DIMINISHING FRICTION IN WHEEL CARRIAGES, WATER WHEELS, AND OTHER ROTARY PARTS OF MACHINERY
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SPONG, of Aylesford, in the County of Kent, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of August, in the eighth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Spong, His especial licence that I, the said William Spong, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Spong, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention for "DIMINISHING FRICTION IN
WHEEL CARRIAGES, WATER WHEELS, AND OTHER ROTARY PARTS OF MACHINERY;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William
Spong, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Spong, do hereby declare that my Invention consists in the application
of a certain roller formed and fixed in such manner as is herein-after described
for the purpose of abating or diminishing the friction that would otherwise
take place and occur between any revolving axles, spindles, or arbors, used in
machinery, whether the same be of the heavier kind, as in mill work or water
wheels, or of the lighter-kind, as in the wheels of carriages, and the holes,
bearings, or beds in which such axles, spindles, or arbors turn and are supported,
provided nevertheless that the strain or bearing upon such axles or spindles,
is principally on one side only, as in water wheels, and the axles of wheel
carriages, otherwise my said Invention is not applicable with the same
advantages, as I consider the use of my said Invention as more particularly
applicable to the axletrees of wheel carriages of every kind, and especially to
such as have to travel rapidly. I have illustrated its application to that
purpose in the annexed Drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a complete axletree
for two opposite wheels of any carriage, as the same appears when viewed
from the under side, and Fig. 2 is 'a'side view of the same axletree for a pair of
opposite wheels, the same letters of reference being used in all the Figures to
denote the same parts whenever they occur. The middle part of the axletrec,
from a to b, is formed'in 'the same manner as all axletrees generally are, and
may be round or square at pleasure, but "the two ends, from a to c and from
b to 'd, should be square, not only for the sake of fixing the said 'axlétree to tho
strings or bed of the carriage in the usual manner at the parts a and b, but
likewise for the facility of forming or 'fixing the other parts of my apparatus,
to be herein-after 'described. Instead of the arms of the axletree projecting
and passing through the boxes and naves of the wheels, as in the ordinary and
common manner of forming and fixing them, my improved axles are separate
and detached from the main tree c, a, b, d, as shown at the letters e, f, g, h,
and i, and likewise in its separate state, on 'double the scale of Figs. 1 and 2
at Fig. 3. The square part of the axle from 'e to 'f, and which may be made
square, octagonal, hexagonal, or in any polygonal shape, tapers, or is smaller
towards the end e than at its opposite extremity, and this part is "to "be firmly
driven into a hole prepared to fit and receive it exactly in the center of the
wheel to which it is to be fixed and applied, and it is afterwards held in its
place by a screw nut applied on to the screw at e, the end of which may be
then curved or not with an ornamental cap. f is an enlayed shoulder formed
upon the axle, and is for the wheel to 'béar against, and it is bevelled at its
back part to prevent friction or rubbing against the friction wheel or roller,
to be hereafter described. The parts g, h, and i of the axle are turned truly

page_text: if
cylindrical, and the part 9 must either be farmed of steel, or cased with steel,
or be case-hardened, which must also be the case with the shoulder formed by
the part h. being larger in diameter than the part g, and the same precaution
must be used with respect to, the end pivot i. For the purpose of receiving and
holding this axle in its place, a stud of iron projects at k from the under side
of the axletree, and has a steeled or case-hardened hole which correctly fits
and receives the extreme end pivot i of the axle, while its cylindrical part g
passes from underneath into a kind of fork c, l, formed at each end of the
axletree. to receive it, and which will be better seen at Fig. 4, which is an end
view of such axletree drawn to the same scale as Fig. 3; the opening m of this
fork Fig. 4 must be exactly equal to the diameter of the cylindrical part g,
and its sides should be steeled or case-hardened to prevent wear. Immediately
above the opening of this fork; and in continuation of the line of the axletree,
the steel pivot n projects to a sufficient distance to act as a pivot for the steel
or case-hardened roller o, which must be very truly turned and centered, and
of such a diameter as to extend over the space m, Fig. 4, to such a distance as
to catch or receive the cylindrical part 9 of the axle, instead of letting it come.
into contact with the top of the opening m, the consequence of which is
that the rubbing and friction that would take place upon or about g,
the axle was otherwise constructed, is nearly destroyed by the interposition of
the roller o, which bears down with the full weight of the carriage upon the
axletree; the wheel and axle are at the same time effectually prevented
from coming off by means of the shoulder upon h, and by that part being
larger in diameter than the width of the opening m; but in order to take off
and remove the wheel and axle when required, it is only necessary to raise
the axletree, when the cylindrical part 9 will fall out of the fork or opening
m. Such disengagement might however take place accidentally in travelling
upon rough roads, and in order to prevent it I cover the bottom of the fork
with a plate or cap shown at p, p, Fig. 4, its two ends being turned up and
fitted into cavities formed on. each side of the fork in order to prevent the
fork from opening or spreading. In the middle of this cap I fix a piece of
brass, hard wood, or wood covered with leather, as at r, to bear up the under
side of the axle against the roller or friction wheel o, and likewise to hold
the oil or other grease that may be applied to the axle, and this piece fills
up the whole space of the fork below the axle. This cap p, p, is held
in its place, and its block r may be made to press with more or less force
against the under side of the axle by the two screws 8, s, seen also in Fig. 1,
and also drawn as they would appear from underneath at Fig. 5 of half their.
real size. These. screws 8, 8, Fig. 5, are turned by their square heads t,t,

