NEW VARIABLE SPEED AND POWER MECHANISM.
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A Resume of
Recently Published Patent Specifications.
JT STONE AND CO., LTD. (the . well-known engineers, of Deptford) and A. E. Midgley; are-responsible for the latest attempt to Solve the problem of the automatically variable speed and power gear, in specification No.
227,516. The illustration given • is merely diagrammatic, as it shows the power being tranfineitted to and from
the device by means. of V-belts. Of course, if the device were applied to motor vehicles, something very different would doubtless be arranged in the way of a drive, but the belts shown will enable the plan to be described. (A) is a carrier or spider which runs freely on a shaft, and is driven by a V-belt, provision for which is shown. This member carries bosses for shafts which carry planet wheels, also cranks as shown.
Engaging in these planet wheels is the sun. wheel, which is keyed to the main shaft, as also is the wheel which transmits the resultant power. Mounted freely on the -main shaft are two heavy
flywheels. As shown, they have slots into which the pins of the cranks of the planet wheels engage, the specification, however, says that connecting rods might he used for connecting the flywheels to the cranks. It will be seen that, unlike some of the gears designed for this purpose, there are no ratchets, or their equivalents.
The action of the device is as follows: —Supposing that the wheel (A) is revolved, and that there is no resistance to movement offered to the wheel (B) all would revolve in one mass; but when resistance is offered to B. the planet wheels will revolve round their own centres as they travel round the sun wheel. It will, however, be seen that as they do this, they must, through their cranks, produce an alternate acceleration and deceleration of the flywheels in relation to the planet wheel carrier. Thus the inertia and momentum of the flywheel will have the effect of intermittently resisting the proper epicyclie motion of the planet wheels, and thereby cause the latter to impart impulses to the sun wheel. When the driven member is heavily loaded, the epicycle motion of the planet wheels becomes considerable, and a number of impulses are imparted to the sun wheel for each revolution of the latter. The number of impulses Tor each revolution will decrease, of course, as the load becomes lighter, and as the difference in speeds between the driving and driven members become less.
c44 Considering the number of patents which have been applied for recently for automatically variable gears, we may expect soon to see the problem solved by a practicable gear which is applicable to motor vehicles.
A New Form of Lock-nut.
A CURIOUS form of lock-nut is
shown in specification No. 228,002. A. Pay and J. A. MetcMay, of Dutch Guiana. In this nut a slightly longer form than usual is necessary, as a recess is formed, as shown in the sectional views, to accommodate a softer metal than that which forms the body of the nut. The recess is provided with radial holes which afford a key to prevent the softer "metal from turning round With the bolt.
It will be seen from the drawings that the soft metal is not tapped, the body of the nut proper having the usual internal thread. Such metal as lead or an alloy containing lead is recommended for casting into the recess.
In action, the nut is tightened on to the bolt in the usual manner, but when the end of the bolt meets the lead it has to cut its own thread in the soft metal. This offers some resistance and causes the lead to fit very tightly, so preventing the nut from becoming loose. The inventors claim that these nuts' have remained tight when holding together parts of a steam stamp mill, a condition under which it was found impossible to keep any form of Took-nut tight. The lead can be run Out and recast for future use, so that there is no wastage.
A Means of Distributing Power to Front and Rear Brakes.
A SIMPLE means of distributing power, either evenly or unevenly, between the rear and front brakes, is the subject of specification No. 228,011, by F. H. Royce. As shown, a horizontal pull-rod connects the brake pedal with the bell crank lever (A), which, by means of the link shown, converts a horizontal pull into a vertical one, which has the effect of raising the rear end
of the three armed lever (B). This lever is fulerume4 to the swinging link (C). By this means the power applied to the pedal can be distributed in any pre
Better Engine Starting by Electric Starter.
AN improved engine starting device, shown in patent specification No. 224,067, in the name of the Eclipse Machine Co., New York, U.S.A., embodies a means whereby a pinion is brought into mesh with the teeth on the edge of the flywheel, and is withdrawn from engagement by the movement of a lever, and not by a screw cut on the shaft of the starting Motor. It has been found in that class of starter in which, the withdrawal of the pinion is brought about by a screw, as described above, that, should one of the cylinders fire and give a sudden impulse to the flywheel. and not be followed by sufficient firing in other cylinders to ensure the running of the engine, the pinion will throw itself out of engagement and the engine will stop.
This is the cause of much trouble with electric starters, as it makes a heavy strain on the -batteries through the repeated discharges necessary to start an engine, especially in cold weather.
In the device described here the pinion iS entirely governed, so far as its sliding engagement, by a lever. A special form of clutch is provided, which gives a ratchet action, thus allowing the flywheel to revolve, when the engine has started, without imparting rotary motion to tile shaft of the starting motor. Clutches of the free-wheel type have been used before for this purpose; but the particular feature of this invention appears to consist of the special and ingenious form of friction clutch which will act in one direction only.
A SIMPLE form of mechanical starter operated by cords in grooved pulleys is described in specification No. 201,545, by Aime de Changy.