IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE CON- STRUCTION OF WHEEL CARRIAGES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Sainsbury, of Curtain Road, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE CON-
STRUCTION OF WHEEL CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 4th October 1878, and dated the 6th April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Sainsbury at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th April 1878.
HENRY SAINSBURY, of Curtain Road, in the County of Middlesex.
MENTS APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEEL CARRIAGES."
The objects of this Invention are,―
« IMPROVE-
Firstly. To obtain greater safety and strength in the fore-carriage of vehicles
drawn by horse or other traction power, by doing away with the king bolt and sub-
stituting in its place an apparatus, the bearing surface of which shall be much
greator and of greater strength than that of the king bolt.
Secondly. To obtain greater safety for a vehicle or carriage should the axle
or axle-tree, by any accident, become fractured, bent, or otherwise disabled.
And, Thirdly. To secure greater lightness in combination with greater strength of
wheels of vehicles or carriages such as are in use at the present time on common
roads.
In carrying out this Invention the fore-carriage of a vehicle is composed of three
parts, two of which relate to the turning of the fore-carriage, and the other part
being applicable only to the axle of the front wheels.
The parts of the fore-carriage which relates to the turning, consists, as before
stated, of two parts, an upper and a lower frame. The upper part consists of a
metal disc, a foot, more or less, in diameter, having a circular flange at right angles
to its periphery. The centre of this disc should be bored to admit of the passage
of a bolt. This disc is made to fit and swivel casily in a circular depression formed
in the lower portion of the framework of the fore-carriage, the centre of this circular
This frame-
depression being also bored so as to admit of the passage of a bolt,

page_text: work may be composed of iron, wood, or other suitable material. The disc or upper
portion of the framework is firmly secured to the underneath of the fore part of
the body of the carriage by bolts or otherwise, and when thus fixed the body of
the carriage may be dropped on to the lower part of the framework of the fore-
carriage, and secured thereto by a bolt passing through the holes that had been
previously bored in the centre of the disc and circular depression in the fore-carriage
of the vehicle. This bolt is intended solely for the purpose of preventing the two
portions of the fore-carriage from coming apart should the vehicle give a jolt, or
any other motion tending to separate the two parts. For traction purposes this
compound frame is greatly superior to the old system of using the king bolt as the
sole resistance to the traction power. In this improved apparatus the bearing
surfaces will consist of nearly half the circumference of the peripheries of the disc
and circular depression.
In carrying out the second part of the Invention a circular groove is made round
the periphery of the boss or nave of a wheel, so that the lattor is capable of working
up and down in vertical guides forming part of a peculiarly shaped slide, to which
are attached helical or spiral springs, upon which the body of the carriage rests instead
of upon the ordinary elliptic carriage springs. As the boss of the wheel is furnished
with a groove which is fitted into a portion of the slide, and the axle-treo passes
through the contre of the boss, the latter may be made much lighter and not so
strong as those generally used.
It will now be understood that should any accident occur to the axle or axle-
tree the body of the carriage would only drop an inch or two, as the upper portion
of the slide would go "home" into the groove formed on the boss or nave of the
wheel, and would thereby support the whole structure without detriment to its
running or rolling powers. When adapting these axles or safety slides to the fore-
part of a vehicle they should be bolted to the under sides of the two ends of the
under frame of the fore-carriage. These safety slides when required for the hind
wheels should be bolted direct to the body of the vehicle.
The wheel is composed of two circular rings of metal, with thickness pieces
rivetted between the rings. On the navo are placed projections which are
tapped so as to form screwed sockets. The thickness pieces are also recessed
to form sockets. The spokes, which are formed of metal rods, are inserted
first into the sockets in the thickness pieces, and then screwed into the sockets
on the nave or boss; back nuts are then screwed up against the inner
periphery of the thickness pieces in order to secure and hold firm the spokes. The
open spaces, which are enclosed between the thickness pieces and the circular rings
forming the felloe are now filled up with hard wood or other suitable material, and
a tyre is placed or shrunk upon the felloe and the wheel is completc.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lettors Patent filed by
the said Henry Sainsbury in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
October 1878.
HENRY SAINSBURY, of Curtain Road, in the County of Middlesex.
MENTS APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEEL CARRIAGES."
The objects of this Invention are,→
"IMPROVE-
Firstly. To obtain greater safety and strength in the fore-carriage of vehicles
drawn by horse or other traction power by doing away with the king bolt and sub-
stituting in its place an apparatus, the bearing surface of which shall be much
greater and of greater strength than that of the king bolt.
Secondly. To obtain greater safety for a vehicle or carriago, should the axle or
axle-tree, by any accident, become fractured, bent, or otherwise disabled.
And, Thirdly. To obtain greater lightness in combination with greater strength
in the wheels of vehicles or carriages than is the case in such wheòls as are in use
at the present time on common roads.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a front
elevation of a carriage with my improvements adapted thereto.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the fore-carriago, the body of the vehicle having been
removed in order to show the parts beneath more clearly.
