Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1889
I, HARRY KENNETH AUSTIN, of Carn Brea, Washwood Heath, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The lubrication of the axle may be performed with grease or oil; when oil is used
the lubricant is carried to the axle by means of a roller maintained against the under
side of the axle either at the centre or on each side of same, by a spring or springs
pressing against the carrier or axle of the revolving roller. The roller has grooves cut
in it and thus leaving a space in which the oil may collect or the grooves may be filled
with a fibrous material for the purpose of soaking up the oil. The springs supporting
the roller are spiral and with suitable guides to preserve its upward motion. The
bearing inserted into the axle box may be used with a packing plate at its back, or
may be fixed into the top of the axle box, with lugs on its sides and a handle forшed
in the centre or at the sides for the purpose of removing it. The bearing is kept in its
place by the beforementioned lugs or may be held with a flat or round piece of iron
crossing it and the axlebox top; when the piece of iron is removed the brass bearing
can be taken from its place. The back of the bearing is grooved for the reception of
oil and distributes same on to the axle. The packing plate (when used) also has oil
grooves on its surface for the purpose of distributing the oil on to the bearing, and also
on to the dust shield hereafter described, and the top part of the axlebox or front of
same is supplied with oil holes & channels with lid or pin communicating with the dust
guard or shield and the bearing. The oil channel.and-hole for dust guard may be at
the front or at the back of the axlebox, and a separate oil channel and hole may be
provided for the dust shield, and another for the bearing or both may be combined, in
which latter case the bearing is specially shaped at the end so as to deliver the oil into
the chamber leading to the dust guard. The back of the axlebox is specially brought
up to the axle to catch the oil from same or from the channels in bearing, packing
plate, or top of axlebox, and leads the oil to the face on the outer side of the axlebox.
The front door of axlebox is formed of a plate having a circular or flat flexible washer
to keep a tight joint ;-the washer is held in its place by a projection being specially

page_text: cast on the front door which overhangs the washer: When a circular washer is used
the ends are united and the whole sprung into its place. The door is held in position
by lugs cast on its side through which are passed some V pointed screws which engage
into suitable V recesses in the body of the axlebox. The front door may be circular
or rectangular and all the arrangements beforementioned and hereafter described may
be used on axleboxes or casings made either of cast iron or other wrought iron or
material. The dust guard or shield is formed of a solid or split bush of any number of
parts made of square or circular section, having a face bearing against a specially
machined, or chilled, or packed surface made on the outer side of the axlebox, in
communication with the oil channels before mentioned, or with the omission of such
oil channels. The bush when made either solid or split has a V recess or chamfer into
which the ends of a spring or springs are forced, which springs may be left open or
may be covered in with a casing of metal or enveloped in a casing of india rubber or
canvas or other suitable material. The metal cover is made with a bead and recess
holding the ends of the spring. Each end of spring may be bent round so as to pass
into a hole or slot or it may be secured by rivets or other means. The spring when
made of a spiral form envelopes the axle and closes tight on same, pressing either
against the face of boss of wheel and against the dust shield bush, or against the base of
The bush when split may have top & bottom lugs bolted together or only
top lugs and when necessary may be made so as to fill up a keyway in the axle or
recessed to pass over a key. The axle or face of the wheel boss may if necessary be
provided with a groove, hole, or chamfered projection, to take the base of the spring or
casing. Flat or other shaped springs may be used. The bush & cover may also be
formed of pieces or circles fitting one into the other or packed with a rubber or
flexible ring, and all the parts may be if desired, secured so as to allow for the
longitudinal and rotatory movements. concerned. Guide pins & springs enclosed may
also be fitted to any of the parts. The springs may be used in extension or compression
or india rubber rings or pieces may be used to secure the desired object. The material
of which I claim to have discovered the mixture for bearings or the bushes before
described is composed of Copper 84·35 % Tin 5-67% Lead 4.58 % Aluminium
3.87% Phosphorus 1.53%.
the cover.
The advantages of my-invention are that the axles can be more certainly and
effectually lubricated, the bearing and its parts suitably secured and.supplied with oil,
and the method adopted of preventing the entrance of dust to the interior of the
axlebox, is such as to allow of great freedom between the face of wheel boss and
axlebox, and provides a lubricated dust guard working at all times concentric with the
axle, the edges and faces of the bush being if necessary grooved and provided with
holes in which the lubricant may be collected or placed.
1
1000

