Measuring and Indicating the Power exerted by Engines and the Force required to Propel Machinery, Carriages, or Ploughs
Year: 1853

page_text: Measuring and Indicating the Power exerted by
Engines and the Force required to Propel
Machinery, Carriages, or Ploughs.
LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hammond Bentall, of Heybridge, in
the County of Essex, Ironfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE POWER
EXERTED BY ENGINES, AND ALSO THE FORCE REQUIRED TO PROPEL
MACHINERY, CARRIAGES, OR PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 15th July 1853, and dated the 20th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Hammond
Bentall at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th May 1853.
I, EDWARD HAMMOND BENTALL, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING
AND INDICATING THE POWER EXERTED BY ENGINES, AND ALSO THE FORCE
REQUIRED TO PROPEL MACHINERY, CARRIAGES, OR PLOUGHS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention of improved machinery or apparatus for measuring and
indicating the power exerted by engines, and also the force required

page_text: to propel machinery, carriages, or ploughs, may be divided into two
parts, the first of which relates to the means of transmitting the force
or power exerted by the engine to the indicating apparatus, and the
second to the peculiar construction and operation of the said indicating
apparatus.
The first improvement consists in the employment of an epicyeloidal
train of wheels, which are actuated by the engine or machine to be
tested, and which act upon and compress a strong helical spring.
According to the variation in the power or force exerted against the
epicycloidal train the helical spring is more or less compressed, and a
lever connected with the train is moved to and fro, and by means of
suitable gearing made to act on the indicating apparatus, which consists
of a barrel, on which is placed a band of paper. A pencil or marking
instrument is mounted on a screwed shaft, having at one end thereof a
lise wheel, against the surface of which a roller or wheel is made to
bear so that it may be driven thereby. The roller or wheel is mounted
on its shaft in such a manner that it may be slidden thereon laterally
by means of a lever or other convenient contrivance connected with
the epicycloidal train. The shaft on which the roller is mounted is
also provided with a feather, so that both may rotate together. At the
other end of the shaft is a worm or endless screw which gears into and
drives a worm wheel on the axle of the indicating barrel, and thereby
communicates a slow rotary motion thereto. A counting apparatus
and indicator may be adapted, if required, to the apparatus to indicate
the number of the rotations of the main shaft within a given time.
When this apparatus is intended to be applied to a carriage or plough,
in order to ascertain the power exerted to draw the same, the
epicycloidal train will not be required. The drawing power is applied
to powerful helical springs, and as these are compressed they are made
to act on a roller or wheel which bears against the disc wheel of the
indicating apparatus, as in the former instance, and as this roller is
moved laterally on its shaft according to the amount of compression of
the springs, its speed, and consequently the speed of the worm wheel
and indicating barrel, will vary, while the pencil or marking instrument

