* GB786229 (A)

Description: GB786229 (A) ? 1957-11-13

Method of introducing additives into molten metals

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PATENT SPECIFICATION 786,229 u S Date of Application and filing Complete Specification: Aug 26, 1955. No 24619/55. Application made in Germany on Aug 31, 1954. Complete Specification Published: Nov 13, 1957. Index at Acceptance:-Classes 72, D 3 G( 1 M: 6: 7 K); and 82 ( 1), A 9 (AIE: C 2 E: D 5), 14 B. International Classification: C 2 b C 22 b, c. COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Method of introducing additives into molten metals I, FRIEDRICH NIELSEN, of 18, Fichtenweg, Mtihlacker, W Urttemberg, Germany, a German Citizen, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a method of introducing additives into molten metals. The difficulties accompanying the introduction of magnesium or other suitable additives into iron melts for the purpose of producing cast iron with nodular graphite are known It is also known how far it has been successful to overcome these difficulties by using appropriate

pre-alloys The mixing of magnesium or substances having a similar action with neutral covering substances, if desired as briquettes, which are poor conductors of heat and which possibly give off gas, is also known Moreover, magnesium has also been successfully introduced directly into the iron bath as a pure or alloyed metal by the dipping process or by means of the converter method or in gaseous form with or without the aid of auxiliary gases. In spite of relatively satisfactory results industrially, all these methods are accompanied by certain disadvantages of the most diverse nature such as, for example, a consumption which is still too great compared with the amount of magnesium required theoretically, complicated and relatively dangerous manipulations, and great losses in the temperature of the bath owing to too long treatment times, so that further improvements are desirable. The present invention aims at providing such an improvement. To this end the present invention contemplates conducting the molten iron on its path from the smelting furnace to the ladle or over an intermediate stage of this journey (to a forehearth, mixer and so on) through a pouring gate which is closed on all sides and which has one or a plurality of lPrice 3 s 6 d l relatively small lateral apertures for example only in the middle region of its length, in addition to the opening provided for the pouring in and the outlet opening This gate 50 is preferably so disposed that the iron flows through it by virtue of its dead weight The magnesium in the form of wire or profile rods is introduced by hand or by means of a mechanism through the lateral openings in 55 said gate in such a manner that the stream of iron melts the said magnesium at the end extending into or in contact with said iron. The quantitative speed of this melting may be adjusted to approximately the admixture 60 proportion desired, but may also be greater. The present invention accordingly provides a method of introducing readily melting and readily boiling or oxidisable alloying components or other additives into a 65 molten metal flowing through a pouring gate into which the additive is introduced in the solid state and in a suitable form through one or more lateral openings capable of being sealed off to the outside air, so that 70 the current of basic metal continuously melts off the additive and drives it into the apertaining receiving vessel, which method is characterised in that said pouring gate is so constructed and dimensioned as to produce 75 a suction effect in the zone of introduction. The externally situated introduction apertures for the lateral supplies, which are preferably directed downwardly at an incline, are sealed off in known manner against the 80 undesirable subsequent

inspiration of external air, for example by means of sand. Instead of sand, use may also be made of those substances which it would be desired to add to the basic metal in any case, for 85 example the inoculating materials still necessary for the production of nodular graphite, or other substances which are to exert special action or which are to be completely neutral and only non-injurious 90 Pouring gates of the kind described in the specification of my Canadian Patent No. 511,717 for the normal casting of metals have J EACG i n: proved particularly simple and advantageous for carrying out the hereindescribed method except that in the introduction zone for the additives the general principle is not adhered to inasmuch as a suction action of the current occurs in this case, if desired on the principle of an injector That is to say the cross section must be widened at said point of introduction in the main channel in contrast to the otherwise general formula for the cross sections of the pouring gate in dependence on the appertaining height of fall; constant cross section=height of fall n, where N is equal to or greater than 0 5 above the suction point and equal to or smaller than 0 5 below the suction point, which again gradually runs into a narrowing so that no backwash of the current of metal can occur and neutralise the suction. Units containing the afore-described pouring gate and the lateral supply points and the control means therefor may be made movable and can be placed in each individual case on the ladle to be charged or be driven in between the cupola furnace trough and the ladle by means of a lifting mechanism. They may also be rigidly installed, the ladles then being driven, for example by means of trucks, to the charging place It may also be advantageous to place the ladle on a raising and lowering device so that it is possible always to keep the level of the molten bath at any instant above the lower end of the pouring gate in order that the jet flowing out and charged with magnesium may not come into direct contact with the air before it becomes submerged in the bath. It is also advisable to give the hopper or the pre-connected casting bath of the pouring gate an overflow for the purpose of taking irregular feeding, and to dimension the pouring gate itself to be only so large that it is dependably always filled completely by the flowing iron or that the flow through it is not rendered imperfect by interruptions or disturbances while the magnesium is being supplied. It should be obvious that, in particular, two important advantages are obtained with the method proposed: Firstly, the distribution of the additives over the amount of iron is very uniform, as was previously obtained only by means of the known strewing into the open trough (Meehanite process), and secondly it is at the same time possible to

control the generation of vapour, for example of the magnesium, and to keep it within dependably controllable limits Those two advantages taken in conjunction with each other ensure effectiveness and utilisation of the additives. The principle underlying the present invention naturally also covers the use of an appropriate alloy or pressings or rods or profiles of suitable materials of a kind known per se, instead of metallic magnesium This principle is obviously also applicable to the treatment of basic metals other than iron or cast iron and which, if desired, are to be given additives other than magnesium or alloys or combinations thereof.

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* GB786230 (A)

Description: GB786230 (A) ? 1957-11-13

Rotary agricultural or horticultural machines

Description of GB786230 (A)

COMPLETESPECIFICATION Rotary Agricultural or Horticultural Machines We, CHARLES GOODALL and MAURICE GOODALL, both of Silverhill, Barton-under- Needwood, near Burton-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford, and both British Subjects, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the follow- ing statement :- This invention relates to rotary agricultural or horticultural machines, such as rotary rakes for use in turning over swaths of cut

grass and the like, or machines for thinning rows of seedlings or other small plants. More particularly the invention relates to an agricultural or horticultural machine of the kind incorporating a rotary tool having a plurality of resilient tines. The tool, or a plurality of such tools are mounted upon a frame which may be adapted to be towed by a tractor vehicle or draught animal, or may be adapted for mounting directly upon a tractor. Further the tool or tools may either be rotated by contact with the ground or may be adapted to be driven positively, and for this purpose may be driven from ground wheels of the machine, or may be driven through gearing from the engine of a tractor vehicle by which it is being towed, or upon which it is mounted. Where the tool or each tool is adapted to be rotated by contact with the ground then it is mounted for rotation about an axis which is inclined to the direction of travel of the machine. Where the tool is, adapted to be driven positively then its axis of rotation may be similarly inclined, or may be parallel to the direction of travel. The object of the present invention is to provide a rotary tool for an implement of the kind specified in a simple and convenient form. According to the invention a rotary tool for an agricultural or horticultural machine of the kind specified comprises the combination of a hub, a plurality of resilient tines secured at their inner ends to the hub, and a correspondmg number of resilient links secured at their inner ends to the hub at positions in fixed relationship to the tines, said links having their outer ends respectively connected to the outer end portions of the tines, and each link being shaped and adapted to extend across and bear against an intermediate portion of at least one tine other than that to which its outer end is connected. In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional side view of suicient of one example of rotary tool for an under- standing of the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional end view of Figure 1 and Figures 3 and 4 are similar views to Figure 1 showing further examples of tools in accordance with the invention. The rotary tool comprises a plurality of substantially radial tines of which only four designated 1 a2 and M are shown in the drawings. The inner ends of these tines are secured to a hub b, whilst the outer ends are bent overto form teeth c'c2 ca and C4. Interconnecting the outer end of each tine with the hub b is a link, the links associated with the tines el a2 a3 and a4 respectively being desig- nated d'd2 d3 and d4. The tines and links are made of strong but flexible and resilient steel or other wire, and the outer end of each link is connected to the outer end of its asso- ciated tine by bending the wire of the link around the tine to form a loop. Each link is bent so that it extends across the tine adjacent to that with which it is

