Improvements in or relating to Crank Axles and Cranks for Velocipedes or other Foot-propelled Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 5th Feb.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Crank Axles and Cranks for
Velocipedes or other Foot-propelled Vehicles.
We, CHARLES LORRAINE MCQUILLAN, residing at 98, Gerrard Street, in the City
of Toronto, in the County of York, and Province of Ontario, Commercial Traveller,
and ROBERT ALEXANDER MCCREADY, residing at 54, Churchill Avenue, in the said
City of Toronto, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement; -
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in crank axles
and cranks for velocipedes or other foot propelled vehicles, and relates more particu-
larly to that class of crank axles and cranks in which the crank axles and one of
the cranks are made integral, (or, in other words, from one continuous piece of
metal) and the other crank detachably connected to the crank axle; and the object
of the invention is to provide the hub of the detachable crank with a screw-threaded
bore, to receive the correspondingly screw threaded end of the crank axle, in order
that when the hub of the crank has been fitted on the screw-threaded end of the
axle they will be rigidly united; to provide the crank axle with a seat for the hub
of the sprocket wheel, and to arrange this seat contiguous to the inner side face of
the hub of the crank; to loosely mount on the said seat a sprocket wheel having
a hub fitted with a correspondingly shaped bore, to embrace snugly the seat pro-
vided for it on the crank axle; to loosely mount on the crank axle on the inner
side of the sprocket wheel a bearing cone, and to provide the axle with a shoulder,
contiguous to the inner side face of the bearing cone, against which the bearing
cone is tightly jammed when the several parts are assembled; to lock together
the sprocket wheel and detachable crank by a screw or pin passing through the
web or one of the spokes of the sprocket wheel, and entering a lug or projection
carried by the side face of the detachable crank; to adjustably fit on the crank
axle contiguous to the fixed crank an adjusting bearing cone, and to lock the
adjusting bearing cone by a lock nut or set-screw, as hereinafter more fully set
forth and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 represents a sectional view of a crank axle bracket, showing the improve-
ments and the adjusting bearing cone locked by a lock-nut.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the adjusting bearing cone locked by a set-
screw.
Fig. 3 is an alternative form of bearing cones employing however the same
arrangement of crank axle, cranks and sprocket wheel.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and
drawings.
A represents the crank axle bracket, which may be of any ordinary construction,.
but is preferably made of tubular steel D, D, represent the ball cups, fitted into the
ends of the crank axle bracket A in any suitable manner. As shown in Figs. 1
and 2 the ball cups are pressed into the ends of the bracket A, and abut against

page_text: shoulders formed on the inner face of the bracket. In Fig. 3 the ball cups are
shown to be screwed into the ends of the bracket A.
B represents the crank axle; C represents a crank integrally formed with the
crank axle B, or rigidly united permanently to the crank axle. The end of the
crank axle B is arranged to project beyond the bracket A. This projecting end 611
is provided with a screw-threaded face a.
C represents the detachable crank, having a hub C". The hub C is provided
with a screw-threaded bore a¹, corresponding to the screw-threaded face a of the
projecting end 6 of the crank axle. When the detachable crank and crank
axle have been assembled the whole of the screw-threaded portion a of the crank
axle is contained within the bore of the hub. That part of the crank axle B
contiguous to the screw-threaded face a is preferably rectangular in cross section,
to form a seat for the bore of the hub of the sprocket wheel. It is not desired to
confine the seat to a rectangular shape in cross section, as any other shape (except
that of a circle) will answer the purpose. The axle is provided with a seat G₁,
adjoining the seat I, for the bearing cone G, and immediately adjoining the seat Gi
is a shoulder b against which abuts the inner side face of the bearing cone.
H represents the sprocket wheel, having a hub J¹ fitted with a bore J, shaped to
correspond to the shape of the seat I. In assembling the parts the bearing cone G
is slipped over the end of the crank axle to its seat GI, and its inner side face
is pressed against the shoulder b. The sprocket wheel H is then slipped into
position on its seat I, and the inner side face of the sprocket wheel presses against
the outer or adjacent side face of the bearing cone G. The seat I being rectangular
in cross section and the bore of the hub of the sprocket wheel being correspondingly
shaped, it follows that the sprocket wheel will move unitedly with the crank axle
during its revolution. When the bearing cone and sprocket wheel have been
fitted into position the detachable crank is fitted on the end of the crank axle and
screwed tightly into place until its side face presses against the side face of the
hub of the sprocket wheel, and jams the hub of the sprocket wheel against the
bearing cone G, and the bearing cone G against the shoulder b. The jamming of
the hub of the detachable crank against the hub of the sprocket wheel, and the
hub of the sprocket wheel against the cone bearing, and the cone against
the shoulder, locks these parts together, and causes their united revolution. The
detachable crank C is provided with a lug all, or projection, extending from its
inner side face intermediate the hub and pedal.
