US841207A - Reducing-wheel. - Google Patents

Description

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATBNTED JAN. l5, 1907.

F. L. WOLFE.

REDUGING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED H1127, 1905.

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FRANK L. WOLFE, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROSBY STEAM GAGE AND VALVE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

REDUClNG-WHEEL.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application filed February 27,1905. Serial 170,247,472;

T0 a/ZZ whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK L. WOLFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reducing-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in reducing-wheels for steam-engine indicators; and its object is to provide for stopping the indicator-drum for the purpose of changing cards or charts without stopping the cordpulley of the reducing-wheel and without producing slackness in the cord of the cordpulley or that of the indicator-drum. Any slackeningof these cords produces trouble by causing them to become entangled or break.

Another object is to remove all the strain and jar incident t-o such stopping from the indicator-drum by confining the operating mechanism to the reducing-wheel itself. This I accomplish by means of a clutch interposed between the two pulleys-namely, the cord-pulley and the stroke-pulley. .I have already invented a clutch for that purpose and filed an application for Letters Patent therefor February 15, 1904, Serial No. 193,759, which application has since been allowed, and my invention is to some extent an improvement on that one. In the present case I provide particularly for stopping the indicator-drum at the outward end of the stroke of the piston of the steam-engine.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of the machine, showing the steam-engine indicator and indicator-drum in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, and 11 are det-ail views of the clutch mechanism.

1 is a supporting-arm furnished with the bushing 2, to which is attached the indicator 3, and the coupling 4 by which it is attached to the cylinder of a steam-engine. Extending through the outer end of the supportingarm 1 is the shaft 5, having mounted on its inner end the bevel-gear 6. This shaft 5 is mounted in a cylindrical case 7, which is iixed to the sup porting-arm 1. Within this case 7 is a spring 8, one end of which is fixed to said case and the other end of which is fixed to said shaft 5. Fixed to the outer end of said supporting-arm 1 is a second shaft 9, over which fits the sleeve 10, carrying at its inner end the pinion 11 and having mounted upon it thecord-pulley 12, to which is attached the cord 13. These parts are fully described in the patent issued to me for a Hsupport for reducing-wheels December 24, 1901, N0. 689,528.

The action of the reducing motion is as follows: The outer end of the cord 13 is fastened to the cross-head of a steam-engine. As the cord is drawn by the movement of the cross-head from the cord-pulley 12 this pulley rotates, and with itrotates the pinion 11 and the bevel-gear 6 against the action of the spring 8. Upon the return motion of the cross-head the spring 8 recoils, thus keeping the cord 13 always taut. l 14 is the indicatordrum, which is rotated against spring action by means of the cord 15, fastened thereto, passing over the guideulleys 16 and attached to the stroke-'pnl ey 17. Heretofore this stroke-pulley 17 has been fixed .to the bevel-gear 6, so that it moved when and as said bevel-gear moved, imparting its movement to the indicator-drum 14. To prevent this transmission of the motion of the cordpulley 12 to the stroke-pulley 17 and thence to the indicator-drum 14, I interpose between the bevel-gear 6 and the stroke-pulley 17 a clutch which constitutes my invention.

The clutch device is described as follows: To the outer face of the bevel-gear 6 is 'secured the plate 18 by screws 19, Fig. 3, carrying the threaded shaft 20, and to the outer 21, Fig. 3, extending beyond the outer face of said plate 18. This constitutes one member of the clutch. The threaded hub 22, which constitutes the other member of the clutch, engages the threaded shaft 20. Upon this hub is fixed the ratchet 23, having upon its inner face the stop 24, Fig. 4, and springbuffer 25, Fi 4. Upon this hub 22 is also fixed the stro ie-pulley shaft 26, carrying the stroke-pulley 17. To the supporting-arm 1 is vaffixed the pawl 27 by the pivot 39 and also afiixed the s ring 28.

The clutcii operates as follows: Normally the hub 22 is screwed upon the shaft 20 until thestop 24 rests against the post 21. The

90... face of the bevel-gear 6 is also fixed the post f IOO cord 13 is fastened to the cross-head of av steam-engine and the cord 15 to the indicator-drum 14. lThese cords are taut. The pawl 27 is out of engagement with the ratchet 23, and the reducing-wheel acts as above described. To stop the rotation of the ratchet 23, the operator engages it vwith the pawl 27, which prevents further movement in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3, but permits motion in the opposite direction, so that before coming to a full stop the ratchet 23 will be carried by the stop 24 to the end of the outward stroke. When the ,pawl is disengaged from the ratchet, the hub 22, actuated by the tension of the indicatordrum spring, will resume its position with the post 21 in contact with the stop 2,4, and the original motion will be continued. The

- spring 28 serves to hold the pawl in or out of engagement with the ratchet, as the case maybe.

The drawings show certain modifications of my invention. l Fi 6 shows the fixed member of the clutci with a spiral groove 29 on its outer face, while the other member 40 of the clutch,

Fig. 7, is furnished with an arm 30, pivoted at 31 and having the lug 32 adapted to en-A gage the groove 29. In this arrangement the two members will move together whenever the luv 32 is at theinner end of the groove 29, tthis contact being similar to that of post 21 and stop 24, as above described,

"and as long as the pawl 42, pivoted to the supporting-arm at 43, does not engage the ratchet 44. The groove '29 is made of suilicient length to provide for the extreme stroke of-a piston. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showsing the parts of this modified form held in position by the plate 41 and showing the ratchet 44 and stroke-pulley 17 attached.

'Another modification is making this groove as shown in Fig. 9, groove 33, and making a radial groove 34, Fig. 10, in the other member of the clutch, with a ball 35 adapted to travel in said grooves. In this arrangement when the balI is at the inner end of the grooves the members of the clutch will move together as long as the pawl is out of enga`gement with the ratchet. Fig. 11 is a fsectional view of Figs. 9 and 10 as they appear` ing-arm' 1 by the screw 45 and in operation acts upon the outer member ofthe clutch asA a brake.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byl Letters Patent, is-

1. -In a reducing-wheel as described, a stroke-pulley shaft and arranged thereon a clutch comprising two members, one member being fixed to said shaft and having a spirallygrooved face and an axis, the second member being rotatable on said axis and having a radial groove, a ball adapted to engage said rooves, together with independent means 'or holding said second member in a xed position at a certain part of the stroke 3 substantially as described.

2. In a reducing-wheel as described, a stroke-pulley shaft and arranged thereon a clutch comprising two members, one member being fixed to said shaft and the other member having a limited rotatability upon the first member, together with means, which, when operated at any part ofa stroke, automatically serve to stop the said second member at a certain part of the stroke; substantially as described. l

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of'two witnesses.

FRANK L. WOLFE.

Witnesses: K

RALPH W. FosTER, EDWARD C. BAKER.

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