Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Axle Pulleys and other Pulleys, having the Wheels, or Pulleys Proper, Mounted in Cast Metal Boxings or Frames, and in Apparatus Employed in such Manufacture.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Axle
Pulleys and other Pulleys, having the Wheels, or Pulleys
Proper, Mounted in Cast Metal Boxings or Frames, and in
Apparatus Employed in such Manufacture.
We, RICHARD CLAYTON, Chairman of the Cannon Hollowware Company, Limited,
of Deepfields in the County of Stafford, ironfounders, and WILLIAM BRANFORD, of
42 Broad Street, Bilston, in the said County, pattern maker, 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,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference
marked thereon (that is to say):-
According to the usual methods of constructing the axle pulleys and other
pulleys mentioned in the title, the boxing or frame in which the wheel or pulley
proper is carried is either cast in one piece, and the wheel carried to revolve
therein on a loose axle riveted to the boxing or frame; or else the wheel and axle
are cast in one piece and the boxing or frame cast in two separate pieces which are
afterwards placed, respectively, over the ends of the axle, and are then riveted
together.
Now, the object of this invention is to avoid the necessity of either riveting the
ends of the axle so as to fix the axle to the boxing or frame, or of forming the
boxing or frame in separate parts and riveting them together, and at the same
time secure the advantage in width from outside to outside of the bearing which
is incidental to the employment of an axle solid with the wheel, over the employ-
ment of a wheel which itself revolves on a fixed axle.
According to this invention, the boxing or frame is cast in one piece, as when an
axle is to be fixed therein by riveting. The wheel, or pulley proper, is cast
separately from the axle, and a hole is drilled through its centre for the reception
of the intended axle. The axle may be of cast iron, or of other suitable cast metal,
or of wrought iron or steel, and is formed sufficiently true or cylindrical by turning
in a lathe or by forcing through a circular-holed cutting die, if not sufficiently true
without. We prefer to make the axle of cast iron, and after annealing the same
LD 71

page_text: We
we drive or press it through a steel cutting die to make it sufficiently true.
then, preferably, heat the wheel to about say 250° or 300° Farenheit which slightly
expands it, and consequently, also, slightly enlarges the diameter of the hole
through the centre; we then place the wheel in its position in the boxing or
frame, and then pass one end of the axle through the hole formed therefor in one
side of the boxing or frame, and force or drive such axle tightly into the hole
through the wheel, and into position to project beyond the opposite side of such
wheel, to that from which it has been forced, into the hole or bearing formed
therefor in the corresponding side of the boxing or frame. The holes in the sides
of the boxing or frame are, of course, sufficiently large to allow of the axle readily
entering them, and revolving therein, and these holes may be either cast of
sufficient size or may be drilled or bored to such size. The axle is thus fixed
tightly in the wheel, and the contraction of the wheel in cooling very firmly and
securely fixes the wheel and axle together. It is not essential to heat the wheel, as
the axle may be forced sufficiently tightly therein to hold firmly, but it is much
preferred to expand the wheel by heat so that it may in cooling contract tightly
around the axle.
This invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which figure 1 is a side elevation, and figure 2 a sectional elevation
on line x x of figure 1, shewing a complete axle pulley constructed according to
this invention. In these views a is the wheel, or pulley proper, b the boxing,
and c the axle. The frame is cast in one piece, and the axle c is tight within the
wheel a, but is free to revolve easily in bearings on each side of the boxing.
dd are the usual thickened parts on each side of the boxing to give strength and
substance to the bearings in which the axle turns. Figure 3 is a sectional elevation
of a tool employed to true up the axles, especially when the same are made of cast
iron and annealed. In this view e is a steel bar or plate resting upon a bed or
support ff and, preferably, fixed thereto by means of pins g g. A taper hole h,
round in section, is formed through the plate e, the smaller diameter being at the
top. The smaller diameter is of the size to which it is required to true up the
axles. k is an opening in the bed ff. The axles are trued up by being driven or
pressed down, by means of a hammer or press or other convenient appliance,
through the hole h the upper edge of which forms a cutting edge. The cutting
part of this tool is, of course, hardened and tempered. As the axles are driven
down through the hole h they fall into the space k from whence they may be
removed, or otherwise may fall into a suitable receptacle.-The end (or both ends)
of the axle may be slightly tapered or rounded to give it a lead into the cutting die.
Figure 4 is a plan of the top, and figure 5 a sectional elevation through line y y of
figure 4, of a bottom fixed tool employed in combination with a plain-ended upper
tool worked by a hydraulic, screw, or other suitable press, for the purpose of forcing
the axles tightly into the wheels. In these figures is the main part of the tool,
m an oblong part standing upwards from the part 1, and having in its face a
recess n corresponding in shape to one of the parts d, figures 1 and 2, and having
also a recess o within such recess n slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of
the axle, and corresponding in depth to the projection of the axle beyond the face
of either of the parts d, figures 1 and 2. In order to fix an axle within a wheel
such wheel (preferably heated, as aforesaid) is placed in position within the boxing,
and the axle is placed through one of the bearings in the boxing ready to be forced
through the bore of the wheel and into the bearing on the opposite side of the
boxing. The boxing is then held sideways, or flatways, down upon the part m
with the lower of the parts d within the recess n, and with the inner face of the
fore-end or flange of the boxing against the face p p of the part m.
The upper
tool is then brought down and forces the axle tightly into the wheel, and loosely
through the lower bearing, and into the recess o, which thus acts as a stop and
gauge to the proper position of the axle.
The application of this invention in the case of the other pulleys mentioned in
the title will now be readily understood without need for further illustration.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. Axle pulleys, and other pulleys having the wheels, or pulleys proper, mounted
in cast metal boxings or frames, constructed with the wheels, or pulleys proper,
having axles fixed thereto by being forced tightly therein, either whilst the
pulleys are heated or otherwise, substantially as herein described, for the purpose
set forth.
2. Axle pulleys, and other pulleys having the wheels, or pulleys proper, mounted
in cast metal boxings or frames, in which the boxings and frames are formed each
in one casting, in combination with wheels fixed upon their axles in the manner
described, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
3. Fixing axles within the wheels of axle pulleys, and other pulleys having the
wheels, or pulleys proper, mounted in cast metal boxings or frames, by forcing or
driving the axles into the wheels (preferably, whilst the wheels are heated) sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein described.
4. The construction and employment of the circular-hole cutting tool, substan-
tially as described with reference to figure 3, for the purpose set forth.
5. The construction and employment, in combination with a plain-ended tool
operated in the manner described, of the bottom tool, substantially as described with
reference to figures 4 and 5, for the purpose set forth.
2
1000