Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 11th Oct.. 1892-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
We, CHARLES HENRY WALLWORK, of Union Bridge Iron Works, Roger
Street, Manchester, Engineer, and RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART of 57 Barton
Arcade Manchester, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to velocipedes more particularly to those having small
driving wheels and consists of improvements in the construction of the driving
wheel hub and in the arrangement of gear wheels and the axle therein the object
being to produce a greater rotative speed of the hub and wheel than that of the
pedal-driven crank-axle.
According to our invention we employ an epicyclic gear consisting of one fixed
and one rotative circular rack or toothed rim having unequal diameters and
conically inclined teeth converging towards the centre of the circle and one or
more bevelled toothed pinion, such pinion or pinions engaging directly both circular
racks with the one circle of teeth and arrange our gearing, hub and crank axle in
the manner hereinafter described.
In carrying out our invention, we preferably deeply recess the hub on one side
to enclose the gearing, but we may equally well apply our gearing inside or outside
the hub in any convenient manner. In the deep recess of the hub we fix thereto
a circular toothed rack or bevel wheel rim. The hub is bored through and
formed or fitted with ball races. A spindle forming the crank axle is fitted or
formed with two cones one of which may be adjusted upon said spindle, and is
passed through the hub, and a row of balls inserted in the ball race and kept in
position therein by one of the said cones in each instance forms the bearing upon
which the hub revolves. Near to each end of the spindle and outside the hub
bearing a separate ball bearing is fitted, each bearing being suitably formed for
connection to the fork on the frame of the machine. The bearing case on that
side of the hub which is recessed or fitted with the gearing we form with a toothed
bevel wheel rim of different diameter to the one fixed to the hub, the said bevel
wheel rim remaining stationary or fixed. The spindle is formed with or carries a
boss between the two axial bearings and between the two toothed rims on the
geared side of the hub, the said boss carrying one or more toothed bevel-gear
pinions upon radiating bearings, pins or studs, the pinion gearing directly into the
two toothed rims of unequal diameter aforesaid. We preferably mount the bevel
pinions upon adjustable ball bearings.
1000
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
We CHARLES HENRY WALLWORK of Union Bridge Iron Works, Roger
Street, Manchester, Engineer, and RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART of 57 Barton
Arcade Manchester, Consulting 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 :-
Our invention relates more particularly to that class of velocipedes having
small driving wheels and crank driven spur gearing arranged in or near the hub of
D

page_text: the driving wheel, the object of this invention being to produce an increased
number of rotations of the hub over those of the crank axle.
According to our invention we employ an epicyclic gear having bevelled or
inclined teeth and fitted into the hub or thereabouts, of the driving wheel, and
our improvements consist chiefly in the use of epicyclic bevel toothed gear in
which the two toothed wheels or circles having a common axis are of unequal
diameter and the intermediate wheel which directly engages in both of the said
toothed circles rotates upon an axis inclined to the common axis above referred to.
By this arrangement we are enabled to obtain less than two revolutions of the
hub or of the wheel to one revolution of the axle, or more than two revolutions
of the wheel to one of the axle by means of bevel epicyclic gearing and we can by
varying slightly the diameter of the wheel and the relative numbers of the teeth
of the bevel toothed circles obtain with a comparatively small gearing any results.
desirable in the comparative speed of the driven axle to the wheel.
In carrying out our invention we prefer to arrange the gearing inside a shell hub
and the relative diameters of the bevel toothed rims and the inclination of the axis
of the intermediate pinion in the manner shown in the several sheets of drawings
attached hereunto to which we will now refer.
In the said drawings
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a hub gearing and bearings constructed
and arranged according to our invention and as we deem most convenient.
Figure 2 is a partly sectioned longitudinal view of the same.
Figure 3 is a side view of the hub and gearing having the cover and axed toothed
circle removed and the parts external thereto.
Fig. 4 shows a side view of the hub and bearing, the crank being removed.
In the several figures the same parts are indicated by like letters of reference.
In the drawings A denotes the shell hub which is fitted with ball races a a¹ and
balls a running upon the conical sleeve b of the axle B, and the sleeve c¹ of the
main bearing C. The axle B is carried by the main bearings C C', which are
attached to the frame of the machine by the lugs c³ ³. The axle is provided with
two screwed sleeves 16 in the main bearings capable of lateral adjustment. The
cranks are fixed on the axle B and provided with set screws 6 which enter the
holes and hold the sleeves, when the adjustment of the main bearings has
been made. The main bearing C carries a fixed bevel toothed circle D which may
be formed part of, or be attached to the bearing case, or to the bearing sleeve c.
The main bearing sleeve c is extended to form another ball bearing therein, c,
upon the collar of the axle B. To the hub A. and in the same axial line as the
toothed rim D we fix a bevel toothed ring E of larger diameter and having more
teeth than the toothed ring D. Upon the axle we fix a carrier F, formed with
inclined radiating studs and arms f₁. These studs which are preferably two in
number carry bevel toothed pinions G G', each of which engages directly with the
two unequal toothed circles D and E. The pinions G Gare fitted on plane
bearings but have a ball thrust bearing H¹ H2 at the larger end. In the drawings
two pinions are shewn in gear with the two opposite toothed circles, but one
pinion, or more than two may be employed; we however prefer to employ two.
The thrust bearings H H are shown as forming part of a bridle H which is made
in two parts and bolted to the arms ff. In place however of this bridle the
studs fmay be prolonged and screwed and a thrust plate or ring secured to the
stud with a nut or in any suitable manner. We may also apply an additional
circle of balls at the opposite face of the pinion if at all desirable.
In the drawings the fixed circular rack is shewn of smaller diameter than the
rotating rack, and the inclination of the studs is outwards, but we do not confine
ourselves to adhere to these relative positions or to the details of the gearing; we
may equally well reverse the relative positions of the larger and smaller racks, and
the inclination of the studs ff.
We are aware that epicyclic bevel gearing applied to velocipede driving wheels
is not new, but as previously applied, one revolution of the driving axle carrying

page_text: round the pinion imparted two revolutions to the driven toothed circle, whereas
according to our arrangement we can obtain instead of two revolutions exactly,.
two revolutions and a fraction, or one revolution and a fraction according to the
relative variation in size of the pitch circle of the stationary circle of teeth to the
rotating circle, and we are enabled hereby to gear or speed up a given size of
wheel to correspond with any of the results of present requirements. For instance,
according to the old method of using epicyclic bevel gear a convenient size of
wheel of thirty-six inches diameter would be speeded up to equal a wheel seventy-
two inches diameter. This is too high a gear. Fifty-two inches being considered
a low gear and fifty-six inches a medium gear; neither can be obtained with the
ordinary bevel gear aforesaid with any wheel of acceptable diameter. According
to our arrangement we can speed up any wheel of from say thirty-six inches
diameter to equal any of the speed results in demand, say from fifty-four inches to
sixty-six inches.
We therefore wish it to be distinctly understood that we do not claim as our
invention epicyclic bevel gear for velocipedes generally, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we.
claim is :
1. The construction and use of an epicyclic gearing arrangement for velocipedes.
consisting of two bevel-toothed circular racks or wheels on the same axial line and
of different diameters of pitch circles and different inclination of teeth and both.
wheels engaged directly and at the same time with the same circle of teeth of a.
pinion, or more than one pinion, the rotating axis of which is set at an inclination
to the common axis of the two opposite bevel circular racks or wheels, substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The use of an epicyclic bevel-toothed gearing for velocipedes constructed and.
arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated the 10th day of October 1892.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.