US831366A - Roundabout. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

H. S. MAXIM.

ROUNDABOUT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1905.

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H. s. MAXIM.

ROUNDABOUT.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..14, 1905.

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APPLICATION IFILBD M AR.14,1905.

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rmrrE s ra ts PATENT @FFTQEQ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept, 18, race.

Application fil d March 14, 1905., Serial No. 250,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, chevalier of the Legion of Honor,

civil, mechanical, and electrical engineer, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Thurlow Lodge, N orwood .Road, West N orwood, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Roundabouts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to roundabouts and similar contrivances for public. recreation, and has reference more particularly to the kind of contrivance or roundabout I have already devised and set forth in the specification of my prior United States patent, No.

804,147, dated November7, 1905, in which there is a central rotary shaft driven by an appropriate motor or motors and having at or near its upper end a series of radial arms, from the free ends 'of which cars are suspended, so as to be able to move outward under centrifugal force when the shaft revolves.

In order to cause the cars to perform peculiar evolutions during their travel around theaxis of the rotary shaft, I have already proposed to provide them with movable aero' planes or to permanently arrange the rotary shaft at an angle. According to my present invention I obtain thesepeculiar evolutions 'by so arranging the rotary shaft that at the commencement of rotation of the cars it will occupy a vertical or approximately vertical position; but while the cars are still traveling and after they have been swung outward. to a suitable'extent the said shaft will be gradually tilted or shifted into an inclined position and then will be subsequently restored to its vertical or approximately vertical position before the cars are brought to rest.

In order thatmy said invention may be clearly understo od and readily carried into effect, I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a general elevation of the improved roundabout. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 1 1 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. 4 a plan, and Fig. 5 a cross-section, on the line '2. 2,showing the lower portion of the roundabout and the means employed for shifting the rotary shaft 55, from the vertical to the inclined. position, and

. vice versa, Fig.

5 being drawn on a larger scale than Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, on a larger scale,showing the position of the rotary shaft and the' bearing about which it tilts or turns in moving to and from its vertical position.

tion on the line 3 3 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a plan of the trunnion-ring which is secured to said rotary shaft.

A isthe central rotary shaft.

B B, are the suspended cars, of which there may be any appropriate number, and C is a circular landing-stage. [As in my previous constructions of this kind of apparatus, I make the shaft A of mild steel in several tubular sections or lengths, bolted together or otherwise firmly secured together at their ends, the sections at the upper partof the said shaft gradually diminishing in-dia'meter. The lower end of the shaft is also, as heretofore, provided with a flange 0', Fig. 5, to which is bolted or otherwise connected a spur-'wheela/ and a flanged foot-step aof cast-steel, which is carried in a foot-step bearing d, mounted in a base-plate. (2, formin part of a .trolley D.

Fig. 7 is a verticalse'cis an upright structure or tower which its upper end bearings e for the reception of trunnions a a on the shaft to permit of its swiveling or tilting in a. vertical plane. The said structure is built up of four upright beams e, tiedto'gether transversely at suitable intervals by iron plates e e which are connected with said uprights by clips 6 at the outer corners of said L,plates.. These plates are also joined together at the side remote from that in which the rotary shaft moves in turning about its trunnions by' plates 0 riveted thereto, Fig. 2. A lateral opening 6 is thus left in the structure for the rotary shaft to pass through in performin its swinging or tilting movements. The sai structure is furthermore strengthened by tierods 6 e on the three sides 112 yr. On the side to the rods e are omitted, and the rods 6 connect together the points'e e and b b not e V, as on the three sides :20 y z. Rigidly secured to the shaft A is a steel hub A, having sockets from which radiate the series of suspension-arms A which are preferably made of steel tubes. The outer ends of said tubular radial arms are connected together by chordal stay-rods A and are also connected with a flange A at the upper end of ,the rotary shaft by stay-rods A The said tubular 'radial arms are furthermore conis made rather wide at the base and carries at v C while the rotary nected' together near their middle by chordal stay-rods A and also with a flan 'e A on the rotary shaft by stay-rods A T is aforesaid trunnions (i a are formed on a divided ring or bushing a (see Figs 6, 7, and 8,) which has flanges for the reception of bolts a, so that the divided ring or bushing may be bolted together around the shaft after the flanges A and A have been riveted in position on the adjacent ends of the shaft. The said trunnions arecarried in the bearings e, which are carried bya plate or block 6, that is situated at the upper end of the structure E. Situated within turned recesses in the aforesaid divided ring or bushing are. divided rings w", surrounding the rotary shaft and constituting bearing-surfaces for the shaft to revolve within, the weight of the shaft and parts earried thereby being supported by the foot-step bearing d, which is carried by the trolley D, as aforesaid.

