Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1886.
Complete Left, 17th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 18th Jan., 1887.
1 ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to design means by which all the wheels of a traction
engine may be driven without interfering with their duties as carrying-wheels of the
saine; and it consists, essentially in connecting to or forming upon the axle to he
driven a globe or ball having one or more slots formed in it; the said ball being
fitted into a recess specially formed to receive it in the gear wheel through which
motion is to be conveyed to the axle ; a pin or pins being inserted in the slots formed
in the ball, and into corresponding slots formed in the gear-wheel, so as to constitute
a connection between the ball and gear-wheel which will permit the axle to rock and
swivel without turning on its axis, except when accompanied with or driven by the
said gear-wheel, which is journalled in a suitable bracket attached to the body of the
traction-engine, and derives motion from any desired motor.

page_text: [A communication from JAMES LEIGH, of the Village of Orono, Canada,
Manufacturer.]
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
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 :-
The object of the invention is to design means by which all the wheels of a traction
engine may be driven without interfering with their duties as carrying wheels of the
same; and it consists, essentially, in connecting, to or forming upon the axle to be
driven a globe or ball having one or more slots formed in it; the said ball being
fitted into a recess specially formed to receive it in the gear wheel through which
motion is to be conveyed to the axle; the pin or pins being inserted in the slots
formed in the ball and into corresponding slots formed in the gear wheel so as to
constitute a connection between the ball and gear wheel which will permit the axle to
rock and swivel without turning on its axis, except when accompanied with or driven
by the said gear wheel which is journalled in a suitable bracket attached to the body of
the traction engine and derives motion from any desired motor, substantially as and
for the purpose hereinafter more particularly explained.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an axle connected to the body of a traction
engine in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a cross section.
Fig. 3' is a perspective view of the axle and ball formed upon or attached to it.
Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective details of the gear showing the cup within which the
ball on the axle is fitted.
Fig. 6 is a section showing this device provided with compensating gear for
turning.
Fig. 7 is a detail of the principal parts in Fig. 6.
All mechanics who are familiar with traction engines know that those commonly in
use derive traction from only one pair of wheels, and as a consequence a large portion
of the weight of the engine is supported upon a pair of dead wheels, which must be
pushed by the traction wheels.
By the adoption of this invention I am enabled to convey the motion to all the
ground wheel axles no matter how many are employed without in any way impairing
tlieir usefulness for steering or other purposes and consequently the full weight of
the traction engine is utilized for traction power.
B
For the purpose of illustrating this invention I have chosen to show a simple
sprocket wheel A although it will be understood by those skilled in the trade that any

page_text: kind of wheel such as a spur wheel friction wheel etc, might be substituted with equal
advantage. This sprocket wheel A has a large hub a which fits into a journal box
formed in one side of the bracket B.
A detachable plate C fits into a recess formed in the sprocket wheel A and has a
hub formed on it to fit into a journal made in the opposite half of the bracket B.
A cup d is formed on the inside of the sprocket wheel A and plate C which cup
corresponds with the shape of the ball D formed upon or attached to the axle E.
The
cup d is made a neat fit for the ball D so that the latter may rock and swivel easily
within it. One or more slots e are made in the ball D and corresponding slots in the
cup d so as to receive pins which constitute. a connection between the ball D and
sprocket wheel H. so that the revolving motion of the latter shall be conveyed to the
axle E while at the same time the said axle is allowed to swivel freely.
Instead of making the ball D and axle E in one I form them as shown in Figs. G
and 7. In these figures it will be noticed that the axle E and central ball D are com-
posed of two sleeves I and J and the central section K held together by the shaft c.
On the outer faces of sleeves I and J which form sections of the ball I form the bevel
wheels and which mesh with the pinions and journalled in the central section K.
The hubs of the wheels are suitably secured on the outer end of the sleeves I and J.
It will be seen that when the traction engine is moving forward in a straight line the
pinions and meshing with the bevel wheels i and j will be held at rest but
immediately the axle is turned on the hall D the pinions revolve on the bevel wheels i
and j and turn the sleeves I and J in opposite directions. It will of course be under-
stood that the sleeve near the wheel which makes the shorter turns moves backwards
in order to compensate for the greater sweep of the wheel which is attached to the
sleeve which moves forward.
From this description it will be seen that the sprocket wheel A which is journalled
in the bracket B may be caused to revolve freely within the said bracket which bracket
is rigidly fastened to the frame or body of the engine and therefore as the motor
employed for imparting motion to the sprocket wheel A is also rigidly fastened to the
frame or body of the engine, the said sprocket wheel and the axle from which it
derives motion will always be kept in line while the axle E is permitted to swivel
freely if required to do so for steering or any other purpose.
Having now particularly explained and ascertained the nature of the said invention
as communicated to me by my foreign_correspondent and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. In a traction engine an axle E having formed upon or attached to it a ball D
in combination with a wheel having a cup formed within it to fit onto and constitute
a journal for the ball D and means substantially as described for connecting the wheel
to the ball, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a traction engine a ball D formed upon or attached to the axle E in combi-
nation with a wheel having a cup D formed in it slots ef and pin g substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
3. In a traction engine a ball D and axle E formed of the sleeves I and J and
section K held together by the shaft e in combination with the bevel pinions i and j
journalled in the central section K and arranged to mesh with the bevel wheels k
and formed on the inner faces of the sleeves I and J substantially as and for
the purpose specified.