associated, and preferably, as shown, extends across two tines. For this purpose the links may be bowed as seen in Figures 1 and 3, or may be cranked, as seen in Figure 4, or otherwise bent. As seen in Figures 1 and 4 pairs of adjacent tines such as al and vg and a'and and a4 are each formed from a single length of wire bent midway in its length to form two limbs which constitute the two tines. Also pairs of adjacent links, such as d'and d, and d3 and d4 are each formed from a similar single length of wire. Alternatively, as seen in Figure 3, each tine al a2 n3 and a4 and its associated link dl d2 d3 and 4 respectively may be formed from a single length of wire. The hub b may be a single annular disc as seen in Figure 3 to which the inner ends of the tines and links are connected by bolts e and associated nuts, in which case at the points at which a link crosses over the tines the link and tines are interconnected by wire loops f to retain the tines at the correct angular setting relative to the hub. Preferably, however, the hub is formed as shown in Figures 1,2 and 4, by two paripherally flngd annular discs bl interconnected back to back by bolts e and associated nuts. These nuts and bolts serve also to retain the tines and links, the inner ends of which are clamped between the two discs bl. Also there may be pressed up from the back faces of the discs but protuberances b2 which are dispose between the limbs of the e folded lengths of wire as shown and thereby serve to prevent angular movement of the tines and links. In another example (not illustrated) instead of connecting the links d'd2 to the hub by the bolt e connecting the tines a', a2 to the hub (as seen in Figures 1 and 4), the links dl d2 can be connected to the hub by the bolt c connecting the tines a3, at to the hub, and similarly for other links. By this invention a rotary tool of robust and simple form is provided, which has the flexi- bility required by the uses aforementioned. What we claim is :- 1. A rotary tool for an agricultural or horticultural machine of the land specified com- prising the combination of a hub, a plurality of resilient tines secured at their inner ends to the hub, and a corresponding number of resilient links secured at their inner ends to the hub at positions in fixed relationship to the tines, said links having their outer ends respec- tively connected to the outer end portions of the tines, and each link being shaped and adapted to extend across and bear against an intermediate portion of at least one tine other han that to which its outer end is connected.

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* GB786231 (A)

Description: GB786231 (A) ? 1957-11-13

Load transporting and/or elevating attachments for tractors

Description of GB786231 (A)

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. Load Transporting and/or Elevating Attachments for Tractors. We, E. V. TWOSE (MANUFACTURING) LIMITED, a British Company, of Lowman Works, Tiverton, Devon, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement :- This invention concerns mechanical transporting and/or elevating attachmqnts for tractors, and although an attachment according to the invention is especially suitable for application to tractors used in agriculture (i. e. farm tractors), it is, nevertheless, useful on similar tractors for use for other purposes, such as in the building industry and under industrial conditions generally. All such tractors will be hereinafter referred to as"tractors"irrespective of the particular uses. The tractor attachment according to the invention is of the kind including a frame adapted to embrace or straddle the tractor and comprising a pair of laterally spaced lifting arms adapted for arrangement one on each of the two opposite longitudinal sides of a tractor and for pivotal movement at their rear portions about an axis transverse to the longitudinal medial axis of the tractor, the said arms being arranged to carry at their front ends (so as to be in front of the tractor when the attachment is in use) load-accommodating means such as, for example, an earth bucket or scoop, a hay, straw or silage sweep, or other suitable loadaccommodating means, and means being

provided whereby the said arms may be turned about the said transverse axis in order to raise or lower the arms with respect to the tractor, thereby to raise or lower the said load-accommodating means, as required. One object of this invention is to provide a simple relatively inexpensive and easily mounted transporting and/or elevating attachment of the kind referred to for a tractor and which attachment can be mounted on to a tractor so that the lifting arms of the attachment can be operated mechanically from existing power driven rotary means on the tractor. Thus the capital and servicing expenses of pumps, hydraulic jacks and the like used on some previously propose attachments for actuating the lifting arms can be dispensed with. In agricultural work in particular, it is frequently desired that a tractor should draw along with it a trailer to receive loads to be collected by the said load-accommodating means of the tractor attachment, and it is a further object of this invention to provide an improved form of attachment of the kind referred to for a tractor which will permit materials picked up by the attachment, to be transferred by the latter directly to a trailer behind the tractor without disconnectthe trailer from the tractor. It is also an object of the invention to provide an attachment of the kind referred to which is not only of relatively simple and robust construction, but which can be manipulated readily by a tractor driver of normal intelligence and ability, and which can be quickly applied to or detached from a tractor and which is adapted, or can very easily be adapted, for use for a variety of different purposes such as, for example, for loading hay or straw, picking up loose straw, for raising bales of straw and hay on to ricks or into a readily available position for transferring to a rick, for loading root crops such as sugar beet and mangolds from heaps or rows (e. g. winrows), loading manure, fertilizers, sand, gravel, road and other aggre gates, for road and other sweeping purposes, and for like jobs. According to this invention there is provided a load transporting and/or elevating attachment of the kind specifled for a tractor and including means whereby the power necessary for the actuation of the lifting arms of the attachment may be transmitted mechanically from the driving axle of the driven ground wheels of the tractor as and when required and under the control of the tractor driver from his normal driving position on the tractor. According to a further aspect of this invention there is provided a load transporting and/or elevating attachment of the kind specified for a tractor and including means for mounting the rear portions of the lifting arms on the tractor for pivotal movement about the axis of the driving axle of the driven ground wheels of the tractor, and means

for positively mechanically transmitting from said axle to said lifting arms, and as and when required, the power necessary to raise and to lower the arms. Although the necessary drive from the driving ground wheel axle of the tractor to the lifting arms of the tractor attachment may be transmitted through any appropriate mechanism such as gears, or chains and chain wheels, this transmission is preferably obtained by a direct connection of the arms to the rear axles of the tractor as and when required. This direct connection may be achieved through friction clutches, dog clutches, or any equivalent means engageable and disengageable at the behest of the tractor driver but preferably, according to a further feature of the invention, the said power transmission means will preferably comprise driving means for attachment to the tractor so as to rotate with the driving axle of the driven ground wheels of the tractor, interconnecting or clutch means for drivingly connecting said driving means to said lifting arms as and when desired so that the arms will be raised or lowered automatically by driving the tractor over the ground in the appropriate direction, and means for interengaging and disengaging said interconnecting or clutch means with said driving means as and when required. The said driving means may comprise at least one driving member adapted to be rigidly fixed to one end portion of the said driving axle of the tractor ; there will, however, preferably be one of the said driving members for each end of said driving axle. Each such driving member may conveniently be in the form of a driving disc adapted for rigid attachment to the wheel holding studs at the corresponding end of the ground wheel driving axle of the tractor and coaxially with such axle, such disc being furnished with means s at a plurality of angularly spaced positions therearound for selective driving engagement with the said interconnecting means for operating the adjacent lifting arm of the attachment. Desirably the said lifting arms are adapted to be freely pivoted upon the tractor coaxially with the said driving axle of the tractor and the lifting arm lying adjacent to the said driving member or disc is adapted for rigid driving connection by said interconnecting means, as and when required, to said driving member or disc at any one of a plurality of angularly spaced positions around the member or disc. Preferably the said driving member or disc is adapted to be fixed upon the wheel holding studs for the adjacent ground wheel on the driving axle of the tractor. For interconnecting the lifting arms to the corresponding driving members or discs, the latter are preferably each provided around the marginal part thereof with a ring of spaced holes and the adjacent

lifting arm is provided with an interconnecting clutch pin engageable, at the behest of the tractor driver, in one of the said holes with which it registers, thereby to lock the arm rigidly to the driving axle of the tractor. According to a further feature of the invention the attachment may include an operating member adapted, when the attachment is mounted upon a tractor, to be situated adjacent to the tractor driver's position and so associated with said interconnecting means or clutch pin as to enable the tractor driver to couple said driving member or disc to, or disconnect it from, the adjacent lifting arm as and when he so desires and all without moving from his driving position on the tractor. Preferably the means for pivotally attaching the rear portions of the said lifting arms upon the tractor comprise bearings at the rear portions of the lifting arms adapted to receive protruding end portions of the driving axle of the tractor or stub axles fixed thereto and, where the rear axle of the tractor does not extend laterally outwardly far enough from the driving ground wheels of the tractor the said driving member or disc rigidly carries a stub axle in such a position thereon that such stub axle is coaxial with the driving axle of the tractor when the driving member or disc is affixed to the latter, each such stub axle serving to receive the said bearing of one of the lifting arms. Thus the lifting arms are capable of being swung about a horizontal transverse pivoting axis coincident with the axis of the driving (usually the rear) axle of the tractor, and from a lowered forwardly projecting position to an upwardly and slightly rearwardly directed position so that a load picked up by the load-accommodating means at the front ends of the said arms can, if desired, be raised up and over the tractor and deposited to the rear of the latter and conveniently into a trailer behind the tractor. Thus the required drive from the rear axle of the tractor is conveniently transmitted to each of the said arms through the medium of a driving member or disc (hereinafter called a"driving disc") fixed one centrally upon each of the rear wheel hubs of the tractor axle and on the outsides of the corresponding rear wheels, each disc conveniently being carried by the fixing or holding studs for the adjacent wheel and each being furnished with an annular row of equi-angularly spaced holes adjacent its periphery and parallel with its axis, the disc also having, where the tractor driving axles does not project outwardly beyond the wheels, a central outwardly extending stub axle upon which is pivotally mounted the rear end portion of the adjacent and associated arm of the tractor attachment, this arm carrying an interconnecting or clutch pin adapted to be introduced