The trolley D has four or other appropriate number of wheels d adapted to travel on suitable rails or guideways f, carried by a structure F, the said rails being curved to correspond with an arc struck from the axis of the aforesaid trunnions. This trolley is adapted to be shifted on its rails or guideways by a windlass F, worked by an electric motor F and in that way the rotary shaft is swung or. tilted about caused to assume itsinclined position. The motive power for actuating the gearing for revolving the shaft is preferably electric, in which case an electric motor D is mounted on said trolley D and drives the spur-wheel a of the shaft through suitable speed-reducing gearing D The electric current is supplied to the windlass-motor F from a sec ondary battery or other source of electricsupply G through a controlling-switch G, and the current for workingthe motor D is supplied with current from the same source of supply through a switch D these two switches being preferably arranged to be operated from the trolley D. The said switches may, however, be situated at some stationary point outside the apparatus.

, The structure F, carrying theguide-rails, is built up of strong wooden beams, and the rails may be curved upwardly at their ends to act as stops for limiting the extent of movement of the trolley in either direction. The outer end of said structure has a guide pulleyf, over which a wire ropef connected with the trolley, passes to the windingdrum'f of. the windlass F. Instead'of operating the trolley by electric motors I may employ a hydraulic ram or any other ap propriate kind of actuating machinery.

With the contrivance or roundabout constructed as above stated the passengers enter the cars from the platform or lz'mding-stage shaft 'is in its vertical position, as shown by ted line in Fig; 1.

.of the roundabout.

its trunnions .and-

above the full lines in Fig. 1. The.

landing-stage or platform C is in theexample illustrated situated on the ground, and is pro teet'ed by a guard-rail c, Fig. 1, as in my previous arrangements. After the passengers haveentered the cars the shaft is set. into iuotionby the motor D, and when the cars in traveling in their circular course have moved outwardly under centrifugal force to the desired extent the trolley is shifted later-' ally by the motor F and windlass F to bring thelower end of the shaft out of the vertical to the requisite extent, asshown by the dot- Then after the cars have been permitted to revolve the desired length of time in' their new course, due to this inclined position of the'shaft, the said trolley is permitted to return to'its original position by the action of gravity and the shaft thereby restored to the vertical prior to thestoppage The cars are then fermitted to descend inwardly as their spee" diminishe's and finally come to rest. at the platform C to enable the passengers to alight, as in my previous arrangements.

By constructing the contrivance as above stated the cars will in their travel and while the shaft is in its inclined position be caused to apparently descend and remount a steep hill without the least shock, and if the con trivance be erected in proximity to or in a lake the cars can be caused in their descent tov plunge into or graze the surface of the water as they reach the lowermost point in the circumference of the inclined circular path in which they travel.

In order to meet the improbable case of the motors or driving-gear becoming unexpectedly ineffective during their working, and thereby stopping the revolution of the. rotary shaft with undesirable suddenness, 1 couple the lower part of the shaft to the spurwheel a by wooden pins a, Fig. 5, that in the event of the shaft being subjected to an extraordinary stress, such as that which would arise under the above-stated circumstances, will become severed or sheared, and thereby automatically rendcrithe shaft so' far as its revolution is concerned independent of the driving-gear, thuspermitting the cars to con tinue their course independently of the driv ing-gear and gradually come to rest.

it will of course be obvious that the platform C, from which the passengers enter the cars, may be elevated any suitable distance monts, instead of being situated directly on, the ground, as represented in the drawings.