K represents a binding screw, passing through the web or spoke of the sprocket
wheel, and entering a screw-threaded bore in the lug or projection all. When the
parts have been properly assembled, the lug or projection all of the detachable
crank will be opposed to the binding screw K, and when the binding screw K has
been inserted into the screw threaded bore of the lug or projection, the detachable
crank and sprocket wheel are locked together in such a manner that the unscrewing
of the detachable crank from the crank axle cannot be accomplished until the
binding screw has been removed.
E represents an adjusting bearing cone fitted on the crank axle B contiguous to
the fixed crank C. The seat 6 for the adjusting cone E is screw threaded, and the
bore of the adjusting cone is correspondingly screw threaded, in order that the
adjusting cone can be finely adjusted to its bearing cup, to secure the fine adjust-
ment of the bearings.
As shown in Fig. 1 the bearing cone E is locked in position by a lock nut F,
fitted on the screw threaded seat b₁ between the outer side face of the adjusting
cone E and the fixed crank C.
As shown in Fig. 2 the bearing cone E is locked by means of set screws FI
passing through the bearing cone and jamming against the screw threads of the
seat b₁
As shown in Fig. 3 the bearing cones G, E, are integrally united by a barrel L,
and the bearing cups are shown to be screwed into the ends of the bracket. In
Fig. 3 the shoulder b is shown formed on the crank axle contiguous to the fixed

page_text: crank, and the bearing cone E is shown to abut against the shoulder. In this
case, as in the two former constructions, the jamming of the hub of the detachable
crank against the hub of the sprocket wheel causes the hub of the sprocket wheel
to jam against the bearing come G, and jam the bearing cone E against the
shoulder to cause the united revolution of the bearing cones and sprocket wheel
with the crank axle and cranks. Instead of using the lug all on the detachable
crank the hub of the detachable crank can be enlarged, and binding screws can
be inserted through the web of the sprocket wheel into the enlargement of the
hub of the detachable crank, to lock the detachable crank to the sprocket wheel,
and prevent it unscrewing, until the binding screws have been removed.
As any style of a crank axle bracket, bearing cones, and ball cups can be
employed, it is not desired to confine the present invention to any specific con-
struction as far as these parts are concerned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that
what we claim is:-
1. In a velocipede, the combination of a crank axle, a crank rigidly fixed to the
crank axle, the end of the crank axle screw-threaded, and a detachable crank,
having a hub provided with a screw-threaded bore fitted on the end of the crank
axle, substantially as specified.
2. In a velocipede, the combination of a crank axle, a crank rigidly fixed to the
crank axle, the end of the crank axle screw threaded, a detachable crank having a
hub provided with a screw threaded bore fitted on the end of the crank axle a
seat for the bore of the hub of the sprocket wheel, contiguous to the screw threaded
end of the crank axle, a sprocket wheel fitted on the seat, and a binding screw
passing through the sprocket wheel, and entering the detachable crank, sub-
stantially as specified.
3. In a velocipede, the combination of a crank axle, a crank rigidly fixed to the
crank axle, the end of the crank axle screw-threaded, a detachable crank having a
hub provided with a screw-threaded bore fitted on the end of the crank axle a seat
for the bore of the hub of the sprocket wheel, contiguous to the screw threaded end
of the crank axle, a sprocket wheel fitted on the seat, a binding screw passing
through the sprocket wheel, and entering the detachable crank, and a shoulder on
the crank axle, against which abuts one of the bearing cones, to permit of the
sprocket wheel and bearing cone being jammed between the shoulder and the
hub of the detachable crank, substantially as specified.
4. The crank axle and cranks hereinbefore described and illustrated in Fig. 1
of the drawings.
5. The crank axle and cranks hereinbefore described and illustrated in Fig. 3
of the drawings.
6. The means for locking the adjusting cone in position on the crank axle,
herein before described and illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of November 1897.
GEORGE BARKER,
Agent, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,