IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC- TION OF BEARINGS OR STEPS FOR SHAFTS, TURNTABLES, OR MOVEABLE PLATFORMS, WHICH INVENTION HE DENOMINATES PARRY'S IMPROVE- MENTS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF BEARINGS OR STEPS FOR SHAFTS, TURNTABLES, OR MOVEABLE
PLATFORMS, WHICH INVENTION HE DENOMINATES PARRY'S IMPROVE-
MENTS." "A communication.
Sealed the 19th March 1853, and dated the 6th January 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th January 1853.
I. WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BEARINGS
OR STEPS FOR SHAFTS, TURNTABLES, OR MOVEABLE PLATFORMS, WHICH
INVENTION I DENOMINATE PARRY'S IMPROVEMENTS," to be as follows:-
It has long been tried to reduce the end friction of shafts, and also
the friction of turning tables and other turning platforms by the inter-
position of anti-friction rollers, but without practical success. Cylin-

page_text: drical rollers will not answer the purpose, for the reason that they must
slip to travel around the centre of the shaft, the axis of the rollers being
at right angles to the axis of the shaft or platform. To avoid this, the
rollers have been made in the form of frustrums of cones; but this would
not answer, for the reason that the weight or pressure of the bevelled
surfaces would force the conical rollers outwards, and thus make them
bind and impinge against the outer casing surrounding them; and
finally, the rollers have been made spherical, running in grooves, repre-
senting in the cross sections segments of the circle of the spheres; but
this also failed, for the reason that every part of the surface of the
spheres travelling around in such grooves, except at two points, must
of necessity slip and make friction. By the present improvement
the objections to the above plans are avoided.
The nature of this Invention consists in the employment of a series of
rollers made in the form-of-double--frustrums of cones, united at their
bases, and adapted to run in grooves, of nearly corresponding form,
made in the surfaces between which they are interposed. The inner
frustrums of the rollers and the corresponding parts of the surfaces of
the grooves between which they are interposed are made on bevels
proportioned to the diameter of the rollers, and the grooves in which
they run, such as would represent the pitch lines of bevel cog wheels of
the same proportions. This will insure the rolling of the rollers about
a common centre without slip. And to prevent the said rollers from
being wedged outwards, or forced out of their proper paths, the outer
ends of the rollers are made of reversed frustrums, with the surface of
the grooves of nearly a corresponding bevel, so that when the rollers are
in place between the two surfaces they, the surfaces, shall be in. con-
tact with the inner frustrums of the rollers throughout their length; but
the said surfaces, instead being in contact with the outer frustrums,
deviate a little from it, by which combination the rollers are prevented
from being forced out of their true path, and hence roll around, bearing
the weight on the surface of the inner frustrums, thus avoiding the
practical objections to the methods heretofore tried.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 6th July 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BEARINGS OR STEPS FOR SHAFTS,
TURNTABLES, OR MOVEABLE PLATFORMS, WHICH INVENTION I DENOMINATE
'PARRY'S IMPROVEMENTS,"" being a communication from a foreigner residing
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and Figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
It has long been tried to reduce the end friction of shafts, as also the
friction of turning-tables and other turning platforms by the interpo-

