US3360242A

US3360242A - Dual-drum winch structure

Info

Publication number: US3360242A
Application number: US562763A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank L Lawrence
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-07-05
Filing date: 1966-07-05
Publication date: 1967-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1967 F. L. LAWRENCE 3,360,242

DUAL-DRUM WINCH STRUCTURE Filed July 5; 1966 FRANK L. LAWRENCE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS (Fig/Mg United States Patent 3,360,242 DUAL-DRUM WINCH STRUCTURE Frank L. Lawrence, Suite 803, 1835 Morton Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed July 5, 1966, Ser. No. 562,763 1 Claim. (Cl. 254184) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dual-drum winch with the spooling drum of one having a diameter considerably smaller than that of the other, the larger drum wholly housing the smaller drum and having a slot running its entire Width through which cable is passed to the smaller drum, means being provided for either driving the smaller drum while arresting the rotation, other than for a creeping advance, of the larger drum or driving the two drums in concert.

This invention relates to dual-drum winch structure, and one especially which is designed to permit cable to be wound in part upon one drum and in part upon the other drum of the winch.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a winch the spooling capability of which permits large numbers of cable lays to be handled safely in that, by dividing the lays between two drums, the necessary buildup upon either said drum is held within safe limits placing no undue amount of pressure on the side flanges of the drum.

This and other objects and advantages in view will appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invinetion consisting in the novel construction and in the adapted and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Description of drawing In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal vertical section illustrating a winch constructed to embody preferred teachings of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view thereof on line 22 of FIG. 1.

Description of invention Referring to said drawing, the numerals and 11 denote cheek bitts providing a journal for an arbor 12 powered in any suitable manner as, for example, by a gear wheel 13 keyed to the arbor and meshed by a motordriven pinion (not shown) which is controlled both as to speed and the direction of rotation.

Outer and inner

spooling drums

14 and 15, respectively, each providing the usual side flanges guarding an annular spooling surface, are mounted on the arbor. The outer drum 14 has a hollow center defined between end walls 16-17 and a surrounding wall 18 which forms its spooling, surface, and the inner drum is housed in such hollow center. The inner drum has a hub section 19 which is keyed to the arbor.

One of the two

end walls

16 and 17 is bolted or otherwise removably secured in place. Both of these end walls provide a hub section, as 20 and 21, and each said hub section receives a journal upon the arbor from bearing sleeves 22. Drum 14 admits of being coupled to or uncoupled from the arbor at will, and for purposes of illustration I have shown for this purpose a runner 23 splined upon a collar 24 keyed to the arbor and shiftable by a fork 25 into and out of coupling engagement with external teeth formed upon the hub section 20. It is obvious that means such, for example, as an air clutch can be employed to effectuate the coupling action.

3,360,242 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 p CC As will be seen from an inspection of FIG. 2, the outer drums annular wall 19 has a moderately wide slot 26 extending transversely of the drum from the flange at one side to the flange at the other side of the spooling surface.

A brake means 27, is provided for arresting the rotation of the outer drum 14 during periods when the same is not drive-coupled to the live arbor. The functioning of this arrestation means is desirably an automatic action made responsive to the operations of coupling the outer drum to and uncoupling the outer drum from the live arbor, and namely so that the drum is released (made free to rotate) when coupled to the arbor and is arrested (held against rotation) when uncoupled from the arbor. However, such arrestation admits of being lessened at the will of the operator in a degree sufficient to allow the outer drum to creep in a moderate degree. The rotating inner drum perforce supplies the influence which causes the outer drum to creep when the braking effort is diminished. The purpose thereof will hereinafter appear.

In the use of the winch, a cable 0 which is to be spooled upon the dual drums is first passed over a suitable lead block 28 and run therefrom through the slot 26, to be anchored by its spooling end to the inner drum 15. With the outer drum arrested and uncoupled from the inner drum, the arbor is now driven in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the vantage point of FIG. 2. Spooling proceeds until the inner drum is filled with a prescribed number of cable lays, whereupon the outer drum is coupled to the arbor and the cable then winds itself upon the outer drum. When paying out cable, a reverse procedure is followed, and this is to to say that the two drums turn as one in a clockwise direction until the outer drum is cleared of cable. The outer drum is then uncoupled and arrested, with the slot 26 located so that its median line approximately coincides with a plane projected tangent to the outer lay of the inner drums cable wraps through the lead block.

The above-mentioned creep to which the arrested outer drum partakes, during a take-in or pay-out of cable to and from the inner drum, is in compensation of the change in the diameter of the circle (defined by the outermost lay) from which the tangent is projected.

The present invention finds particular usefulness in the yarder of a balloon-logging or other lang-haul logging operation, in which application a respective one of two dual-drum sets are provided for each of the two ends 2 of the log-hauling cable. An applicable yarder is illus-- trated and described in my co-pending application titled Infinite Ratio Driving Interlock for Spooling'Drurns of a Yarder. 1

It is believed that the invention will have been clearly understood from the foregoing detailed description of my now-preferred illustrated embodiment. Changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is accordingly my inention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexed claim be given the broadest interpretation to which the employed language fairly admits.

What is claimed is:

In a dual-drum winch structure, in combination: a live arbor, an inner spooling drum locked to the arbor and providing a spooling surface guarded by side flanges, an outer spooling drum journaled upon the arbor and likewise providing a spooling surface guarded by side flanges and journal-mounted for rotation about the center of the arbor as an axis in a position placing its spooling surface in surrounding relation to the inner drum with space therebetween to accommodate multiple lays of cable, the outer drum having a transverse slot extending the full width of its spooling surface for the access of cable being spooled on the inner drum, and means for driving the arbor while holding the outer drum in an References Cited arrested condition to spool multiple lays of cable upon the inner drum and then establishing a driving couple UNITED STATES PATENTS from the arbor to the outer drum for spooling multiple 1,527,478 2/1925 Harper 254184 following lays of cable upon the outer drum, the outer 5 2,802,038 8/1957 Ireland 254 184 drum providing end walls acting with an annular wall on which the spooling surface is formed to wholly enclose EVON BLUNK Primary Examiner the inner drum, one of the end walls being bolted in place, H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.