F
SECTION F — MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
 F01 - 
F42

Note(s)

Guide to the use of this subsection (classes F01-F04)

The following notes are meant to assist in the use of this part of the classification scheme.

  1. In this subsection, subclasses or groups designating "engines" or "pumps" cover methods of operating the same, unless otherwise specifically provided for.
  2. In this subsection, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "engine" means a device for continuously converting fluid energy into mechanical power. Thus, this term includes, for example, steam piston engines or steam turbines, per se, or internal-combustion piston engines, but it excludes single-stroke devices. "Engine" also includes the fluid-motive portion of a meter unless such portion is particularly adapted for use in a meter;
    • "pump" means a device for continuously raising, forcing, compressing, or exhausting fluid by mechanical or other means. Thus, this term includes fans or blowers;
    • "machine" means a device which could equally be an engine and a pump, and not a device which is restricted to an engine or one which is restricted to a pump;
    • "positive displacement" means the way the energy of a working fluid is transformed into mechanical energy, in which variations of volume created by the working fluid in a working chamber produce equivalent displacements of the mechanical member transmitting the energy, the dynamic effect of the fluid being of minor importance, and vice versa;
    • "non-positive displacement" means the way the energy of a working fluid is transformed into mechanical energy, by transformation of the energy of the working fluid into kinetic energy, and vice versa;
    • "oscillating-piston machine" means a positive-displacement machine in which a fluid-engaging work-transmitting member oscillates. This definition applies also to engines and pumps;
    • "rotary-piston machine" means a positive-displacement machine in which a fluid-engaging work-transmitting member rotates about a fixed axis or about an axis moving along a circular or similar orbit. This definition applies also to engines and pumps;
    • "rotary piston" means the work-transmitting member of a rotary-piston machine and may be of any suitable form, e.g., like a toothed gear;
    • "cooperating members" means the "oscillating piston" or "rotary piston" and another member, e.g., the working-chamber wall, which assists in the driving or pumping action;
    • "movement of the co-operating members" is to be interpreted as relative, so that one of the "co-operating members" may be stationary, even though reference may be made to its rotational axis, or both may move;
    • "teeth or tooth equivalents" include lobes, projections or abutments;
    • "internal-axis type" means that the rotational axes of the inner and outer co-operating members remain at all times within the outer member, e.g., in a similar manner to that of a pinion meshing with the internal teeth of a ring gear;
    • "free piston" means a piston of which the length of stroke is not defined by any member driven thereby;
    • "cylinders" means positive-displacement working chambers in general. Thus, this term is not restricted to cylinders of circular cross-section;
    • "main shaft" means the shaft which converts reciprocating piston motion into rotary motion or vice versa;
    • "plant" means an engine together with such additional apparatus as is necessary to run the engine. For example, a steam engine plant includes a steam engine and means for generating the steam;
    • "working fluid" means the driven fluid in a pump and the driving fluid in an engine. The working fluid may be in a gaseous state, i.e., compressible, or liquid. In the former case coexistence of two states is possible;
    • "steam" includes condensable vapours in general, and "special vapour" is used when steam is excluded;
    • "reaction type" as applied to non-positive-displacement machines or engines means machines or engines in which pressure/velocity transformation takes place wholly or partly in the rotor. Mmachines or engines with no, or only slight, pressure/velocity transformation in the rotor are called "impulse type".
  3. In this subsection:
  4. For use of this subsection with a good understanding, it is essential to remember, so far as subclasses F01B, F01C, F01D, F03B, and F04B, F04C, F04D, which form its skeleton, are concerned:
    • the principle which resides in their elaboration,
    • the classifying characteristics which they call for, and
    • their complementarity.
      1. Principle

        This concerns essentially the subclasses listed above. Other subclasses, notably those of class F02, which cover better-defined matter, are not considered here.

        Each subclass covers fundamentally a genus of apparatus (engine or pump) and by extension covers equally "machines" of the same kind. Two different subjects, one having a more general character than the other, are thus covered by the same subclass.

        Subclasses F01B, F03B, F04B, beyond the two subjects which they cover, have further a character of generality in relation to other subclasses concerning the different species of apparatus in the genus concerned.

        This generality applies as well for the two subjects dealt with, without these always being in relation to the same subclasses.

        Thus, subclass F03B, in its part dealing with "machines", should be considered as being the general class relating to subclasses F04B, F04C, and in its part dealing with "engines" as being general in relation to subclass F03C.

      2. Characteristics

        The principal classifying characteristic of the subclass is that of genera of apparatus, of which there are three possible:

        Machines; engines; pumps.