page_text: sition of anti-friction rollers, but without practical success. Cylindrical
rollers will not answer the purpose, for the reason that they must slip
to travel around the centre of the shaft, the axis of the rollers being at
right angles to the axis of the shaft or platform. To avoid this, the
rollers have been made in the form of frustrums of cones; but this
would not answer, for the reason tlíat the weight or pressure of the
bevilled surfaces would force the conical rollers outwards, and thus
make them bind and impinge against the outer casing surrounding
them; and, finally, the rollers have been made spherical, running in
grooves representing in the cross sections segments of the circle of the
spheres; but this also failed, for the reason that every part of the surface
of the spheres travelling around in such grooves, except at two points,
must of necessity slip and make friction. By means of the present
improvements, which have been been communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, the objections to the above plans are avoided by
the employment of a series of rollers made in the form of double
frustrums of cones united at their bases and adapted to run in grooves
of nearly corresponding form made in the surfaces between which they
are interposed.
The inner frustrums of the rollers, and the corresponding parts of the
surfaces of the grooves between which they are interposed, are made on
bevels proportioned to the diameter of the rollers, and the grooves in
which they run such as would represent the pitch lines of bevel cog
wheels of the same proportions. This will ensure the rolling of the
rollers about a common centre without slip; and to prevent the said
rollers from being wedged outwards, or forced out of their proper paths,
the outer ends of the rollers are made of reversed frustrums with the
surface of the grooves of nearly a corresponding bevel, so that when the
rollers are in place between the two surfaces, they (the surfaces) shall
be in contact with the inner frustrums of the rollers throughout their
length; but the said surfaces, instead of being in contact with the outer
frustrums, deviate a little from it; by which combination the rollers are
prevented from being forced out of their true path, and hence will roll
around and bear the weight on the surface of the inner frustrums, thus
avoiding the practical objections to the methods heretofore tried.
Fig. 1, is a vertical section of the step of a vertical shaft. Fig. 2, is

page_text: a horizontal section thereof taken in the line A, a, of Fig. 1. In these
Figures a, represents the lower extremity of a shaft, and b, a step or
box. Between these two are interposed a series of rollers c, each in the
shape of two frustrums of cones united at the bases. In the end of the
shaft a, and also in the surface of the step b, are formed concentric
grooves d, d, of the same capacity, but inverted. The width of the
grooves should be a little greater than the entire length of each roller,
so that they (the rollers) may have a slight end play without coming in
contact with the sides of the grooves. The inner frustrums of all the
rollers, and the bevel of the grooves in the end of the shaft, and the
surface of the step, should be on lines coinciding with the axis of the
rollers and of the shaft, as in determining the pitch lines of bevel
cog wheels, so that as the shaft turns, and the series of rollers are
carried around, they shall, by their conical form, travel in a circle of
which the axis of the shaft is the centre. The outer frustrums of the
rollers should be the reverse of the inner frustrums, but slightly morė
abrupt or less in diameter towards the outer ends, (see Fig. 1,) or the
surface of the grooves in which this part of the rollers run should be
slightly flattened, so that the outer frustrums will run in contact with
the surface of the grooves at their bases and be very slightly separated
at the outer end.
From the foregoing it will be seen that as the shaft rotates all the
rollers will travel around the axis of the shaft without slip, and the
tendency to force the rollers out of the true circle by the pressure and
weight acting on them is resisted by the outer and inverted conical
surface, so that by this means the rollers are kept in place and travel
in a circular path around the axis of the shaft, thus avoiding slip and
the friction consequent thereon, except the small part of the surface of
the outer frustrumis, where the slip and friction must be very slight, as
it only takes place near the base, and simply to keep the rollers in
place.
In Fig. 3, of the accompanying Drawings the principle of the present
Improvements is represented as applied to a turning-table for railroads.
a, is the turn-table, and ', the base, the two being formed with
grooves c, c, to receive the rollers d", made in the form of double
frustrums, as above described.

page_text: - It, will be obvious from the foregoing, that the principle of this
Invention can be applied to any turning platform, or to shafts, whether
vertical, horizontal, or inclined, and either to the ends of the shafts, or
to flanches or shoulders projecting therefrom; and when applied to
horizontal shafts, such as the shafts of propellers, the object is to reduce
the friction and wear. due to end thrusts.
. I do not claim as new the employment of conical rollers travelling
around in grooves as a means of reducing friction on the ends of shafts
and under turning platforms when the rollers are in the form of
single frustrums, as this has long been known; but what I do claim and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is, making the rollers in the form of
double. frustrums of cones, reversed and united at their bases, and
travelling in circular grooves of nearly corresponding form in the surfaces
between which the rollers are interposed, the inner frustrums supporting
the weight and causing the rollers to travel in a circle concentric with
the shaft or other rotating body, and the outer frustrums combined
therewith preventing the rollers from being forced out of their circular
track by the weight or pressure, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.