Improvements in Axles-boxes and Bearings.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Axles-boxes and Bearings.
I, GEORGE WILKINSON of 2 Princes Mansions, Victoria Street, Westminster in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
The object of this invention is to facilitate the movement of cars or vehicles along
roads or tracks with a minimum expenditure of energy, and to facilitate the starting
of cars or vehicles from a position of rest; and has also for its object the reduction
of tractive power required in rounding curves, and it is especially applicable to
vehicles running on rails such as tram cars, railway rolling stock and the liko. My
improved axle-boxes and bearings are constructed essentially so that the body of the
car or vehicle may under certain conditions have a small forward or backward motion
independent of the movement of the wheels and axles, or vice versa. In carrying out
my improvements I make use of an axle box of any suitable shape or design and in
the upper part of said box I place a wheel or wheels the periphery or peripheries of
which form the surface against which the axle bears and through which the weight
of the car or vehicle body with its load is transmitted to the axle and track wheels;
on the axle arm or journal is fitted a suitable bearing block in which said axle arm or
journal turns, the top side of the bearing block is cut away so as to allow the axle arm
or journal to turn or roll against the periphery of the wheel or wheels above. I
prefer to make the wheel or wheels of as large a diameter as convenient, & they may
be made to revolve on roller bearings. The axle-box is constructed so that the
bearing block and axle arm may have play between the sides thereof in the direction
at right angles to the said axle arm; it will thus be obvious that the axle and wheels
will be capable of a forward or backward movement independent of the car or vehicle
above or vice versa. The wheel or wheels against which the said axle arm bears are
fixed vertically over the said axle arm, and the arrangement is such that when any
backward or forward movement of the axle arm relatively to the outer box or casing
takes place a like movement of the wheel or wheels above will also take place, so that
the said wheel or wheels will always be vertically over the axle arm.
It will be seen
that by reason of this backward and forward motion of the axle arms the axles may
ake up a position which is not at right angles to the direction in which the car or
vehicle ordinarily travels, and they will set themselves or tend to set themselves when
ravelling round a curve as radii of said curve; and will therefore travel round curves
with greater freedom and less expenditure of energy.
The wheels & axles may also be skewed round for the purpose of ramping. Under
or mal conditions the bearing blocks and axle arms are maintained in the central
osition within the box by elastic cushions or springs bearing against the sides of said
earing block, and the bearing block, axle arms and the wheel or wheels, can only
ove from the central or normal position by compressing the cushions or springs on
he side toward which they move. The cushions or springs are made of suitable
trength and any of the well known means may be used for adjusting the tension
f the same.
When desirable [ may use a wheel with an inside face against which the axlo arm
rns or rolls, in which case the pin or shaft carrying said wheel will be below the
le centre, instead of above as in the arrangement hereinbefore described.
The vehicle body may be sprung from my improved axle boxes in any of the
ell-known ways, and any suitable kind of spring or springs may be used therewith.
I may make use of ordinary horn plates or guides with my improved axle boxes &
arings or I may use a suitable system of tie rods.

page_text: I may also where desirable make use of tie bars to keep or tend to keep the bearing
blocks and axles at the same relativo distance apart. This may be desirable where
the breaks are applied on the insides of the wheels as in most of the ordinary
tramcars. When mechanical or electrical means are used to propel the car or
vehicle, whereby an additional weight has to be carried, such for instance as a cable
grip, gearing, electric motor or the like, I may instead of imposing the weight
directly on my axle boxes and bearings, make use of a carrying platform or cradle
supported directly on the axles by any suitable kind of bearings, but preferably by
wheel or roller bearings.
In applying my improved axle-boxes & bearings to cars or vehicles in which there
is not sufficient clearance between the axle arm or journal and the car or vehicle
framing above. I may cut away the said framing so as to allow sufficient clearance
for the axle-box and strengthen the frame by metal plates bolted on the sides of said
frame, or the frame might be made of metal of hollow se tion so that the axle-boxes
might stand up between the two sides of the hollow frame. When accumulators or
storage batteries are used on the car or vehicle I prefer to place them on a carrying
platform or platforms carried directly on the car axles instead of adding their weight
to the car body and transmitting the same through the axle boxes and bearing of
the car or vehicle. I may in cases where it is not admissible to use the upper wheel
or wheels as herein before described use a simple bearing block in which the axle arm
or journal turns and the weight or load of the car or vehicle is transmitted to the
said bearing block through rollers inserted between the bearing block and axle box;
thus allowing the bearing block to readily shift its position within the axle-box
under the conditions berein before described.
Dated this 28th day of January 1890.
Improvements in Axle-boxes and Bearings.
I, GEORGE WILKINSON of 95 Hubert Grove, Stock well, in the County of Surrey,
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:-
The objects of my invention are to construct an axle box for tramcars and other
vehicles which will, by its adoption facilitate the traction over curves in the track,
reduce the tractive force used in propulsion, and render the starting of the vehicle
from a position of rest less difficult than is the case with other axle boxes as hitherto
made and used, and further, provision is made for perfect and continuous lubrication
of the working parts.
Reference may be had to the appended sheet of drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved axle box, partly in section.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan view thereof, and
Figure 4 is an outline elevation of a modification applicable to cases in which
camber or locomotive springs are used.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several
views.
In carrying my invention into effect I make a hollow axle box A of suitable shape,
provided with brackets, B. B₁ for holding the spiral, volute, or india rubber springs
that support the weight of the vehicle. This axle box A may either be carried by
vertical guide bars or horn plates fixed to the frame of the vehicle, or may be similarly
carried by a suitably arranged system of tie-bars or links, which however form no
essential feature of my said invention. Within the interior of the axle box A, a
bearing block E is placed, with bosses cast upon the standards the whole affording
a certain lateral movement of F and E upon each side of the vertical centre line.