selectively into any one of the said holes in the adjacent driving disc at the will of the tractor driver. Thus, after the engagement of said clutch pins with said driving discs, the said lifting arms will, as the tractor is driven rearwardly, be swung upwardly from their lowered forwardly projecting positions or, if the arms are already raised and the tractor is driven forwardly, the arms will be moved from their raised positions forwardly and downwardly into their lowered positions. Conveniently the said lifting arms of the attachment may have struts or legs furnished with feet plates or equivalent means (which may be resiliently mounted or compose of resilient parts) adapted to engage the ground when the attachment arms have been fully raised, thereby to support the arms in this position when the driving connection between them and the tractor is disconnected. Such feet may be interchangeable or adjustable in position relatively to the said arms so that the said upwardly and rearwardly extending position of the attachment arms can be adjusted. Moreover the lifting arms themselves may, if desired, be of a longitudinally telescopic or extensible character to enable their lengths to be adjusted either to provide for a raising of a load to a higher or lower extent as required and/or to adjust the arms of the attachment to suit the varying lengths of different makes of tractors. Preferably means may also be provided whereby the said lifting arms may be supported at any one of a plurality of intermediate or partially raised positions so that the tractor and attachment may, when desired, be used first to pick up a load, then to raise the load sufficiently for transportation, and then for the transporting of the load to any appropriate place whereafter the said arms may be lowered to deposit the load forwardly of the tractor or may be raised still further so as to deposit the load to the rear of the tractor. According to a further feature of the invention, means may bu provided automatic- ally to retain the said lifting arms in their preselected intermediate or partially raised positions when they have reached such positions during the raising thereof, said retaining means being under the control of the tractor driver so that he can lower the arms if he so desires. Automatic means may also be provided for releasing the said lifting arms for lowering them as soon as the said retaining means have been relieved of the weight of the arms. According to a still further feature of the invention, weight compensating means may be provided so that the driving or rear axle of the tractor is, during the raising and lowering of the said lifting arms, relieved to a substantial extent of the turning moment of the lifting arms and their load-accommodat- ing means, such compensating

means conveniently comprising springs connected to brackets on the rear ends of the lifting arms of the attachment and also to the tractor so that these springs are progressively stresse, e. g. progressively placed in tension as the lifting arms are lowered, the weight of the arms and said load-accommodating means thus being progressively substantially counterbalanced. The load-accommodating means carried by the said arms of the attachment may be of a fixed form but preferably will be of a tipping type ; if of the latter form, then the attachment may include means whereby the control of the angular tipping of the loadaccommodating means with respect to the said lifting arms of the attachment may be effected from the tractor driver's position on the tractor when the attachment is mounted on the latter. According to a still further feature of the invention, means may be provided whereby the lifting arms are automatically released from their driven association with the power unit of the tractor when they reach or closely approach their fully raised positions. In order that the invention may be more readily understood and carried into practice and further features thereof more fully appreciated, one embodiment of the same will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :- Figure 1 is a side view of the attachment according to this invention applied to a tractor of the standard construction as at present made and sold under the Registered Trade Mark"Ferguson", the lifting arms being shown in their lowered positions ; Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the attachment and illustrating the lifting arms in their fully raised positions ; Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view showing the lifting arm at one side of the attachment and the mechanism for controlling the tipping of the load-accommodating means of the attachment; Figure 5 is a section on line V-V, Figure 4; Figure 6 is a section on line VI-VI, Figure 4 ; Figure 7 is a part sectional view seen from the inner side of a lifting arm and showing a further detail of the said mechanism for controlling the tipping of the loadaccommodating means of the attachment, and the method of mounting one form of the said load-accommodating means ; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a part of the attachment showing the retaining mechanism for supporting the lifting arms in an elevated position and the means for releasing the arms from this position; Figure 9 is an enlarged part sectional view of the mechanism for

effecting the raising and lowering of the lifting arms of the attachment ; Figure 10 is a section on line X-X, Figure 9; Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the reverse side of the attachment and illustrating a sweeping appliance mounted thereon; Figure 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the attachment showing the sweeping appliance illustrated in Figure 11; Figure 13 is a front view showing a bucket for mounting on the said lifting arms and one method of attaching the same to compensate for the camber of a road, for example ; Figure 14 is a section on line XIV-XIV, Figure 13 ; and Figure 15 is a diagrammatic view showing one form of mechanism for automatically interrupting the power transmitted to the lifting arms of the attachment when these arms have been raised beyond a vertical position. Referring to the drawings is will be seen that the tractor attachment there illustrated comprises a lifting frame 1 of approximately U-shape in plan (as clearly seen from Figure 2) and including a pair of longitudinally arranged lifting arms 2 which may be parallel to one another as shown or slightly convergent and which are rigidly joined together at their front ends by transverse parts sub- sequently described. This U-shaped frame 1 is adapted, when applied to a tractor, such as the tractor 3 illustrated in the drawings, to embrace the front end of the tractor and to extend along the sides thereof. one of the said two lifting arms 2 being arranged on each longitudinal side of the tractor and conveniently extending rearwardly of the latter to a position slightly to the rear of the axis of the back axle 4 of the tractor. Although the U-shaped lifting frame may be made in any suitable manner, it is conveniently fabricated, as illustrated in the drawings, from steel turbina welded together. Thus each lifting arm I is conveniently formed of a pair of parallel steel tubes 5,6 arranged one above the other in spaced relationship and connected together rigidly by cross tubes 7 welded at their ends to the top and bottom tubes 5 and 6. Near their front end the said lifting arms are rigidly connected together by a transverse part comprising a pair of parallel transverse steel tubes 8 and 9 arranged one above the other and extending at right angles to the arms 2 (when these are parallel to one another), the said tubes being welded at their ends to vertical mounting plates 10 and 11 bolted to fixing plates 12. The latter plates are welded to the top and bottom tubes 5 and 6 of the lifting arms 2 and the transverse tubes 8 and 9 are

rigidly braced by vertical cross tubes 13 (Figure 8) extending between them and welded at their ends thereto rather like the tubes 7 in the arms 2. In an alternative arrangement (not illustrated), the lifting areas can be adjustable in length, e. g. of a telescopic character. either to provide for a raising of a load to a higher or lower extent as required and/or to adjust the said arms to suit the varying lengths of different makes of tractors. At their front ends each of the arms 2 has welded to the inside thereof a fixed disc 14 (see Figures 1 to 7) forming part of the tipping unit for the load-accommodating means of the attachment. Each of these discs 14 has a central hole in which is mounted for free rotation a bolt 15 welded centrally to a rotatable disc 16 similar to the disc 14 and lying coaxially face-to-face therewith. The rotatable disc 16 on the one lifting arm of the attachment is rigidly connected to the corresponding rotatable disc 16 on the other lifting arm of the attachment by means of a pair of rigid, parallel, steel tubes 17 welded at their ends to the corresponding discs 16. These tubes 17 are adapted to carry the load-accommodating means of the attachment as will hereinafter be described and are rotatable about the axes of the bolts 15 so that a load carried by the attachment can be tipped from the loadaccommodating means when required, the control of this tipping being effected by means hereinafter described. In the rear end of each of the lifting arms 2 is fixed a bearing block 18 having a phosphor-bronze or other suitable lining and adapted to receive the outwardly extending end of the ground wheel driving axle 4 of a tractor or, where this axle does not protrude materially beyond the driving ground wheels of the tractor as is the case in a"Ferguson" tractor such as illustrated, upon a stub axle 19 fixed at its inner end centrally to a driving member in the form of a disc 20 adapted to be fixed coaxially upon the adjacent wheel hub of the driving axle for the driven ground wheels of the tractor, the said bearing block 18 being a free rotational fit upon the stub axle 19 (or on the outer extremity of the rear driving axle 4 of the tractor where this protrudes beyond the said driven ground wheels and being retained thereon by means of a washer or collar 21 and a cotter pin 22 (see Figure 9), or equivalent means. Thus the frame 1 is pivotal about a transverse horizontal axis which is at right angles to the longitudinal medial axis of the tractor and coaxial with the driving axle 4 which is, in this case, the rear axle, of the tractor and the frame can consequently be swung upwardly from its forwardly extending position shown in Figures 1 and 2, or a similar position, relatively to the tractor and somewhat beyond a vertical position and towards the rear of the tractor so that the

