IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLES." A com-
munication from abroad by Henry Watkeys, of the City of Syracuse, State of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 5th September 1879, and dated the 20th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1879.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AXLES." A communication from abroad by Henry Watkeys, of the City of
Syracuse, State of New York, United States of America.
The Invention has for its object to allow the wheels on an axle to move inde-
pendently from one another when running upon a curved track, and consists, first,
in mounting the wheels upon separate axial supports. These may either be formed
of a solid axle having one wheel fixed to one of its ends, and a sleeve fitted loose to
the opposite end of the axle, and having the other wheel attached to it, or they may
be produced by dividing the axle transversely, attaching to the outer end of each
section one of the wheels, and uniting the two sections by a coupling fitted loose
thereon. The sleeve may be secured laterally by two collars, one of which forms
part of the axle, while the other is a separate piece rigidly fixed to the axle, and
overlapping the end of the sleeve to prevent the intrusion of dust, for which pur-
pose it may be provided with a packing ring. Cavities for the reception and
storing of lubricante may also be provided in the hub of the wheel in the sleeve
and in the last mentioned collar. In order to ensure the equal revolution of the
two wheels when running on a straight road the two wheel bearing members of
the axle may be connected by a movable clutch or friction coupling, which is kept
in contact by a spring or springs. The clutches may be disengaged either by hand,
in which case no springs need be used, or automatically, so that when arriving at a
curved portion of the road the shortening of the distance between two wheels
causes a compression of the said spring or springs, thereby disengaging the clutch
and allowing the wheels to revolve independently. If the sleeve forms the outer
cone of a friction clutch its bearing surface may advantageously be lined with a
metal composition which has been cast into it after mounting the sleeve on the'
axle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
September 1879.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AXLES." A communication from abroad by Henry Watkeys, of the City
of Syracuse, State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to car-axles designed to have their wheels capable of con-
forming their movement to the ineguality of the lengths of the outer and inner rails
of a curved track; and it consists, 1st, in a novel mode of mounting a wheel loosely
on the axle, whereby the said wheel is provided with a firm and safe axial support,
and its application to and removal from the axle for repairs or renewal is materially
facilitated; 2nd, in novel means of lubricating a wheel mounted loose on the axle;
3rd, in improved means of protecting the axial bearings loosely connected with
each other when traversing straight tracks, all constructed, arranged, and com-
bined as hereinafter more fully described. The accompanying Drawings fully
illustrate the Invention. Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are longitudinal sec-
tions of various forms of its detail construction; Fig. 2 is an exterior view of the
Invention constructed as shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 11 and 12 are transverse sections
respectively on lines 1 and 2, in Fig. 1; Fig. 13, a transverse section on line 3,
Fig. 3; Fig. 14, a transverse section on line 4, Fig. 4; Fig. 15, a transverse section
on line 5, Fig. 5; and Fig. 16, a transverse section on line 6, Fig. 9. In order to
allow the wheels of a car-axle to revolve independent of each other, and thus
obviate undue strain when traversing curves, they are mounted on separate axial
supports, which may either consist of a solid axle A, having one of the wheels fixed
to one of its ends, and a sleeve 8 fitted loose to the opposite end, and the other
wheel attached to the outer end of the sleeve, as illustrated respectively in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 of the Drawing, or be formed by dividing the axle
transversely, attaching to the outer end of the respective sections A' one of the
wheels and uniting the said sections by a sleeve coupling 8', 82, fitted loose thereon,
as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 of the Drawing. The sleeve 8, in Fig. 1, confined
laterally between two rigid collars c and c¹ on the axle. The collar c at the outer
end of the sleeve is either welded, shrunk, or otherwise permanently attached to
the axle, and is of a circumference sufficiently smaller than that of the exterior of
the sleeve to allow the wheel W to pass over it and be pressed on or off the end of
the sleeve 8. The collar c' at the rear end of the sleeve is made of longitudinal
sections fitted into a recess z in the surface of the axle, and champed together by
transverse bolts through lugs on their exterior. The said collar is provided with
an extension b, which overlaps the end of the sleeve, and has a packing ring d
between it and the exterior of the sleeve for the purpose of excluding the
dust from the interior of the sleeve and preventing the escape of the lubricant.
The lubricant is introduced through the radial channel e extending through the
sleeve at the rear of the wheel and closed by a screw plug. Longitudinal channels
in the interior surface of the sleeve distribute the lubricant over the entire length
of the sleeve. Reservoirs for the lubricant are formed by a circumferential cavity f
in the interior of the collar c¹, at the rear end of the sleeve, and by a similar cavity f
in the wheel hub at the outer end of the sleeve, and by a contraction g of said hub
at the outside of collar c. These arrangements I apply to a greater or less extent
to every case where the wheel is mounted on a sleeve, as shown respectively in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 of the Drawings. Figs. 5, 6, and 10 illustrate a
combined reservoir and distributor of the lubricant formed by a circumferential
cavity in an enlargement of the central portion of the sleeve, and longitudinal
bollow ribs h extended from said cavity towards opposite ends of the axle.
