Improvements in Divided Axles for Railway and Tramway Wheels.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Divided Axles for Railway and Tramway Wheels.
I, RAYNES LAUDER MCLAREN, of No. 32, Wemyss Road, Blackheath in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In the Provisional Specification to my application dated 9th July 1891,
No. 11,696 I described a construction of divided axle for railway and tramway
wheels, in which the one part of the axle was made partly tubular, into the
cylindrically bored hollow of which part was fitted a cylindrically turned portion
of the other part of the axle, so that the said parts fitted upon each other along
the whole length of such cylindrical surfaces. The two parts were secured
together in their relative positions, while having freedom to rotate the one upon
the other, by forming a circular groove on the inner part, into which entered the
end of one or more studs screwed through the outer part. This arrangement for
holding the two parts together, although well suited for light traffic, may not be
found sufficiently secure for heavy traffic on main lines.
According to my present improvements I adapt the said construction of divided
axle to be available for main line traffic, by securing the two parts together by
the following means. The one part is made with a cylindrical hollow and the
other with a cylindrical surface fitting into such hollow as before, but in place of
the said circular groove and screw studs, I form in the end face of the inner cylin-
drical part a threaded hole, and into this I screw the threaded end of a cylindrical
rod, which extends through a corresponding cylindrical boring formed right
through the solid end of the outer part, so that on inserting the inner part with
its screwed rod into the hollow, the rod will pass through the said boring and will
project with a threaded end beyond the end face of the axle-neck.
Thus by screwing a nut on to the said projecting end of the rod, the inner part is
effectually held within the outer part, the rod being prevented from unscrewing
from the inner part by a suitable groove and key driven in, and the nut being
prevented from unscrewing by a pin driven through the end of the rod, or by a
lock nut. The inner part of the axle is formed with a shoulder at the point just
outside the end of the outer part, and the end surface of the latter is made to fit
against such shoulder by screwing up the nut of the rod so as to bring the surfaces
together, the fit being however made with sufficient looseness to allow the two parts
to turn freely upon each other when required.
The cylindrically bored part of the hollow of the outer part of the axle is made
to extend slightly beyond the end of the inner part, so as to enable any wear
through friction between the said collar and the end surface, to be compensated for
by screwing up the nut on the end of the rod, so as to draw the inner part slightly
further into the outer part.
The end of the latter is provided with a packing ring acted upon by springs as
described in my said Specification, for excluding grit from the contact surfaces of
the two parts.
71
han 1901
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Divided Axles for Railway and Tramway Wheels.
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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
In the Specification to my application dated 9th July 1891 No. 11696 I described
a construction of divided axle for railway and tramway wheels in which the one part
of the axle was made partly tubular, into the cylindrically bored hollow of which
part was fitted a cylindrically turned portion of the other part of the axle, so that
the said parts fitted upon each other along the whole length of such cylindrical
surfaces. The two parts were secured together in their relative positions, while
having freedom to rotate the one upon the other, by forming a circular groove on
the inner part, into which entered the end of one or more studs screwed through the
outer part. This arrangement for holding the two parts together, although well
suited for light traffic may not be found sufficiently secure for heavy traffic on main
lines.
According to my present improvements I adapt the said construction of divided
axle to be available for main line traffic, by securing the two parts together by
the following means. The one part is made with a cylindrical hollow and the
other with a cylindrical surface fitting into such hollow as before, but in place of
the said circular groove and screw studs, I form in the end face of the inner
cylindrical part a threaded hole, and into this I screw the threaded end of a
cylindrical rod, which extends through a corresponding cylindrical boring formed
right through the solid end of the outer part, so that on inserting the inner part
with its screwed rod into the hollow, the rod will pass through the said boring
and will project with a threaded end beyond the end face of the axle neck.
Thus by screwing a nut on to the said projecting end of the rod, the inner part
is effectually held within the outer part, the rod being prevented from unscrewing
from the inner part by a suitable groove and key driven in, and the nut being
prevented from unscrewing by a pin driven through the end of the rod, or by a
lock nut.
The inner part of the axle is formed with a shoulder at the point just outside
the end of the outer part, and the end surface of the latter is made to fit against
such shoulder by screwing up the nut of the rod so as to bring the surfaces
together, the fit being however made with sufficient looseness to allow the two
parts to turn freely upon each other when required.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a divided axle and pair of wheels
partly in elevation and partly in section constructed according to my above
described invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 shew cross sections taken respectively on the lines A B and CD
Fig. 1.