front end of the frame 1 (and the load-accommodating means carried thereby) moves from the front of the tractor to a position above and slightly to the rear axle 4 of the tractor, as seen clearly from Figure 3. Each of the lifting arms 2 of the frame 1 is furnished on that side which is uppermost when the frame is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, and towards its rear end, with a pair of convergent struts or legs 23 and 24 furnished at the ends thereof remote from the arm 2, with a foot plate 25 which may bear directly upon the ground itself or to which any one of a plurality of alternative distance pieces or feet 26 may be fixed, the ground-engaging surface of the plate 25, or of the foot 26, being disposed at an acute angle with respect to the top tube 5 of its arm 2 of the frame 1. The struts 23 and 24 and the foot plate 25 and foot 26 are intended to support the frame 1 in its upwardly and slightly rearwardly inclined position when moved thereto and as seen in Figure 3. By interchanging the foot 26 for a different one, or by making the foot adjustable with respect to the struts 23 and 24, the angle at which the frame 1 extends upwardly when in its fully raised position can be varied. Each of the driving discs 20 is adapted to be fixed to that wheel hub 28 on the driving axle 4 of the tractor which is to carry the adjacent driven ground wheel, the disc being fixed to said hub so as to be rigidly associated and to rotate therewith. This fixing of the disc is achieved through the medium of the wheel holding studs 27 which carry the said adjacent ground wheel and fix it to the corresponding hub 28 on the axle 4, the ordinary nuts which secure the ground wheel upon its holding studs being replace by elongated nuts 29 furnished with reduced screw threaded outer ends 30 adapted to pass through correspondingly located holes provided at equi-angularly located intervals around the centre of the corresponding driving disc 20, the latter being retained upon the reduced ends of the nuts 29 by nuts 31, lock washers or lock nuts being used if desired. Each of the driving discs 20 is furnished marginally with an annular ring of relatively closely equi-angularly spaced holes 32 and with these holes is adapted selectively to cooperate an interconnecting clutch-or locking-pin 33 which is arranged for horizontal sliding movement in a pair of guide plates 34 and 35 welded respectively on the outside and inside faces of the tubes 5 and 6, of the corresponding lifting arm 2 of the attachment. Each clutch pin 33 is arranged between the tubes 5 and 6 of its lifting arm and has its axis at right angles to the plane of the corresponding driving disc 20. Moreover, at one end each pin 33 is formed with a rounded or bull nose 36 (see Figure 10) so that it will

enter easily into the selected hole 32 (which may also have a flared entrance) in the co-operating driving disc 20 when required, and the pin is urged towards the driving disc by means of a compression spring 37 arranged around that part of the pin 33 located between the outer bearing plate 34 and a collar 38 fixed upon the pin itself between the plates 34 and 35. The clutch-pin 33 is adapted to be withdrawn, against the action of the spring 37, by means of a withdrawal cam 39 rotatable in a plane which is, when the frame 1 is in a lowered position, substantially horizontal, this cam 39 being fixed to the lower end of an operating spindle 40 mounted in brackets 41 and 42 respectively carried by the corresponding lifting arm 2 and the strut 23 on this lifting arm, the spindle 40 being arranged with its axis perpendicular to the plane in which the cam 39 is adapted to swing. There is one of the said withdrawal cams 39 and spindles 40 for each of the two clutch-pins 33 and said cams are adapted to co-operate with an abutment plate, which is conveniently circular and formed as an enlarged integral head 43 on the outer end of the pin 33 and the arrangement is such that, when the spindles 40 are rotated into one position, the locking pins 33 are held retracted so that the frame 1 of the attachment is quite unconnected with the driving discs 20 but, when the said operating spindles are moved to release the said clutch-pins 33, the latter each enter that hole 32 in the cooperating driving disc 20 registering with the pin so that the frame 1 becomes rigidly locked to the driving axle 4 of the tractor whereby, as this axle turns, the frame 1 must swing upwardly or downwardly according to the direction of rotation of the axle. The operating spindle 40 for each of the cams 39 is furnished with a control lever 44 at its upper end and these levers conveniently extend inwardly on each side of the seat 45 of the tractor so that the levers are very conveniently accessible to the driver when in his driving position on the tractor. If it is assumed that the frame 1 is in the lower position shown in Figure 1 in which its front end is near to ground level, then if the locking pins 33 are allowed to engage in registering holes 32 in the driving discs 20 on the adjacent ends of the driving axle 4 of the tractor, and assuming that the tractor is then put into reverse gear and driven rearwardly, the frame 1 will be raised at its front end and the frame will continue to rise towards its uppermost position until the rearward movement of the tractor is discontinued. With a"Ferguson"tractor rearward movement of only about four yards is required in order to lift the front end of the frame 1 upwardly from its fully lowered to its fully raised position when the tractor clutch will be disengaged, the tractor put into neutral gear and the brake

applied. The extent of travel of the tractor which is necessary to give any particular angular movement to the frame 1 will depend on the gear ratios employed in the tractor and in any case a gear reduction unit of normal form will preferably be used and be capable of being selectively brought into operation. Such reduction units are standard equipment available for"Ferguson"tractors and would be used to give the above mentioned four yard lifting movement. It will be appreciated that when the frame 1 reaches its fully raised position shown in Figure 3, the feet 26 engage the ground so that if the frame is disengaged from the driving discs 20 just after it has passed the vertical position during its rearward movement, the frame will then automatically pass on to its most rearward position and be supporte there by the said feet 26. When it is desired again to lower the frame 1 the clutch-pins 33 are re-engaged with the driving discs 20 and the tractor is driven forwardly, the tractor being stopped whenever the frame 1 has reached the required lowered position. After stopping the tractor the pins 33 are withdrawn from the discs 20 and the frame is locked to the tractor body as hereinafter explained, the tractor can then be used in the ordinary manner without effecting the position of the frame 1. If desired means, as hereinafter described, may be provided for automatically interrupting the drive from the power unit of the tractor to the said frame as the latter reaches the end of its upward movement so that there is no danger of the tractor being over-driven rearwardly during the raising of the frame and damage being done to the latter or to other parts of the tractor attachment. It will be appreciated that the weight of the frame 1 and any load-accommodating means provided on the front end thereof gives rise to a substantial turning moment; in order to counterbalance this turning moment to a substantial extent, compensating means are provided between the tractor and the rear end of the frame 1, This compensation is conveniently aSorded by providing the rear end of each arm 2 of the frame 1 with a downwardly dependent bracket 46 on the lower end of which is mounted an adjustable anchorage plate 47 (see Figure 9 in particular) carrying a pair of hooks 48 which are respectively attached to the corresponding ends of a pair of relatively high rate coiled tension springs 49 whose other or front ends are each connected to the rear end of chains 50 having their front ends attached to a fixed hook 51 carried on the outer end of an outrigger arm 52 extending outwardly and downwardly from the tractor and adapted for connection thereto, each such outrigger arm being braced by an oblique stay 53 adapted for attachment at one end to the tractor and secured at the other end to the outrigger arm 52.