page_text: will be moved laterally on its screwed shaft in a uniform and regular
manner by means of a band coming from a wheel or pulley on the
chott of one of the monive wheels
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Hammond Bentall in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 19th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
EDWARD HAMMOND BENTALL, of Heybridge, in the County of Essex,
Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Edward Hammond Bentall, Her special license
that I, the said Edward Hammond Bentall, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Hammond
Bentall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING
THE POWER EXERTED BY ENGINES, AND ALSO THE FORCE REQUIRED TO PROPEL
MACHINERY, CARRIAGES, OR PLOUGHS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Hammond Bentall, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Hammond Bentall, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of improved machinery or apparatus for measuring
and indicating the power exerted by engines, and also the force
required to propel machinery, carriages, or ploughs, may be divided
into two parts, the first of which relates to the means of transmitting
the force or power exerted by the engine to the indicating apparatus,
and the second to the peculiar construction and operation of the said
indicating apparatus.
The first part of the Invention consists in the employment of an
epicycloidal train of wheels, which are actuated by the engine or
machine to be tested, and which train is also caused to act upon an
arm or lever, and compress or distend a strong helical spring. According
to the variation in the power or force exerted against the epicycloidal
train the helical spring is more or less compressed, and a lever con-
nected with the train is moved to and fro, and by means of suitable
gearing made to act on the indicating apparatus, which consists of a
barrel, on which is placed a band of paper. A pencil or marking
instrument is mounted on a screwed shaft, which is driven at a uniform
speed by means of a band, strap, or other suitable gearing connected
with the main shaft. This screwed shaft carries at one end thereof a
dise wheel, against the surface of which a roller or wheel is made to
bear so that it may be driven thereby; the roller or wheel is mounted
on its shaft in such a manner that it may be slidden thereon laterally
by means of a lever or other convenient contrivance connected with the
epicycloidal train. The shaft on which the roller is mounted is grooved
to receive a feather projecting from the boss of that roller, so that both
may rotate together. At the other end of the shaft is a worm or end-
less screw which gears into and drives a worm wheel on the axle of the
indicating barrel, and thereby communicates a slow rotary motion
thereto, the speed of which varies according to the position of the
screw shaft roller against the disc wheel. A counting apparatus and
indicator may be adapted, if required, to the apparatus to indicate the
number of the rotations of the main shaft within a given time.

page_text: When the improved indicating apparatus is intended to be applied
to a carriage or plough, in order to ascertain the power exerted to
draw the same, the epicycloidal train will not be required. The drawing
power is applied to powerful helical springs, and as these are compressed
they are made to act on a screw shaft roller or wheel which bears
against the disc wheel of the indicating apparatus, as in the former
instance, and as this roller is moved laterally on its shaft according to
the amount of compression of the springs, its speed, and consequently
the speed of the worm wheel and indicating wheel, will vary, while the
pencil or marking instrument will be moved laterally on its screwed
shaft in an uniform and regular manner by means of a band coming
from a wheel or pulley on the hub of one of the running wheels.
In order, however, that the construction or arrangement of parts
may be more clearly understood I have shewn in the accompanying
Drawings various views of the apparatus as applied to a machine or
engize to ascertain the amount of force or power exerted by the same,
and also as arranged for ascertaining the amount of power required for
drawing ploughs or other agricultural implements.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a sectional plan view of the apparatus with an
epicycloidal train consisting of three bevil wheels adapted thereto; and
Fig 2, is a sectional elevation thereof. a, a, is the main driving shaft ;
b, b, the rigger or pulley which is driven by a band from the motive
engine. The pulley or rigger b, turns freely upon the shaft a, and to
the boss of the said pulley is attached a bevil wheel c, which forms one
of the wheels of the epicycloidal train. This wheel gears into a similar
wheel d, which is mounted loosely upon a spindle connected with the
hollow sleeve shaft e, through which passes the main shaft a. As the
sleeve shaft e, is free to turn on or revolve round the main driving shaft a.
it is evident that the wheel d, and its shaft e, would be thus carried
round, if not prevented. This is effected by causing the projecting
spindle of the wheel d, to bear against the end of a strong coiled spring f.
The wheel d, is thereby made to turn on its spindle, and by gearing into
drive the wheel 9₁ which is fixed on the driving shaft; this shaft, there-
fore, will always be driven at one uniform speed, whatever the power
exerted by the motive engine may be. The number of rotations of

