IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE OIL CUPS OF CARRIAGE AXLES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Ludlow, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Ludlow at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August 1880.
EDWIN LUDLOW, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE OIL CUPS OF CARRIAGE AXLES."
The oil cup of a carriage axle cousists of a closing cap which is attached to the
end of the axle box by screwing. The inner part of the said cap, or that part
which screws into the ends of the axle box, is of smaller diameter both internally
and externally than the outer part of the cap, and where the parts of different
diameters join there is a flange.
The said oil cups, as ordinarily manufactured, are made in one piece by the
casting process.
In making the said oil cups according to my Invention, I make them in two
pieces, afterwards joined together in the ways herein after described.
I make the outer part or part of larger diameter, together with a thin flange, by
means of dies and pressure from a disc of strong sheet metal, and I make the
inner and screwed part, together with a thin flange, by dies and pressure from a
disc of thin sheet metal. I connect the parts together by bringing their respective
flanges face to face, and securing them in that position by preference by turning
the edge of one of the flanges over the edge of the other. Or the two flanges may
be fixed together by brazing or by rivetting. The two thin flanges when fixed
together produce a flange of the required thickness.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edwin Ludlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th February
1881.
EDWIN LUDLOW, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE OIL CUPS OF CARRIAGE AXLES."
'
The oil cup of a carriage axle consists of a closing cap which is attached to the
end of the axle box by screwing. The inner part of the said cap, or that part
which screws into the end of the axle box, is of smaller diameter both internally and
externally than the outer part of the cap, and where the parts of different diameters
join there is a flange.
The closing cap described is sometimes called the oil cap of the carriage axle, but
in the description hereinafter given I will call the said closing cap the oil cup,
which is its common designation.
The said oil cups, as ordinarily manufactured, are made in one piece by the
casting process.
In making the said oil cups according to my Invention, I make them in two
pieces, afterwards joined together in the ways herein after described.
I make the outer part or part of larger diameter, together with a thin flange, by
means of dies and pressure from a disc of sheet metal, and I make the inner and
screwed part, together with a thin flange, by dies and pressure from a disc of sheet
metal. I connect the parts together by bringing their respective flanges face to
face, and securing them together in that position by turning the edge of one of the
flanges over the edge of the other. Or the two flanges may be fixed together by
brazing or by rivetting or countersinking. The two thin flanges when fixed
together produce a flango of the required thickness.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing,
the manner in which my Invention may be performed.
In making the outer or larger part of the oil cup with its flange I proceed as
follows:-
I take the disc or blank of brass or other ductile metal or alloy represented in
section and plan in Figure 1, and by means of dies worked in a press or stamp of
the ordinary kind I give the said blank the cupped form represented in section and
plan in Figure 2, the said cup having an expanded mouth a, from which a flange is
to be made. By a further shaping operation an octagonal (or other angular) figure
is given to the body b of the cap, and the expanded mouth operated upon so as to
form a flange c, as represented in section and plan in Figure 3. The partly made
cup b, Figure 3, is next curved at its bottom, and the diameter of the flange e
increased, as represented in section and plan in Figure 4. The diameter of the
flange cis further increased, and the flange so made clipped at its edges, as
represented in section and plan in Figure 5. By a further operation the marginal
part of the flange c, Figure 5, is bent at right angles to the other parts, so as to
form a shallow cup marked c, c², as represented in section and plan in Figure 6.
One part of the oil cup is thus formed.
In making the smaller and screwed part of the cup with its flange, I proceed as
follows:-
I take the disc or blank of brass or other ductile metal represented in section
and plan in Figure 7, and by means of dies worked in a press or stamp in the
ordinary way, I first convert the said blank into the conical cup e, having a flange d
at its open end, as represented in section and plan in Figure 8, and next convert
the conical cup into a cylindrical cup, and increase the diameter of the flange d of
the said cup, as represented in section and plan in Figure 9. An annular shoulder
or corrugation f is next formed at the junction of the cup e and flange d, and the

page_text: diameter of the flange at the same time increased, as represented in section and
plan in Figure 10. By means of the said annular shoulder, or corrugation f,
increased strength and rigidity are given to the cup e at its junction with the
flange d. The flange d is next clipped as represented in section and plan in
Figure 11.
The flange d, Figure 11, has now a size suitable to fit accurately in the shallow
cup c, c², of the larger part, Figure 6, of the oil cup, and when the flange dis
placed in the said shallow cup c, c², the part Figure 11 is truly concentric with the
larger part Figure 6.
Having thus made the two parts of the oil cup, the said parts are joined together
and the oil cup finished in the following manner :- -The flange d of the smaller
part, Figure 11, being placed in the shallow cup c, c², of the larger part, Figure 6,
the abutting faces of the two flanges c and d are brazed together. After the
flanges c and d have been brazed together, the projecting part c² of the shallow
cup c, c², of the larger part 6 is cut off by a turning operation effected in a lathe,
and the closed end of the part e is also cut off, thereby opening the part e and
shortening it, as represented in elevation in Figure 13. The edge of the compound
flange his next rounded, and a screw thread cut upon the smaller or barrel part e
of the oil cup, as illustrated in Figure 14, where the compound flange is marked h.
The oil cup is now complete.
Instead of brazing together the abutting faces of the flanges c, d, of the two parts
of the cup, Figure 12, they may be connected together by turning the edge c² of.
the shallow cup c, c², over the edge of the flange d of the smaller part e. Or the
two flanges c, d, may be fixed together by rivetting or countersinking.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention, the improvements in the manufacture of the oil cups of carriage axles
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to
say, making the said oil cups in two parts from sheet brass or other ductile metal
or alloy by dies and pressure, substantially as described and illustrated, the said
parts being of different diameters, and each part being provided with a flange, the
said two parts being joined together by their flanges, and the oil cup completed,
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Ludlow, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one