        As stated above, "machines" are always associated with one of the other two genera. These main genera are subdivided according to the general principles of operation of the apparatus:

        Positive displacement; non-positive displacement.

        The positive displacement apparatus are further subdivided according to the ways of putting into effect the principle of operation, that is, to the kind of apparatus:

        Simple reciprocating piston; rotary or oscillating piston; other kind.

        Another classifying characteristic is that of the working fluid, in respect of which three kinds of apparatus are possible, namely:

        Liquid and elastic fluid; elastic fluid; liquid.

      3. Complementarity

        This resides in association of pairs of the subclasses listed above, according to the characteristics under consideration in respect of kind of apparatus or working fluid.

        The subclasses concerned with the various principles, characteristics and complementarity are shown in the following table:

It is seen from this table that:

  
ENGINEERING IN GENERAL
 F16
ENGINEERING ELEMENTS OR UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
 F16G
BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVING PURPOSES; CHAINS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR
 F16G

Note(s)

Attention is drawn to the following places:
B63B 21/04Fastening equipment for chains, ropes or the like for ships 
B63B 21/20Adaptations of chains, ropes or the like for ships 
B65G 15/30Endless conveyer belts 
B65G 17/38, B65G 19/20Traction chains for conveyers 
F16HGearings using flexible members 
F16H 9/24Chains specially adapted for gearings with variable ratio 
H05FPreventing or carrying-off electrostatic charges. 