page_text: while the larger circular heads below the squares are notched to receive the
ends of the spring v, v, rivetted in its center part to the plate. By this means
the screws may be set to any degree of tightness without any chance of
their ever coming out or becoming loose by the jarring or motion of the
carriage. The cavities w, w, drilled into the metal of the axletree are for
containing oil, and they terminate in five holes leading to the two pivots
n and i, to distribute oil to those parts, and these oil chambers are closed with
air-tight screw caps, to prevent the waste of oil or its too rapid distribution.
These caps only require removal when the chambers are to be filled with oil.
When the axletree is in use and fixed to a carriage, I find it a necessary
precaution to case in the working parts to project them from dust and grit,
and this is effected by the thin metal cases or coverings x and y, Figs. 1 and 2.
The end b, d, of the axletree in both these Figures therefore represents its
appearance when boxed up for use, while the ends c, a, supposes those cases
removed, in order to show the internal construction.
The above description comprises the essence of my Invention, which may
be put into several different forms without disturbing its principles. Thus,
for example, I sometimes make the axle in the form shown at Fig. 6, where
greater strength is required, that is to say, the screw e, polygonal part from
e to f, and the collar fare the same as in Fig. 8; but instead of diminishing
the size of the cylindrical parting, upon which the friction roller or wheel o is
to act, I increase its size, as at 9 in Fig. 6, and I make a shoulder at f, and let
all the remaining part of the axle from h to i be of one uniform size; and
I terminate the end i in a square and afterwards with a screw, for receiving
first the washer A, which fits upon the square, and afterwards the screw nut B,
which has a hole through it, as well as through the screw it fits upon, to
receive a pin, in the manner of a common axletree, this precaution being used
to prevent the wheel coming off by accident; because, in this form of axle
the swell or shoulder h, Fig. 3, is dispensed with. A1 shows a front view of
the washer, and B 1 a similar view of the nut. When the form of axle shown
at Fig. 6 is adopted, no fork or opening like that in Fig. 4 is necessary, nor
will the cap p, p, or screws s, s, be required, but the whole may be forged in
one piece, leaving a simple round or rather oval hole for the part h, i, of the
axle to pass through, while the end i passes quite through the stud k, and the
nut B and washer A screws on behind it. This first hole is described as being
rather oval, because the axle must have a little play upwards and downwards,
but none sidewise. Indeed, from experiments I have lately tried, I find it
better to make this hole an oblong square, in order to receive a square block of
brass, case-hardened iron, or steel, which exactly fits it sidewise, but will allow

page_text: a little play upwards and downwards, in order that the cylindrical part 9 may
always take its proper bearing against the roller o. This square block of
metal has a round hole through it, which exactly fits upon the part of the
axle, and it comes out and is put in from the end of axletree, consequently it
can always be removed for cleaning or repairs when the wheel and axle are
taken off. The two upright sides of this block are made tapering, or else it
fits into a rebate made in the iron of the axletree, so that it cannot draw
through, but can only be taken out from the front, consequently the shoulder h
of the axle can be drawn to any degree of tightness to prevent any shaking or
rattling of the axle, by screwing the nut B to a greater or less extent. This
metal block is shown in its proper place at z; Fig. 6; and Z is a front view
and Z1, Z2, two top views of it, to shew the two forms above alluded to, of
tapering the sides or letting it slide or work in a groove or rebate. In all
cases it may be well to use thick leather collars upon the shoulders, to pre-
vent noise and the entrance of dust, as well as to obviate the two rapid escape
of the oil; and if the shoulders are well turned and made, and such leather
collars used, the whole distance between h and i, in Fig. 6, may be cased
in with their metal, to serve as a large reservoir for oil or grease in which
the axle itself may revolve, and which will contain a sufficient quantity for a
considerable time.
о
After this explanation of the application of my Invention to the axletrees
of carriages, little more need be said respecting its adoption to other purposes,
since the principal of any Invention is that of causing the revolving shaft,
axle, spindle, or arbor to turn upon a single friction wheel or roller, instead
of a fixed bearing, by maintaining it directly over or under the friction wheel
or roller, or otherwise as the particular case may require. Thus its appli-
tion to a water wheel must be the very reverse to that of a carriage; or the
friction wheel or roller must be under the gudgeon or axis, instead of above
it, as already described; because in a water wheel the wheel itself is the load
to be carried, while in carriages of all kinds the load lies above or hangs
from the axles, and consequently the friction rollers must be placed above
them.
Fig. 7 shews a perspective view of the manner of applying my Invention
to the gudgeon of a water wheel; but in this, as well as in the axletrees of
carriages, the forms and dispositions of parts may be varied to suit particular
cases or situations without deviating from the principles of my Invention,
which must be sufficiently understood from the description and examples
herein-before given; and consequently, as such alterations in form may be
necessary, still I claim the whole of them as secured to me by my herein-

page_text: before in part recited Patent, provided my principle of using a single roller,
disposed and operating as herein-before described, be retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Spong, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight