AN IMPROVED LUBRICATING AXLE Box
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Watts and Thomas Charles Watts, both
of Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"9
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Watts and
Thomas Charles Watts at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th September 1873.
We, CHARLES WATTS and THOMAS CHARLES WATTS, both of Leaden-
hall Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED LUBRICATING AXLE Box," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an axle box fitted with a novel contrivance
for continually supplying the oil or other lubricating fluid to the journal
during the revolutions of the axle.
The said Invention consists in providing an axle box with a ball or
roller, which is kept floating in oil or other lubricating fluid, and is

page_text: thereby kept in contact with the journal. The said ball or roller thus
kept floating in the oil or other liquid is caused by the rotation of the
journal to revolve, and carry around with it a film of the said oil or
fluid, from which the required quantity is taken by the journal. Any
impurities or foreign matters in the oil sink to the bottom of the
box.
The axle box is constructed with a well or chamber beneath the
journal, in which well or chamber the oil or other lubricating matter is
contained. Inside this chamber or well we place a light frame of
copper or other suitable material, or we form lugs or projections inside
the said chamber to keep the said ball or roller in place while allowing
it to turn freely in the oil. The said ball or roller may be hollow, and
made of copper or other suitable metal, or it may be made of wood, cork,
india-rubber, or other similar substance.
In a separate chamber or casing at the back of the box and sur-
rounding the journal we fit discs of india-rubber, wood, or other suitable
material to prevent the escape of lubricating matter from the box, and
the entrance of dust or other substance to the same.
Instead of providing the axle box with only one ball or roller as above
described it may have two or more of the said balls or rollers floating in
the oil or other lubricating fluid.
In some instances it may be necessary to provide the axle box with
means for maintaining an unvarying level of the lubricant, in which the
ball or roller is supported. For this purpose we employ a reservoir,
which is placed in any suitable position above the journal, and from
which a tube extends to the oil chamber or well of the axle box. This
reservoir is preferably made separate from the axle box, which is so
constructed that the said reservoir may be readily removed and replaced
for filling and examination, and it should be made air-tight, and so
placed that it will act pneumatically to supply only the proper quantity a
of oil to the said well or chamber.
Our Invention may be annlied to existing axla hozos.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Watts and Thomas Charles Watts in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
WATTS and THOMAS CHARLES WATTS, both of Leadenhall Street, in the
City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Charles Watts and Thomas Charles
Watts, Her special licence that we, the said Charles Watts and Thomas
Charles Watts, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Charles Watts and Thomas Charles Watts, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED LUBRICATING AXLE Box," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Charles Watts and Thomas Charles Watts,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Watts and Thomas
Charles Watts, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specification:
This Invention relates to an axle box fitted with a novel contrivance
for continually supplying the oil or other lubricating fluid to the journal
during the revolutions of the axle.

page_text: The said Invention consists in providing an axle box with a float,
preferably in the shape of a ball or sphere, which is kept partially
immersed in oil or other lubricating fluid, and is kept in contact with
the journal by its own buoyancy. The said ball or sphere thus kept
floating in the oil or other liquid is caused by the rotation of the journal
to revolve, and carry around with it a film of the said oil or fluid, from
which the required quantity is taken by the journal. Any impurities or
foreign matters in the oil will sink by their own gravity to the bottom of
the box, and will not have access to the journal.
Woviy sew w
The said Invention consists in providing an axle box with a float,
preferably in the shape of a ball or sphere, which is kept partially
immersed in oil or other lubricating fluid, and is kept in contact with
the journal by its own buoyancy. The said ball or sphere thus kept
floating in the oil or other liquid is caused by the rotation of the journal
to revolve, and carry around with it a film of the said oil or fluid, from
which the required quantity is taken by the journal. Any impurities or
foreign matters in the oil will sink by their own gravity to the bottom of
the box, and will not have access to the journal.
The manner in which our said Invention is best carried into practise
may be fully understood by the aid of a Drawing, which we will now
proceed to describe.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of our improved axle box; Figure 2
is a transverse section on the line X, X, Figure 1. Like letters indicate
the same parts throughout the Drawing.
The axle box a is constructed with a well or chamber 6 beneath the
journal c, in which well or chamber the oil or other lubricating matter
is contained. Inside this chamber or well we form or place a light
framed of copper or other suitable material to keep the ball or float e
in place while allowing it to turn freely in the oil or lubricant. Or we
may form lugs or projections inside the chamber 6 instead of the said
frame, or the box may be formed to effect this purpose. The said ball
or float may be made of copper or other suitable metal, or it may be
made of wood, cork, india-rubber, or other similar substance, but we
prefer a hollow metal ball.
In a separate chamber or casing f at the back of the box a and
surrounding the journal we fit discs g of india-rubber, wood, or other
suitable material, as shewn in Figure 1, to prevent the escape of
lubricating matter from the box and the entrance of dust or other
substance to the same.
Instead of providing the axle box with only one ball as above
described it may have two or more of the said balls floating in the oil or
other lubricating fluid.
In some instances it may be necessary to provide the axle box with
means for maintaining an unvarying level of the lubricant in which the
ball is supported. For this purpose we provide the axle box with a

page_text: reservoir, which may be arranged in any suitable position, a tube ex-
tending therefrom to the oil chamber or well 6 of the axle box. The said
reservoir is preferably made separate from the axle box, and the latter is
so constructed that the said reservoir may be readily removed and
replaced for filling and examination, and it must be made air-tight, and
so placed that it will act pneumatically to supply only the proper
quantity of oil to the said well or chamber.
By our Invention we obviate the necessity for the springs, bearings,
and other frictional parts, which are indispensable with other axle
boxes which have lubricating rollers or similar contrivances.
Our Invention may be applied to existing axle boxes.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we wish it understood that we claim,-
First. In an axle box the employment of a spherical float or ball, or
two or more floats or balls, partially immersed in the lubricating fluid
and kept in contact with the journal by its or their own buoyancy, and
held in place within the said axle box by a frame or other suitable
contrivance, which will not prevent the free rotation of the ball or balls
in the liquid as herein set forth.
Second. Providing the said axle box with a reservoir, from which the
oil or lubricating fluid is fed to the well or chamber pneumatically, as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Watts and Thomas Charles
Watts, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Seventeenth
day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-four.
$0
Witness,
Wч. ROB. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
CHARLES WATTS.
(L.S.)
THOMAS C. WATTS. (L.s.)