page_text: I, HARRY KENNETH AUSTIN, of Carn Brea, Washwood Heath, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in axle boxes and bearings.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an axle box constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Figure 2 is a half cross section and half back view and
Figure 3 is a plan of the same. This axle box has tho casing A made with
guides A in the interior which guides are formed with circular recess to hold the
spiral springs which support the roller A².
The roller lubricator which revolves in oil contained in the lower part of the box
may be held up by a spindle driven into a boss in the centre. The ends of the spindle
extend to a length corresponding to the distance between the circular guides before
described. The roller may extend the whole length of axle and may have grooves on
its surface in which the oil will collect in a mass when the roller is revolved.
shewn in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, the roller may be recessed and it may be filled in with
fibrous material as at A Figure 8.
As
The roller lubricator may also be combined with a frame holding a fibrous material
or brush B Figure 9 which is provided with wicks B' to lubricate the axle in addition.
to the roller.
Figure 10 shews the roller lubricator supported on a frame and with springs
across instead of along the axle box.
The back of the axle box casing D Figure 1 is brought up high to keep the oil level
as high as possible.
E Figure 1 is the bearing and F is a packing plate provided with a handle F¹ on its
end. The bearing may be held in any of the ordinary ways or may be held by a bolt
or flat piece of iron G Figures 11 and 12 which passes through the bearing and also
through the top of the axle box.
The lid H Figure 3 closes an oil hole which communicates with recesses in the back
of bearing and oil poured in here goes on to the axle. The lid 1 Figure 3 closes over
an oil hole which communicates with the dust guard bush J.
The lid I may be placed at the back side of the casing at the top or both the

page_text: chambers here referred to as closed by the lids H.and I may be combined under one
lid and the channels combined for both purposes. The back of the axle box Figure 1 Dis
brought up to catch the drippings of oil from the axle which run down and lubricate
the face of axle box.
The front door K Figure 1 is made to fasten as there shewn or may be fastened by
the method shewn in plan in Figure 13 where the pointed set pin K' is screwed
through the cover K which fits on the end of the axle box A.
In any method of lid fastening I make the joint of a flexible material such as rope,
india rubber or leather as shewn at K2 K3 Figures 14 and 15 which joint rings or
washers are held in place by the projections cast on to the lid or the axle box casing
as shown at K K Figures 14 and 15.
The dust guard I form in the shape of a bush as at J-Figure 1 or as shewn in
section in Figure 16 with a .V recess running 'round 'the bush to hold the spiral
spring J which works against the back end of the axle box. The bush may be made
as shewn in Figure 17 where Ja is the half of a bush held together by bolts rivets or
pins passing through the holes J J. Figure 18 shews the bush made to fill a
keyway. Figure 19 shews the bush made to pass over a key. Figure 20 shews the
bush made to fill up a flat keyway in the axle.
The spring Figure 21 may be used with the bush instead of a spiral spring or
several spiral springs and guiding pins may be used.
In Figures 22 and 23 L shews a casing which may be used to protect the spiral
springs before referred to.
Figure 24 shews the bush with only one pair of lugs Je instead of the two shewn in
Figure 17.
In Figure 25 M M shew a bush made of L pieces which fit over each other and are
actuated by a spiral or flat springs as previously described.
Figure 26 shews the same L pieces made to use with a ring of flexible material M²
which makes a tight joint and rolls over when the longitudinal movement takes place.
The material from which by preference I make the bearings and which I claim to
have discovered consists of

page_text: 6. The roller lubricator supported in a frame or on a spindle resting upon spiral
springs and either fixed or revolving on the spindle and with face chamfered recessed
or packed substantially as described.
7 The mixture of metal for hearince