US3231241A

US3231241A - Steam or hydraulically operable winch

Info

Publication number: US3231241A
Application number: US218978A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lottermoser Gerhard
Original assignee: Atlas Werke AG
Current assignee: Atlas Werke AG
Priority date: 1961-09-07
Filing date: 1962-08-23
Publication date: 1966-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1983-01-25
Also published as: DE1231400B

Description

Jan. 25, 1966 G. LOTTERMOSER STEAM OR HYDRAULIGALLY OPERABLE WINCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 23, 1962 I N VEN T02 G'EPHA RD LOTTERMOSEH FIGZ 4 7' TORNEVS'.

Jan. 25, 1966 e. LOTTERMOSER 3,231,241

STEAM OR HYDRAULICALLY OPERABLE WINCH Filed Aug. 23, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTUQ. GERHARD LOT TERMOSER ATTORA/L-KS.

United States Patent 6 STEAM OR HYDRAULICALLY O PERABLE WINCH The present invention relates to a steam or hydraulically operable winch, especially a warping or towing winch, with steam or hydraulic medium control which operates in dependence on the hawser tension.

Steam operable winches of this type have been proposed, but have the disadvantage that in order to bring the steam control into action an inadmissibly high degree of variation in the hawser tension is required; in particular there is the danger that, in spite of the automatic steam operation, there may be overstressing of the hawser with consequent breaking thereof. For the automatic system to be caused to respond so as to effect paying out of the hawser there must be an increase in the hawser tension to two to three times the nominal tension.

It is an object of the invention to provide a steam or hydraulically operable winch comprising means adapted ot sense the hawser tension of the winch, and means linking said sensing means to a slide valve of a driving engine of the winch whereby said engine is controlled in dependence on the hawser tension. With such an arrangement it is possible to keep within low limits the range of hawser tensile force necessary for switching over the automatic system, so that as little as to deviation from the nominal force is enough to cause the automatic system to respond.-

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a winch wherein the sensing means comprise an arrangement for responding to load torque between a barrel of the winch and a driving member therefor.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a winch wherein for the purpose of adaptation to prevailing circumstances the load torque corresponding to the neutral position of the control slide valve can be manually adjustable.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a winch wherein the control slide valve is constructed with control surface overlaps which are kept so small that the difference in tensile force between paying out and hauling in the hawser is very small, but yet great enough to prevent swinging.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are given by way of example and in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a steam-operated warping winch with force-dependent automatic steam control system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a two-way slide valve;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a steamoperated warping winch with automatic steam control system dependent upon warping force and path length; and

FIG. 4 is a diagramatic cross section through a control slide valve arrangement for a steam-operated warping winch as shown in FIG. 3.

In the drawings the reference numeral 1 indicates a spur wheel, movably disposed on a shaft 2 of the barrel of the winch, which is driven by a steam engine 45 through links 52 connected to piston rods 51 and pivots 53 provided and angularly displaced on balance wheels 54. These latter wheels are rigidly secured to an intermediate shaft 47 which also carries a pinion gear 46 being in constant engagement with spur gear 1. This gear wheel 1 is connected through spring links 3 with a driver plate 4 disposed rigidly on the barrel shaft 2.

With the transmission of torque from the gear wheel 1 to the barrel shaft 2 there is a mutual angular displacement of the gear wheel 1 and the driver plate 4, the magnitude of which depends on the magnitude of the transmitted torque and thus on the magnitude of the hawser pull acting on the barrel of the winch. This angular displacement is utilized to adjust a two-way slide valve 5 of the steam engine in relation to the hawser tension and thereby to switch the steam engine 45 over, by connecting

steam pipes

48, 49, which extend between the two-way valve 5 and the distributing valve 45a of the steam engine 45, alternately with the steam supply pipe 32 and the exhaust steam pipe 50 (see FIG. 3). For this purpose an angular lever 8 is mounted at a fulcrum point 7 on the driver plate 4 so as to swing in a plane at right angles to the radial plane of the shaft 2 and one arm of the said lever 8 is connected through a connecting strip 9 with a fulcrum point 6 on the gear wheel 1 while the other arm of the lever 8 acts, through a forked connecting strip 10, on an arm 12 of

lever arrangement

12, 13, which is pivotally movable about pivot points 11. Arms 13 of the lever arrangement act through connecting strips 14, on a sleeve 15 which can slide on the shaft 2, but which cannot rotate relative to the shaft 2.

