CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OR JOURNALS OF LOCOMOTIVE OR OTHER STEAM ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OR JOURNALS OF MACHINERY IN GENERAL
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
NASMYTH, of Patricroft, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at.
Westminster, the Ninth day of April, in the second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Nasmyth, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and-
authority, that I, the said James Nasmyth, my executors, administrators, and.
assigns, and such others as I, the said James Nasmyth, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,.
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England
and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OR JOURNALS OF LOCOMOTIVE OR OTHER
STEAM ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OR
JOURNALS OF MACHINERY IN GENERAL;" in which Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said James Nasmyth, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said

page_text: in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Nasmyth, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof, that is to say :-
My Improvements applicable to the Bearings or Journals of Locomotive and
other Steam Engines, which Improvements are also applicable to the Bearings
or Journals of Machinery in general, consist in a peculiar mode of encircling
or surrounding such bearings or journals with collars or rings of case-hardened
iron or hardened steel, in place of the ordinary brasses or "steps," as hitherto
commonly employed in similar situations. The peculiar feature of novelty of
this Invention is the forming of such case-hardened iron or hardened steel
collars or rings in two pieces, and fastening them in such a manner, by means
of a key or pin, that they are prevented from turning round upon the surface
of the bearing or journal which they encircle. I have attached to these
presents a Drawing, representing the application of my improvement to the
crank or connecting rod, and to the stay or axle bearing of a locomotive steam
engine, which will sufficiently illustrate its applicability in all situations in
machinery where bearings or journals are necessary.
Figure 1 represents the end of a connecting rod, with the crank bearing or
journal in section; Figure 2 is a front or side elevation of the connecting rod
and crank; Figure 3 is an elevation of the axle or stay bearing, with the
bearing or journal of the axle or shaft in section; and Figure 4 is a
horizontal or plan view of the same. In Figure 1, a represents the section of
the crank bearing, and Figure 2, b, b, b, the crank. Around this bearing or
journal I place a collar of hardened steel or case-hardened iron c, d, which
collar I am enabled to place in that situation by having it cut or divided into
two or more parts, (two being the number I prefer,) and in the direction shewn
by the oblique line e, f, in Figure 2, or e', f', in Figure 1', and by means of
a metallic key or pin g, sunk half its depth into the surface of the bearing a,
and half into a corresponding recess, sunk into the ends of the collar c, d,
I not only cause the semicircular collars to encircle the bearing a, but by
means of the key g they are entirely prevented from turning round upon the
surface of the bearing a, and in this manner I am enabled to surround the
crank bearing with an entire surface of hardened steel or case-hardened iron.
I place or fix the connecting rod end h in contact with and around this
hardened collar in the ordinary manner, namely, by having the strap i, i, and

page_text: the butt end K, K, keyed or fastened together by means of two gibs and cottar
l, m, n, which wedge the strap i, i, firmly against the dovetailed shoulder o, o ;
and further by making the interior or rubbing surface of the strap i of case-
hardened iron or hardened steel, and also in the same manner by making the
semicircular butt end K, of the connecting rod of case-hardened iron or
hardened steel, I am in this manner enabled to form the two rubbing or
moving surfaces of the bearing and connecting rod of hard materials, and
thereby confer upon this most important part of the steam engine a degree of
durability never hitherto attained, besides which, in consequence of such
durability, the necessity of tightening up the cottars in the usual manner where
brasses are employed is entirely dispensed with. After the cottar m is drawn
up tight it may be permanently fixed. by a rivet, or screw, as may be found con-
venient. In order to prevent any chance of the points p, p, of the butt end K
tripping into the joint or cut e, f, I cut the collar c, d, at the two opposite sides
in the diagonal direction, as seen at e, f, in Figure 2, so that the points p, p, can
never enter the joint when turning round the collars c, d, and in order to
facilitate the placing of the semicircle collars round the bearing a, I flatten
each alternate extremity, as may be seen at e, in Figure 1.
In like manner I
encircle or surround all other bearings or journals used
general, where truth and durability is required, with these or similar case-
hardened iron or hardened steel collars, substituting in place of brasses case-
hardened iron or hardened steel blocks or steps, as shewn at q, q, in Figure 3
and 4, which there represent their application to another part of the locomo-
tive engine called a "stay bearing."
in machinery in
Having thus particularly ascertained and described my improvements
applicable to the bearings or journals of locomotive steam engines, and to the
machinery in general, I desire it to be particularly understood, that I claim as
my Invention, and which is secured to me by virtue of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, the peculiar mode of encircling or surrounding crank and all
other such or similar bearings or journals with collars of case-hardened iron or
hardened steel, namely, by placing or fixing such collars around bearings or
journals in two parts or pieces, and preventing the same from turning round
otherwise than along with the shaft or bearing on which they are fixed, by
means of the aforesaid key, and in the manner and for the purposes shewn
in the accompanying Drawings, and also herein particularly set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Nasmyth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
JAMES NASMYTH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of August,.
in the third year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said James
Nasmyth came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the
fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-ninth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-nine.