IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE BOXES, AND THE MEANS OF OPERATING THE SAME, AND IN BREAK BLOCKS USED THEREWITH
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clark, of the North London Railway Works,
Bow, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE BOXES, AND THE MEANS OF OPERATING THE SAME,
AND IN BREAK BLOCKS USED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 17th March 1865, and dated the 22nd September 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
September 1864.
I, JOHN CLARK, of the North London Railway Works, Bow. in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE BOXES, AND THE MEANS OF OPERATING THE SAME,
AND IN BREAK BLOCKS USED THEREWITH," to be as follows, that. is to say:-
This Invention relates to a form of box for diminishing the friction of the
axle bearings. The interior of these boxes is cylindrical, and may be chilled
or casehardened, and between the axle and the box I interpose a number of
stnall balls to fill up, or nearly so, the entire cavity. On the axle revolving
the balls are caused to perform a circuit round the inside of the box, and as
they pass are thus saturated by the lubricating or cooling liquid held in the
bottom cavity of the box. In arranging these or other boxes for swivelling
round curves, I. dispense with the levers and slides ordinarily used. In
applying my Invention to a six-wheeled carriage or waggon I fit the axle
boxes of the leading and trailing' wheels with perpendicular slides, which fit
Price S1
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page_text: into the horn plates, and which are somewhat longer than those ordinarily
used, the frame is thereby kept in position at both ends. On the sides of the
boxes of the centre wheels, and fitting into recesses therein, I mount wings,
which by connecting rods extending to the leading and trailing boxes expand
or contract the same to suit the curve of the rail as the central boxes move
laterally. To lessen the friction on the springs on the top of the moving
boxes I interpose balls between the shoe and top of the box. In applying the
break blocks to these moveable wheels I mount the blocks on the same side
of a pair of wheels in couples, connected by a rib of flat iron, to the centre of
which the draw bars or other media are attached. I also hang the back
straps of the break block from longitudinal or cross bolts fixed to the framing,
and along which the respective blocks slide as the wheel diverges from
the square.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLARK, of the North London Railway Works, Bow, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Clark, Her special licence that I, the said
John Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed. should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE BOXES, AND THE MEANS OF OPERATING THE SAME,
AND IN BREAK BLOCKS USED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Clark, my executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same

page_text: to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, that is to say:-
The objects of this Invention are, first, to cause the end axles or railway
carriages, waggons, and engines to incline to the centre of the curves of the
rails in radial lines by the lateral motion of the centre axles.
Secondly, to diminish the friction in the axle boxes.
And, thirdly, to cause the break blocks to follow the radial motions of
the axles.
The means by which I propose to accomplish these several improvements
are set forth in my Provisional Specification, and further illustrated upon the
accompanying Drawing, to which following explanation applies.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a carriage or waggon frame, shewing the radial
mechanism; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan of engine
frame and wheels, shewing the radial mechanism applied to the leading
wheels Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation thereof through the line A, B; Fig. 5
is a sectional view of the improved antifriction axle box. Figs. 1 and 2 are
lettered with similar letters.
a is the central axle; b, b, the axle boxes, which slide laterally under the
bearing bar c; these bearing bars are fitted between the round axle guards d,
and form the bearings for the centre springs, which are seated upon saddle-
flanged slides, to allow lateral motion of the centre axle; e, e, links, one end
of each of which is jointed to a lug at the side of the central axle box near
the front, and the opposite end jointed to one limb of the double or bell-crank
lever; these cranked levers are centred upon the round axle guards (d);
as the centre axle moves laterally by the curve of the rails the limbs f¹ of
the crank levers expand or contract, and push or pull the connecting rods g,
one end of each of which is connected thereto, and the opposite end jointed
to the axle box of the fore and aft axles, which are thus actuated thereby,
and caused to incline to the centre of the curve in true radial lines, or nearly
so, whatever the radius of curvature may be; h, (Figs. 3 & 4, sliding axle
box seated upon the centre of the leading axle of the engine; i, bottom
casing for lubrication; k, k, sheathing for protecting the axle from grit;
1, strong fulcrum pin and plate fixed to the top of axle box; m, m, bearing

page_text: springs; n, cross ribs bolted to framing; o, radial guide lever or arm fixed to
axle box, and centred to move radially from pin in slotted bearing g; the
leading wheels thus fitted are caused to follow the curve of the rails by the
sliding box h, and are radiated to the curve by the bar o; r (Fig. 5) is
the antifriction bearing box, which is a hollow cylinder, the cavity between
the interior of which and the axle is filled with a number of small balls &;
the interior of the cylinder or box and the antifriction balls may be chilled
or casehardened; the bottom of the box is made oil-tight for lubrication.
Without restricting myself to the precise details shown upon the Drawing,
I claim,
1st, the radiating of the fore and aft axles of carriages or waggons from the
lateral motion of the centre axle.
2ndly, the lateral radiating of the leading wheels of engines by means of a
sliding box upon the axle connected to a longitudinal radiating arm.
3rdly, the antifriction bearing box substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clark, have hereunto set my
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clark, have hereunto set my
hand & seal, this 22nd day of March, A.D. 1865.
JOHN CLARK. (L.S.)