IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE-BOXES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert and Company, Patent Agents,
of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE-BOXES, a communication to
me from abroad by Leon Raymond and André Henrard, persons resident. at
Bruxelles, in the Kingdom of Belgium, to be as follows :—
This axle-box differs from others by the arrangement of three bushes or brass
cushions instead of the single bush applied in ordinary axle-boxes. The bushes
are held by lateral flanges only, so that they may be displaced in the box, when
this is required by wear and tear.
The upper bush which carries the weight is adapted to slide horizontally when
the axle is displaced in its box owing to the wear of the lateral bushes and the
action of the tightening keys.
On the other hand the lateral bushes are allowed to retain their position
relatively to the axle, the latter still being enclosed by the lateral bushes, although
the body of the axle-box descends in consequence of the wear and tear of the
upper bush.
The whole of the inner surface of the three bushes is consequently maintained in
full contact with the axle.
Although this result may be obtained with the usual axle-boxes made of one
piece, it is preferable to construct the axle-box of several parts as follows: The
upper part of the axle-box, under which is situated the bush carrying the weight, is
connected to the lower part or under-box by two lateral plates or cheeks between
which the lateral bushes are situated.
These different parts are held together by means of tenons or studs and
corresponding sockets arranged in such manner, that the tightening for the purpose
of taking up the wear and tear of the bushes, as well as of the cheeks of the
axle-box between its guides, may be carried out by means of wedges and keys.
The axle-box is also adapted to alter its position relatively to the bushes enclosed
by the same, and to the axle which remains in contact with these bushes.
The means for lubricating are arranged in such manner as to permit not only the
lubrication of the axle journal, but also that of the contact faces of the bushes with.
the body of the axle-box.
1 Dated this 5th day of February 1884.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert and Company, Patent
Agents, of 67, Strand, in the city of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AXLE-BOXES," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Leon Raymond and André Henrard, persons resident
at Bruxelles, in the Kingdom of Belgium, and in what. manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
This invention has for its object to completely obviate a great number of
drawbacks common to all locomotives, and to rolling stock of railways in general,
as well as to all shafts subject to considerable strains in various directions.
These drawbacks have their cause in the play of the shaft or axle in its box.
The ordinary axle box of locomotives chiefly consists of a single bush or brass
cushion, which has to perform multiple functions.
This bush (as well as that of a car axle-box) serves first to carry the vertical
weight which represents part of the weight of the engine (or carriage). Further-
more the same bush serves as a support to the driving shaft in the direction in
which the latter is driven by the pressure of the steam. Lastly, the bush receives
from the driving shaft the driving effort which sets in motion the locomotive and
the train attached to it.
This arrangement, the only one hitherto in general use, has many drawbacks,
which the axle box hereinafter described and illustrated in the annexed drawings
figs. 1 to 15 is designed to obviute.
In this axle box the single bush is replaced by three independent bushes enclosing
the axle or journal on a determined part of its circumference.
These three bushes are placed in the interior of the body of a box, the various
modifications of which will be hereinafter described.
The upper bush has for its sole object to transmit upon the axle the load of the
spring corresponding to the box, while the sole function of the lateral bushes is to
resist the horizontal efforts of the mechanism, and to impart to the box, and
consequently to the frame of the engine, the driving effort of the axle.
The separation of the functions of these bushes is effected by the following
arrangements:
The upper bush A, instead of being fixed in its box in the longitudinal direction
of the engine, is adapted to slide easily on'its contact face with its box, and the
suitable lubrication of the two faces ensures its perfect mobility.
This arrangement has for its result, that, whatever the play of an axle between
its lateral bushes owing to wear and tear of the latter, the axle will be displaced
from the front to the rear and from the rear to the front, taking along with it the
bush which rests on the axle without permitting the lateral effort to alter the
cylindrical shape of the inner surface of the upper bush.
The bush can therefore rest on the axle, with its entire contact surface for an
indefinite time.
The lateral bushes c c¹, equally independent of the body of the box, enclose the
axle in the direction of its horizontal diameter and remain mounted at an invariable
height as regards the axis of the shaft.
The body of the axlebox is free to slide downward in proportion to the wear and
tear of the upper bush, without interferring with the lateral bushes.
The three bushes are held transversely in their box by flanges resting against
the inner and outer lace of the axle box.
The distance between the lateral bushes can always be regulated by wedges
represented in the accompanying drawing in various modifications,

page_text: The lateral busnes being subjected vertically to their own wẻight only, united
with the frictional effort caused by the revolution of the shaft, retain, like the
upper bush, the radius of their bore, and therefore the entire regularity of their
inner form and their full contact with the journal of the axle.
The body of the axle box differs from that of ordinary axle boxes by the
possibility of controlling the distance between the bushes which hold the shaft in a
horizontal direction.
This result is obtained by the following means or arrangements.
H
In the construction represented by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the body consists of four
parts, that is an upper part D, a lower part G, each part carrying two pivots or
pins F F, further two cheeks a a through which pass the said pivots and which
connect the parts D. and G. The cheek a pressed by the wedge b may be shifted
towards the opposite cheek as long as a certain amount of play exists between the
vertical surfaces of the parts D and G and the movable cheek a.
It is immaterial which of the cheeks is movable along the axis of the pivots.
Both cheeks may even be movable at the same time.
The upper part of the box D serves as oil reservoir for lubricating the shaft and
at the same time the contact face between the block d and the bush c.
A lubricating pad is in addition placed in the upper part of the box, in order to
ensure the perfect lubrication of the axle journal.
"
The axle box represented in figs. 1, 2 and 3, is employed when the spring is
placed under the axle. This box thus carries by traction the load transmitted by
the spring.
The axle box is made of phosphor bronce.
In this arrangement it will be seen that the single exterior wedge is sufficient to
take up simultaneously the play of the axle between the lateral bushes, and the
play of the axle box between its guides.
The bodies of axle boxes represented by figs 4, 5 and 6 have only one movable
cheek, the opposite cheek forming one part with the upper part of the axle box.
The axle box is provided with one exterior wedge operating in the same manner
as that of the axle box represented in figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show an arrangement in which the guides of the guide plate or
frame are parallel. In this case the inner surface of the movable cheek is oblique,
and the wedge is introduced between the oblique surface of this cheek and the
bush,
The outer surface of the movable cheek and the inner surface of the wedge are
necessarily parallel.
Figs 10 to 12 show a body of an axle box made in one piece, one of its cheeks
or sides being provided with an aperture a b c d in which is placed a loose plate
serving to transmit to the bush the pressure produced by the wedge. This plate
thus forms the movable cheek.
In this arrangement the plate, and not the axle box, is in contact with the guide
or with the wedge. This axle box may be provided with two equally movable
cheeks or plates, one on each side.
Figs 13 to 15 represent an axle box, the body of which is made of one piece,
like that of ordinary axle boxes.
A wedge, placed inside the box, is interposed between one of the cheeks of this
box and the corresponding bush.
The wedge permits to take up the interior play by pressing the shaft towards
the opposite bush.
This interior wedge is placed opposite the exterior wedge, with which the driving
axles of existing locomotives are provided, and which has for its purpose to control
the lateral play of the box between its guides.
The axle box above described is not only applicable to locomotives and other
rolling stock of railways, but also to all shafts subjected to considerable strains in
many different directions,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The construction or arrangement of axle-boxes for ensuring the mobility of
the three bushes in such manner, that the radius of their bore or contact-surface
remains constant, and their wear and tear may be taken up at any time by means
of one ore more wedges or keys.
2. The mobility of the upper bush ensured by a lubricating, arrangement,
substantially as described and illustrated.
"