In carrying out the first part of this Invention, the fore-carriage of the vehicle is
composed of three parts, two of which relate to the construction and turning of the
fore-carriage. The other part of this head of the Invention relatos to the axle part
of the front wheels and the mode of connecting the wheels to the carriage.
The parts of the fore-carriage which relate to the turning, consist, as before stated,
of two parts, an upper and a lower frame. The upper part consists of a metal ring,
a foot more or less in diameter, having a circular flange at right angles to its
periphery, as seen best in the sectional view, Fig. 4. This ring a is made to fit and
swivel easily in another ring or circular depression b, constructed in and forming
part of the lower portion of the framework of the fore-carriage. It will be obvious
that in place of the ring a a circular disc may be employed, but for the sake of
lightness I prefer the ring as shewn in the Drawing. This framework may be com-
posed of iron, wood, or other suitable material. The ring a or upper portion of the
framework is firmly secured to the underneath of the fore part of the body of the
carriage by bolts a¹, a³, or otherwise, as shewn in Figure 2, and when thus fixed the
body of the carriage may be dropped on to the lower part 6 of the framework of
the fore-carriage, and secured thereto by the conical pointed screws c, c, c, Figures
3 and 4, whichi pass through holes that have been previously bored in the sides of
the circular depression b in the fore-carriage of the vehicle, the conical points of
the screws c being made to enter a V groove made in the edge of the ring a. These
conical pointed screws are intended solely for the purpose of preventing the two
portions a and b of the fore-carriage from coming apart, should the vehicle give a
jolt, or any other motion tending to separate these two parts. This under frame b
is extended laterally on each side, as shewn at Fig. 3, and is provided with pendant
brackets e, e, for receiving those parts which are connected with the wheels and
axle-tree. For traction purposes this compound frame is greatly superior to the old
system of using the king bolt as the sole resistance to the traction power. In this
improved apparatus the bearing surfaces will consist of nearly half the circumference
of the peripheries of the two rings a and b.
The second part of the Invention is seen best at Figures 4, 5, and 6, Fig. 5 being
a horizontal section in the line 1-2, of Fig. 4. The wheel is connected to the body
of the carriage by the pendant bracket c, which is bolted to the fore-part of the
carriage or to the body. A circular groove d is made round the periphery of the
boss or nave of the wheel, as seen best in the enlarged sectional view of the wheel at
Fig. 7, and into this groove enters the inner edge of the bracket e, so that the
wheel is capable of working up and down as in vertical guides. Behind the boss of

page_text: the wheel is a peculiarly shaped slide f, shewn detached at Fig. 6, and which works
freely up and down in grooves made in the fixed bracket e. The body of the
carriage rests upon the helical or spiral springs g, but if desired the ordinary elliptic
springs may be used. These springs are held in place by means of vertical rods,
which are bolted to the bracket e, and fixed part of the carriage, and pass freely
through holes made in a projecting shoulder of the slide f. As the boss of the
wheel is furnished with a groove which is fitted into a portion of the slide f, as
already explained, and the axle-tree h passes through the centre of the boss, the
axle-tree may be made much lighter and not so strong as those generally used.
It will now be understood that should any accident occur to the axle or axlo-
tree the body of the carriage would only drop an inch or two, as the bracket e
would go "home" into the groove formed on the boss or nave of the wheel, and
would thereby support the whole structure without detriment to its running or
rolling powers. When adapting these axles or safety slides to the fore-part of a
vehicle they should be bolted to the under sides of the two ends of the under frame
of the fore-carriage, as shewn at Figures 2 and 4. These safety slides when required
for the hind wheels should be bolted direct to the body of the vehicle, as shewn at
Fig. 1.
The running wheels are composed of two circular rings of metal i, i, with thick-
ness pieces j rivetted between the rings and an india-rubber or other tyre k outside.
On the nave are placed projections 7, which are tapped so as to form screwed sockets.
The thickness pieces j are also provided with nipples, which are screwed to receive
tapped sockets m. The spokes n are formed of metal rods or tubes, and to each end
thereof are screwed the tubular socket pieces m shewn in the Figure. The spokes
are then placed with their ends opposite the nipples on the nave and felloe, and
then the sockets are screwed up against the inner periphery of the thickness pieces,
and on to the nipples, in order to secure and hold the spokes firmly in place. The
open spaces which are enclosed between the thickness pieces and the circular rings
forming the felloe are now filled up with hard wood or other suitable material, and
a tyre is placed or shrunk upon the felloc, and the wheel is made complete, as shewn
at Fig. 7.
Having now described my Invention of Improvements Applicable to the Con-
struction of Wheel Carriages," and having explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as afore-
said,―
First. Constructing the fore-carriage of vehicles of two ring frames, substan-
tially as herein set forth, so that the ordinary king bolt may be dispensed with.
Second. I claim connecting the wheels and axle-tree with the body of the
carriage by means of the pendant brackets and springs, together with the slides and
grooved bosses or naves, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Third. I claim the mode shown at Fig. 7, and herein set forth, of constructing the
running wheels of carriages.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Sainsbury, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
HENRY SAINSBURY. (L.S.)