AN IMPROVED METALLIC SAFETY WHEEL AND REVOLVING AXLE
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
INGLEDEW, of Edward Street, Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS. His most Gracious Majesty King William the Fourth, by His
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
April, in the fifth year of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said
John Ingledew, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial license, full
power, solo privilege, and authority, that I, the said John Ingledew, my
exors, adiñors,, and assigns, by myself and themselves, or my and their
deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said John
Ingledew, my exors, adñiors; or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "AN IMPROVED METALLIC SAFETY
WHEEL AND REVOLVING AXLE," within that part of His Majesty's United
Kingdon of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His Majesty's Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the
said John Ingledew, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or any of them, should
in my or their discretion seem meet, and that I, the said John Ingledew,
my exors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy
the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming.
growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for and.

page_text: during the term of years therein mentioned; in which said Royal Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that I; the said John Ingledew, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Ingledew, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
The form and construction of my improved metallic safety wheel are
delineated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,
18, 19, 20, in all of which the same letters of reference wherever they occur
indicate the same parts, however differently viewed. Fig. 1 represents an
elevation or plan of the principal parts of the wheel, of which Fig. 2 affords
nearly a diametrical section. a, a, is a stout metallic ring perforated around:
equidistantly, with suitable mortices for the reception and accurate.fitting of
the ends b, b, b, of the spokes c, c, c; the other ends of the spokes being
fastened to a peripheral ring or continuous felly d, d, by means which I will
presently explain. To obtain lightness combined with adequate strength, the
sectional form of the peripheral ring (except where the hollow felly or peri-
pheral ring herein-after mentioned is used) is for the most part triangular, as
shewn at d in the separate Figure 3, but for the reception of the tenons of the
smaller. ends of the spokes, and to form butments to their shoulders, swells or
cubical masses are provided at e, e, e; for the purpose of shewing the mode of
connecting the nave ring with the peripheral ring by means of the spokes a
sectional portion of the wheel is exhibited in Fig. 1 in an incomplete state; at f
is shewn one of the morticed apertures before-mentioned in the nave ring, and
at g is a dovetailed mortice in the peripheral ring for the reception of the
opposite ends of the spoke, represented by dotted lines at h, c. One of these
spokes fully drawn is exhibited lying in its. mortices, with a wedge i partly
inserted in the mortice 9, which when driven home completes the dovetail and
makes all firm. The wedge i is further shewn by the separate Figure 4 in
perspective. Atj, c, is exhibited another of the spokes, longitudinally divided,
with the wedge i in its place. Now, by reference to Figures 1 and 2, it will

page_text: be seen that the ends b, b, of the spokes are furnished with stout T flanges;
.k, k, k, which abut against the interior of the nave ring, and thereby prevent
the possibility of their being forced outwards from the nave. By this arrange-
ment, therefore, the smaller end of each spoke is first put through its hole in
the nave ring, and then thrust home into its dovetailed cavity in the peripheral
ring, in the manner represented in Fig. 1 at b, c. To fix the spokes when
thus put into their places, keys or wedges of the form represented in Figures
5 and 6 are introduced into the dovetailed spaces caused by the opposite
notches m, m, of each proximate pair of spokes. These keys or wedges, as
introduced at n, n, n, show in like manner the impossibility of the spokes
being forced inwards, and in cases where extraordinary strength may be
required, similar keys or wedges may be introduced at j, j, j. Thus secured
against the effect of pressure endways, the keys or wedges i, i, i, are driven
into their cavities in the peripheral ring, and the wheel is solidly bound
together. That the various junctions may remain permanently firm, notwith-
standing the continual concussions to which a wheel is subjected in ordinary
wear, I make use of what I denominate a "protector," which is a circular
wedge or frustrum of a cone, and is represented in section at Fig. 7, and in
plan at Fig. 8. This protector I drive into the cavity of the nave, so that the
coned surface o, o, (it may be angular) shall be brought into close contact
with the backs of all the flanges k, k, of the spokes, as explained by the dotted
lines connecting Fig. 7 to Fig. 2. When thus situated every spoke is pro-
tected against an external thrust, and the looseness or loss of a key or wedge
is of no moment, should it ever occur. The latter circumstance is, however,
effectually prevented by means of the external and internal cap with which
the entire nave of the wheel is boxed in. Fig. 9 is a plan of the external
cap; Fig. 10, a plan of the internal one, or that next to the body of the
carriage; and Fig. 11 exhibits both 9 and 10 in section, and the mode of
connecting them by long screws, one of which is seen at 9. Now the space
left between the circumferential edges of these caps (respectively marked r, r,
and s, 8,) is exactly that of the length of the wedges n, n, n; consequently,
when the two caps are screwed together, they prevent any motion in the said
wedges. Thus the parts of the nave are doubly secured against the effects of
wear or accident; and it scarcely needs mentioning that the little keys or
wedges i, i, in the peripheral ring d, d, are saved from displacement by the
common tire ring t, t, which circumscribes the whole wheel.
Another mode of connecting the spokes of my improved metallic safety
wheels is represented in the Diagram marked Fig. 12. u, u, is a solid mass

