act (upon such other flange or
end of the drum.
The object of my invention is to enable drums with barrels and flanges or
cheeks of steel or iron and especially drums of large capacity to be turned without
liability to damage by means of the application of struts or props and crow-
bars in a manner similar to that found convenient in the use of the wooden
drums in ordinary use.
My invention is applicable to drums of the kind in which the steel or iron
flanges of a drum are with or without being provided with grooves to receive
the ends of the barrel used therewith held together and to the barrel used with
them by means of bolts extending through such flanges or cheeks and the interior
of the barrel. According to my invention I employ in conjunction with each
of the bolts employed in a drum of the said kind to hold the flanges or cheeks
and barrel together, nuts which are formed with bosses or projections to fit into
holes or recesses formed to receive them in the cheeks or Hanges and with
collars or flanges to bear against the outer sides of the cheeks or flanges to which
they are applied and are outwardly made conical or taper and circular so as to
allow struts or props of suitable length to be applied to them with ease and
security in any position in which the drum may be placed and so that the
nuts will transmit any force applied to them in the handling or turning of the
drum to the flanges or cheeks in which they are mounted directly and not by
means of the bolts on which they are screwed.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing in all the figures of which the same letters of
reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal
section of a nut formed in accordance with my invention showing in side eleva-
tion the bolt to which it is applied and also showing in longitudinal section
a part of the flange or cheek and barrel with which it is used and Fig. 2 is a
plan of such nut and a part of the said bolt, and Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively
side and front elevations in part longitudinal and transverse sections of a drum
in which nuts formed in accordance with my invention are employed.
The line A A of Fig. 2 indicates the plane upon which the longitudinal
section Fig. 1 is taken, the line B B of Fig. 3 indicates the plane. upon which
the part of Fig. 4 which. is a longitudinal section is taken and the line C C of
Fig. 4 indicates the plane upon which the part of Fig. 3 which is a transverse
section is taken.
of such
In the drum illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 the steel or iron flanges or cheeks (a) (a)
are provided with grooves to receive the ends of the steel or iron barrel (b).
Each of the bolts (c) used to secure the flanges or cheeks (a) (a) together and
to the barrel (b) is provided with a screw-thread at each end to receive one
of the nuts (d) formed in accordance with my invention. Each nut (d) is formed
with a projection or boss (¹) to fit into a hole formed to receive it and fit it, in the
flange or cheek (a) with which such nut (d) is employed and with
a collar or flange (2) to bear
side
against the outer
flange or cheek (a) and is as is clearly indicated in the drawing outwardly made
conical or taper so that a strut or prop of suitable length can be readily applied
to and bear securely against it in the turning of the drum in which such nut (d)
is employed. Each nut (d) is provided with a radial hole (3) with which a key
may be made to engage in order that such nut (d) may be screwed into
position on the bolt (c) to which it is to be applied, The outer part of the
hole in which the screw-thread of each nut (d) is formed is enlarged or made
conical outwards as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1, and after the nut (d) has
been screwed into position on the end of the bolt (c) with which it is to be
used the said end of the bolt (c) is expanded or rivetted up so as to fill the en-
largement of the hole in the nut (d) and secure such nut (d) in position. Each
nut (d) bearing against the flange or cheek (a) with which it is used by
the projection or boss (d¹) and by the collar or flange (2) transmits any force
which may be applied to it to the said flange or cheek (a) directly and not to
or by means of the bolt (c) on which such nut (c) is screwed.
It is obvious that the recesses to receive the projections or bosses of nuts
made according to my invention may extend entirely or only partially through
the substance of the flanges or cheeks in which they are fornied, and that the
conical or taper surfaces of such nuts may extend to the surfaces of the cheeks
or flanges with which such nuts are used instead of terminating at a little
distance from such flanges or cheeks in the manner indicated in the accom-
panying drawing and that instead of being provided with holes like the holes (d³)
indicated in the accompanying drawing they may be arranged to be. turned in
other ways and that instead of being formed with conical or other enlargements
in the outer parts of the holes formed to receive the bolts upon which they are
to be screwed they may be arranged to be secured by any other suitable means
upon the bolts to which they are to be applied.
The employment of nuts formed in accordance with my invention enables
drums with cables coiled thereon to be readily turned by means of props or
struts and crow-bars without danger of damage either by the force applied to them
or by reason of the slipping of the struts or props as the nuts formed according
to my invention afford a secure bearing for such struts or props. The circular
form given to the nuts formed in accordance with my invention is also advan-
tageous in that it prevents the use of struts or props in the manner aforesaid
from moving or turning the said nuts upon the bolts on which they are screwed
and subjecting the bolts and nuts to wear and consequent loosening.

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
For use upon bolts employed to secure together steel or iron flanges or cheeks
and steel or iron barrels in drums for holding electric cables for purposes of
carriage or transport, nuts with projections or bosses to enter and bear against
the flanges or cheeks with which they are employed and with collars to bear
against the outer surfaces of such flanges or cheeks and with conical or taper
outer surfaces to form bearings for props or struts for the purpose and sub-
stantially in the manner hereinbefore described.
Dated this Eighth day of October 1898.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester Agent to the Applicant.