Improvements in or relating to Steering Gear for Motor Road Vehicles, Velocipedes, and like Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1900
Improvements in or relating to Steering Gear for Motor Road Vehicles,
Velocipedes, and like Vehicles.
A communication from ROBERT WATSON JAMIESON, of No. 36, Rowley Street,
Rochester, County of Monroe, State of New York, United States of America,
Engraver.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:
-
The present invention has for its object to provide a steering gear for veloci-
pedes and road vehicles, and particularly that class known as automobiles, whereby
the frame of the vehicle may be supported in a simple and efficient manner and
the steering wheels turned simultaneously on vertical centers falling within the
wheel-hubs and striking the ground at a point substantially coincident with the
points where the tires contact with it, so that the operation of steering may be
accomplished with the expenditure of the least amount of force and without un-
necessary wear upon the tires, all as will be hereinafter fully described, the novel
features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 indicates a plan view of a running gear for vehicles provided with the
improvements.
Figure 2, a front view of the same.
Figure 3, a sectional view of a modified form of axle support.
Figure 4, a perspective view of one of the wheel-hubs and the supporting and
steering device.
Figure 5, a vertical-sectional view of the same.
Figure 6, a perspective view of a modification.
Figure 7, a similar view showing a connection with the steering post or handle.
Figure 8, a detail view.
Similar reference letters in the different figures indicate similar parts.
The main frame of the vehicle to which this invention is applied may be of any
suitable construction, but it is preferable to employ a triangular frame composed
of the converging tubes or rods a, a connected at their forward ends by a coupling b
and at the rear end by a rod or tube c; the rear axle, indicated by d, being jour-
naled in the frame and provided with the supporting and driving wheels e.
f indicates the front axle pivoted upon a horizontal bolt or stud g at the apex of
the triangular frame so as to be capable of turning or tilting vertically.
At the outer ends, the axle f is provided with segmental guides or female
bearing members h in the form of channel-boxes having the overhanging flanges i,
as shown in Figure 5, said guides or bearings being adapted to receive corre-
spondingly-shaped male bearing members or plates, rigidly secured upon the
inner ends of the stud axles upon which the hubs of the front or steering

page_text: wheels m of the vehicle are mounted. These wheels may be of any suitable
construction and the bearings between them and the stud axles may be of any
form desired, but the usual antifriction balls are shown arranged between
bearing collars, and this is considered preferable for obvious reasons. The bearing
members and are formed or curved on ares struck from centers passing ver-
tically through the hubs of the wheels and substantially coincident with the
points where the wheel tires contact with the ground, and the stud axles are con-
nected for simultaneous operation by a connecting rod o pivotally attached at
opposite ends to arms p formed upon or attached to the movable bearing
members or to the stud axles, an operating connection, as a rod or link g, being
formed between one of said members and an arm r on a vertically-extending
steering-posts under the control of the operator, as usual in devices of this general
description.
The flanged connection between the curved male and female bearing members
simplifies the construction materially and enables the vehicle body and gear to be
entirely supported without the employment of other cooperating parts or con-
nections between the stud and main axles, and without employing wheels or hubs
of special construction, and the fact that the bearing members are curved on hori-
zontal arcs struck from vertical centers substantially coincident with the points
where the wheels contact with the ground, enables the operator to steer the
vehicle with a minimum exertion and without causing a side scraping of the
tires in turning, and also reduces the tendency to jerk or throw the wheels
laterally when one of them encounters an obstruction."
In order to confine any lubricating material within the female bearing member h
and to prevent the entrance of dust or dirt to the engaging surfaces, wipers are
preferably provided at opposite sides thereof, consisting of small plates holding
a piece of felt or similar material in position upon the edge of the male member,
as shown in Figure 8.
If desired to reduce the friction between the main and stud axle bearing
members, small conical antifriction rollers v may be employed between the parts,
as shown in Figure 3.
Although it is preferred to provide the male bearing member upon the stud
axle and the female bearing member upon the main axle, as in Figures 1, 3 and 5,
as it simplifies the construction, their positions could be reversed and curved male
members to could be secured to the main axle f, and correspondingly curved
female members he applied to the stud axles, the operating arms y for turning
the wheels being attached to the movable members on the stud axles, all as shown
in Figure 6.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:--
1. In a vehicle steering device, the combination with the main axle secured
to the vehicle frame and having upon its opposite extremities bearing members,
of short stud axles supported in the wheels and provided with cooperating
members engaging the former members and entirely supporting the main axle,
said members being located exteriorly of the wheel hubs and adapted when
moved relatively to cause the steering wheels to be turned upon vertical axes
falling within the hubs of the wheels."
2. In a vehicle steering device, the combination with a vehicle frame, of the
wheels and connections between the wheels and frame located exteriorly of the
wheel hubs for entirely supporting the frame, and guiding the wheels to turn in
substantially horizontal planes on circles struck from centers within the wheel-
hubs.
3. In a vehicle steering device, the combination with a vehicle frame, of the
wheels, the stud axles on which the wheels are mounted, and guiding and sup-
porting mechanism between the stud axles and support for entirely supporting

page_text: the frame located exteriorly of the wheel-hubs and operating to guide the stud
axles to turn in substantially horizontal planes on circles struck from centers
within the wheel-hubs.
4. In a vehicle-steering mechanism, the combination with a support having
segmentul bearing and supporting members thereon, of the wheels, the stud axles
on which they are mounted having the segmental bearing and supporting members
cooperating with the members on the support, said members being located ex-
teriorly of the wheel hub and described on curves concentric with vertical centers
extending through the wheel-hubs.
5. In a vehicle steering device, the combination with an axle provided upon its
ends with stationary segmental bearing and supporting members, of the wheels,
the stud axles on which they are mounted having the segmental and bearing
members operating and supported entirely upon the stationary bearing members,
said members being formed on horizontal curves struck from vertical centers
substantially coincident with the contacting points of the wheels with the ground.
6. In a steering device for vehicles, the combination with the support or vehicle
frame, the stud axles and the wheels thereon, of the cooperating bearing and
supporting members arranged between the support and stud axles embodying the
male and female members formed on curves extending in a horizontal plane and
struck from vertical centers substantially coincident with the contacting points
of the wheels with the ground.
7. In a steering device for vehicles, the combination with the vehicle frame
and the segmental bearing members thereon, of the wheels, the stud axles having
the curved bearing members fitting and movable upon the members on the frame
and entirely supporting the latter, said members being formed on horizontal
curves struck from vertical centers substantially coincident with the contacting
points of the wheels with the ground, the arms on the stud axles, and the rod con-
necting them for simultaneous operation.
8. In a vehicle steering mechanism, the combination with a vehicle frame, of
the wheels and stud axles therefor, the segmental male and female bearing and
supporting guides between the frame and stud axles arranged exteriorly of
the hubs and operating to entirely support the vehicle frame and guide the wheels
in turning.
Dated this 14th day of November 1800
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.