Fig. 4.
Parallel motion Instrument.—A machine which writes its record as two components, and which promises great stability, is one suggested by Professor C. D. West. Like the bracket machines it consists of two similar parts placed at right angles to each other, and is as follows: A bar of iron a is suspended from both sides on pivots at c c by a system of light arms hinging with each other at the black dots, between the upper and lower parts of the rigid frame b c. The arms are of such a length that for small displacements parallel to the length of the bar, c c practically move in a straight line, and the bar is in neutral equilibrium. A light prolongation of the bar d works the upper end of the light index e, passing as a universal joint through the rigid support f. A second index e′ from the bar at right angles also passes through f. The multiplying ends of these indices are coupled together to write a resultant motion on a smoked glass plate s.
Conical Pendulums.—Another group of instruments which have also yielded valuable records are the conical pendulum seismographs. The idea of using the bob of a conical pendulum to give a steady point in an earthquake machine was first suggested and carried into practice by Mr. Gray. The seismograph as employed consists of a pair of conical pendulums hung in planes at right angles to each other. The bob of each of these pendulums is fixed a short distance from the end of a light lever, which forms the writing index, the short end resting as a strut against the side of a post fixed in the earth. The weight is carried by a thin wire or thread, the upper end of which is attached to a point vertically above the fixed end of the lever.
Rolling Spheres and Cylinders.—After the conical pendulum seismographs, which claim several important advantages over the bracket machines, we come to a group of instruments known as rolling sphere seismographs. Here, again, we have a class of instruments for the various forms of which we are indebted to the ingenuity of Mr. Gray.
The general arrangement and principle of one of these instruments will be readily understood from the accompanying figure. s is a segment of a large sphere with a centre near c. Slightly below this centre a heavy weight b, which may be a lead ring, is pivoted. At the time of an earthquake c is steady, and the earth’s motions are magnified by the pointer c a n in the proportion of c a : a n. The working of this pointer or index is similar to that of the pointer in the pendulum.
Fig. 5.
Closely connected with the rolling sphere seismographs, are Gray’s rolling cylinder seismographs.
These are two cylinders resting on a surface plate with their axes at right angles to each other. Near to the highest point in each of these cylinders, this point remaining nearly steady when the surface plate is moved backwards and forwards, there is attached the end of a light index. These indices are again pivoted a short distance from their ends on axes connected with the surface plate. In order that the two indices may be brought parallel, one is cranked at the second pivot.
Ball and Plate Seismograph.—Another form of seismograph, which is closely related to the two forms of apparatus just described, is Verbeck’s ball and plate seismograph. This consists of a surface plate resting on three hard spheres, which in turn rests upon a second surface plate. When the lower plate is moved, the upper one tends to remain at rest, and thus may be used as a steady mass to move an index.