IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FRICTION OF AXLES AND OTHER REVOLVING SURFACES, APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY VEHICLES, TRAM CARS, ROAD CARRIAGES, HOISTING, LIFTING, AND OTHER SIMILAR APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Guy Wilson, of the Office for British & Foreign
Patents, 71, Market Street, in the City of Manchester, Mechanical Engineer
and Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
REDUCING FRICTION OF AXLES AND OTHER REVOLVING SURFACES, APPLICABLE
TO RAILWAY VEHICLES, TRAM CARS, ROAD CARRIAGES, HOISTING, LIFTING,
AND OTHER SIMILAR APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by William
John Brewer, of Bombay, in the Empire of India.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Guy Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th April 1880.
JOHN GUY WILSON, of the Office for British & Foreign Patents, 71, Market
Street, in the City of Manchester, Mechanical Engineer and Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FRICTION OF AXLES AND OTHER
REVOLVING SURFACES, APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY VEHICLES, TRAM-CARS, ROAD
CARRIAGES, HOISTING, LIFTING, AND OTHER SIMILAR APPARATUS." A communi-
cation from abroad by William John Brewer, of Bombay, in the Empire of India.
This Invention consists in the application of what are termed rotary lever wheels
to the purpose of reducing friction in the axles of wheeled conveyances, such as
railway vehicles, tram-cars, road carriages, whether impelled or drawn by steam,
horse, man, bullock, or any other power, and applicable for the same purpose to the
revolving surfaces of cranes, pulley blocks, hoisting, lifting, and other similar
apparatus. As applied, say, to a tram car, instead of mounting the main or wheel
axle as heretofore in journals or bearings the same is arranged to bear upon the
peripheries of a pair of rotary lever wheels, the axle of which in its turn bears upon
the peripheries of another pair of rotary wheels of smaller diameter, carried by an
axle which is supported by springs of sufficient strength to resist the concussion
and wear and tear which a tram car is subjected to. All these axles are supported
in the same vertical line, one over another, by a pair of brackets depending from
underneath the car at either side, and small runners are by preference. arranged at
the sides of the brackets in a line with each of such axles; or only a single pair of
rotary lever wheels may be employed, mounted directly over the main wheels, the

page_text: axle of such rotary wheels being carried in grease boxes or other suitable bearings,
fitted on the outside with runners grasping such portion of the said axle as enter
such grease boxes, suitable springs being applied above the grease boxes to resist
concussion.
Another method of applying these rotary lever wheels consists in employing a
girder or other contrivance forming the segment of a circle, and extending from
axle to axle. In this girder the rotary lever wheels will be so placed as to bear
one upon the axle of the other, and between such girder and the body of the tram
car at either end the requisite springs will be fitted. By thus providing a moving
or revolving surfaco for the main axles to bear against friction is considerably
reduced, and although only herein before described with reference to tram cars it
will be apparent that these rotary lever wheels are equally applicable to the axles
of railway vehicles, and other vehicles of similar character.
These lever wheels may also be applied to the purpose of propelling tram cars
or any other light conveyance by manual labour, the axles of such conveyances
being fitted with improved lever wheels, and such axles being connected together
by suitable pulleys and bands, and with a similarly mounted wheel on the platform
provided with a handle for a man to turn. This arrangement constituting a
frictionless quick speed motion whereby the train or other conveyance would be
caused to travel easily, quickly, and with little expenditure of power..
In applying these improvements to pulley blocks the sheaves or pulleys are
similarly arranged to bear upon the peripheries of lever wheels, which as well as
the said sheaves or pulleys are mounted upon suitable loose axes, kept in the same
line by fitting into slots formed in each of the cheeks on sides of the pulley block,
suitable runners being arranged at the end of the slots. These improvements are
equally applicable to the drums and various axes of cranes, crabs, winches, and
other similar machinery, whether employed to lift, drag, draw, move transport, or
convey any weight whatsoever, it being found in practise that weight only increases
the efficiency of the rotary lever wheels.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Guy Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
October 1880.
JOHN GUY WILSON, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 71, Market
Street, in the City of Manchester, Mechanical Engineer and Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REDUCING FRICTION OF AXLES AND OTHER REVOLVING
SURFACES, APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY VEHICLES, TRAM CARS, ROAD CARRIAGES,
HOISTING, LIFTING, AND OTHER SIMILAR APPARATUS." A communication from
abroad by William John Brewer, of Bombay, in the Empire of India.
This Invention consists in the application of what are termed rotary lever wheels
to the purpose of reducing friction in the axles of wheeled conveyances, such as
railway vehicles, tram cars, wagons, road carriages, and to vehicles generally,
running on road or rail, and whether impelled or drawn by steam, horse, man,
bullock, or any other power.