The axial displacement of the sleeve 15 is transmitted to fulcrum slides 17, which engage in a peripheral groove 16 of the sleeve 15, to a

lever arrangement

19, 20 which is mounted on spatially fixed pivots 18 an arm 20 of the

lever arrangement

19, 20 being linked by a forked connection strip 21 to an angular lever 22 which is likewise mounted so as to be fixed in respect of space and which acts on the end of a valve rod 23 of the two-way slide valve 5. The length of the valve rod 23 can be adjusted by threaded spindle 24 with a hand-grip 25. In this way the two-way slide valve 5 can be adjusted to the desired nominal hawser tension.

The two-way slide valve 5 is further connected with a hand lever 26 which, after the removal of a coupling pin 27 (see FIG. 3) which on removal separates the valve rod 23 into two parts and thus prevents the described automatic adjustment of the two-way slide valve 5, can be utilized for effecting manual control of the steam-engine, and thus also of the winch. The two-way slide valve 5 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a normal piston valve with a body 28, valve bush 29 and slide 30. The guiding edges of the slide 36 and the control channels 31, 32 are of such dimensions that the overlappings occurring on manual operation are adequate to keep the difference in tensile force between paying out and hauling in the hawser as small as is required and, further, to prevent the winch from swinging. Thus, for example, it is possible with a nominal hawser tension of 10 tons to prevent with certainty an excess of more than 10%.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a modified arrangement which goes beyond the arrangement described by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and in which the control of the steam engine is effected in dependence on winching force and also path length. Here, a two-way slide valve 33, which is operated in dependence on force just as the two-way valve 5 of FIGS. 1 and 2, there is allocated a double valve or slide arrangement 34 which is operated in dependence on hawser length and which has valve or

slide elements

34a and 34b for minimum and maximum limitation of the paid-out length of hawser. While the slide valve 33 is again, in similar manner to the slide valve in FIG. 1, in communication by a valve rod 23 with the force-dependent automatic system described, which is represented diagrammatically in FIG. 3, the valve or slide 34 is con- 3 nected through a rod 35 with the barrel shaft, so that the revolutions of the barrel shaft act, through a gear system, e.g., bevel gears 36, on a threaded spindle 3'7 or the like which is directly connected with the rod 35. Inserted in the rod linkage to the slide 34 is, again, an adjusting member 38a, by means of which the paid-out length of hawser is limited to a minimum value. This minimum value can be steplessly adjusted by means of the adjusting member 38a, by means of which the rod 35 together with the valve or slide elements 34a and 3412 can be shifted. The slide element 34b for determining the maximum value of the paid-out length of hawser can be axially adjusted on the rod 35 by means of an adjusting member 38b. The restriction'of the length of hawser which .is paid out is important, particularly when towing in narrow channels or when traffic is heavy.

The control slide valve 33 is provided with a main passage 39 serving for the reversal of the rotational direction of the driving engine and for the control of the speed of the driving engine, and with an auxiliary passagetlwhich is in-communication with the main passage 39 and to which steam is supplied only in the event of increasing load, through an additional steam supply line 41. Steam is thus supplied to the main passage 39 through the line 41 and the auxiliary passage 40 or by way of a pipe 42, as is provided form all normal twoway slide valves. However, while in a normal two-way slide valve this pipe 42 communicates directly with the boiler-this is also the case in the two-way slide valve in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2in the present case there is inserted in the pipe 42 the control slide valve 34, which is operated in dependence upon paid out hawser length, so that, as already described above, this control slide valve closes the steam pipe 42 as soon as the hawser length drops below the pie-set minimum.

For hand operation, a by-pass to the control slide valve 34 with a valve 44 is provided which is closed for automatic operation and is opened for manual operation. Further, in manual operation the coupling pin 27 is removed from the rod linkage of the force-dependent automatic system while the length-dependent automatic system can remain connected.

The present invention is of special importance for warping winches, but can also be applied analogously to towing winches with steam or hydraulic drive.

The embodiment above described is by way of example only and many omissions, additions and alterations may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A fluid pressure motor operated winch comprising, in combination, a reversible fluid pressure operated motor positively driven byfluid pressure in each direction of operation; a rotatable winch; a drive member coaxial with said winch and rotatable relative thereto; driving means interconnecting said motor and said drive member; tension means interconnecting said drive member and said winch for conjoint rotation, while .providing for relativeangular displacement thereof in accordance with tension on a hawser connected to said winch; a fluid pressure supply line; a fluid pressure exhaust line; first and secnd conduits connected to said motor for selective positive fluid pressure operation of the latter in reverse directions in accordance with the respective connections of said conduits to said supply and exhaust lines; a reversing valve interposed between said supply and exhaust lines and said conduits, and including a reciprocable slide movable between a first position, connecting said first conduit to said supply line and said second conduit to said exhaust line and a second position, connecting said second conduit to said supply line and said first conduit to said exhaust line; a movable operating member connected to said slide to reciprocate the latter between its two positions; and control linkage connected to said operating member, to said winch and to said drive member, and effective to displace said slide to control the direction of positive fluid pressure operation of said motor in accordance with the hawser tension as measured by the relative angular displacement of said winch and said drive member.

