IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND AXLE BOXES FOR LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS, TRAMWAYS, AND COMMON ROADS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Saint John Vincent Day, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND AXLE BOXES FOR LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS, TRAMWAYS,
AND COMMON ROADS."-A communication from abroad by Andrew Lischine,
and James Handyside, of St. Petersburgh, in the Empire of Russia,
Engineers.
Sealed the 10th January 1865, and dated the 12th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Saint John Vincent Day at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th July 1864.
.
I, SAINT JOHN VINCENT DAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND AXLE BOXES FOR
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS, TRAM-
WAYS, AND COMMON ROADS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a certain improved system of construction of
wheels employed for carrying the several vehicles used on railways, tramways,
or common roads. Each wheel consists of two central bosses of cast, wrought,
or malleable iron or steel, or any other suitable material forming the nave or
central portion of the wheel, and through the middle part of these bosses is
bored the hole for receiving the axle; the interior faces of the two bosses are
made flat or curved, and are kept at such a distance apart as to hold between
them two thin annular plates of iron, steel, or other suitable material; the

page_text: space betweed the plates increases gradually as the periphery of the wheel is
approached, where the opening is of sufficient width to allow of the passage of
the tyre between the two plates. The extremities of these two plates are
rounded off so as to form an annular, curved, or other shaped ring all round
the plate on its inner or outer sides, and the back portion of the tyre is made
of a counterpart form, with a raised ring all round it fitting into the annular
space on the interior of the plates. The central bosses and plates are bolted,
riveted, or screwed together, the result being a light and exceedingly strong
wheel. Between the interior of the tyre and that portion of the two plates
where their inner surfaces meet, there is left a space which it is preferred to
fill up with either wood, sawdust, or other material that may be an imperfect
conductor of sound. The advantages resulting from this form and construction
of wheel are great lightness combined with great strength, the preservation of
the tyre in a solid state, that is, free from either bolt or rivet holes, and a
great reduction of the noise usually produced by the running of wheels on a
line of railway, tramways, or common roads. Another advantage resulting
from this construction of wheel is the prevention of frequent accidents caused
by the fracture of tyres of wheels as at present in use, and even if the tyres in
this wheel should be broken in numerous pieces, they cannot leave it on
account of the powerful grip which the plates have on the tyre itself.
Another improvement according to this Invention consists in constructing
the axle boxes of locomotive engines, carriages, and other vehicles in such
manner that a constant circulation of water or other cooling liquid is main-
tained in their interior, and which communicates by conduction to their
working parts, and in this way lowers the temperature of the boxes and
journals, which without this arrangement would become heated by friction.
The water is caused to circulate by its own gravity in being alternately heated
and cooled. Each axle box of the vehicles may be cooled independently or
collectively as desired. The cooling liquid is either allowed to flow freely, or
it may be forced or drawn from the tender or other tank attached to the
vehicles that may at the time be in use. The cooling liquid is made to
circulate. in the axle boxes by helical passages being made in the axle box
itself, or instead of this arrangement a double passage is formed in the bush,
so that the liquid enters through one end of it, and returns to its source
through the other; by either of these arrangements a continuous circulation
of the liquid is maintained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Saint John Vincent Day in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, SAINT
JOHN VINCENT DAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Saint John Vincent Day, Her special license that I, the said
Saint John Vincent Day, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Saint John Vincent Day, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND AXLE BOXES FOR LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS, TRAMWAYS, AND
COMMON ROADS," a communication to me from abroad by Andrew Lischine and
James Handyside, of St. Petersburgh, in the Empire of Russia, Engineers,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Saint John Vincent Day,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, 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 Saint John Vincent Day, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a certain improved system of construction of
wheels employed for carrying the several vehicles used on railways, tramways,
or common roads. Each wheel consists of two central bosses of cast, wrought,
or malleable iron or steel, or any other suitable material forming the nave or
central portion of the wheel, and through the middle part of these bosses is

page_text: bored the hole for receiving the axle; the interior faces of the two bosses are
made flat or curved, and are kept at such a distance apart as to hold between
them two thin annular plates of iron, steel, or other suitable material. The
space between the plates increases gradually as the periphery of the wheel is
approached, where the opening is of sufficient width to allow of the passage of
the tyre between the two plates. The extremities of these two plates are
rounded off so as to form an annular, curved, or other shaped ring all round
the plate on its inner or outer sides, and the back portion of the tyre is made
of a counterpart form with a raised ring all round it, fitting into the annular
space on the interior of the plates. The central bosses and plates are bolted,
riveted, or screwed together, the result being a light and exceedingly strong
wheel. Between the interior of the tyre and that portion of the two plates
where their inner surfaces meet, there is left a space, which it is preferred to
fill up with either wood, sawdust, or other material that may be an imperfect
conductor of sound.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode, or manner under
which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference
being had to the figures upon the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I
have hereunto appended, and in which similar parts are indicated by corre-
sponding letters of reference, that is to say, in Figure 1 the lower half of the
wheel below the centre cross line a, a, is a front elevation, that part above the
line a, a, being a corresponding half section; Figure 2 is a section taken hori-
zontally in a transverse direction through the axis of the wheel.
In Figures 1 and 2 the bosses A are made of cast or wrought iron, or other
suitable material, their inner faces are faced so as to be parallel to one
another when put in position upon the wheel axle. Through these bosses A
several holes b are formed for the reception of the rivets B, which pass through
the bosses and disc plate C, forming the body of the wheel. On more par-
ticularly referring to Figure 2 the peculiar form of the plates C is more
plainly developed, and therein is also shown the form of section of the tyre D.
Upon referring to the Drawings it is at once obvious that a very light, elastic,
and cheap wheel is produced, it being preferred to make the tyre D of cast
iron, which, owing to this system of construction, is capable of being cast in a
chill in a state fit for use. The wheel herein-before referred to is capable of
many variations of form ; instead of using the disc plates of the form shown in
the Drawings, they may be corrugated either annularly or radially so as to
obtain a greater amount of elasticity. The space E between the plates C is
filled with sawdust or other material which is a low conductor of sound. The

page_text: advantages resulting from this form and construction of wheel are great
lightness combined with great strength, the preservation of the tyre in a solid
state, that is, free from either bolt or rivet holes, and a great reduction of the
noise usually resulting from the rolling of the wheels upon a line of railway,
on tramways, or on common roads; whilst another advantage resulting is the
prevention of accidents now frequently caused by the fracture of the tyres of
wheels; and if even under the herein-before described method of construction
the tyres should happen to get broken, the pieces cannot leave the wheel on
account of the powerful grip which the plates have on the tyre whether whole
or fractured.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or
restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements herein-before described
and referred to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the true principles and main features of my said Invention; but 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 general arrangement and mode of constructing wheels substantially
as herein-before described, or any mere modification thereof.
Second, the application of elastic sides or discs for the purpose of holding
the tyres of wheels, substantially as herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Saint John Vincent Day, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of January One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
ST. JOHN VINCENT DAY. (LS.)