Thus, as the frame 1 is lowered from the raised position of Figure 3 towards the lowered position of Figure 1, the tension springs 49 are progressively placed in tension and this has the effect of substantially counterbalancing the turning moment result- ing from the length of the frame 1 and the weight of the latter and parts carried thereby. When the arms are raised the tension in the springs 49 is progressively relaxed. The front end of the frame 1 carries the hereinbefore mentioned load-accommodating means of which various forms will subsequently be described, but it will be apparent that the frame 1 will usually be in, or closely approaching, its fully lowered position during picking up of a load from ground level and that during the transport of the load from one place to another, if it is not to be transferred directly to a trailer, such as that diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 3 at 54, drawn immediately behind the tractor, it will be necessary for the frame to be raised from its lowered position to a suitable intermediate or partially raised position to enable the tractor to travel along without the frame 1 and the load-accommodating means thereon fouling obstructions on the way. Therefore provision is made in the attachment for supporting and retaining the frame 1 in any one of a plurality of alternative raised positions and for this purpose the attachment in cludes a lifting frame supporting unit 55 comprising a pair of parallel upstanding horns 56 each conveniently consisting of a length of metal tube bent to an arcuate form and, when in use, having its centre of curvature on the axis of the driving axle of the tractor, the said horns being arranged in vertical, longitudinal planes one on each side of the front or engine part of the tractor and being rigidly connected together at their upper ends by a cross bar 57 and rigidly carried at their lower ends by a sub-assembly consisting of a substantially horizontally arranged triangulated frame 58 secured upon a pendant plate 59 secured upon, or adapted for securement upon, the tractor. It will be appreciated that when the attachment is in use the frame 1 is raised and lowered relatively to the horns 56 as is clear from Figure 1, for example. Along each of the horns 56, and conveniently at equally spaced intervals, are arranged a series of transverse holes 60 adapted selectively to receive a horizontal bolt 61 (see, for example, Figure 1 and 8) carrying an adjustable lifting arm supporting stop 62 adapted to project horizontally, laterally outwardly from its particular horn 56. Preferably the stops 62 each have an integral dependent triangular web 63, the lower end of which carries a horizontal pin 64 (see Figure 8) which is adapted to fit into the hole 60 of the corresponding horn next below that occupied by the bolt 61, so that the outer end of the

stop 62 is firmly supported when in use. Thus the stops 62 can be arranged at any one of a plurality of alternative heights up the horns 56 and they are adapted to cooperate with retaining members or catches 65 carried by the frame 1 and serving, as the latter is raised, automatically to engage the stops 62 and thereby prevent the frame 1 descending again on withdrawal of the clutch-pins 33 from the driving discs 20, except at the desire of the tractor driver. The catches 65 each conveniently comprise a catch plate of substantially isosceles triangular form, there being two of these catch plates, one for each of the stops 62. The catch plates are freely pivoted, with their apices uppermost and with the pivoting axes rather nearer to the apices than to the bases of the plates, upon the top transverse tube 8 of the transverse part of the frame 1 so as to swing in vertical planes. The two catch plates are harnessed together, so as to move in unison, by means of a cross rod 66 passing through, and fixed in the apical portions of, the catch plates and lying parallel to the pivoting axes of such plates. The rod extends laterally beyond one of the catch plates towards, and almost up to, the adjoining lifting arm 2 of the frame as will be clearly seen from Figures 2 and 8. The extremity of the rod next to the said lifting arm is urged forwardly by a tension spring 67 connected at its rear end to a laterally extending pin 68 upon a lever 69 freely pivoted on the top transverse tube 8 of the frame 1 and through which the rod 66 also passes. The opposite end of the spring 67 is connected to a fixed stud 70 carried by the said lifting arm in advance of the rod 66 so that the spring 67 tends to pull the rod 66 forwardly and the catch plates 65 into their frame-holding position shown in Figure 8. In order that the tractor driver can release the said catches to permit the frame 1 to be lowered, the cross rod 66 is connected by a link 71 to the front end of a tension spring 72 having its rear end anchored to the lower end of a catch release lever 73 pivoted at 74 upon the strut 23 of the adjacent lifting arm 2 of the tractor attachment, this lever being adapted to co-operate with a quadrant or equivalent device 75 having a pair of ratchet teeth 76 and 77 spaced therealong, the arrangement being such that, on moving the lever 73 forwardly to the position shown in Figure 8, the spring 72 is placed in sufficient tension to override the pull in the spring 67 so that, immediately a slight lift is given to the frame 1 (for example, by driving the tractor rearwardly very slightly with the clutch-pins 33 engaged with the driving discs 20) to relieve the catch plates of the reaction of the stops 62, the catch plates Ry forwardly under the pull of the spring 72 and thus free the

frame 1 for lowering, the catch plates 64 restored to their automatic stop-engaging condition by the tractor driver simply releasing the lever 73 from the front tooth 77 of the quadrant 75 and permitting this lever to spring back to the rear tooth 76 of this quadrant. With the catch plates 65 in this automatic engaging position their rear edges ride, as the frame 1 is raised, over the fronts of the webs 63 of the stops 62 and then over the tops of the latter and anally spring rearwardly into the stop-engaging positions shown in Figure 8. Instead of providing the spring arrangement for the catches above described, the catches could be gravity biased towards their stop-engaging positions and a control cable or rod could be provided for operation by the tractor driver for disengaging the catches from the stops, but the arrangement above described is preferred. To support the frame 1 when in its lowermost position, stop brackets 78 (see Figure 11) may be provided at the lower ends of the horns 56 for engagement with the lower transverse tube 9 of the frame 1 and the stop brackets 78 may be adjustable up and down the lower portions of the horns 56 which may have relatively closely spaced transverse holes to receive a securing pin or bolt passing through the bracket. Thus the extent to which the frame can be lowered can be adjusted to suit the particular use to which the tractor attachment is going to be applied. It will, of course, be appreciated that it is not necessary for the frame 1 to be moved at any particular operation fully from one extreme position to the other and that the frame can be moved to any intermediate position that is desired. The frame will ordinarily only be moved from its fully lowered position to its fully raised position when it is desired to pick up a load at the front of the tractor, to pass this load entirely over the full length of the tractor and to deposit it to the rear of the latter, for example, into the trailer 54 being drawn along by the tractor, If, on the other hand, it is desired to use the tractor for conveying green grass to silage pits or to transfer gravel from one place to another or into a lorry, or to carry out any similar sort of operations, then it may be sufficient to drive the tractor forwardly with the attachment frame 1 in its lowered position thereby to pick up the load to be moved, then partially to raise the frame to an appropriate level and thereafter to move the tractor to the desired unloading position after which the flame can be lowered to deposit the load. The load-accommodating means of the attachments may comprise, for example, a hay sweep such as shown in Figures 1,2 and 3 of the drawings, or it may be a bucket which may have an imperforate or forked, slotted or other form of base. For example, the bucket could have a solid back and ends and the bottom thereof could be formed of a

number of parallel forwardly directed prongs for use, for example, in lifting crops such as beet and mangolds. Alternatively the load-accommodating means may comprise a loading hook, a buck rake or a sweeping attachment. In any case, however, the loadaccommodating means is preferably interchangeable so that hay sweeps or the like, buckets, buck rakes, and so on can be interchanged with one another or with other different load-accommodating appliances, as and when required. In the case of the hay sweep shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 7 of the drawings, the latter comprises a number of parallel, or substantially parallel, forwardly directed prongs 79 each secured at its rear ends in a pair of back-to-back channel-shaped clamping bars 80 arranged at right angles to the rear ends of the prong and adapted to embrace between them the two tubes 17 of the tipping unit for the loading equipment, the camping bars 80 being secured upon the tubes 17 by camping bolts 81 passing through the front clamping bar and screwing into the rear camping bar. The front ends of the prongs 79 are conveniently slightly pointed and somev/hat upturned. The front camping bars 80 of the hay sweep are extended beyond the upper ends of the rear camping bars and are inclined forwardly somewhat to form back stops for the sweep to limit the extent to which the load picked up by the sweep may move rearwardly. Figures 13 and 14 show load-accommodat- ing equipment in the form of a bucket furnished at the rear thereof with hook-like brackets 83 which are adapted to hook over the transverse tubes 17 of the tipping unit and to be clamped thereon by bolts 84 which permit the bucket to be adjusted relatively to the tipping unit to enable the latter to be adjusted on the frame 1 to take account of road camber and so on. In order that the load-accommodating equipment may be held in an appropriate position when the frame 1 of the attachment is in its lowered position but yet be tipped into a more appropriate position for discharging its contents when the frame is partially or fully raised, the rotatable disc 16 at one end of the tipping unit is furnished with a notch 85 which can be registered with a similar notch 86 in the adjacent fixed disc 14, and a tipping unit locking lever 87 is provided for engaging simultaneously in the registered notches in the two discs 14 and 16 to lock these against relative rotation, the notches 85 and 86 being located in the discs 14 and 16 in such a position that when the locking lever is operative to secure the discs together, the load-accommodating equipment is in its intermediate or untipped position shown, for example, in full lines in Figures 1 and 3. The arrangement is, however, such that when the locking lever is operated to release the discs 14 and 16 from one another, the load-accommodating equipment will tip in one rotational direction or

