IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE, MACHINE, AND OTHER LIKE BEARINGS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam, of Basingstoke,
in the County of Hampshire, Agricultural Implement Manufacturers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE, MACHINE, AND OTHER LIKE
BEARINGS."
Sealed the 10th September 1858, and dated the 15th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Wallis and Charles
Haslam at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 15th March 1858.
We, ARTHUR WALLIS and CHARLES HASLAM, of Basingstoke, in the County
of Hampshire, Agricultural Implement Manufactures, do hereby declare tho
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE, MACHINE, AND
OTHER LIKE BEARINGS," to be as follows:-
Our said Invention consists in a novel construction of the seats or plummer
blocks and bearings of engines and machinery in general, which renders them
self-adjusting and allows of their accomodating themselves to any ordinary
deflection of the axles or spindles working in them, so as to prevent their
bending, wearing crossways, or any like derangement.
Metal or other bearings made according to our improvements are exter-
nally of a spherical figure, whether divided centrally or otherwise, and are
bored as usual for the reception of the axle or spindle, and the cast iron or
other seats or plummer blocks, together with their caps, are turned internally
in such a manner that when put together the interior surfaces of such seat or

page_text: plummer block and cap form a spherical cavity, minus two segments cut off
by two parellel planes at right angles to the axes of the plummer block, the
axle or spindle passing out on either side of the seat or plummer block through
the spaces left by the two segments so cut off, so that on the aforesaid
spherically-shaped bearings being placed in the portion of the cavity contained
in the lower half of the seat or plummer block, and the upper part or cap
adjusted over it in its place, the aforesaid bearing will turn freely in any
direction within certain limits. The under half of the brass or other bearing
bas a nipple or projection on its under side, which fits loosely into a socket
bored to receive it in the bottom of the seat or plummer block. This
arrangement prevents the bearings from rotating along with the shaft, spindle,
or axle, but allows of their turning in any other direction till the aforesaid
nipple or projection touches the sides of the socket in which it is placed and
the amount of revolution, of which the bearings will be capable, will therefore
depend on the relative sizes of such nipple and socket.
The bearings may be leghtened in weight by being channelled at right angles
to the axes of the spindles, always provided that such channelling does not
interfere with the property which they possess as spheres of turning freely
in any direction in the seats or plummer blocks before described. .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th September 1858..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ARTHUR
WALLIS and CHARLES HASLAM, of Basingstoke, in the County of Hampshire,
Agricultural Implement Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam, Her special licence that we, the said
Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE,
MACHINE, AND OTHER LIKE BEARINGS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam, our executors.or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
Our said Invention consists in a novel construction of the seats or plummer
blocks and bearings of engines and machinery in general, which renders them
self-adjusting, and allows of their accomodating themselves to any ordinary
deflexion of the axles or spindles working in them, so as to prevent their
binding, wearing crossways, or any like derangement. And for the better
understanding of our said Invention, we will now proceed to detail the
particulars thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, in
which the same letters refer to like parts throughout.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of one arrangement of our improved bearings ;
Figure 2 is a cross section through the line a, b; and Figure 3 is a plan on the
line c, d. A is the plummer block; B, the cap; C, packing between the block
and cap; D, the upper brass; E, the lower brass; and F, the regulating nipple
on the same, moving freely in the recess G; H, I, the bolts for securing the
cap B in its place; I, the lubricator on the top of the cap, communicating
by the aperture J with a corresponding aperture J' in the upper brass; and
K, K, holes for holding down bolts.
It will thus be observed that metal or other bearings made according to our
improvements are externally of a spherical figure, as shown by D, E, whether
divided centrally or otherwise, and are bored as usual for the reception of the
axle or spindle, and the cast-iron or other seats or plummer blocks A, together
with their caps B, are turned internally, as at e, e, e, e, in such a manner that
when put together the interior surfaces of the same form a spherical cavity,
minus two segments cut off by two parallel planes at right angles to the axis.
of the plummer block, the axle or spindle passing out on either side of the

page_text: seat or plummer block through the spaces left by the two segments so cut off, so
that on the aforesaid spherically-shaped bearings being placed in the portion
of the cavity contained in the lower half of the seat or plummer block A, and
the upper part or cap B adjusted over it in its place, the aforesaid bearing
D, E, will turn freely in any direction within certain limits. The under half
of the brass or other bearing E has a nipple or projection F on its under side,
which fits loosely into a socket G bored to receive it in the bottom of the seat
or plummer block. This arrangement prevents the bearings from rotating
along with the shaft, spindle, or axle, but allows of their turning in any other
direction until the aforesaid nipple or projection touches the sides of the recess
or socket in which it is placed; and the amount of revolution of which the
bearings will be capable will, therefore, depend on the relative sizes of such
nipple and socket. The bearings may be lightened in weight by being chan-
nelled at right angles to the axes of the spindles, always provided that
such channelling does not interfere with the property which they possess as
spheres of turning freely in the seats or plummer blocks before described. As,
however, our said Invention is capable of modification without affecting the
principle of the same, we desire it to be understood that we do not limit our-
selves to materials, dimensions, or the precise details herein stated, so long as
our said improvements are substantially maintained; neither do we restrict
ourselves to any particular class of stationary or locomotive engines, or
machinery in applying the same; and we do declare that what we do claim as
our Invention is the novel construction of self-adjusting spherical bearings for
engines and machinery generally, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Arthur Wallis and Charles Haslam, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of September, in the
year of our Lord 1858
ARTHUR WALLIS.
(L.S.)
CHARLES HASLAM. (L.B.)