page_text: of cast iron or other suitable material, to constitute the nave, in which are
made a series of mortices for the lateral reception of the spokes u, v, v, one of
which, drawn at length, is shewn at v. To fix these firmly in their places, a
series of keys or wedges w, w, w, are then forced beside them, so as to make
all flush with the surface of the nave, over which a plate is then bolted or
screwed down. A side view of one of these spokes out of its mortice is
represented by Fig. 18, and shews that its cross section partakes of the
formed expressed by Fig. 14, or that of the previously described wheel. The
peculiarity of this sectional configuration may, however, be dispensed with,
where the facilities of manufacturing or obtaining such do not exist, and its
place may be substituted by spokes that exhibit in their transverse section an
elongated elipsis. The spokes should of course be placed in the wheel with
their longest diameters, across the plane of revolution, to give them adequate
strength to resist lateral strains, and yet not possess a superabundance of
material. This mode of securing the spokes laterally in the naves peculiarly
applies to those wheels wherein the spokes are placed alternately in a double
line on the nave, and their opposite ends in a single line in the felly, and
being a great improvement therein, I adopt it in such cases.
But it needs no particular specification, as the process is the same as that
described under Figs. 12 and 13, with the exception of such a modification of
the mortices and tenons as will give the spokes the required inclination.
Fig. 13 is also designed to exhibit a different construction of the felly end of
the spokes, which I sometimes adopt in light wheels, with a felly of a semicir-
cular form in its transverse section, as shewn at x. To make a neat ard solid
fitting to such a felly, I form the extremity or shoulders of the spoke into a hollow
curve, as at y, and secure these parts together in the manner before described
and herein delineated at 3, 2. To save material and reduce the weight of the
felly, I sometimes construct them with hollow spaces, as shewn at A, A, A, in
the Figures 15 and 16; Figure 15 being a section, and Fig. 16 a plan of the
length of the same; Fig. 17 represents a side view of the latter; B, B, B,
are the mortices for the reception of the tenons of the spokes; one of the ends
of the latter is shewn as inserted at, fixed there by the key or wedge i.
In the construction of wheels for locomotive engines, wherein extraordinary
strength and facility of repair or adjustments are important requisites, I con-
struct them by preference in the manner explained by the Figures 18, 19, and
20 Fig. 18 represents a portion of a felly C C; D, the tenon of a spoko,
placed laterally in its mortice, with its upper side flush with the surfaces E, E,
of the felly; F is a broad dovetailed wedge, which secures it laterally in its