C
The axle is composed of the tubular part a having the wheel b fixed thereon and
the part fitting into the part u, and having the wheel d fixed thereon. The
tubular part a is accurately bored or drilled out to near the end of its larger bore,
and the part e is turned so as to fit accurately into such bored part, leaving a
chambere at the end of the latter, which forins a reservoir for lubricant, it being
made to communicate for this purpose with a central passage in the part c, as
hereinafter described; this passage is closed at the outer end by any suitable
known construction of lubricator o for the supply of lubricant to the said passage.
By the above described construction it will be seen that the pressure on the
revolving surfaces due to the hending moments to which the divided axle is subject
is distributed along the whole length of the bearing surfaces of the two parts thus
greatly reducing any wear thereof. On the cylindrical surface of the inner part

page_text: of c is formed a helical channel and the central passage communicates at
various points with such channel by means of radial channels h so that the
lubricant is by this means effectually supplied from passage to the entire bearing
surfaces of a and c.
So far the construction is substantially the same as described in the Specification
to my application No. 21,047 of 1891.
The end of the channel 9 communicates with the spacé e so that the lubricant
also finds its way into this space, and is supplied thence to a central boring i,
formed through the outer part of a. Into the end of the part c is screwed a rod j
that passes through such boring, and has lock nuts k screwed on to its projecting
end with a washer inside and with a split pin outside these nuts if necessary so that
by this means the parts a and c are held securely together, while they are free to
rotate independently of each other. The rod is prevented from becoming
unscrewed from the part c by drilling a longitudinal hole through the threads
and driving in a pin or pins as shewn at Fig. 2. It will be evident that
the rod might also be formed in one with the part c, instead of being
screwed in, but this would be a more expensive and less efficient mode of
manufacture.
The open end of the tubular part of a is formed with an enlargement a¹ against
which fits the shoulder of the part and which has a circular groove into which is
fitted a metal packing ring m; this is pressed outward by springs n so as to bear
with its outer face against the inner turned face of the boss of the wheel d fixed
on c. By this means any access of grit to the joint between the part a and c is
prevented.
It will be seen that as the axes of the two parts of the axle are prevented from
assuming an angular position relatively to one another no angling and consequent
binding of the packing ring relatively to the face against which it works can take
place.
Should in course of time any slight looseness through wear occur between the
shoulder of the part c of the axle and the end face of the part a the two parts can
be tightened up by means of the screw nuts k, there being sufficient room left for
such adjustment at the inner end of the bore of a.
After such tightening up the hole for the split pin can be enlarged and a larger
split pin can be inserted, or the nuts be otherwise adjusted and locked, and should
the shoulder of the part c against which the end of a bears become worn con-
siderably it can be turned down, a ring shrunk on in front of it, and this be then
turned up to the original dimensions.
Although prefer the above described arrangement of passages and 9 for
effecting the lubrication of the parts, yet such lubrication may also be effected in
any other manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a divided axle consisting of two parts a and c of which the latter fits with
a turned cylindrical surface into the cylindrical bore of the former, securing the
said two parts together by fixing upon the inner end of the part c a rod ; which
passes through a boring in the outer end of the part a and is secured beyond the
end of the latter by means of a screw out or nuts k, with or without a split pin,
substantially as described.
2. In a divided axle consisting of two parts a and c of which the latter fits with
a turned cylindrical surface into the cylindrical bore of the former, securing the
said two parts together by fixing or forming upon the inner end of the part ca
rod which passes through a boring i in the outer end of the part a and is secured
beyond the end of the latter by means of a screw nut or nuts k, with or without a
split pin, lubricating material being supplied to the rod j through central passages f
and channel g substantially as described.

page_text: 3. In a divided axle, the combination of a tubular part a, a part o fitting into a
with turned cylindrical surfaces, a rod j fixed to part e and passing through a
central boring of a and secured externally by a screw nut k and a packing ring m
fitting a circular groove in the enlarged end of the part a and pressed by
springs against the inner face of the wheel on the fixed part e, substantially as
described.
Dated this 10th day of August 1892
ABEL & IMRAY
Agents for the Applicant.