Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Excluding Dust from the Axles, and the Wearing Part of Loose Wheels Running upon them, in Tramcars, Railway Carriages, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Excluding Dust from the
Axles, and the Wearing Part of Loose Wheels Running upon
them, in Tramcars, Railway Carriages, and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS MILLER, of The London Road Foundry, Edinburgh, N.B., 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 and accompanying drawing, that is to say :-
My invention relates to the arrangement sometimes adopted in tram-cars and
railway carriages in which one of the wheels is fixed upon the axle, and the other
wheel runs loose upon the same axle, so as to facilitate the passage of the vehicle
round curves.
In such apparatus it is necessary or advisable that the wearing part of such
loose wheels, and the axles upon which they fit, should be protected from dust, in
order to prevent wear of these parts, and my invention consists of a novel metallic
dust excluder applied to such bearing or wearing part of the wheels, which is in
contact with the part of the axles, upon which the said loose wheels run.
In the accompanying drawings, which are in illustration of my invention,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the loose wheel upon the axle,
Figure 2 is a front view of the improved dust excluder with the outside plate
removed.
Figure 3 is a section, and Figure 4 a front view on a larger scale of part of the
loose wheel and of the dust excluder with the outside plate removed.
The metallic dust excluder consists of a ring C made of anti-friction or other
suitable metal, preferably what is known as "Babbits " metal, and it is composed
of two or more segments held together by a metallic spring or springs D; the
joints of these segments where their ends meet being so formed (as shewn at K,
where their ends are shewn recessed into each other) as to totally exclude the
dust from the bearing or wearing part A of the loose wheel and of the axle B,
and yet be capable of sliding or coming together in order to compensate for wear.
No india rubber washers or other packing are necessary.
The metallic ring or dust excluder C is so constructed therefore as to maintain
a close fit round the axle when any wear between the inside of the ring and axle
takes place.
It is also made to revolve with the wheel round the axle by means of a pin F
fixed in each of its segments, and fitting into a slot cut radially in the corresponding
face it fits against.
A dust excluding ring C is arranged at the front or outside of the wheel, and a
second one at the inner end of the tubular part A attached to the wheel which fits
upon the axle. H is a flange upon the axle embraced between a flange upon the
wheel boss A. and a separate flange G bolted to it the ring I being interposed
between them.
Each complete ring C is made to fit and slide between two turned parallel faces.
The ring at the front of the wheel so fits between the face of the wheel boss and
a turned metal plate E screwed to it, and the ring at the back of the wheel
between a turned face upon the loose flange G and a similar turned metal plate E
bolted to it.
Upon the wheel bearing or long boss A there is formed a large oil reservoir as
shewn at L. This reservoir when once filled with good lubricating oil, (preferably
that which is well-known as Fleming's solidified oil) will run without attention
during the life of the wheel.
The reservoir may be without opening or plug, the solidified oil being filled into
it at the time of fitting up.

page_text: By means of the pins F fixed into each segment of the dust excluder C and
fitting into radial slots in the corresponding faces against which they fit, the dust
excluder C is caused to revolve on the axle with the wheel, and consequently no
wear can take place upon its sides, the only wear being on the inside edge which
is in contact with the axle, and this wear being constantly taken up by means of
the metallic spring D.
I do not confine myself to the precise details of the apparatus which may be
varied more or less to suit different circumstances, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In the metallic dust excluder applied to loose wheels,
1. The combination of the ring C formed in two or more segments having their
ends recessed into each other and fitting between two parallel surfaces carried by
the loose wheel, with the spring D, substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In combination with the ring C formed in two or more segments, and the
spring D, the pins F fixed to the ring C, and fitting in radial recesses or grooves,
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of March 1893.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.