page_text: place; and G, a narrow key or wedge, the driving down of which has a tendency
of tightening D against F, and forcing the tenon in the nave home to its bear-
ing whenever rendered necessary from contraction, expansion, or wear of the
contiguous parts; H is a cover plate, with inclined sides, made to dovetail in
and fill up closely the cavity D, E, F, G, where it is screwed fast through the
holes represented. Reference to Fig. 19 (which is a section of Fig. 18,
through the line I, I,) will fully explain the foregoing; the corresponding
parts in each Figure being marked by the same letters. Fig. 20 is a trans-
verse section of the felly in the line K, K, showing its shape. The upper
part of this felly has a broad groove or cavity, as shewn at L, Fig. 19; this
groove I fill up with a flat wrought-iron ring, shewn at M, Fig. 20; and over
the latter I put the external tire which is to run on the railway or road;
this tire is not represented, as its proper form depends upon that of the
rail or road.
I now proceed to describe my improved revolving axle mentioned in the
title of my Patent, with reference to the Figures marked 21, 22, 23, in each
of which the same letters where they occur indicate similar parts. Figure 21
is an elevation or external view, and Fig. 22, a longitudinal section of one
modification of my aforesaid axle, adapted to the wheel I have described and
delineated in Figures 1 to 11. a, a, is the box of the axle, which is fixed in
suitable bearings to the frame of the carriage it is applied to; b, c, is that
portion of the revolving part of the axle which is fixed to the wheel; this
passes through the central round hole of the internal cap already explained
and delineated in Figures 10, and 11, which hole fits the round part of the
axle b, while the squared end of the latter fits into the square hole of the
external cap represented in Figure 9. The washer is then put on, and the
nut d employed to screw the wheel up firmly to its bearings. After this the
axle cap e is screwed up against the nut, and enters the recess represented in
the external wheel cap, by which it abuts against the heads of the screws g,
and thus securely connects the wheel to the axle. The flange f of the axle,
it should be observed, enters the cavity of the internal wheel cap (Figures
10 and 11), and greatly tends to prevent the access of grit to the rubbing sur-
faces of the axle. In these surfaces the utmost attention has been paid to
diminishing the friction to the least possible quantity, in conferring durability,
facility of adjustment, and compensation for any wear which they may
sustain. By reference to the section it will be seen that the axis is inserted
into its box until a solid circular collar or boss g abuts against a corresponding
cavity h made in the flange of the box, where the axle is retained by the flangef

page_text: being screwed up (with an intervening collar of leather i) against the flange h
At is a hard steel collar truly bored to fit the part 7 of the axle, which is
also of hardened steel, and revolves therein; the other end m of the axle has.a
conical cavity, which revolves upon the conical point o of a steel screw, both
being rendered truly concentric, well-hardened, polished, and lubricated, so as
to turn with a very minute force. This screw is tapped so as to fit very close
to the solid end p of the box, and is provided with a fastening nut q, to fix its
conical end firmly at any point, according to the degree of freedom or end play
which persons may deem to be desirable by the peculiar state of the roads the
carriage has to travel upon. :
Another modification of my improved revolving axle is represented in
Figure 23, wherein I have marked those parts that correspond with the axle
already described by the same letters of reference. As these will not require a
detailed repetition, I shall proceed to specify those parts which essentially vary
from the foregoing. In the first place, the extremity of the revolving axle is
in this case made with a solid conical point r, and the stationary bearing of the
screw is duly hollowed out at s for its reception; the mechanical action of these
parts do not, however; materially differ. To this axle is also adapted a small
stuffing box to prevent the escape of the lubricating matter from, and of the
entrance of dirt or grit to, the rubbing surfaces. This stuffing box is formed
by merely hollowing out a curved space or ring t, t, in the outer flange e of
the axle, and compressing the stuffing packed therein by means of an
annular plate u, u, by means of the screws v, v. All the other parts
represented in this Figure have been sufficiently explained in the preceding
description.
:
Having now specified the manner in which my improved metallic safety,
wheels and revolving axle may be carried into effective operation, I proceed to
state the nature and extent of my Invention therein, for which I claim the
privileges granted to me under the aforesaid Patent, videlicet :-
.'
I claim the general combination of parts by which I construct my improved
wheels. I separately claim the modes described of fastening the spokes to the
nave or centre and to the peripheral ring or felly; also the construction and
application of what I have denominated the protector, and the construction and
application of the hollow felly or peripheral ring.
In the revolving axle I claim the various parts described when in combi-
nation with the conical pivots or centres under both of their modification;
I claim also the various parts described in combination with. a stuffing, box; I
claim, separately considered, the conical pivots and centres and the stuffing box

page_text: under whatever other combinations they may be introduced into the axles of
carriage wheels.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ingledew, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-five.