Improvements in and relating to Velocipedes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Velocipedes.
We, JAMES FORBES, of 623, Fulham Road, Fulham, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, and GEORGE PILKINGTON, of Earlsdon, Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows: —
This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of ball bearing
for the hubs and other parts of velocipedes, and it consists in mounting the cups
or female cones on the exterior of the barrel of the hub or case of the bearing
instead of in the interior, the object being to enable balls of a larger size to be
used without increasing the size of the hub.
In carrying this invention into practice the cups or female cones are screwed or
otherwise mounted on the exterior of the ends of the barrel or case of the bearing
and the male cones are mounted or formed on the axle or its equivalent in the
ordinary manner.
As is now the practice either the cups or cones on the hub or on the case of the
bearing or the cones on the axle or its equivalent may be made adjustable for
compensating for wear.
We, JAMES FORBES, of 623, Fulham Road, Fulham, in the County of Middlesex,
and GEORGE PILKINGTON, of Earlsdon, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
66
"
This invention relates to ball bearings, and it consists in mounting the female
discs on the exterior of the shell of the
cones or cups hereinafter called the
bearing instead of in the interior thereof, the object being to enable balls of a
larger size to be used and to improve the oil retaining qualities of the bearing.
In the accompanying drawing which shows-by way of illustration-this inven-
tion applied to the hubs of wheels:-
Figure 1 is a view-partly in section of a hub of a non-driving wheel,

page_text: Figure 2 is a view-partly in section of the hub of a driving wheel.
Figure 3 is a view-partly in section-showing a modification, and
Figure 4 is a broken view showing another modification.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The hub A of the wheel has extensions a a beyond the flanges a¹ which receive
the spokes. On the exterior of these extensions are mounted the discs B which are
preferably screwed thereon as shown by Figures 1, 2 and 3 or they may be made
a sliding fit thereon and fixed by transverse screws b as shown by Figure 4.
The lengths of the extensions a a are such that when the discs B, B, are fixed
there is a space between the ends of the extensions a, a, and the flanges of the discs
for the balls C, C, etc. to take a bearing.
If the discs B, B, are threaded on the extremities a, a, of the hub A right and
left hand threads are used so that the tendency of the hub when revolving as the
machine travels forwards is to tighten the discs on to the hub. To prevent the
discs unscrewing when the wheel is revolving in the reverse direction or when a
retarding action is applied to the wheel as in back pedalling the arrangement shown
by Figure 3 may be employed. In this construction the discs are split in one or
more places at their inner edges and their inner faces b¹ are bevelled so that when
they engage with coned recesses a² in the flanges a¹ of the hub as they are screwed
up their inner edges are constricted and are thus tightly jammed on to the threaded
extremities of the hub.
The adjustment of the bearings is obtained by one of the male cones E on the
axle F in the well-known manner.
In applying this invention to the driving wheels of cycles one of the discs is
utilised as a means of locking the chain wheel to the hub as shown by Figure 2.
The disc A on the driving wheel hub on the side of the hub carrying the chain
wheel D is formed with a small flange 6 which engages with the face of the chain
wheel and acts as a lock nut to the said wheel, the lock being obtained by reason
of the threads by which the chain wheel D is screwed on the extension of the hub
being of a different pitch to that by which the disc is mounted thereon.
Although this invention is herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawing as applied to the hubs of the wheels of velocipedes it is equally
applicable to the pedals and pedal-crank axle bracket.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
-
(1) The improvements in ball bearings substantially as herein described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
(2) In ball bearings for velocipedes mounting the discs on the exterior of the
shell of the bearing, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1897
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.