Improvements in and connected with the Bearings of Velocipedes and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in and connected with the Bearings of Velocipedes
and similar Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED BALL of the Holford Works, Perry Barr near Birmingham
in the County of Stafford, Mechanio, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My improvement relates principally to the cone or cones of the bearings of
velocipede wheels, and for the method of mounting the same in the forks or
similar attachments. Hitherto it has been usual to make the holes in the fork
ends of larger diameter than that of the axle, and to provide the outer face of
the cones with a collar of the same diameter as the holes; but of lesser width
than that of the forks; the latter are then sprung over the axle ends, and are
supposed to be pulled into. position over the aforesaid collars by means of the axle
nuts. In practice, however, the forks rarely spring into a correct position, nor are
the faces true with the spindle, cone, and nut, unless indeed the spindle is bent by
the bolting up action. This is especially the case with brazed forks having
pressed ends, as the lap on the brazed seam precludes any possibility of mechanical
accuracy.
Sometimes this danger is sought to be obviated by the use of solid and slotted
fork ends, with the necessary addition of cost, but with the introduction of the
further difficulty of preserving true inner faces. These difficulties are increased
where stock of forks or of hubs has to be made without perfect reference to the
width of splay on the forks, or the width of the hub. Frequently an incautious
user will partly drift out a false recess in the fork end through locking the axle
nut with the cone collar out of position.
I therefore replace the usual cylindrical collar having sharp edges, with a
projection forming part of a cone, or preferably of a sphere of larger dimensious
than the hole in the fork end. When the axle nut is tightened this spherical
projection will naturally centre itself and therefore the cone in the fork end,
without regard to the truth of the inner faces. I prefer to use a nut and a washer
having cup and ball faces on the outer side of the fork. Where these are used
in combination with my spherically or conically faced cones, the strain on the axle
produced by the nut is one of the direct tension only, and all danger of bending
the axle, stripping the thread, or throwing the cone out of the truth is avoided.
Dated this 13th day of August 1896.

page_text: Improvements in and connected with the Bearings of Velooipedes
and similar Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED BALL, of Holford Works, Perry Barr near Birmingham in
the County of Stafford, Mechanic, 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 improvement relates principally to the cone or cones of the bearings of 5
velocipede wheels, and for the method of mounting the same in the forks or
similar attachments. Hitherto it has been usual to make the holes in the fork
ends of larger diameter than that of the axle, and to provide the outer face of
the cones with a collar of the same diameter as the holes; but of lesser width
than that of the forks; the latter are then sprung over the axle ends, and are 1
supposed to be pulled into position over the aforesaid collars by means of the axle
nuts. In practice, however, the forks rarely spring into a correct position, nor are
the faces true with the spindle, cone, and nut, unless indeed the spindle is bent by
the bolting up action. This is especially the case with the brazed forks having
pressed ends, as the lap of the brazed seam precludes any possibility of mechanical 1
accuracy.
Sometimes this danger is sought to be obviated by the use of solid and slotted
fork ends, with the necessary addition of cost, but with the introduction of the
further difficulty of preserving true inner faces. These difficulties are increased
where stock of forks or of hubs has to be made without perfect reference to the 2
width of the splay on the forks or width of the hub. Frequently an incautious
user will partly drift out a false recess in the fork end through locking the axle
nut with the cone collar out of position.
I therefore replace the usual cylindrical collar having sharp edges with a
projection forming part of a cone, or preferably of a sphere of larger dimensions
than the hole in the fork end. When the axlo nut is tightened, this spherical
projection will naturally centre itself, and therefore the cone in the fork end,
without regard to the truth of the inner faces. I prefer to use a nut and washer
having cup and hall faces on the outer 'side of the fork. Where these are used
in combination with my spherically or conically backed cones, the strain on the s
axle produced by the nut is one of direct tension only, and all danger of bending
the axle, stripping the thread, or throwing the cone out of truth is avoided.
Referring to the drawings, I represents the end of the front fork of a
velocipede, with a hole considerably larger than the axle A. C is an adjusting
cone on which a row of balls run, one of which is shown at B. D is a washer
placed over the axle end, and impinging against the fork end. The outer face
is curved ready to receive the spherically faced uut N. The cone C is provided
on the fork end side with a conical or otherwise couvex back. As is readily
understood, owing to the hole in the fork end being considerably larger than the
axle, the fork is easily sprung over the lattor, whilst the nut N is tightened up
owing to the conical or spherical face on the cono C, and the conical or spherical
face on the nut N, the axle will be pulled into tho middle of the fork, even if the
faces of the fork are rough or otherwise untrue.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-

page_text: Femi-spherical, or otherwise convex back, for the purpose of adjusting itself in
the hole of a fork end; and in the manner substantially as described.
Secondly, the combination of a conically backed conc on a velocipede bearing,
with a spherical or convex faced nut, for the purpose of suspending an axlo
5 centrally in a fork end, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1897.
WILLIAM ALFRED BALL.