the other to a limited extent according to whether the lifting arms 2 are fully or only partially raised. If the lifting arms are fully raised as shown in Figure 3, the load-accommodating equipment will tip backwardly as indicated in dotted lines at 791, Figure 3, whereas if the lifting arms are only in a partially raised position such as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, the load-accommodating equipment will tip forwardly into the position indicated by the dotted lines 79"in Figure 1. Stops are provided to limit the extent of tipping of the load-accommodating equipment in each of the two rotational directions and these stop means may be provided by forming each of the discs 16 with a segmen- tal annular cut-out 16'in which is located a segmental annular stop piece 141 ou less circumferential length than the cut-out 161 and which is bolted or otherwise secured to the corresponding disc 14, the disc 16 thus being able to rotate about the bolt 15 angularly in either rotational direction to a limited extent before being stopped from further rotation by the abutment of one or the other end of the annular stop piece 141 with the corresponding end of the annular segmental cut-out 161. The two notches 85 and 86 are provided in their respective discs 14 and 16 with their radial centre lines at approximately 90 to the end faces of the annular segmental stop piece 141 and the annular segmental cut-out 161 so that, when the locking lever 87 is released, the disc 16 can rotate an equal amount in either direction relatively to the disc 14, the direction of rotation being determined, as above explained, by the position of the lifting arms 2. The locking lever 87 is located mainly in a vertical plane and is pivoted at its upper end upon a stud 88 carried by the upper tube 5 of the corresponding lifting arms of the frame 1, the lever having its upper part located on the inner side of the disc 16 (see Figure 6) and being joggled intermediate its ends to provide an intermediate horizontal detent portion 89 which is the part of the lever adapted to engage in the said registering notches 85 and 86 of the discs 14 and 16. The lower end portion 90 of the locking lever 87 carries a swivelling bolt 91 to which is anchored one end of a pull rod 92 extending along the frame 1 beside the adjacent lifting arm 2 and which is, at its other end, hooked into the free end of an intermediate lever 93 fixed upon the lower portion of an operating shaft 94 journalled in the top and bottom tubes 5 and 6 of the said lifting arm and also in a bracket 95 carried by the lifting arm strut 23, this operating shaft having, at its upper end, a laterally extending actuating lever 96. A tension spring 97 is connected, at one end, to the hooked over rear end of the pull rod 92 and, at the other end, to a fixed hook upon the lower tube

6 of the lifting arm 2 so as normally to pull the lever 93 forwardly and to urge the pull rod 92 forwardly thereby permitting a tension spring 98 connected, at one end, to the detent lever 87 and, at the other end, to a face plate on the front end of the lifting arm 2, to pull the intermediate detent portion 89 of the lever 87 into its locking position in the registering notches 85 and 86 in the adjacent discs 14 and 16. Assuming the load-accommodating device is a hay sweep as shown in Figures 1 and 2 for example, and assuming that this sweep is in the position shown in full lines in these Figures during the forward movement of the tractor to pick up a load, and then assuming that the tractor is stopped, the clutch-pins 33 are engaged with the driving discs 20 and the tractor is reversed to raise the frame 1 either to a partially raised position, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Figure 1, or to a fully raised position as shown in full lines in Figure 3, then the actuating lever 96 can be operated by the driver of the tractor adjacent whose driving seat the lever 96 is located in order to allow the hay sweep to fall forwardly and downwardly from the position shown in Figure 1, or backwardly and downwardly as shown in Figure 3 in dot-and-dash lines to deposit its load, the direction of movement of the hay sweep being determined by gravity and the position occupied by the lifting frame. Figures 11 and 12 show how the use of the attachment according to this invention can be extended to cover sweeping operations such as road sweeping, verge sweeping, lawn sweeping, or the like. In this arrangement a bucket, as illustrated in Figures 13 and 14, is attached to the tipping unit of the lifting frame 1 and a side. arm 100,101 is provided respectively on each of the opposite ends of the bucket so as to project forwardly somewhat beyond the end walls of the latter, the forward ends of these side arms carrying bearings for a rotary shaft 102 having a rotary brush 103, and the shaft 102 being furnished, at its inner end, with a sprocket 104 driven by a chain 105 from a further sprocket 106 fixed upon a short shaft 107 journalled in the rearwardly extending end of the arm 101 and coupled by a telescopic cardan shaft 108 to another short shaft 109 journalled in a bearing 110 on the frame 1 and carrying a fixed sprocket wheel 111 driven by an endless chain 112 from a sprocket wheel 113 fixed upon the stub axle 19 at the adjacent end of the driving. axle 4 of the tractor or to the corresponding end of the actual driving axle of the tractor where this protrudes laterally beyond the driving ground wheels of the tractor, the rotary brush 103 thus being rotated in the appro- priate direction as the sweeper moves forwardly in order to sweep leaves and other materials into the bucket 82. In order that the height of the portion 103 may be adjusted with

respect to the bottom of the bucket 82, the arms 100 and 101 are pivotally attached, at their rear ends, to the ends of the bucket by pivot bolts 114 and are fixed, at their front ends, to the said ends of the bucket by bolts 115 passed through any one of a series of alternative holes 116 in the bucket ends. As explained above means may, if desired, be provided, as a precautionary or safety measure, to ensure the automatic interruption of the power operation of the frame 1 near the end of its upward movement. This interruption of the drive would preferably be effected just as the frame reaches its fully raised position with the feet 26 contacting the ground and, although this may be achieved in a variety of ways, one method of accomplishing this object is by providing a lever 117 pivoted to the tractor at 118, this lever having a laterally extending portion 119 at its upper end, adapted as the frame 1 passes rearwardly beyond its vertical position, to be engaged by a lifting arm 2 of the frame and to be pushed rearwardly. The lower end of the lever 117 is extended below the pivot 118 and, through a linkage 120, is adapted to depress automatically the normal clutch pedal (not shown) of the tractor when the frame 1 engages and pushes backwards the end 119 of the lever 117, thus interrupting the backward movement of the tractor and consequently the power raising of the frame 1. If desired the springs 49 may be so arranged that, as the frame 1 is approaching its vertical position, they are compIetely relaxed and, as the frame passes further rearwardly, they begin to be tensioned again so that the springs will tend to pull the frame forwardly a little as soon as it is released from the positive lifting effort of the axle 4 of the tractor. Thus, when the frame 1 has operated the lever 117 and disconnected the drive from the power unit of the tractor 3 to the back axle 4, the springs 49 will tend to pull the frame 1 forwardly and to roll the tractor forwardly slightly (unless some lost motion or releasing device is provided between the driving discs 20 and the back axle 4 or clutch-pins 33, as may be done) and will do so as soon as the attachment has deposited its load to the rear of the tractor, whereupon the lever 117 will be freed for forward movement and the release of the tractor clutch pedal. To effect this forward movement of the lever 117 when released from the effect of the frame 1 thereon, spring means of any appropriate form, for example, torsion spring 121 around the pivot of the lever 117, is provided and serves to move the upper end 119 of the lever forwards and thereby to release the clutch pedal of the tractor so as to reconnect the power unit of the tractor to the back axle, provided the tractor driver has not, in the meantime, put the tractor into neutral gear. In an alternative arrangement means may be provided automatically to withdraw the clutch-pins 33 from their engagement with the driving

disc 20 as soon as the frame 1 has passed its vertical position during its rising movement and to permit re-engage- ment of these clutch pins as soon as the frame has reached the vertical position or thereabouts during its return or lowering movement, or means may be provided on said feet 26 adapted, when the latter strike the ground, to release the frame 1 from its power drive connection to the back axle 4 of the tractor. What we claim is :- 1. A load transporting and/or elevating attachment of the kind specified for a tractor and including means whereby the power necessary for the actuation of the lifting arms of the attachment may be transmitted mechanically from the driving axle of the driven ground wheels of the tractor as and when required and under the control of the tractor driver from his normal driving position on the tractor. 2. A load transporting and/or elevating attachment of the kind specified for a tractor and including means for mounting the rear portions of the lifting arms on the tractor for pivotal movement about the axis of the driving axle of the driven ground wheels of the tractor, and means for positively mechanically transmitting from said axle to said lifting arms, and as and when required, the power necessary to raise and to lower the arms.