 F16G
Subclass index
BELTS; BELT FASTENINGS 1/00, 5/00; 3/00, 7/00
CABLES OR ROPES; FASTENINGS THEREFOR 9/00; 11/00
CHAINS, CHAIN HOOKS 13/00, 15/00, 17/00
 F16G 1/00
Driving-belts (V-belts F16G 5/00; conveyer belts B65G)
 F16G 1/02
·  made of leather (F16G 1/28 takes precedence; making thereof C14B 9/00)
 F16G 1/04
·  made of fibrous material, e.g. textiles, whether rubber-covered or not (F16G 1/28 takes precedence; making thereof D03D)
 F16G 1/06
·  made of rubber (F16G 1/28 takes precedence; producing belts from plastics or substances in a plastic state B29D 29/00)
 F16G 1/08
·  ·  with reinforcement bonded by the rubber
 F16G 1/10
·  ·  ·  with textile reinforcement
 F16G 1/12
·  ·  ·  with metal reinforcement
 F16G 1/14
·  made of plastics (F16G 1/28 takes precedence; producing belts from plastics or substances in a plastic state B29D 29/00)
 F16G 1/16
·  ·  with reinforcement bonded by the plastic material
 F16G 1/18
·  made of wire (making thereof B21F 43/00)
 F16G 1/20
·  made of a single metal strip (making thereof B21D 53/14)
 F16G 1/21
·  built-up from superimposed layers, e.g. zig-zag folded
 F16G 1/22
·  consisting of several parts
 F16G 1/24
·  ·  in the form of links (in the shape of chain links F16G 13/08)
 F16G 1/26
·  ·  in the form of strips or lamellae
 F16G 1/28
·  with a contact surface of special shape, e.g. toothed
 F16G 3/00
Belt fastenings, e.g. for conveyer belts (for V-belts F16G 7/00)
 F16G 3/02
·  with series of eyes or the like, interposed and linked by a pin to form a hinge (F16G 3/09 takes precedence)
 F16G 3/04
·  ·  in which the ends of separate U-shaped or like eyes are attached to the belt by parts penetrating into it
 F16G 3/06
·  with outwardly-bent, mutually-connected belt ends
 F16G 3/07
·  Friction clamps, e.g. of grommet-thimble type
 F16G 3/08
·  consisting of plates and screw-bolts or rivets (F16G 3/06 takes precedence)
 F16G 3/09
·  ·  the plates forming a hinge
 F16G 3/10
·  Joining belts by sewing, sticking, vulcanising, or the like; Constructional adaptations of the belt ends for this purpose
 F16G 3/12
·  Joining belts by lacing
 F16G 3/14
·  with extensible parts; with resilient parts
 F16G 3/16
·  Devices or machines for connecting driving-belts or the like
 F16G 5/00
V-belts, i.e. belts of tapered cross-section
 F16G 5/02
·  made of leather (F16G 5/20 takes precedence)
 F16G 5/04
·  made of rubber (F16G 5/20 takes precedence)
 F16G 5/06
·  ·  with reinforcement bonded by the rubber
 F16G 5/08
·  ·  ·  with textile reinforcement
 F16G 5/10
·  ·  ·  with metal reinforcement
 F16G 5/12
·  made of plastics (F16G 5/20 takes precedence)
 F16G 5/14
·  ·  with reinforcement bonded by the plastic material
 F16G 5/16
·  consisting of several parts
 F16G 5/18
·  ·  in the form of links
 F16G 5/20
·  with a contact surface of special shape, e.g. toothed
 F16G 5/22
·  built-up from superimposed layers
 F16G 5/24
·  ·  zig-zag folded
 F16G 7/00
V-belt fastenings
 F16G 7/02
·  locked, e.g. riveted
 F16G 7/04
·  quickly detachable
 F16G 7/06
·  adjustable, e.g. for tension
 F16G 9/00
Ropes or cables specially adapted for driving, or for being driven by, pulleys or other gearing elements (ropes or cables in general D07B)
 F16G 9/02
·  made of leather; having enveloping sheathings made of leather
 F16G 9/04
·  made of rubber or plastics (F16G 9/02 takes precedence)
 F16G 11/00
Means for fastening cables or ropes to one another or to other objects (cable clamps for suspension bridge cables E01D 19/16); Caps or sleeves for fixing on cables or ropes (attaching ropes or cables to lift cars or cages B66B 7/08, to winch drums or barrels B66D 1/34; ground anchors E02D 5/00; anchoring devices for prestressed members E04C 5/00; rope clamps in earth drilling E21B 19/12)
 F16G 11/02
·  with parts deformable to grip the cable or cables; Fastening means which engage a sleeve or the like fixed on the cable
 F16G 11/03
·  incorporating resiliently-mounted members for attachment of the cable end
 F16G 11/04
·  with wedging action, e.g. friction clamps of grommet-thimble type (F16G 11/02 takes precedence)
 F16G 11/05
·  ·  by using conical plugs insertable between the strands
 F16G 11/06
·  with laterally-arranged screws (F16G 11/02, F16G 11/04 take precedence)
 F16G 11/08
·  Fastenings for securing ends of driving-cables to one another, the fastenings having approximately the same diameter as the cables
 F16G 11/09
·  ·  incorporating hinge joints or pivots for the attachment of the cable ends
 F16G 11/10
·  Quick-acting fastenings; Clamps holding in one direction only
 F16G 11/12
·  Connections or attachments, e.g. turnbuckles, adapted for straining of cables, ropes, or wire (straining wire in general B21F 9/00)
 F16G 11/14
·  Devices or coupling-pieces designed for easy formation of adjustable loops, e.g. choker hooks; Hooks or eyes with integral parts designed to facilitate quick attachment to cables or ropes at any point, e.g. by forming loops (crane hooks B66C 1/34; hooks or eyes in general F16B 45/00)
 F16G 13/00
Chains (making thereof B21L)
 F16G 13/02
·  Driving-chains (specially adapted to gearings with variable gear-ratio F16H 9/00)
 F16G 13/04
·  ·  Toothed chains
 F16G 13/06
·  ·  with links connected by parallel driving-pins with or without rollers
 F16G 13/07
·  ·  ·  the links being of identical shape, e.g. cranked
 F16G 13/08
·  ·  with links closely interposed on the joint pins (F16G 13/04 takes precedence)
 F16G 13/10
·  ·  with universal joints
 F16G 13/12
·  Hauling- or hoisting-chains
 F16G 13/14
·  ·  built up from readily-separable links  [3]
 F16G 13/16
·  ·  with arrangements for holding electric cables, hoses, or the like
 F16G 13/18
·  Chains having special overall characteristics
 F16G 13/20
·  ·  stiff; Push-pull chains
 F16G 13/22
·  ·  extensible
 F16G 13/24
·  ·  ·  resilient
 F16G 15/00
Chain couplings; Shackles; Chain joints; Chain links; Chain bushes (making chain elements B21L)
 F16G 15/02
·  for fastening more or less permanently
 F16G 15/04
·  Quickly-detachable chain couplings; Shackles
 F16G 15/06
·  ·  Shackles designed for attachment by joint pins to chain elements, e.g. D-shackles
 F16G 15/08
·  Swivels
 F16G 15/10
·  Emergency joints or links
 F16G 15/12
·  Chain links
 F16G 15/14
·  ·  made of sheet metal, e.g. profiled
 F16G 17/00
Hooks as integral parts of chains (hooks for cranes B66C 1/34; hooks in general F16B 45/00)