2. A fluid pressure motor operated winch, as claimed 1 in claim 1, including separate means connected to said winch and controlling the operation of said motor in accordance with the rotation of said winch and hence the feedingof the hawser; said separate means comprising throttle 'valve means interposed in said fluid pressure supply line in advance of said reversing valve and controlling the supply of pressure fluid to said reversing valve in accordance with the rotation of said winch.

3. A fluid pressure motor operated winch, as claimed in claim 1, in which said winch includes a driving shaft, a winch drum aflixed to said shaft for rotation therewith, and a driver secured to said shaft for rotation therewith; said drive member comprising a gear rotatable on saidshaft; said tension means interconnecting said gear and said driver; said driving means comprising a driving pinion rotated by said motor and'meshing with said gear to rotate said winch through said driver.

4. A fluid pressure motor operated winch, according to claim 3, wherein said driver includes a plate secured to said shaft, said gear being connected to'saidplate by spring links secured at one end to said gear and at their opposite ends to said plate, said spring links constituting said tension means.

5. A fluid pressure motor operated winch according to claim 3, *wherein said spring links are connected at angularly spaced locations to saidd-river at positions surrounding said driving shaft.

6. A fluid pressure motor operated winch "according to claim 3 in which said operating member includes a linkage element displaceable by said control linkage in accordance with the relative angular displacement between said driver and said gear, and a connecting rod connected to said linkage element, said connecting rod being adjustable in length to permit adjustment of the position of said slide.

7. A fluid pressure motor operated winch according to claim 6, including a hand lever means connected to said slide for manually shifting said piston slide.

8. A fluid pressure operated motor driven winch. according to claim 2, wherein said throttle valve means includes means for supplying additional fluid pressure to said motor with increasing winch load.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,634,912 7/1927 Miller 254-172 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A FLUID PRESSURE MOTOR OPERATED WINCH COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A REVERSIBLE FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED MOTOR POSITIVELY DRIVEN BY FLUID PRESSURE IN EACH DIRECTION OF OPERATION; A ROTATABLE WINCH; A DRIVE MEMBER COAXIAL WITH SAID WINCH AND ROTATABLE RELATIVE THEREOF; DRIVING MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID MOTOR AND SAID DRIVE MEMBER; TENSION MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID DRIVE MEMBER AND SAID WINCH FOR CONJOINT ROTATION, WHILE PROVIDING FOR RELATIVE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT THEREOF IN ACCORDANCE WITH TENSION ON A HAWSER CONNECTED TO SAID WINCH; A FLUID PRESSURE SUPPLY LINE; A FLUID PRESSURE EXHAUST LINE; FIRST AND SECOND CONDUITS CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR FOR SELECTIVE POSITIVE FLUID PRESSURE OPERATION OF THE LATTER IN REVERSE DIRECTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESPECTIVE CONNECTIONS OF SAID CONDUITS TO SAID SUPPLY AND EXHAUST LINES; A REVERSING VALVE INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY AND EXHAUST LINES AND SAID CONDUITS, AND INCLUDING A RECIPROCABLE SLIDE MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITIION, CONNECTING SAID FIRST CONDUIT TO SAID SUPPLY LINE AND SAID SECOND CONDUIT TO SAID EXHAUST LINE AND A SECOND POSITION, CONNECTING SAID SECOND CONDUIT TO SAID SUPPLY LINE AND SAID FIRST CONDUIT TO SAID EXHAUST LINE; A MOVABLE OPERATING MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID SLIDE TO RECIPROCATE THE LATTER BETWEEN ITS TWO POSITIONS; AND CONTROL LINKAGE CONNECTED TO SAID OPERATING MEMBER, TO SAID WINCH AND TO SAID DRIVE MEMBER, AND EFFECTIVE TO DISPLACE SAID SLIDE TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF POSITIVE FLUID PRESSURE OPERATION OF SAID MOTOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HAWSER TENSION AS MEASURED BY THE RELATIVE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT OF SAID WINCH AND SAID DRIVE MEMBER.