Portable winch

May 26, 1942.

C. η. K. NAPIER 2,284,532

PORTABLE WINCH

Filed April 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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May 26, 1942. c. _{H K NAPIER} 2,284,532

PORTABLE WINCH Filed April 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

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Patented May 26, 1942

2,284,532

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,284,532

PORTABLE WINCH

Clive Hastings Kingsley Napier, Cricklewood, England, assignor to Handley Page Limited, Cricklewood, Middlesex, England

Application April 3, 1940, Serial No. 327,701 In Great Britain April 20, 1939

Claims. (CI. 254—188)

This invention relates to winches, and has for its object to provide a portable winch which can not only be used for hoisting articles into positions to which access is difficult and where it.., is not possible for the operator to gain direct ' 5 access to the hoisting point, but is also applicable to a sloping or curved supporting surface.

With this object in view, the invention provides a portable winch comprising a winding device , for the winch cable, a carrier supporting said 10 device, a reaction member, which is offset from the carrier, carries a pulley or equivalent guide for the cable and is arranged to transfer the reaction due,to the load in the cable to the por- .....

tion of a structure, to which the winch is ap- 15 plied in use, in the vicinity of the hoisting point, and an articulated joint between the carrier and the reaction member which enables the- winch to rest on a curved or sloping surface supported , on the carrier and the reaction member. 20

It is preferred to employ an articulated joint which permits of relative movement of the carrier and reaction member about two axes at right angles to one another, so as to enable the carrier to adjust itself both to changes in level and changes in inclination relatively to the reaction member. The winch will then be able to seat itself anywhere on a curved or sloping surface and will always take up a position such that the cable runs truly over the pulley. Adaptability of the %0 carrier to changes of inclination is then achieved by reason of the articulated joint permitting of relative movement of the carrier and- reaction member about an axis coincident or nearly co- -. incident with the axis of the portion of the cable '35 extending between the winding device and the pulley, while adaptability of the carrier to changes in level is secured by the articulated joint permitting also of relative movement of the carrier and reaction, member about an:axis at *40 right, angles to the axis just mentioned.

It is however possible to employ an articulated joint having one pivotal axis only, which permits of change in the relative levels of the carrier and reaction member provided that the 45 carrier is so formed, for example by providing it with a single projecting foot; that it can-take up any position of inclination relatively to the surface. The result is that, whatever the form of the surface, the winch can take up a position 50 thereon such that the reaction member will be held firmly by the load in the cable against the portion of the structure adjoining the hoisting point. .......

Besides the possibility of using it on sloping 55 or curved surfaces while nevertheless ensuring that the cable will run freely through the pulley, the winch has further advantages. The concentration of the load on the reaction-transmitting portion of the reaction member has as a consequence that the structure to which the winch is applied requires local stiffening only, in the vicinity of the hoisting point, since the remainder of the structure is only called upon to take the weight of the winch itself or of the winch and the operator. Moreover the offsetting of the reaction member from the carrier renders it possible to employ the winch for hoisting loads at points to which access is difficult, as for instance when loading bombs on aircraft.

In the preferred form of the invention, the reaction member is constituted by a sheave block having a projecting fitting, serving as a guide for the cable and intended,to engage a socket in the structure to which the winch is to be applied, so as to- control the position of the cable and enable it to run truly through the socket.

Where bombs are to be loaded by hoisting them into aircraft, so that a fitting on the bomb carrier comes, into exact register with a cooperating fitting on the-bomb supporting, structure, the cable can be positioned and guided by properly placing the structure socket mentioned above, which is to receive the reaction fitting, in such a way as to ensure that the fittings on the bomb carrier and bomb supporting structure come accurately into register, with one another as the bomb is hoisted. -,.

The reaction fitting may conveniently be constituted by a flanged spigot. This spigot acts as a guide, for the cable and helps to locate the sheave block in the socket, so that the cable runs truly through the pulley for all axial positions of the spigot in the bore,of the socket. The flange on the spigot also helps to locate the sheave block and transfers the load to the socket which is fixed to the surface, so that its bore is in line with the required pull of the cable.

As an alternative to employing a spigot having a projecting flange, the spigot may, if desired, be tapered externally, in which case the location of the sheave block in the socket can be effected by the spigot alone and the flange can. be omitted. Again in some instances the spigot can be dispensed with entirely, the lower end of the sheave block terminating simply in a flange which rests on the surface, the cable passing through a hole in the surface and acting to locate the sheave block in a lateral direction. .

It will be understood that although we have re2,284,532 ferred to the use of a cable for hoisting the load, the cable can be replaced by an equivalent flexible load carrying member, such for example as a chain.

One particular form of portable winch suitable for loading bombs on aircraft will now be described in further detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which ' Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the winch, and

Fig. 2 is a section through the aircraft wing, showing the winch applied for the purpose of loading bombs.