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* GB786232 (A)

Description: GB786232 (A) ? 1957-11-13

Improvements in or relating to pulse jets

Description of GB786232 (A)

PATENT SPECIFICATION

786,232 Date of Application and filing Complete Specification: Sept 13, 1955. No 26147/55. Application made in France on April 28, 1955. Complete Specification Published: Nov 13, 1957. Index at Acceptance:-Class 110 ( 3), J( 1: 2 B 1). International Classification:-FO 2 k. The inventors of this invention in the sense of being the actual devisers thereof within the meaning of Section 16 of the Patents Act, 1949, are Pierre Servanty of 14 rue JeanJacques Rousseau, Aulnay-sous-Bois, Seine-et-Oise, France, Pierre le Rouzo, 106 rue Lecourbe, Paris, France, Gaston Bouchet of 104 rue Boileau, Paris, France, Jacques Legrand of 3 rue de Sevigne, Paris, France, and Alain Bozec of 63 rue de Maubeuge, Paris, France, all French citizens. COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to pulse jets We, SOCIETE NA Ti ONALE D 1 ETUDE ET DE CONSTRUCTION DE MOTEURS D'AVIATION, a French Body Corporate, of 150 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, France, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The technical development of pulse-jet units embodying a non-return admission orifice, such as those units disclosed in our prior Specifications No 653,629 and 741,151, has led to the development of a special class of these jet propulsion engines, which class is mainly characterised by the fact that the intake of the air required for the combustion is effected through an inlet orifice which, opening directly to atmosphere, is arranged to face rearwardly The result of this is that, when the device is in motion, the admission of air takes place in a direction opposite to the direction of motion In order that the atmospheric air may reach the part of the pulse-jet unit in which the injection of fuel takes place, this air must be subjected to a deflection of about 180 ' with respect to its initial direction, as shown in Fig 1 of the attached drawings which illustrate a pulse-jet unit in cross-section in which a is the pulsatory combustion chamber, b is the discharge nozzle or exhaust pipe for the gases generated in this chamber by the successive combustions, and c is the tubular admission member for fresh air, designed to function as an aerodynamic non-return admission orifice It will be seen that, by lPrice 3 s 6 d l reason of the 180 ' bend which exists at d between the chamber a and the discharge nozzle b, the tubular member c has its inlet facing in the same direction as the discharge nozzle The arrow F indicates the direction of motion produced, while the arrow F 1 shows the curved path which the relative air flow must follow in order to pass into the

tubular admission member c. By reason of this particular feature, this class of pulse-jet units, which gives excellent performances under static conditions in a free atmosphere is subject to substantial losses of performance when in motion In addition, their general shape which is imposed on the one hand by specific requirements and, on the other hand, by technical reasons connected with the utilisation of materials at high temperatures, results in a high resistance to forward motion which heavily affects adversely the general performance of the propulsion device The application of these pulse-jet units to the propulsion of flying machines thus necessitates their association with a cowling, the object of which is at the same time to reduce the drag and the losses due to the intake of air in a direction opposed to direction of motion, by reducing substantially the relative speed of the air in the zone of the intake orifice. It is of course possible to place one or a number of pulse-jet units within the interior of a streamlined cowling or casing e (Fig 2) which extends into the vicinity of the plane containing the outlet orifices of the discharge nozzles, the admission of atmospheric air being effected through an orifice f formed at I s 2 786,232 the forward extremity of the cowling, the cross-sectional area of the orifice being substantially less than the transverse area of the cowling In this way, it is possible to obtain an appreciable slowing-down of the rate of flow in the region of the air-intake orifices c of the pulse-jet units, but the practical application of this arrangement comes up against the following difficulty: The applicants have observed that pulsejet units operating under static conditions give rise to periodic variations of pressure in the surrounding atmosphere, these variations being measurable at distances from the pulse-jet units amounting to several times the diameter of their intake orifices In addition, tests have shown that each time the surrounding atmosphere affected by this phenomenon is arbitrarily limited by placing physical walls in position so as to enclose the pulse-jet unit, there results a sharp fall in the actual thrust developed by the unit. It even happens that if the walls are too close together, it is not possible to obtain any stable operation The loss of thrust thus recorded will of course diminish as the separation of the walls increases, together with a corresponding increase in the ratio between the internal transverse crosssectional area of the cowling and the crosssectional area of the air-intake orifice of the pulse-jet unit However, for a transverse cross-sectional area of the cowling which represents fifty times the area of the airadmission orifice of the pulse-jet unit, this loss still amounts to about 10 %.

It should be noted that, in the case of the categories of pulse-jet units which have a high performance, the area of the intake orifice of the cowling may represent one quarter or more of the total frontal surface area of the cowling If it is desired to limit to 10 % the loss of thrust as compared with the possible static thrust in the free atmosphere, it will thus be necessary to provide a cowling, the frontal cross-section of which is about twelve times the maximum crosssection of the pulse-jet unit proper The resistance to forward movement of the cowling would, of course, become entirely prohibitive in this case. The present invention has for its object a cowling arrangement which enables a slowing-down effect to be obtained in the flow of air in the vicinity of the air intake of the pulse-jet unit, having no appreciable wall effect, thus making compatible the production of a static thrust equal to the thrust in a free atmosphere with a reduced resistance to forward motion and with admissible losses at the air intake. The special feature of this cowling which encloses at least the front part of the pulse jet consists in that it is slotted laterally in the vicinity of the transverse plane containing the air admission orifice of the pulse-jet unit, over the largest possible part of the periphery of the said orifice, and also in that it is combined with a tubular member providing an air-and-gas passage of which 70 the opening is located on the downstream side of the said admission orifice in the direction of motion, the opening of the conduit having a section larger than that of the said orifice and being enclosed by a rounded 75 leading edge which comes into contact with the flow of air and which serves to produce in this flow a zone of high static pressure which results in a zone of low speed in the vicinity of the air intake 80 In its forward portion, the cowling may be closed or simply provided with ports to permit of the entry of cooling air, which is suitable in the case of pulse-jet units intended for flight at moderate speeds In the 85 case of high-speed devices, the cowling may also be freely open at its forward extremity and may comprise a diffuser which serves to slow down and to compress the air passing into the cowling, so as to give it a go relatively high static pressure in an annular passage in the air cowling, in the zone which comprises the orifice of the air intake and the lateral slot in the cowling. Further special features of the invention 95 will be brought out in the description which follows below with reference to the attached drawings, given by way of example, and in which: Figs 1 and 2 are explanatory figures 100 which have already served as illustrations for the preamble to the present description.

Fig 3 is a view in longitudinal crosssection of one form of embodiment of the invention 105 Figs 4 to 7 are transverse cross-sections taken along the lines IV-IV, V-V, VI-VI and VII-VII of Fig 3. Figs 8 and 9 are longitudinal cross-sections of two further embodiments 110 Figs 10 to 13 are cross-sections of Fig 9 taken along the lines X-X, XI-XI, XII-XII and XIII-XIII. Fig 14 shows an alternative form of construction with a cowling open at its forward 115 extremity. Figs 15 to 19 are cross-sections of Fig 14 taken along the lines XV-XV, XVI-XVI, XVII-XVII, XVIII-XVIII and XIX-XIX. The first type of cowling shown in Figs 120 3 to 7 is especially adapted for flight at moderate speeds ( 30 to 130 metres per second) This cowling comprises: 1 A cowling 1, generally of light alloy and of faired form, which encloses fairly 125 closely the elbow d and also the combustion chamber a, and is directly joined to the airintake orifice of the combustion chamber. 2 A tubular member la, generally of light alloy, and forming roughly a body of 130 786,232 plane of the outlet orifice which is common to the discharge nozzle b of the pulsatory chamber and to the tubular member la, in order to form a chamber 13 having a substantially constant transverse section, the 70 length of which is with advantage from four to five times the diameter of the air-intake orifice 2 of the pulsatory chamber This chamber 13 is extended to form a convergent portion 14 The optimum ratio between 75 the area of the outlet section 15 of this convergent portion and the area of the transverse cross-section of the chamber 13 is a function of the speed of flight for which the propulsion unit is designed to operate and 80 diminishes with this speed. In this alternative form, it is possible to obtain a substantial increase in the performance, as regards thrust, by introducing additional fuel by means of an injector 16 in the 85 interior space of the cowling member la, on the downstream side of the smallest transverse section of this member The chamber 13 is the seat of an extremely turbulent periodic flow and the combustion 90 takes place in this chamber with an excellent stability In this alternative form, also, it is desirable that at least the members 3 and 13 should be of refractory material. The figures 9 to 13 show an example of 95 construction applicable to the special case in which the air-intake orifice 2 and the orifice 19 of the discharge nozzle b are located in the same plane The whole of the pulse-jet unit is then contained in a cowling 100 body 17 of light alloy, which is coupled to the two orifices 2 and 19 by a curved portion of varying curvature formed with a groove 18 which enables a

