Improvement in Wheels and Axles for Railway and Tram Cars and other Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Wheels and Axles for Railway and Tram Cars and
other Vehicles.
I, LINDOLPHO JOSÉ VIEIRA FERRAZ, landowner and building contractor, of Bara
Mansa, Rio, Brazil, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention relates primarily to the wheels and axles of railway-wagons and
tramcars, but is applicable also to other vehicles.
The specially constructed wheels are allowed to turn on their axles, while the
latter are secured to the carriage frame in such a manner, that they cannot have any
rotary motion, but are allowed to move perpendicularly up and down in suitable
guides applied to the carriage frame.
In the further description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, of
which Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of a pair of wheels mounted on their axle, while
Fig. 2 shows one of the principal parts in detail.
The hub of each wheel is cast hollow, so as to form between the hub and the
bushing ca receptacle for oil or other lubricant. The bushing c, of cast iron, gun
metal or other suitable material, is pressed into the hub, and has apertures d, which,
as shown in Fig. 2, form a continuous row extending over the entire circumference
and length of the bushing, in order to lubricate the whole frictional surface of the
axle or journal.
For filling the oil receptacle, the hub is provided with an aperture o which may be
closed by a plug or other suitable means. If oil is used for lubrication, the orifices d,
which may have any suitable shape, are filled with cotton or similar material. The
journals or running parts a of the axle A are lined with sleeves or bushes b made of
steel or other suitable material and provided with collars 6', said sleeves being pressed
on in such a manner, as to form with the axle one rigid body.
On the extremities of the axle are keyed or screwed the blocks K, preferably of
cast iron. These blocks are shaped or arranged in such a manner, that they cannot
revolve in the guides formed on the carriage frame, but are only allowed to move
vertically up and down, for which purpose they are guided by lugs n.
The lateral motion of the wheels on the axle A towards the inside is prevented by
the collar of the linings 6 fixed on the axle, while the blocks form an abutment to
the wheels towards the outside. Each block projects into a recess of the hub, in
order to protect the frictional surface of the axles or journals from dust and dirt.
As the axle is rigidly connected with the blocks K, and the latter are so arranged
in the guides fixed to the carriage frame, that they, and therefore also the axle, can
only nove vertically up and down, the axle itself constitutes a solid connection
between opposite sides of the carriage frame; the frame is therefore completely
closed and the carriage better protected from vibrations.
The working parts can be easily repaired by removing the bushings or sleeves b
or c or both and replacing them by new ones.
Owing to the improved construction of wheels and axles, as described above, the
number of revolutions of each wheel will automatically correspond to the length of
its travel, which is especially important in running through sharp curves. In this
case, the wheel running on the outer rail will make a greater number of revolutions
than that on the inner rail, thus avoiding the drawback of ordinary car axles, that the
outer wheel must revolve at exactly the same speed as the inner wheel, and therefore
slide on the rail, or even rise on the top of it.

page_text: As the axles are entirely fixed, the braking or stopping of the carriage requires less
time than heretofore, because the brake block presses the wheel firmly against the
axle and prevents it from turning.
The oil receptacle, formed in the wheel, also provides in a simple manner a good
and complete lubrication of the axle journals or running parts.
Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim :
The combination of car axles secured to the carriage frame in such a manner, as to
exclude all rotary motion while allowing a vertical up-and-down motion relatively to
the carriage frame, with wheels adapted to turn on the said axles and having hubs
provided with lubricant receptacles, the wheels being fitted with exchangeable bushes c,
while the axles carry exchangeable linings or sleeves b, as well as guide blocks K,
adapted to hold the wheels in position and to prevent at the same time the access of
dust or dirt to the running surfaces, the whole being constructed substantially as
described and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 30th day of November 1889.
L. J. V. FERRAZ.
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.