Improved Axle Box.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Axle Box.
I, HERRMANN SCHUBERT of 15 Gerichtstrasse, Berlin in the Empire of
Germany, Master Smith, 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:-
This invention is designed to do away with various drawbacks in the axles and
axle boxes at present in use. These drawbacks partially consist, firstly, in that
the pressure of the wheel is mainly exerted on the band or axle washer placed at
the commencement of the axle shaft, and consequently a rapid wearing away takes
place there, which results in a great loss of lubricating substance; secondly, in the
circumstance that the removal of the wheel from the axle is only possible by
loosening several screw bolts which penetrate the nave, which is both inconvenient
and takes up a deal of time, and has the drawback that owing to the frequent
knocking out of the screw bolts from the wood of the nave, this latter particularly
is much strained and therefore soon becomes useless; or, thirdly, in that the
lubricating chamber formed in the bush can only contain very little of the
necessary lubricant, which is particularly unpleasant when the bush is already
somewhat worn.
On the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the axle box, and
Figures 2-4 are cross sections on the given sectional lines A B, C D, E F,
respectively.
a is the axle, whilst the actual axle shaft is formed of two cylindrical parts c
and e of different diameters, between which the screwed part d further lies, whilst
the shoulder ring b forms the closing piece or cap towards the axle. The bush / is
then fastened on the axle by the screwed intermediate piece f being secured against
any movement in an axial direction by means of the nut g.
The various screws
are of course cut either with a right or left hand thread in such a way that they
are tightened by the revolution of the wheels when travelling.
The essential point of the invention consists in the front part of the bush being
separated from the rear one, and both being only connected with one another by
means of a screw thread, so that if fand fit equally well on their respective parts
of the axle shaft, a full weighting of the intermediate piece by the pressure of
the wheel can only take place when the slight play which the screw piece must
have in its screw thread has disappeared and the metal of both bodies rests
directly on it. The consequence of this is that the pressure must be applied
always earlier that is to say stronger at a, before it can well act on the intermediate
piece f. This has the further advantage of causing the strongest wear only to take
place where it does the least damage, that is to say where the interstice, resulting
therefrom, will not permit the lubricant to run out, or the dust and dirt to
penetrate. A further improvement in the axle box is that both the stronger as
well as the slighter parts of the axle shank have separate lubricating chambers!
and m, and that the chamber of the intermediate piece f may be entirely filled
without it being necessary to remove this piece from the axle, by unscrewing the.
closing screw and filling the chamber by means of an oil can. The lubricating
chamber in will also be pressed full of oil on the wheel being replaced, if enough
oil has been poured into the axle box when the wheel is taken off.
Further, n and n' are leather washers which close tightly, both to the outside as
well as towards the thin part, the larger part of the axle, that is to say, that in
which the lubricant needs to be most carefully retained. i is a screw cap for the
box which holds the latter firmly in the wooden nave by means of its broad disc

page_text: shaped edge. The removal of the wheel from the axle is then simply performed
by holding firm the intermediate piece for its octagonal part by means of a suitable
key and turning the wheel backwards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is―
1. An axle box consisting of two parts, one of which encloses the front or
slighter portion e of the axle and is screwed to the other part of the box in such
a way that in the play of the screw thread the pressure of the spokes is first and
mainly conveyed to the thinner portion of the axle, whilst the stouter portion will
only receive the full pressure after the pitch of the thread becomes altered so that
the one part is less worn than the other h, in combination with a nut g which
prevents its slipping off the axle and which can only be loosened after the part h
has been screwed off.
2. The arrangement on the rear part of the axle box described in Claim 1, of
the special closed lubricating chamber l.
Dated thia 27th day of February 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.