Improvements in Axle Boxes for Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: The decision of the Comptroller-General, of the 24th day of January 1893,
allowed, under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883, an Amendment of
this Specification.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Axle Boxes for Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
I, RAYNES LAUDER MCLAREN, of No. 32, Wemyss Road, Blackheath, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention has for its object to enable the axles of railway or tramway
vehicles to assume a position more or less inclined to the horizontal (such as may
occur when one of the wheels is running on a larger diameter than the other)
without losing their uniform bearing in the axle boxes.
For this purpose, I form the block or brass in the top of the axle box which
rests upon the neck of the axle with its upper surface formed with an arc shaped
curvature in the longitudinal direction and upon this rests the correspondingly
curved under surface of the "key" the upper surface of which is formed with a
flat surface that bears against the corresponding flat inner surface of the axle box.
Thus on the neck of the axle assuming a slightly inclined position, the brass
bearing upon it will be able to follow that inclination in sliding to a corresponding
extent with its curved upper surface upon the concave surface of the "key" and
thus the uniform bearing for the neck will be maintained. The brass is formed
with vertical side faces fitting against vertical faces of the axle box.
Instead of using the block or brass in combination with a "key" as described,
the inner surface of, the axle box may in some cases be itself made with the
requisite concave curvature, against which fits the convex curved surface of the
bearing brass. Instead of forming the whole of the upper surface of the brass
curved as described, only the middle portion may be so formed, the concave part
of the axle box which fits on to such curvature being made to project somewhat,
so as to leave a certain space between the end parts of the brass surface and that
of the axle box, to allow of the above described shifting of the brass.
In all the above cases the curvature of the two surfaces may be reversed, that
is to say, the brass be made with a concave surface and the axle box with a
convex one.
As with the above arrangement the position of the axle may vary considerably
relatively to the hole in the back of the axle box through which it passes,
construct the dust guard that closes the opening round the axle, of two parts one
of which fits with a central hole closely round the axle, while its outer circum-
ference is formed with a spherical surface that fits against a concave spherical
surface formed in the second part, which is fitted to slide vertically in a groove
in the axle box, the parts being kept pressed tightly together by means of springs.
The accompanying drawing shews an axle box having my said invention applied
thereto.
Fig. 1 shews a longitudinal section,

page_text: The brass A. for the axle neck B fits with its two vertical side faces against
the side faces of the axle box C, while the upper surface a is made with a convex
curvature in the longitudinal direction, formed as a circular arc of any desired
radius, but sufficiently curved to allow the brass to adjust itself readily to any
longitudinal angular position which the axle may assume.
This curved surface fits into a corresponding convex surface formed on the
keeper or key D, which fits the top of the box in the usual manner.
For closing the annular space between the hole in the back end of the axle box
and the axle, I employ a dust-guard consisting firstly of a ring E formed of four
segmental pieces of suitable material, which are tongued and grooved into each
other so as to form close but adjustable joints, and secondly a divided ring F, the
inner surface of which is made to fit the periphery of the axle, while the outer
surface is made spherical, so as to fit the corresponding hollow spherical surface
formed on the inner periphery of the ring E. The parts of the ring F are also
tongued and grooved into each other so as to form a close adjustable joint. The
parts of the ring E are pressed on to the ring F by means of springs G, which
also press the halves of closely against the axle. It will be seen that as the
latter assumes a more or less angular position in the vertical direction, it will cant
the ring F over in one direction or the other with it causing its spherical periphery
to shift more or less on the spherical surface of E, which in its turn will be moved
upward or downward in the groove, in following the vertical displacement of the
axle, the springs G (which may be either coiled as shewn, or blade springs).
maintaining the close contact during such motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is I make no claim to constructing railway or tramway axle boxes so as to
allow of a vertical angular motion of the axle by providing them with a brass.
resting upon the neck of the axle and having its upper surface curved to a circular
arc fitting against a correspondingly curved seat on the inner upper surface of the
axle box or on a key contained therein, the sides of the brass being made with
vertical plane faces fitting against corresponding vertical side surfaces of the axle.
box so as to allow only of the said vertical angling, substantially as described but
what I claim is:-
In a railway or tramway axle box adapted to allow of vertical angular
motion of the axle, the use of a dust shield consisting of a divided ring fitting
round the axle, and having its outer periphery formed with a spherical surface,
on which fits a corresponding spherical surface of a surrounding outer divided ring,
that is pressed against it by springs, substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of September 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.