page_text: this shaft are ascertained and indicated by a fixed index h, behind which
the wheel i, is made to rotate by the screw or worm j, cut on the shaft a.
This screw or worm j, gears into or drives another worm wheel on
the upper end of the shaft k, and shewn by dots in Fig. 1. A bevil
wheel, on the lower end of this shaft k, drives a similar wheel m, on
the shaft n, and on the opposite end of this shaft is a toothed wheel o,
which gears into a smaller wheel p, on the end of the screw shaft q,
which carries at its opposite end the disc wheel r. It will now be seen
that all these parts are made to rotate at a constant and uniform speed,
and as the pencil or tracer s, is mounted on this shaft, it follows that
the pencil will be made to travel slowly and with a uniform speed from
left to right over the surface of the drum or cylinder t, which derives
its motion from the shaft u, which by means of a worm drives the
worm wheel v, on the axle of the drum or cylinder t, as shewn by dots
in Fig. 1. On the shaft u, is mounted a wheel or roller w, which is
capable of being moved laterally thereon by means of the forked end of
the arm w, but is made to rotate with the shaft by means of a feather
which extends along the shaft, and passes through the hub of the roller
70. The arm w, is bolted or otherwise attached to the sliding rod x,
which is jointed at one end to the lower end of the lever or arm y,
which is connected with and extends from the hollow sleeve shaft c.
The operation of these parts is as follows:-As the force or power
exerted by the engine or the resistance offered to the rotation of the
shaft a, varies, the coiled spring f, becomes compressed by the wheel d,
being raised, and consequently the sleeve shaft e, is moved round slightly,
and the arm y, and rod drawn back. The roller w, will, therefore, be
moved laterally on the shaft u, by the forked arm w, and the disc
wheel, being kept pressed up against the periphery of the roller w, by
means of a spring placed behind, it follows that this roller will be made
to rotate with a varying speed according to that part of the surface of
the disc wheel against which it is in contact. The shaft, wheel v,
and consequently the drum or roller t, will, therefore, be made to
rotate at varying speeds according to the position of the roller w, on
the shaft u.
It will now be seen that if the power exerted by the engine is

page_text: uniform, the speed of the shaft, being also uniform, the pencil or
tracer s, will be made to trace a diagonal line on the drum or cylinder t,
which for this purpose must be covered with a sheet of paper having a
number of horizontal and vertical lines marked thereon for the purpose
of facilitating the calculations of the force or power exerted.
The several Figures in Sheet II., represent various views of my
improvements as adapted for ascertaining and registering the tractive
force required to draw ploughs or agricultural implements. Fig. 3, is
a side clevation; Fig. 4, a plan view; Fig. 5, an end elevation; and
Fig. 6, is a detached view of some of the working parts drawn upon an
enlarged scale. For this purpose the epicycloidal train is not required,
the tractive force being applied to some rigid part at one end of the
machine, which is mounted on wheels capable of adjustment according to
the height required for the plough or other implement, which is attached
at the other end of the machine to a hook at one end of a rod e, which
passes through the centre of the coiled spring f, and compresses the same
when any tractive force is applied to the rod. The disc wheel r, and
screw shaft, are driven at a uniform speed by means of a band n,
which passes from a pulley on the hub of one of the driving who's to a
pulley p, on the end of the screw shaft q. The drum or cylinder t, aud
some of its appendages are shewn detached at Fig. 6, and are actuated
in a precisely similar manner to that already described in reference to
Figures 1, and 2, and therefore requires no further or more detailed
description, as similar letters are marked on corresponding parts.
Having now described my Invention, and the best incans with which
I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would
observe, in conclusion, that I do not mean or intend to confine myself to
the precise arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn and
described for obtaining the epicycloidal motion, as other trains of gearing
may, no doubt, be employed to obtain the same motion; but that which
I consider to be new in the above-described improvements, and there-
fore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent
as aforesaid, is,-
First, the use and application to machinery or apparatus for indicating
or registering the power exerted by engines or machines of an epicy-

page_text: cloidal train of wheels arranged in any convenient manner for the
purpose of transmitting to the registering apparatus the varying indi-
cations of the power, force, or pressure exerted by the said engines or
machines.
Second, claim the arrangement or construction of apparatus herein
shewn and described, or any mere modification thereof, for indicating
and registering the power exerted to drive or propel machines, or the
tractive force required to draw ploughs or other agricultural implements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Hammond Bentall, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
E. H. BENTALL. (L.S.)