These rotary lever wheels are also applicable for the same purpose to the shafts
and spindles or other revolving surfaces of cranes, pulley-blocks, hoisting, lifting,
and other similar apparatus, and to the revolving surfaces of machinery generally.
And in order that this my said Invention may be the more readily understood
and carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed two Sheets of Drawings
illustrating several applications of my rotary lever wheel, and will now proceed to
describe the same, reference being had to the various Figures and letters of reference
marked on the several views. Fig. 1 represents a side view, and Fig. 2 an end view
of a vehicle having any rotary lever wheels applied thereto. A, A, are the main
wheels securely fixed upon and turning with the axle B. Instead of being mounted
in axle boxes or bearings, as heretofore, this axle B bears upon the peripheries of a
pair of rotary lever wheels C, which are mounted so as to turn freely upon and
independant of their axle D. The two axles B and D are supported in the same
vertical line by a pair of slotted brackets E depending from underneath the body of
the vehicle. The action of these rotary lever wheels is as follows:-As the axle B
revolves the rotary lever wheels C being in touching contact with such axle are
caused to revolve at a proportionately slower speed in the contrary direction, and
thus a rolling or revolving surface is presented to the main axle instead of a
stationary surface, as heretofore, the result being a considerable reduction of friction
and consequent saving of power in moving the vehicle. Such being the main
characteristics of my Invention I will now proceed to describe more precisely some
of its applications in practice. In Fig. 3 I illustrate a side view of a wagon or
truck constructed in accordance with iny Invention. Upon the platform F I
arrange a driving pulley G, round which an endless strap or band G₁ passes to a
smaller pulley H on the front main wheel axle I. The axle J of this driving
pulley G being fitted upon a pair of my rotary lever wheels K, and the axles of the
main wheels being fitted upon rotary lever wheels L, friction is so reduced to a
minimum that by turning the winch handle M affixed upon the axle J such vehicle
is propelled with the greatest ease by manual labour, and thus constitutes a manu-
motive vehicle. In Fig. 4 I illustrate my rotary lever wheel as applied to a carriage
wheel fitted with the ordinary coach spring. The axle of the rotary lever wheel N
is in this case supported by the coach spring O and the axle P of the carriage
wheel P' (which is supported in the same vertical line by the bracket Q) bears upon
the periphery of the rotary lever wheel N, as illustrated. In the caso of road
vehicles the road wheels will not be fixed rigidly upon their axles, but allowed
sufficient play thereon to revolve independantly to facilitate turning round a corner
or reversing the course of the vehicle. Figs. 5 and 6 are side sectional views, and
Fig. 7 is a front view, shewing a method of applying my rotary lever wheel to
wheels running loosely and independantly upon their axles. In Fig. 5, the nave R¹

page_text: of the wheel R is extended on the inner side to allow the rotary lever wheel S to
revolve upon it. In Fig. 6, which represents a section of a plate-wheel, the rotary lever
wheel S is arranged to revolve inside upon the nave of the plate wheel R, whereby
space is not only economised, but the weight of the vehicle is brought more directly
over the centre of the plate wheel. Fig. 8 represents an end view, Fig. 9 n
side view of a tram car fitted with my rotary lever wheels, which only differs from
the arrangement shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 in the rotary lover wheels C being fitted
on the inside of the depending brackets F instead of on the outside, and in the
peripheries of the rotary lever wheels C being rounded to run in a corresponding
groove C¹ formed in or on the main axle B, as seen more clearly in Fig. 8. In
some cases I arrange the axles of the rotary lever wheels to run in an axle box
fitted with my rotary lever wheel, as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, which represent
a front view and side sectional view respectively of such an arrangement. In this
case the axle box T, which is shown seperate in Fig. 10ª, is capable of sliding up
and down in the slotted bracket T', and may be supported upon springs in the
ordinary or any convenient manner. This axle box is fitted internally with a
rotary lever wheel U running independant of its spindle V. The axle W of the
rotary lever wheel W₁ passes through a slot formed in the lower part of this axlo
box, and bears upon the periphery of the rotary lever wheel U contained within it.