What I claim, and desire'to secure by Lettors Patent of the United States, is

1. In a roundabout, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, radial arms carried thereby, ears freely suspended from said ground, as 1n my previous arrangearms and means fordriving se id rotary shnl't of a foot-step bearii'ig for said rotary shaft a movable base or trolley supporting the foot fortilting the shaft during its revolution for the purpose s ecified.

2. In a rouiidabout, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, radial arms carried thereby, cars freely suspended from said arms andfmeans for driving said rotary shaft; of afoot-step bearin for said rotary shaft a movable base or trol ey supporting the foot- .step bearing and the driving-gear of said shaft, horizontal trunnions on said shaft fixed bearings for said trunnions and means for shifting the trolley to and fro -alon a stationary curvilinear path for tilting tie shaft about the horizontal trunnions during its revolution for the purpose specified.

3.' In a roundabout, thecombination with an upright rotary shaft, radial arms carried thereby, cars freely suspended from said arms and means for driving said rotary shaft; of a foot-step bearinlgfor said rotary shaft a movablebase or tro ey supporting the footstep bearing and the driving-gear of said shaft, an upright structure, bearings at the upper'end of such structure, trunnionson the rotary shaft supported by said bearings 7 means for-shifting the trolley to and fro ailo ng a stationary curvilinear path for tilting the shaft about said trunnion-bearin s during its revolution substantially as and or the purpose specified.

4. In a roundabout, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, radial'arms carried thereby, cars freely suspended from said arms and means for driving said rotary shaft;

of a foot-step bearin for said rotary shaft a.

movable base or trol ey supporting the footstep bearing and the driving-gear of said shaft, an upright structure open at one side and within which the shaft revolves when in its vertical position, bearings at the upper end of said structpre, trunnions on the rotary shaft supported byfsaidbearings, and means for shiftmg the trolley to and fro in a stationary curvilinear course for tilting the shaft about said trunnion-bearings during its revolution substantially as and for the purpose specified. v

5. In aroundabout, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, .radial arms carried thereby, cars freely suspended from said arms and means for driving said rotary shaft; of a foot-step bearing for said rotary shaft a movable base or trolley supporting the footstep bearing and the driving-gear of the said shaft, an upright structure open at one side ,and within which the shaft revolves when in nion-bearings internal bearing-surfaces within said ring for the shaft to revolve against, and a Windlass for shifting the said trolley in a stationary curvilinear course struck from the axis of the trunnions substantially as and for the purpose s' ecified.

6. In a rounda out, the combination w th an upright rotary shaft, radial arms carried thereby, ears freely suspended from said arms and driving-gear for said rotary shaft; of afoot-step bearing for said rotary shaft, a movable base or trolley supporting the footstep bearing and the driving-gear of said shaft means for shifting said trolley to and fro for tiltin the shaft during its revolution, and means 'or automatically rendering the rotary shaft independent of its driving-gear in the event of the latter becoming suddenly stopped substantially as described.

7. In a roundabout, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, radial arms'carried its vertical position, trunnion-bearings at the.

upper end' of said structure, a divided ring embracing the sliaftg trunnions formed en-*- said divided ring and carried by said tr u11 nion-bearings, internal bearing-surfaces within said.ring for the shaft to revolve against, stationary curved rails struck from the axis of the trunnions, wheels on the trolle run ning on said curved rails, stops for limitingthe extent of the trolleys movement on said rails, and a windlass'for moving said trolley on the rails, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In a roundabout, the combination with an uprightrotary shaft, radial arms carried thereby, cars freely suspended from sald arms, and driving-gear from said rotary. shaft; of a foot-step bearing for saidrotary" shaft, a movable base or trolley supporting the foot-step bearing and the drivin -gear of said shaft, a gear-wheel situated at the lower end of said shaft and engaging with said driving-gear, shear-pins connecting said gearwheel with said shaft, and means for shifting said trolley to and fro for tilting the shaft during its revolution, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in' presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 21st day of February, 1905.

HIRAM STEI'ENS MAXIM.

Witnesses T; SELBY WARDLE. 'WALTER J. SKERTEN.

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