Experience having proved that wheels arranged to revolve independent of their

page_text: power
fellow-wheel are unable to safely surmount obstructions that usually accumulate on
street railways, I connect the two wheel-bearing members of the axle by a movable
clutch arranged to temporarily confine the said members circumferentially one to
the other. And since straight tracks are predominant on most roads I maintain
the said clutch engaged with the wheel bearing members by means of a spring or
springs. Figs 1 and 2 show a clutch designed to be released by the person in
charge of the car. It consists of a sliding collar or short supplementary sleeve 8²
fitted to the exterior of the wheel bearing sleeve s, and having its outer end arranged
to interlock with a clutch-collar e¹ on the sleeve 8 or the hub of the wheel W. The
rear end of the sliding collar s² is provided with a rearward extended cylindrical
shell integral therewith and of sufficiently enlarged circumference to contain
between it and the wheel-bearing sleeve s the spiral spring r which exerts its
of resilunce against a shoulder on the collar c¹ and the end of sliding collar 8. The
end of the shell 83 is provided with prongs or lugs which pass through notches in a
flange fon the exterior of collar c¹. The clutch is held engaged with the clutch
collar i by the expansive force of the spring r, and is released by means of a shifting-
lever arranged conveniently for manipulation by the person in charge of the car.
The clutches shown in all the other Figures of the Drawings, excepting Fig. 7, are
designed to obviate automatically. In Fig. 3 the outer end of the wheel-bearing
sleeves and the adjacent side of the rigid collar e constitute the clutch. The rear
end of the sleeve having a cylindrical enlargement containing the spiral spring r
which acts against the rear collar c² and a shoulder on the sleeve s, and thus forces
the latter outward and maintains the clutch inter-locked. In traversing curves the
pressure of the outer rail against the flange of the wheel crowds the wheel with its
sleeve inward, and thus automatically releases the clutch connection. Figs. 4, 5, 6,
8, 9, and 10 represent friction clutches in the form of male and female tapering or
conical bearings respectively on the wheel-bearing members and the coupling which
unites them. In Figs. 4 and 5 the axle is provided at the rear end of the sleeve s
with a rigid rearwardly tapering collar or conical enlargement K, and the sleeve &
is provided with a rear-ward extension / fitted to embrace the tapered portion of the
collar K. The said extension may either consist of a separate piece bolted to the
end of the sleeves as shown in Fig. 4, or be formed with a sleeve divided
longitudinally and bolted together by transverse bolts passing through lugs m on
the exterior thereof, as shown in Fig. 5 of the Drawing. The collar K has at the
end adjacent to the sleeve an abrupt shoulder, and the end of the sleeve is provided
with cellular seats for springs r which force the sleeve outward and thus impact the
tapering bearings, and by the friction of same retard or prevent the rotation of the
sleeve on the axle. The sleeve is released from the described confinement by the
inward thrust produced by the pressure of the outer rail of the track against
the flange of the wheel when traversing curves, substantially as before described.
The same effect is produced by a flaring enlargement n of the rear end of the
sleeve 8 embraced by a correspondingly tapered forward extension o of the collar.³
secured to the axle, as shown in Figs. 6 and 10 of the Drawing. In this case the
springs are arranged in cellular seats in the collar c³. This collar is composed of
longitudinal sections bolted together; and for the purpose of rendering the springs
easy of access for repairs or renewal the said collar may also be divided transversely
at the end of the sleeve s and bolted together as shown in Fig. 10 of the Drawing.
p represents a set screw passing from the rear end of the collar c³ into the seat of
the spring for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the spring. x is a metal ring
interposed between the abrupt end of the conical collar and end of springs, as shown
in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 10, for the purpose of forming a seat for the springs and of
compensating for the end wear that may occur. As a security against excessivo,
lateral movement of the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with external circumferential
flanges g, and the extension o of the collar c³ is made to engage the said flanges by.
corresponding grooves gl in its interior. By providing the axle with a rearward
tapering enlargement K' at its outer end, and fitting the end of the sleeve thereto,.
