IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FRICTION
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FRICTION."
-A communication from abroad by Jean Baptiste Delaye, Armand
Desiré, Etienne Paul Legrand, and Léon Pierson, all of Paris, in
the Empire of France.
Sealed the 10th June 1870, and dated the 15th December 1869..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th December 1869.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FRICTION,"
a communication to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Delaye, Armand
Desiré, Etienne Paul Legrand, and Léon Pierson, all of Paris, in the Empire
of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of or arrangement for reducing the
friction of the wheels of vehicles on their axles, and of revolving

page_text: journals generally in their bearings, and of other rubbing parts of
machinery, and consists, as applied to the wheels of vehicles or to
revolving journals, in the employment of a number of antifriction
rollers surrounding the journal or axle and provided with conical ends,
which conical ends serve as centres or pivots of rotation for the several
rollers and are confined between semicircular shaped annular grooves
formed at the opposite ends of the annular chamber or recess containing
the said rollers, or one of such grooves may be formed in a moveable
annular filling piece, which closes the open end of the annular chamber
and is secured in position by screws or otherwise. The annular chamber
or chambers may be made either entirely in the journal or axle or in the
bearing or axle box, or partly in both, or separate chambers may be made
in each, in which latter case two concentric series of antifriction rollers
would be employed. These chambers form also reservoirs for the
lubricating material, and one or more of them may be made in the
length of the journal. A shoulder or slight enlargement on the outer
end of the axle serves to steady the wheel thercon. In cases where both
ends of the annular chamber are formed in the solid metal without the
use of the removeable end ring a small opening may be left parallel to
the axle or journal for the introduction singly of the antifriction rollers
into the said annular chamber.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,

page_text: and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FRICTION," a communication
to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Delaye, Armand Desiré, Etienne
Paul Legrand, and Leon Pierson, all of Paris, in the Empire of France,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The said Invention relates to a mode of or arrangement for reducing
the friction of the wheels of vehicles on their axles, and of revolving
journals generally in their bearings, and of other rubbing parts of
machinery, and consists as applied to the wheels of vihicles or to
revolving journals in the employment of a number of antifriction rollers
surrounding the journal or axle and provided with conical ends, which
conical ends serve as centres or pivots of rotation for the several rollers
and are confined between semicircular shaped annular grooves formed
at the opposite ends of the annular chamber or recess containing the
said rollers, or one of such grooves may be formed in a moveable annular
filling piece which closes the open end of the annualar chamber and is
secured in position by screws or otherwise. The annular chamber or
chambers may be made either entirely in the journal or axle or in the
bearing or axle box, or partly in both, or separate chambers may be
made in each, in which latter case two concentric series of antifriction
rollers would be employed. These chambers form also reservoirs for the
lubricating material, and one or more of them may be made in the
length of the journal. A shoulder or slight enlargement on the outer

page_text: end of the axle serves to steady the wheel thereon. In cases where
both ends of the annular chamber are formed in the solid metal without
the use of the removeable end ring a small opening may be left parallel
to the axle or journal for the introduction singly of the antifriction
rollers into the said annular chamber.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose I shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents in longitudinal vertical section
one mode of mounting a wheel according to this Invention; Figure 2 is
a transverse section of the same; Figure 3 is an elevation on a larger
scale of one of the antifriction rollers; Figure 4 shews in vertical
section the application of this Invention to the ordinary "Patent axle
box," the rollers being inserted in the body of the box; Figure 5 is a
transverse section of the same; Figure 6 represents in longitudinal
vertical section a modification in which the antifriction rollers are set
in recesses made for that purpose in the axle; Figure 7 is a transverse
section of the same; Figure 8 shews in longitudinal vertical section an
arrangement in which two sets of antifriction rollers are employed,
one set being lodged in recesses in the box and the other set in recesses
made for that purpose in the axle; Figure 9 is a vertical section of the
same; and Figure 10 shews a method of applying this Invention to the
driving shafts of machinery generally.
a is a box (which may be of cast iron) for the reception of the axle;
b is an enlargement of the box a, corresponding to the recess made
therein for the reception of the antifriction rollers c; d is a metal ring
serving to enclose and hold the rollers c in the box a; this ring is
fastened to the box a by means screws e; the antifriction rollers c
are conical at their extremities, as shewn at f (Figure 3); g is the axle
spindle, on which is a shoulder for the purpose of preventing the
slipping of the wheel. In order to give to the box a which receives the
spindle or axle journal a uniform thickness as nearly as possible there is
cast upon the side of that part opposite the vehicle an enlargement b
corresponding to the recessed part which encloses the friction rollers c,
and which is for that purpose cut away to the required depth in order
that these latter may present to the interior of the box a slight projection

page_text: upon which the axle may bear. Or the rollers c may be fitted in without
projecting internally, as shewn at Figure 1, and the spindle g may be
slightly enlarged at that part. In order to facilitate the boring of this
part of the box a and the placing of the rollers the outer face of the
chamber has an annular recess turned therein, the space thus formed
being filled up by means of a ring d fixed upon the box either by means
of screws e or by causing a screw cut on its outside to screw into a
female screw, or by other suitable means. The internal surface of the
ring à has a semicircular groove formed therein similar to that which
forms the bottom or opposite end of the chamber; in these grooves the
slightly conical extremities fof the rollers c are inserted with a slight
play, which allows these rollers to turn freely and prevents them at the
same time from coming out of the receptacle when the spindle is with-
drawn in order to lubricate. It will be understood that. the chamber
thus formed in the box a forms a natural reservoir for the oil employed
for lubricating the parts subjected to friction. When the spindle g is of
conical form the interior of the box a and also the rollers c have a
corresponding conical form in the direction of their length in order that
the contact surfaces may work properly together. The spindle g has
also at its extremity a slight enlargement or shoulder of a diameter
nearly equal to that of the box a at that part which has for its object to
maintain in certain cases the position of the wheel.
This Invention allows of the "Patent axle boxes" generally employed
in carriages being dispensed with. In applying it to this class of
vehicles the arrangements represented at Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 may
be employed, in which the antifriction rollers are introduced into their
recesses by means of an opening made in the exterior side face of the
chamber which receives them, which opening is afterwards closed by
means of a screw or any metallic stopper.
In the arrangement represented at Figures 4 and 5 the box carries an
annular series of antifriction rollers at each of its extremities.
In the arrangement shewn at Figures 6 and 7 the recesses for the
reception of the rollers are made in the spindle.
In Figures 8 and 9 a double ring of antifriction rollers is shown rolling
upon each other, and set, the outer ones in the box, and the inner ones
in the spindle.
Fig. 10 represents the application of this Invention to a bearing or
brass in which a shaft turns, and inside which are arranged antifriction

page_text: rollers intended to reduce the friction produced by the rotation of the
shaft.
It will be understood that this Invention may be applied to all friction
surfaces-whatever may be their form and application.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be
used or carried into effect, I will observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The application and use of antifriction rollers provided with
conical ends working loosely in suitable chambers having simicircular
shaped annular guide grooves at their ends when arranged and combined
together, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second. The application and use of two concentric sets of the peculiarly
arranged antifriction rollers, substantially in the manner and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 8 and 9 of the
.Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day
of June One thousand eight hundred and seventy.