US24162A - Improvement in platform-scales - Google Patents

Description

STRONG ea ROSS.

Platform Scales.

Patented May 24, 1859.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS M. STRONG AND THOMAS ROSS, OF BRANDON, VERMONT.

I-MPROVEM ENT IN PLATFORM-SCALES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,162, dated May 24, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknownthatwe, FRANCISM. STRONG and THOMAS Ross, both of Brandon, in the county of Rutland and State of Vermont, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in Weighing-Scales; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact I description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan showing the arrangement of levers; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a sectional elevation showing the manner of constructing the shafts A and the manner of combining the platform with the levers; Fig. 4, a section showing the -manner of sustaining the shaft 0; Figs. 5

and 6, plan and elevation of portions of shaft '0, showing the manner of combining the several parts composing the said shaft; Figs. 7 and 8, two views of the improved connecting-loop Fig. 9, a sectional view showing the manner of constructing and adjusting the nose-iron at the end of the arm H of the transmitting-lever, and Fig. 10 a section of the bearing D and bed-plate on which the bcarin g V rests.

Our invention relatesto platform-scales for railroad and other purposes requiring great length of platform. The arrangement of levers we consider as an improvement upon double weighing-machines heretofore used; and it consists of a series of parallel shafts A A A and arms B B B, Figs. 1 and 2, all the arms being connected with'and acting upon the compound shaft 0, which transmits the force through its arm II to the scale or weigh-- jug-beam in the usual manner. The main levers A B A B have equal power and are all alike, except that the two composing the cen of the piers. A portion of one of the standards is shown at M, Fig. 4.

The manner of coupling the shaft 0 is shown at Figs.,5 and 6. The ends of the several sections composing ithave flanges Pcast on them. These flanges have ears h h projecting from them." The ears h on the front side of 'one-section of the shaft rests upon the ear h on the front side of the other section to which the first is to be coupled. The other ears h h are similarly situated, but are connected together by a link Z, the force applied to the shaft tending to separate these, while the first are forced together. The surfaces of the ears h h, which come in contact, are made convex and concave to keep them in position. This manner of connection allows the shaft 0 to act freely upon its knife-edges, even if thrown consid-. erably out of line, and that too, without materially affecting the accuracy of the weiglr ing action, as the knife-edges, both the one which sustains the shaft and the one to which the arm B is connected, areinserted in the same part of the shaft and cannot be changed in theirrelative positions by any change which may take place in the supports or foundations.

In Figs. 4:, 5, and (i, I represents the loops connecting the leversAB to the shaft 0, these levers being connected at what we term the front side of shaft 0.

The manner of suspending the shaft is shown in Fig. 4. v M is a portion of the standard, through which an opening is cast to admit the flanged plug a, the flange projecting beyond the opening and resting upon the standard. Through this plug a pin 1) passes, and from this the links (Z (Z depend. These links take in the block 0, upon which the knife-edge of shaft 0 rests. This manner of hanging the lever permits the block to adjust itself to the knife edge, and also allows the shaft to oscillate laterally and longitudinally, obviating any tendency to cramp, and does this without any rocking motion of the block. In this way the fineness'of the knife-edges is preserved to secure that delicacy so essential to the sensitiveness and accuracy of the machine. This is mai nlyelfected by suspending the block from two separate points'and two links. 7

The loops used to connect-the lovers are shown at Figs.7 and S, and havet-heir eyes, (which are the bearing parts in which the knife-edges rest,) instead of being formed of one solid piece-with the bow, made separate and joined to the'bow by a joint similar to a rule-joint,.the axis of this joint being at right angles to the-axis of the eyes. This insures av perfect bearing the whole length of the knife-edge, which can only be the case in a solid loop when the eyes are truly cylindrical and the knife-edge lies parallel to the axis. This construction of loop renders great accuracy in fitting unnecessary, and secures at all times a perfect bearing.

The nose-iron L, Fig. 9, is fitted to and slides in a slot in the end of the transmitting-arm H, Fig. 1. It has a projecting flange at bottom to sustain the strain which would otherhole is drilled somewhat deeper than the screw is intended to enter,for the purpose of receiving an india-rubber' or other spring f, which presses against the screw and holds it firmly against the cross-bar at the end of the arm to which the other end of the screw is fitted, a pin being inserted through the screw within the bar. In this way the nose-iron L, which is the nut of the screw, is held firmly, in position, may be readily adj usted, and'great care in fitting the parts is rendered unnecessary.

The bearing D,Figs. 3 and 10, has its under surface convex in the direction of its length, and has also a round tenon projecting downward from it and entering-ahole in the bedplate onwhich it rests, the convex surface being for the purpose of allowing the bearingpiece to rock slightly,so that the pressure may be equally distributed over its whole length, while at the 'same time the tenon permits it freely to assume that position which will insure the proper bearing of the knife-edges without binding.

The manner of combining the platform with the several bearings is shown at Fig. 3, in which A represents one of the several bearings, the'shaft of the main lever with its center knife-edge resting upon the bearing D. E is an intermediate bearing-piece resting upon the platforni supporting knife-edge of the leverA. The upper surface of this bearing-piece has two cups or concaves cast in-it,

in which are inserted spheres. The shoe N is attached to the under side of the platform and. has corresponding concaves on its under surface, and these rest upon the spheres, the

object being to relieve the knife-edges from' any lateral shock which the platform may receive, as this shoe upon which the platform timbers (not shown) rest can move freely upon the spheres or balls, while the bearing-picce E remains unmoved upon the knife-edge.

The operation will be readily understood. Weight being placed upon the platform acting through the shoes, balls, and bearingpieces E upon the knife-edges tends to turn the shafts A and consequently depress the end of the arms B. These being connected to the shaft 0 tend in like manner to turn it and depress the end of the transmitting-arm I-Lwhich actuates the weighing-beam where the weight is indicated in the usual manner.

Ve have thus described the mode' of application of our said invention, which we have successfully reduced to practice; but we do not wish to be u derstood as limiting our claim-of inventiolz to such special mode of application, as other modes of 1 application may be adopted.

That We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Arranging theseries of rocking levers which sustain the platform with their shafts all parallel and with the arms of all of them in the same line, except those constituting the inner section, which are inclined, substantially as described, in combination with the transmitt-ing-leverabove whiel, connects with the scale-beam, to the short arms of which they are all suspended at equal distances from the axis of vibration, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The method of connecting the several sections of the shaft of the transmitting-levcr by means of projections and links, substantially as described, for the purpose of, enabling it to yield freely to inequalities or variations in the supports, that it may vibrate freely and without binding, and thereby trans- .mit the weight accurately to the scale-beam,

self-adjusting, that the knife-edges may bear without binding, as set. forth.

5. In combination with the nose-iron adjustable by a screw in the end of the transmitting-lever, the employment of a spring bearing against the end of the adjustingscrews, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

FRANCIS M. STRON G. THOMAS ROSS.- Witnesscs:

- JOHN F. ESTABROOK,

ROBT. FORBES.

Images