The winch comprises a winding device for the cable 10, which is constituted by a drum II fixed to a spindle 12, which is journalled in a carrier constituted by a housing 13 formed with two spaced feet 14. As the invention is not concerned with the details of the winding device, this will only be briefly described. For the purpose of bomb loading it is however desirable to provide an arrangement such that application of a detachable handle 15 to the one projecting end of the spindle 12 permits of turning of the drum 11 by a direct drive, While application of the handle 15 to the other end of the spindle 12 enables the drum to be turned through an indirect gearing system. It is convenient also to provide an attachment on the housing 13 for enabling an electric motor to be coupled to the spindle 12 in place of the handle 15 for the purpose of power operation. A ratchet and pawl gear, indicated generally by the reference 16, is provided for normally preventing rotation of the drum in the direction to unwind the cable, this device being releasable when desired to permit the cable to run out. It is also desirable to incorporate a brake to prevent uncontrolled rotation of the drum and also an over-load slipping clutch so that no care is necessary during power operation by means of an electric motor and excessive load on the handle can do no harm.

From the housing 13 projects a tubular strut Π within which is rotatably mounted a tubular extension 18 of a swivel fork 19, a set screw 22 projecting through the wall of the strut 17 engages in a groove in the tubular extension 18. The set screw and groove prevent the extension 18 from being withdrawn axially from the tubular strut 17, while permitting of relative rotation of these two parts.

The reaction member of the winch is constituted by a sheave block 20 carrying a pulley 2i serving to guide the cable and formed with a downwardly depending tubular reaction fitting, constituted by a spigot 23 having at its upper end an outwardly extending flange 24. The swivel fork 19 is capable of limited pivotal movement relatively to the sheave block 20 about a horizon- go tai axis 25.

In Figure 2, 26 represents the upper surface of the wing, in the interior a supporting structure 27 the bomb 29.

In the upper surface 26 a hand hole 30, normally closed by a cover (not shown), and at one side of this hand hole is disposed a socket 31 defining the hoisting point and serving to receive the spigot 23. This socket 31 is rigidly, fixed to the aircraft structure, it being so placed that its bore is perpendicular to the ground when the aircraft is at rest, and, as will be seen, it is accessible together with the bomb of which is provided for the carrier 28 of of the wing is formed release electrical connections on removal of the hand hole cover.

To the lower end of the cable is fixed a ball 32 which can be engaged on the ground with a fitting 33 on the bomb carrier 28. After the bomb has been hoisted into the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the carrier 28 can be secured to the supporting structure 27, the ball 32 is released from the fitting 33 and drawn up through the socket 31, whereupon the winch can be removed and transferred to a fresh socket to hoist another bomb into position.

It will be appreciated that the articulated joint between the housing 13 and sheave block 20, constituted by the horizontal pivot 25 and the rotatable connection between the members 17, 18, enables the housing 13 to accommodate itself to any changes in level or inclination necessitated by the use of a winch on a curved or ) sloping surface. Thus, when the winch is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 its feet 14 rest at a higher level than the reaction fitting 23, this change in level being secured by the pivotal axis 25, while when the housing occupies ; the position shown in chain-dotted lines its inclination has also been changed, this movement being permitted by relative rotation of the members 17, 18.

In every case the flange 24 on the reaction । fitting 23 transmits the reaction due to the load on the cable to the socket 31 and the drum rests on a three-point support constituted by the flange 24 and the two feet 14. The feet are preferably rubber covered so as to prevent slipj ping and damage to the wing covering.

Due to the fact that the load is concentrated on the socket 31, it is only necessary to strengthen the wing structure in the vicinity of this socket, no additional strengthening being required elsewhere seeing that the remaing portion of the wing covering need only take the weight of the winch and operator. The use of adaptors, location wedges, jigged holes and the like is unnecessary thus facilitating the design of a smooth ^r4S ^{wing surface}· ^The drum housing can be of the ’ same radius as the swing of the handle 15, thus economising in space. As mentioned above, the handle can be made removable so that it can be stored when not in use.

gp: The mouth 34 of the spigot 23 is preferably made of bell-form so as to enable the cable to be pulled in and but at any angle.

Owing to the offset characteristics of the winch ¹ the hand hole 30 is very much more accessible _β5ι than is possible with the conventional form of winch placed more or less directly over the load. The offsetting of the drum from the reaction fitting enables equipment and the like to be positioned right up against the location socket 31 without making bomb loading difficult. The winch is suitable for use with light and heavy aeroplanes and, owing to the fact that the tubular strut 17 and swivel fork 19 are raised above the level of the feet 14 and reaction fitting 23, it will clear obstacles which would otherwise interfere with access to the location socket.

Although we have hitherto referred to the winch being applied to the surface of a structure to hoist a load by a cable passing through a hole in that structure, it will be understood that its usefulness is in no wise restricted to this particular application. Thus the carrier of the winch need not of necessity rest on a continuous supporting surface, nor need the reaction member be supported on the same structure as the

2,284,532 carrier, nor need the cable necessarily pass through a hole in the structure. Thus the winch can be used in cases where the socket, or other member for cooperating with the reaction member to take the reaction load of the winch, is carried by a structure separate from that on which the carrier rests, and it will be understood that the cable can pass down over the edge of the structure supporting the reaction member instead of through a hole in that structure.