US271311A - oapen - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. W. CAPEN.

CRANE.

No. 271.311. Patented Ja;11.30, 1883.

- l N V E N T0 R T/zamaa", W Cape/z. By k s .dttorneys lUNiTED STATES? ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. CAPEN, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE YALE LOOK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CRANE.

SFECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,311, dated January 30, 1883.

Application filed November 28, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Wu CAPEN, of Stamford, in the county of Faireld and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cranes, of which the following is a speciticatiomreferenee being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of one part of my invention is to prevent the crawling of a'trolley ot' a crane 1o when the load is being hoisted; and the object of another part of my invention is to prevent running dow'n of the load. My invention therefore consistsin a locking mechanism for a trolley, and in a brake mechanism applied, in

r 5 connection with the hoisting apparatus, to prevent ruiming down of the load.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of ajib-crane with myimprovements applied. Fig. l is an elevation partly zo in section, with the hoisting-chains omitted to show the trolley holding rope. Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of part of my trolley locking mechanism detached. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same on the line et 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows an automatic brake mechanism to prevent the load from running down. Figs. 6 and 7 are details of the same, showing parts detached.

Thejib-crane and its operating mechanism are of the kind set forth in my United States Patent No. 242,271, granted May 3l, 1881, and need not therefore be described in detail.

In connection with the trolley A, I provide a trolley holding rope or cable, B, secured at its opposite ends to the trolley at C, passing over guide-sheavesDandE,downaroundthedouble grooved sheave F, thence up over the sheave G, thencedownaround theotherpartofthe doublegrooved sheave F, thence up over the guidesheave H to the trolley, thus forming practically an endless band to which the trolley is attached. 'Sheaves D, E, and lEI are on the same shafts that carry the chain-wheels of the operating-chain X2, as appears by the drawings, and these sheaves are loose upon those shafts,

so as to turn freely, or to stand at rest independently of the shafts. The double-grooved sheave F is secured loosely upon a shaft, I, which is an eccentric extension from the short shaft K.

l This extension passes eccentrcally through another shaft, L, and the hand-wheel M (or it may be a lever) and shaft L and thel shaft I are secured together by means of a bolt, N, or otherwise. The result is that by rotating the hand-wheel the shaft Iand the double-grooved sheave F will be raised and lowered, and will consequently either strain or loosen the cable B. The annular grooves in the sheave F aropreferably made V-shaped, as illustrated, so that when the sheave is lowered the rope will in a measure wedge into the grooves, and they will grip it firmly. The number of sheaves and number of turns in the endless cable may be varied, and I might use a single-grooved sheave F. However, a double-grooved sheave is much preferable, because theV friction on the cable B is doubled and the movement 'of the eccentric slackens the rope twice as much as y with a single sheave. This is advantageous, because when the trolley is to move itis necessary that the cable should pass freely over the sheave. I bevel the outside edges of the sheave F at a tt, as shownin Fig. et, and provide a correspondingly beveled brake-block, P, to en'- gage with the beveled edges of the sheave. When the shaft I and sheave F are thrust downward to bring the rope B taut, so that it will not slip, the brake-block engages with the sheave at the same instant and prevents the sheave from turning. The operator can always, therefore, conveniently stop theA trolley and hold it securely in any position upon its track. The sheave G operates as an adjusting device, being attached to the frame by means ot' a'serew-bolt, X, so that by turning the nut on the screw the rope B may be tightened or loosened, as desired.

Referring, now, to my brake for the hoisting will say that it is similarin principle to thatdescribed and claimed in my United States Patent No. 263,479, granted August 29, 1882. Upon the shaft Q of the hoisting mechanism l Through the shaft runs a metallic cross-key, preferably steel, which projects from opposite sides of the shaft, as shown in Fig. 7, and is located between the loose collar and the loose mechanism,as illustrated'in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, I

provide a loose worm, R, and aloose collar, S.

worm. l The collar and the worm are each provided with lugs T with inclined adjacent faces standing normally in the rotary path ot' the projections U ofthecross-key. When the shaft is turned in either direction these projections impinge againstthe lugs T of the collar and worm and cause them to turn with the shaft, preserving their relative positions, as' illustrated in Fig. 5. If, however, when a load is on the crane, there is a tendency to turn the worm-wheel (not illustrated, but to be the same as shown in my last-mentioned patent) and the worm, the latter will move independently of the loose collar and shaft' Q, and the result will be that the lugs T of the worm will mount the lugs of the collar and cause apinch, which will drive the extreme bearing ends of the worm and collar against the surfaces of the 'hearing U at the points V and W and stop all motion. It will thus be seen that whenever the shaft Q is turned normally, so as to operate in the usual manner, there will be no locking; but whenever the weightrof the suspended load operating upon the worm-wheel and worm causes them Vto turn hy the ruiming down of the load,locking will instantly take place automatically to stop the running down. This form of brake is equally applicable to cranes or hoists where spur-gearing is used,in which latter case a loose pinion would take the place ofthe loose worm with exactly similar results.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by ALetters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination, with the trolley, of an endless rope or cable to which the trolley is.

secured, and a brake mechanism for stopping and holding; the trolley by the aid ofthe cable, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the trolley, the endless cable, the sheaves, the brake-block, and the hand'wheel or lever, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the hoisting mechanism, of the shaft Q, theV loose worm, the loose collar, the cross-key projecting between them, andl the lugs with inclined adjacent faces in the rotary path of the projecting ends of the cross-key, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a brakerope or cable, a double-grooved sheave, F, whereby the action of the eccentric is rendered more el'ective, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a brake rope or cable, an adjusting device, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the eccentric shaft I, the sheave F, the cable B, and the brake-block` P, so constructed that when the eccentric is turned the rope is gripped by the sheave F and thc sheave is gripped by the brake-block, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of November, A. D. 1832.

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