page_text: The journal of the main axle F passes through the lower part of E, which allows of
said lateral movement. A pin C passes through the upper part of the standards
(forming the sliding block E,) and carries a wheel or drum D, the periphery of which
bears upon the surface of the journal F, between the standards ', so that the bearing
block E thus formed carries hoth the main axle F, and the pin D, and the lateral
movement before referred to is common to both, E sliding upon the bottom of the
box A, the bosses a being cast thereon, and kept in position upon F by the tension of
the springs or elastic cushions G hereinafter referred to.
The ends of the pin C project beyond the bearing block E at each side, and these
projecting portions engage into horizontal slots at c in the axle box A. By this
means the weight of the vehicle is communicated through the springs, to the bracket B
upon the box A, thence to the pin C, and through the wheel or drum D to the
journal F of the main axle, upon which the traction wheels are fixed.
The horizontal slot in the front of the box A at c enables the lateral movement
of E to take place, by allowing the projecting ends of C to move to either side of the
centre line although still bearing the weight of the vehicle. I prefer to allow the
pin C to be free to revolve in the slots c, c, and also allow the wheel or drum D to
freely revolve upon it, and may interpose antifriction rollers between the hore of D
and surface of C, or may dispense with them and make a plain fit. Guard plates e, e³,
are used for the purpose of covering the slots c, c¹ and retaining the pin C in
position.
The lateral movement of the bearing block E within the box A, which forms the
chief feature of my invention, is controlled by spiral or other springs, or elastic
cushions G, fitting in suitably shaped sockets, or upon loose pins, so that a certain
degree of tension between the interior walls of the box A and the sides of the block
tends to keep the latter normally in the centre of A, from which it may be diverted
towards either side when the vehicle is starting from a position of rest, when rounding
a curve on the track, or when ramping gear is used for passing points or derailing
said vehicle. A bracket or socket H is cast upon, or attached to each side of the
interior of the box A, carrying a spindle or pin I, upon which a roller or rollers J
are suspended. The periphery of said roller or rollers is arranged so as to be in
contact with the surface of the journal F when the bearing block E has arrived at the
full extent of its lateral movement upon either side of the vertical centre line; the object
of such arrangement being to provide a firm but antifrictional check at these points. An
oil-well K is cast in the base of the box A, in which a roller I revolves by frictional
contact with F. Said roller is made of cork or similar material and its function is to
raise the oil from the well K, and distribute it upon the surface of F, from whence it
is transferred to the periphery of D, when by a flap of felt or similar device, said oil
may be caused to collect in a groove f around D, and so flow to, and surround the
surface of C through radial holes In lieu of this arrangement I may use an endless
spring band surrounding F and D, suitably corrugated so as to raise and distribute
the oil, or any other equivalent device for the same purpose.
Referring now to Figure 4, in which, owing to the diminution of space between the
axle F and the top of the box A; consequent upon the use of a camber or locomotive
spring M, I am obliged to dispense with the wheel or drum D; I substitute therefor
antifriction rollers h, through which the weight of the vehicle is transferred to the
block E, and thence to the axle F, said rollers h allowing freedom for the lateral
movement of E within A as hereinbefore described.
The advantages to be derived from the use of the improved axle box according to
my invention may be enumerated as follows;
When a vehicle is propelled by external force, such as that of animals, cables, or a
locomotive, the body of said vehicle is capable of a certain degree of movement
forward or backward, independently of the axles or wheels. Thus the vis inertia is
divided, and the force necessary to start the load from a position of rest is less than is
the case when ordinary axle boxes are used.
When the tractive force is applied directly to the wheels or axle, as is the case of a
self-driven vehicle, the same advantage is attained, although reversely, since the axles

page_text: and wheels nove slightly in advance of the body. When rounding curves, the lateral
movement of the block E enables the axles to assume an approximately radial position
relatively to said curve, rend ring the traction lighter than is the case with rigid axle
boxes-
When ramping gear is used, this may be adopted to the axles, since the requisite
angular movement may be made by the lateral play of the block E. As a part of
the combinations constituting my said invention, I have provided efficient means for
reducing friction to a minimum by causing the load to be borne by a rolling contact ;
and further, arranging the relative diameters of the rolling surfaces of F and D, so
that the actual surface speed bearing said load; namely, that of the pin C, is less
than that of the axle F; and further, providing a rolling contact with F when the
bearing block carrying the latter is at the end of its travel, on either side of
the centre.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In an axle box for tramcars and other vehicles, the combination of a box A,
bearing block E, springs or cushions G, stops J, and wheel or drum D, with a journal
or axle F, substantially as described and shewn by the drawings.
Second. In an axle box as above referred to, the employment of a bearing block E,
carrying the journal of the driving axle F; and arranged to move laterally upon either
side of the centre within the range of roller stops J, against the tension of springs or
equivalent G, substantially as herein described and shewn by the drawings.
Third. In an axle box as above referred to, the employment of the rollers h in com-
bination with the block E, and a camber spring M, Figure 4, substantially as described
and shewn.
Dated this 26th day of November 1890.
FREDK, WALKER,
11, Furnival Street, Holborn, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.