peripheral supply of the two orifices to be effected as in the case 105 of the previous embodiments The cowling body 17 is coupled to a second cowling member 20 through the medium of faired arms 22 The member 20 essentially comprises two conical or cylindro-conical nozzles 110 a and 20 b, the inlet orifices of which are defined by rounded leading edges and which are centered on the axes of the orifices 2 and 19, the transverse sections of these inlet orifices having values which are prefer 115 ably comprised between two and three times the transverse cross-sectional area of the orifice of the corresponding propulsive discharge nozzle. The member 20 is thus similar to an 120 assembly of two superposed annular wings coupled together by a curved portion of varying curvature, the radius of which increases from the front towards the rear As in the case of the preceding alternative form, 125 the cross-sections of the outlets of the conical or cylindro-conical nozzles 20 a and 20 b should be greater than the respective transverse cross-sections of the inlet orifices, and the member 20 may comprise at its rear the 130 revolution about the axis of the air intake c, having a faired external shape and a conical or cylindro-conical internal form, comprising an air-intake orifice 3 bounded by a rounded leading edge 4 located at a distance from the corresponding supply intake orifice 2, equal preferably to one and a half times the diameter of the latter approximately, so that a wide lateral slot g is formed freely open about the orifice 2 It is desirable that the area of the transverse cross-section of the intake orifice 3 should be between two and three times the area of the supply orifice 2 of the pulsatory chamber a and that the cross-sectional area of the outlet orifice 5 should be greater than that of the intake orifice 3, these proportions and arrangements being those which provide the best slowing down effect in the vicinity of the air-intake orifice 2 for the speed of flight considered. 3 A cowling member 6 enclosing fairly closely the whole or a part of the exhaust discharge nozzle b of the pulsatory chamber and merging into members 1 and 2 through a longitudinally extending curved portion 8, the radii of which decrease from the front up to the plane of the air-intake orifice 2, the radii increasing from the plane of the intake orifice 3 to the plane of the outlet orifice 5 of the cowling. The general shape of the cowling is shown quite clearly by the cross-sections given by Figs 4 to 7 At the forward part of the cowling member 1 are formed one or a number of ports 9 which allow the entry of cooling air to the cowling The evacuation of this air may be partly effected through the slot 10 and partly through one or a number of ports 11 formed in the cowling 1 in the vicinity of the air-intake orifice 2, that is to say in an area of lower pressure.

In the case in which the pulse jet unit with its cowling is required to operate for long periods while stationary, it is an advantage to provide for the evacuation of the cooling air through a slot located in the immediate vicinity of the air-intake orifice 2, for example, in the coupling radius 12 between the orifice 2 and the cowling member 1 By virtue of the periodic zones of reduced pressure which are created in the plane of the orifice 2, this arrangement permits of a circulation of cooling air under the cowling, even when the device is operating under static conditions. The elements which play a principal part during the operation are the curved portion 8 which enables the air-intake orifice 2 to have a peripheral air supply which is as ample as possible, and the rounded leading edge 4 which produces a high static-pressure zone and, in consequence, a region of low speeds in the vicinity of the inlet orifice. In the alternative embodiment shown in -65 Fig 8, the cowling is extended beyond the 786,232 4 8,3 chamber 13 and the convergent section 14. Provision is then made for introducing fuel through the injectors 16 and 21 located on the downstream side of the smallest transverse section of the nozzles 20 a and 20 b. Figs 14 to 19 show a second type of cowling which is more particularly adapted for flight at medium speeds ( 120 to 240 metres per second) This cowling is composed: 1 Of a substantially annular cowling body 23, generally of light metal, centered on the axis of the intake orifice 2 of the pulsatory chamber and comprising at the front portion an intake orifice 25 enclosed by a rounded leading edge 26 and followed by a diffusor 25 a This cowling body 23 satisfies the following conditions: (a) its intake orifice 25 is located on the upstream side of the elbow d of the pulsejet unit; (b) its annular terminal section 27 is freely open and is located in the immediate vicinity of the plane of the intake orifice 2 of the pulsatory chamber (Fig 14 shows this terminal section 27 in the same plane as the orifice 2); (c) the terminal section 27 has a total transverse cross-sectional area which is substantially greater than that of the intake orifice 25; (d) the total transverse cross-sectional area of the terminal cross-section 27 is comprised between six and ten times the transverse section of the supply orifice 2 of the pulsatory chamber. 2 Of a cowling member 24 coupled to the member 23 and closely enclosing the whole or a part of the resonator or exhaust discharge nozzle b. 3 Of members similar to those already described with reference to the preceding embodiments and which will be found on the figures, provided

with the same reference numbers. During operation when the device is stationary, the air-intake orifice 2 sucks in atmospheric air from the exterior of the cowling 23, since the static pressure of this air is greater than that of the air which could arrive at this air-intake orifice by passing through the orifice 25 in the cowling 23, by reason of the inevitable losses of pressure along this latter path At high speeds, on the contrary, there is a large flow inside the cowling 23 due to the frontal orifice 25 and this flow reaches the terminal outlet section 27 with a static pressure which is greater than that of the flow of exterior air. It is then that the flow passing through the interior of the cowling 23 mainly supplies the orifice 2, the remainder being supplied by the exterior air slowed down by the rounded edge 4. -:65 Having regard to Section 9 of the Patents Act, 1949, attention is directed to the statements of claim in our above-mentioned Patent Specifications Nos 653,629 and 741,151.

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* GB786233 (A)

Description: GB786233 (A) ? 1957-11-13

Improvements in or relating to mats and matting

Description of GB786233 (A)

PATENT SPECIFICATION Inventors: SYDNEY WILLIAM MARSH and ROBIN HUNT 786 233 N Date of application and filing Complete Specification: Sept 15, 1955. No 26492155. Complete Specification Published: Nov 13, 1957.

Index at acceptance:-Classes 140, A 2 (F: M 3: M 4: N 2: N 4), A 1 M(A: B 2); and 142 ( 4), C 1 (F: J). International Classification:-A 47 g. COMPLETE SPECIFIOATION Improvements in or relating to Mats and Matting We, ANDRE RUBBER 'COMPANY LIMITED, a British Company, of Hook Rise, Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey, and ROBIN HUNT, a British Subject, of 11 Mead Crescent, Sutton, Surrey, hdo hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - This invention relates to mats and matting for covering flooring land the like, particularly the flooring of the cabs of industrial vehicles, and has for its object to provide a mat or matting having low thermal conductivity, high resistance to abrasion and disintegration and a substantial degree of resilience and anti-slip properties. Whilst rubber matting of dither plain or pattern surface has low thermal conductivity, substantial resilience and good anti-slip properties, it tends to wear and so disintegrate rather rapidly when subject to arduous duty such as is encountered when it is used for flooring for lorries or public service vehicles, or when used for industrial or commercial flooring Steel checker plate, on the other hand, resists wear and disintegration, but is undesirlable due to its high thermal conductivity, lack of resilience and poor anti-slip properties. In accordance with the present invention, a mat or matting comprises a sheet of natural or synthetic rubber having embedded therein and bonded thereto ' Expanded Metal,' or Flattened Expanded Metal' extending over a surface of the mat Preferably the metal extends through only a part of the thickness of the mat and has its exposed surface substandally flush with a surface of the rubber sheet. Such a mat or matting partakes to a considerable extent of the advantages of rubber matting and those of steel checker plate The rubber has lower thermal conductivity and, in general, a degree of resilience greater than metal and also its anti-slip properties are superior to metal The metal gives the mat resistance to abrasion and disintegration which is absent from la mat of rubber only. For the better understanding of the invention, one example thereof is shown 'in the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective view of a section cut from matting according to the invention. Referring to the drawing, the matting shown comprises a base sheet or board 1 of vulcanized natural or synthetic indiarubber In the layer or board 1 is embedded 'Flattened Expanded Metall ' 2, preferably expanded steel.

The rubber sheet or board 1 is preferably of a soft and flexible nature In, some cases it may be or incorporate foamed rubber to impart 'additional resilience;and low thermal conductivity. Matting such as that shown in the drawing may be made in continuous lengths from which may be cut suitable lengths for adapting to any situation When the rubber 1 is of a soft or resilient nature, mats cut from such matting may be bent and shaped to fit the situations for which they are to be employed Nevertheless, mats of, for example, other than flat fshape may be manufactured by moulding them to the desired configuration. As has been, stated, the Expanded Metal 2 is bonded to the sheet or board 1 at all its junction interfaces therewith This bonding may be effected in any 'of the manners common to the rubber-bonding trade, for example, by brass-plating or by utilizing a suitable adhesive or cement. Matting such as shown in the drawing may be manufactured by calendering together a sheet of uncured natural or synthetic rubber composition and a length of Flattened Expanded Metal, so that the Expanded Metal 2 is embedded into the rubber with one of its surfaces flush with a surface of the rubber The rubber may then be cured in any suitable manner, for example, in a steam heated press or by wrapping the matting and subjecting it 78,6,233 to open steam. In another method, which is particularly suitable to the manufacture of preformed or shaped mats, the Expanded Metal may be laid an a mould of appropriate configuration, against the bottom of the mould, and the mould may then be filled with a rubber composition, whereaf ter the mould may be closed and subjected to heat and pressure to cure the rubber.

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