Improvements in the Construction of Wheeled Vehicles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1887.
Complete Left, 6th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 9th Sept., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Wheeled Vehicles.
I WILLIAM EDWARD CARMONT of Lime Grove Longsight, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
or
My Invention refers more particularly to four wheeled vehicles in which the front
axle and pair of wheels turn upon a pivot, turntable or "lock" beneath the perch or
at the front of the carriage as is well understood. As at present arranged this pivot
"lock
is fixed in position and the front axle and wheels are placed at such a
distance from the body of the carriage as will enable either of the front wheels to go
beneath and clear the front part of the carriage body when it is being turned wholly
or partly round. This necessity for thus isolating the front wheels from the carriage
body is attended with certain disadvantages and inconveniences and is not conducive
to neatness of general appearance. My Invention consists in constructing the "lock"
in such a manner that when the front axle and wheels are slewed round in turning
the carriage, the pivot upon which the axle turns, is always situated nearest to the
wheel which goes beneath the carriage, so that under my invention the radius' from
the pivot to the wheel beneath the carriage is considerably less than the radius which
would exist if the axle were turned upon a pivot at or about the central point in its
length as at present. In my improved "lock" this advantageous position of the
pivot changes to whichever side the front axle may be turned, so that the invention
acts equally well whether the carriage is turned to the right or to the left. In a
construction of "lock" which I have devised to carry my invention into practical
effect, I arrango a pivot frame which takes the form of an equilateral triangle having
a base and sides consisting of curves or ares struck respectively from the opposite
angles and from the apex or instead of a triangular frame any construction which
presents a triangular path of the indicated nature will serve the purposes of my
invention. The said triangular frame or path is fixed to the bottom or other suitable
part of the front of the carriage, the apex pointing to the front and the base lying
across the carriage. The front axle or a part fixed thereto carries two antifriction
rollers or pivots situated equidistant from the centre of the length of the axle and at

page_text: a distance apart corresponding to the length of the base of the equilateral triangle
which rollers or pivots may enter a groove formed to receive them in the said
triangular or other frame or the rollers may be flanged so as to embrace the members
of tho said triangular frame or other means may be adopted so long as there are two
points or pivots on or in connection with the movable front axle which two points or
pivots will travel in the path marked out by the triangular frame, groove or guide.
In operating my invention when the front axle and wheels are slowed round in
turning or altering the direction of progress of the carriage, if the axle is turned
to the right, then the roller on the right of the axle becomes the pivot upon which
the axle turns if on the contrary the axle is turned to the left then the left roller
comes into action. In either case the roller which does not act as a pivot runs in
the path of the curved side of the triangle. As it is evident that the radial distance
from the right hand pivot to the right hand wheel or from the left hand pivot to the
left hand wheel must be less than from the centre of the axle to citlier wheel by
exactly half the length of the base of the triangular path or frame, it is equally
evident that in a carriage having a "lock" of my invention the front wheels may be
placed closer to the hind wheels, to an extent represented by this saving of radial
distance. As a consequence of my improvement the front part or perch of a carriage
can be brought closer to the body, and a saving in weight effected together with an
increase in strength and neatness of appearance, while the vehicle runs more steadily
and smoothly than is the case when the front and back wheels are further apart.
Dated thie 18th dow of January 1887
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Wheeled Vehicles.
I WILLIAM EDWARD CARMONT of Lime Grove, Longsight, Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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 and accompanying drawings :-
―
My Invention refers more particularly to four wheeled vehicles in which the front
axle and pair of wheels turn upon a pivot, turntable or "lock" beneath the perch or
at the front of the carriage as is well understood. As at present arranged this pivot
or "lock" is fixed in position and the front axle and wheels are placed at such a

