Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 27th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
TRUVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
We RICHARD MORRISS WOODHEAD of 17, Ayr Street and PAUL ANGOIS of
41, Russell Street, Nottingham Cycle Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The first part of our invention has for its object to increase the durability of the
bearings upon which the wheels or other revolving parts of velocipedes turn, and
especially relates to that kind of bearing in which the wheel revolves upon balls that
travel round a cone or axle and within a chamber of the revolving part. We affect
our object by turning upon the cone or its equivalent one or more grooves and in
this groove the balls run instead of upon the surface of the cone as heretofore. To
take up the slack caused by wear, we make the chamber or bush of the wheel
conical instead of parallel. The other parts required to affect adjustment remain as
before. By one modification we make each of the bearing cones in two parts one
fixed upon the axle the other adjustable for wear.
Our other improvements relates to the parts used for taking up slack caused by
the stretch and wear of the driving chain of safeties or other velocipedes driven by
a chain or band. Our object is to affect the adjustment without the use of spanners,
lock nuts, and other complications, and notwithstanding the disturbance of the parts
by adjustment, to insure the position of the wheel being in correct relation to the
other parts of the machine. We carry this out by encircling the driving wheel axle
with a suitable loop threaded on one end and passed through a jaw fixed upon or
forming part of the frame. Upon the loops, turning freely between the sides of
this jaw, is a threaded disc or nut by turning which the loop and along with it the
chain wheel is adjusted as required. And either on the loop or frame we fix suitable
registers one on each side of the machine arranged to show the corresponding
amount of adjustment required on the respective sides to maintain the wheel in its
correct position.
Dated this 24th day of January 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
We, RICHARD MORRISS WOODHEAD and PAUL ANGOIS, of 41 Russell Street,
Nottingham, Cycle Manufacturers 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 first part of our invention has for its object to increase the durability of the
bearings upon which the wheels or other revolving parts of velocipedes turn and
especially relates to that kind of bearing in which the wheel revolves upon balls that
travel round a cone or axle, and within a chamber of the revolving part. We effect
our object by turning upon the cone or its equivalent one or more grooves, in which
the balls run, instead of upon the surface of the cone, as heretofore. To take up the
slack caused by wear, we make the chamber or bush of the wheel conical instead of
parallel. The other parts required to effect adjustment remain as before. By one
modification we make each of the bearing cones in two parts, one fixed upon the axle,
the other adjustable for wear. And in order that our invention may be clearly
[Price d

page_text: understood, reference is hereafter made to the accompanying drawings, in which
similar letters of reference indicate the respective parts.
Fig. 1 illustrates a wheel-hub and bearings in section. A A are the steel bushes or
chambers fixed inside the hub, the inside bearing surfaces being shaped conically as
shown. bare steel collars, one of them threaded upon the axle c. These collars have
grooves turned on the outside, in which the balls d run. When required to tighten
the bearing after wear, the collar is turned upon the threaded axle c; thus bringing
the balls further within the conical bushes A. A.
Fig. 2 represents a crank axle, in which case the construction is reversed, the
grooves for the balls being cut on the inner surface of the bushes e, which are threaded
within the outer case f, so that the distance between the two unay be contracted
laterally for adjusting the wear, the balls being moved further upon the cones which
are formed upon the axle g.
The improvement of this construction of bearings over those hitherto in use, is
that it provides a much larger wearing surface upon those parts of the bearings
which are fixed (or do not revolve) and which are therefore most liable, by uneven
weight and friction upon one side, to lose their proper form, rendering them
practically worthless after being a comparatively short time in use.
It will be seen
that in combination with this wider surface on the fixed parts, our arrangement
provides a very small frictional contact between the balls and the revolving parts-
the bushes A A in Figure 1, and the axle g in Fig. 2. As these parts revolve, the
wear upon them is equal and regular so that they always maintain their correct
form, making a large bearing surface unnecessary. Our arrangement, therefore
materially prolongs the duration of these bearings, which are very important in
velocipedes, without increasing the friction, as the bearing surfaces, although better
distributed, are not increased in extent.
The other improvement mentioned in our Provisional Specification, relating to
the adjustment of chains, is hereby abandoned.
Having thus stated the nature of our invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we hereby declare that what we claim is :-
:-
In the construction of the bearings of velocipedes, the combination of a grooved
ball race or races, formed always upon that bearing surface which is at rest, with a
flat (or straight) bearing surface upon the corresponding part of the same bearing,
the said straight surface being always upon that part of the bearing which revolves.
Such combination acting in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
גז TATT