as shown in Fig. 10 of the Drawing, an additional clutch and increased security for
•

page_text: 1
resisting undue outward strain is obtained. Figs. 8 and 9 show the conical friction
clutch applied to the divided axle. The conical enlargements of the axle are
tapered outward, and arranged either at the abutting ends of the sections of the
axle, as shown in Fig. 9, or near the wheel, as shown in Fig. 8. In the first instance
the axle sections are coupled to each other by a longitudinally divided sleeve 8¹
fitted to the conical enlarged ends K2 of the axle. In the second the sleeve s¹
'terminates at the abrupt end of the conical enlargement K³ of the axle near the
wheel, and is provided thereat with an abutting flange. A sleeve coupling &* embraces
the tapered end of the axial enlargement and the flange of the sleeve 8¹. Between the
end of the sleeve coupling and the hub of the wheel is interposed a rubber washer a,
as shown respectively in Figs. 8 and 9, which excludes the dust from the sleeve-
bearings and acts as an auxiliary to the spring r which is arranged between the
adjacent ends of the axle-sections to force them outward and impact the tapered
bearings. In all the described automatic clutches sufficient lateral play is allowed
between the engaging parts to produce the release of the clutch by the inward
strain of the wheels when traversing curves as before described. Fig. 7 shows a
positive clutch applied to a divided axle. The sections of this axle are united in a
manner similar to that shown in Fig. 8, with the variation of abrupt shoulders at
each side of the collar t, and a correspondingly flanged coupling u embracing the
collar and flanged end of the sleeve. A sliding collar v on the body of the sleeve
is provided at the end adjacent to the coupling u with a prong or prongs which
are fitted in apertures in the rear flange of the coupling and the flange of the sleeve,
and the collar t is provided with corresponding excissions which are entered by the
prongs of the sliding collar v by an outward thrust of said collar, thereby locking the
axle section to the sleeve. A similar clutch arranged at the opposite end of the
sleeve s completes the locking of one wheel to the other. To facilitate the fitting of
the conical bearings of the friction clutch I provide the conical part of the sleeve with
a cavity or cavities w, and after applying it to the axle I fill the said cavity with
melted Babbit or other suitable metal. What I claim as my Invention is,-1st. The
combination of a car-axle provided with rigid collars, a sleeve fitted loose 'to the
axle between said collars and having fixed to its end one of the wheels and a clutch
arranged to confine the said sleeve circumferentially on the axle, substantially as
described. 2nd. The combination of the axle A provided with collars c, c¹, the
sleeves confined laterally between said collars, and having fixed to its end the
wheel w, and provided at the rear thereof with clutch collar i, the collar c¹ having
flange with notches or apertures, and the sliding collar s² with its cylindrical
extension adapted to engage at their ends respectively with the collar i and
flange j substantially as described and shown. 3rd. The combination and arrange-
ment of the sleeves having fixed to its outer end the wheel w, and provided at the
rear thereof with clutch collar i, the sliding collar 82 having the rearwardly
extended cylindrical shell 83 of greater circumference than the exterior of the
sleeve, and fitted to slide in excissions in flange j on collar c¹, and the spring r
enclosed between the shell 83 and sleeve, all constructed and arranged substantially
as described and shown. 4th. The combination with a car-axle composed of
separate wheel bearing members of a coupling loosely connecting the said members
one to the other with a lateral play between them, and having at the shoulder
which restrains the outward movement of said members a friction clutch arranged
to circumferentially confine the same, and a spring or springs arranged to force the
wheel-bearing members to their extreme outer position, substantially as set forth.
5th. The combination with a car-axle having its wheels arranged to revolve
independent of each other of a friction clutch actuated by a spring or springs, and
arranged to automatically confine the wheels circumferentially one to the other
when traversing straight tracks and release the same when traversing curves,
substantially as described. 6th. The combination with an axle composed of
separate wheel bearing members loosely connected with each other by a sleeve
coupling of male and female tapering or conical bearings connected respectively
with said numbers, and the coupling which unites the same, and arranged at such

page_text: an angle with the line of the axle that an inward movement of the wheel will
separate and release the conical bearings one from the other, substantially as set
forth. 7th. The combination of the sleeve s having at the rear end the flaring
enlargement n and the collar c³ secured to the axle, and having the tapered forward
extension o embracing the enlarged end of the sleeve, substantially as described.
8th. In combination with the sleeves provided with the enlarged end n, the collar
C³ composed of longitudinal sections secured to each other and to the axle,
substantially in the manner described. 9th. In combination with the sleeve s
provided with the flaring enlarged end n, the collar having the extension o fitted
to the end of the sleeve, and being divided transversely at the end of the sleeve
and provided at the shoulder adjacent thereto with cellular seats for the spring r,
substantially as described and shown. 10th. The combination of the sleeve a
provided with the circumferential flanges g, and the collar c³ rigidly attached to
the axle, and having the forward extension o provided with internal grooves gl
engaging the flanges of the sleeve, substantially as described for the purpose set
forth. 11th. In combination with the sleeve s applied to the axle in the manner
described, the springs r and adjusting screws p, substantially as and for the purpose
specified. 12th. The mode of fitting the within described conical bearings, con-
sisting in finishing one of said bearings, and providing the other with a cavity or
cavities, and after arranging them in their requisite position filling the said cavity
with melted metal, substantially as described. 13th. The combination with the
sleeve 8 of the hollow ribs h, substantially as described and shown. 14th. In
combination with the sleeve 8, the collar c' provided with cavity f, and the wheel
W provided in the hub with cavity f, and the contraction g of the hub at the
outside of collar c, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 15th. In com-
bination with the sleeve 8, the collar c' having the extension 6 overlapping the end
of the sleeve, and provided with the packing ring d between their contiguous
surfaces, substantially as described and shown for the purpose set forth. 16th. In
combination with the axle A provided with collars K and c, the sleeve 8 composed
of longitudinal sections secured to each other by transverse bolts, and by the wheel
W pressed into the end of the sleeve, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, A.D. 1879.