page_text: distance from the body of the carriage as will enable either of the front wheels to go
beneath and clear the front part of the carriage body when it is being turned wholly
or partly round. This necessity for thus isolating the front wheels from the carriage
body is attended with certain disadvantages and inconveniences and is not conducive
to neatness of general appearance. My Invention consists in constructing the "lock"
in such a manner that when the front axle and wheels are slewed round in turning
the carriage, the pivot upon which the axle turns, is always situated nearest to the
wheel which goes beneath the carriage, so that under my invention the radius from
the pivot to the wheel beneath the carriage is considerably less than the radius which
would exist if the axle were turned upon a pivot at or about the central point in its
length as at present. In my improved lock this advantageous position of the pivot
changes to whichever side the front axle may be turned, so that the invention acts
equally well whether the carriage is turned to the right or to the left.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I will now proceed
more particularly to describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings
wherein the improved lock is fully illustrated.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of the front of a four wheeled carriage and of
the perch or drivers seat the improved lock appearing beneath the perch. Fig. 2 is a
plan of the lock the front axle and wheels appearing beneath. Fig. is a plan view
similar to Fig. 2 showing the position assumed by the axle and wheels relatively to
the lock when the carriage is turning. Fig. 4 is a diagram of the working of the
lock. The guide frame a. a' a² which is shown black in Figs. 2 and 3 is secured
beneath the perch of the carriage by the holdfasts b. c. d. e. and remains immovable.
The form of the frame a is roughly speaking that of an equilateral triangle, the three
sides however being composed of curves struck from the three corners a. a¹ a².
Beneath the guide frame is a slipper frame which is of a form similar to the guide
frame and which is connected thereto by means of flanged anti-friction bowls g. g¹
mounted on studs projecting from the frame, the tops of the studs being connected
by a stay h. The peripheries of the bowls g. 9 run in contact with the inner edge
of the guide frame a. a a² and the flanges of the bowls project over the inner edge
of the guide frame so that both lateral and vertical shaking movements of the slipper
frame are prevented, the only possible motion of the slipper frame being in a
horizontal plane and in the curves defined by the inner edge of the guide
frame a. a' a. The slipper frame is connected at the points i. j. k. to the frame /
carrying the shafts and the frame is connected by the springs m to the axle n upon
which the wheels o are mounted. When the shafts are directed to the right or left
hand the axle and wheels are similarly turned and in turning they follow the path
defined by the fixed guide frame a. It will be seen that if there were no antifriction
bowls g and the pivot of the lock were situated at p as in existing locks tho axle and
wheels would turn on this centre with the result that the distance from the centre of
the axle n to the carriage body would require to be at least the distance from to r
Fig. 2.
But under my invention when the lock is turned round with the shafts say
at right angles to the direction of progress of the carriage the distance of the
carriage body is not more than from s to r so that a carriage built with my improved
lock can have the body closer to the perch by the distance between q and s. The
reason of this is that to whichever side the shafts and axle are turned the antifriction
bowl on that side becomes the pivot upon which the lock turns. For example in
Fig. 3 the shafts are represented as being turned to the right hand, therefore the
right hand bowl g is the pivot and the sweep of the right hand wheel is governed by
the radial distance from the bowl g to the outside of the wheel. Referring to the
diagram Fig. 4 if the pivot had been at the centre this radial distance would have
been from p to o but by the transference of the pivot from p to g' the radial distance
is reduced to go the radial distance to the wheel at the other end of the axle being
correspondingly increased. To give an easy motion to the antifriction bowls and to
prevent jambing, the corners a¹ a² of the fixed guide frame are rounded as shown
and to keep the bowls up to their work at these corners I provide a strut the
rounded or vee end of which rocks in a notch or recess made to receive it at the back

page_text: of the guide frame. The thrust of the front axle and wheels in backing the vehicle
is taken by this strut t. It is evident that the described and illustrated construction
of improved lock could be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention
so long as there are two points or pivots on or in connection with the movable front
axle of the vehicle which two points or pivots travel in paths marked out by a triangular
frame, groove or guide. For example the antifriction bowls g. g' might travel in a
triangular groove or recess fixed beneath the perch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:---
(1) The general arrangement and construction of carriage lock substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated.
(2) In a carriage lock the employment of two pivots on or in connection with the
front axle and wheels the said pivots being contained within and guided by a triangular
frame, groove or path in such a manner that when the front axle and wheels are
slewed round as the vehicle is being turned, one of the said pivots that is to say the
pivot on that side toward which the carriage is being turned becomes the pivot or
centre upon which the axle slews, whereby the radial distance from the centre of the
axle to the wheel on that side toward which the vehicle is being turned is shortened
with the objects and substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
(3) In a carriage lock the fixed guide frame a. a¹ a² in combination with the
slipper frame and axle n carrying the antifriction bowls or pivots g. g for the
purposes and constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and
shown.
DL: Kil. 1
A 1007
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.