In this manner friction is still further reduced, and facility afforded for applying my
Invention to railway and other vehicles running upon rails. It may be here
observed that I sometimes mount a series of rotary lover wheels and axles, one over the
other, and thus still further reduce the friction. I sometimes use a modification of this
axle box for dispensing with the rotary lever wheel axle by fixing the rotary lever
wheel upon a spindle mounted in such box, such spindle working upon two secondary
lever wheels with their axes loose in such box. Fig. 12 illustrates my rotary
lever wheel X applied to the driving wheel Y of a bicycle, but it will be obvious
that it is equally applicable to the hind wheel. Although I prefer wherever
practicable to have my rotary lever wheel mounted in a direct vertical lino over
the main wheel axle, yet a considerable saving in friction is effected by the adoption
of several rotary lever wheels, working the axle of one upon the periphery of the
other, for instance, as illustrated in Fig. 13, which represents a girder or other
contrivance Z forming the segment of a circle, and extending from one main axle a to
the other. In a slot b formed in this girder the rotary lever wheels c are placed so
as to bear one upon the axle of the other, whilst between such girder and the body
of the vehicle at either end the requisite springs will be fitted. Fig. 14 represents
the application of my Invention to reducing the friction on the bearings of fly wheels
or shafting running in plummer blocks. The rotary lever wheel dis in this case
let into the underside of the plummer block e, so that the shaft ƒ rests upon
its periphery in a direct vertical line over the axis of the rotary lever wheel.
In other cases where the thrust is in another direction, or where it is in various
directions, I mount a rotary lever wheel in the direction of the thrust in
each case. Fig. 15 is a front view and Fig. 16 a side view of a pulley block fitted
with my rotary lever wheel. In this case the periphery of the grooved pulley g is
arranged to run upon the periphery of the rotary lever wheel h, which is suitably
formed for the purpose; the axes of both the grooved pulley g and lever wheel h
are kept in the same line, which is an essential feature in the Invention, by being
mounted in the slot i formed in the cheeks ; of the block, as illustrated. In
Figs. 17 and 18 I illustrate similar views of another modification of my Invention
as applied to pulley blocks in which the rotary lever wheels k are mounted on
either side beneath the axis of the grooved pulley m. Fig. 18ª represents another
pulley block, but fitted with an additional grooved pulley n, thus constituting a
double pulley block. These rotary lever wheels are equally applicable to the drums
and various axes of cranes, crabs, winches, and other similar machinery, whether
employed to lift, drag, draw, move, transport, or convey any weight whatsoever, it
being found in practice that weight only increases the efficiency of the rotary lever
wheels. Fig. 19 represents a jib crane embracing my rotary lever wheel in two

page_text: positions, the drum n and pulley o being mounted below their respective rotary
lever wheels p as the pulley is in that direction, whilst the pulleys q are mounted
above their respective rotary_lever wheels 7, as the pull in this case is the down-
ward direction. In Fig. 20 I represent a cheap forin of crane capable of being
constructed entirely of wood, and thus specially suitable for the colonies, in which
the axes of the drum 8 and of the pulley t are mounted upon my rotary lever
wheel u. Fig. 21 represents my rotary lever wheel applied to the rollers of a
wringing or inangling machine, the lower roller running upon and above the
rotary lever wheel w, whilst the upper roller revolves beneath the rotary lever
wheely, which is mounted in the pressure lever z. In this manner friction is
reduced, and facility afforded for the rollers to approach and recede. Fig. 22 shews
the application of my rotary lever wheels in the construction of a simple and
powerful arrangement of press, useful for packing and analogous purposes. The
cam 1 is mounted upon the rotary lever wheel 2, which in its turn has its axis 3
running upon another rotary lever wheel 3*. The cross head 4 is provided on the
underside with a slotted bracket 5, in which is mounted a shaft or axle 6 fitted
with a winch handle 7, and running upon the rotary lever wheel 8. This cross
head rests with its axis 6 upon the periphery of the cam 1, so that by turning the
axle 6 by means of the winch handle 7 the cam 1 is caused to revolve in the
direction of the arrow, and at the same time, owing to the volute or eccentric form
of the periphery of such cam, the cross head 4 is raised slowly, and thus constitutes
a press of great power for pressing anything placed between the cross head 4 and
the head 9.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that this improved system of reducing
friction is applicable to all classes of machinery. In conclusion I would observe
that I am aware of anti-friction wheels having been applied to grind-stone and
churn spindles, and to the crank shafts of lathes, and therefore I make no claim to
anti-friction wheels as so applied.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention so communicated to me from abroad as aforesaid, I wish it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details, relative
proportions or dimensions of the various rotary lever wheels, herein before described
and illustrated on the accompanying Drawings, as the same may be considerably
varied without departing from the Invention, but what I claim is,-
1st. The general arrangement and construction of mechanism for reducing friction
in the axles and other revolving surfaces of wheeled conveyances running on rail or
road, and of hoisting, lifting, and other classes of machinery, substantially as horein-
before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawings.
2nd. The use and application of rotary lever wheels to the purpose of reducing
friction in revolving surfaces of wheeled vehicles and machinery generally, when
mounted and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying Drawings.
3rd. The improvements in the frictional surfaces of plummer blocks, pulley
blocks, cranes, mangling and wringing machines, presses, and other similar
machinery, whereby friction is reduced and increased power obtained, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Guy Wilson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 4th day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand