IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO AXLES AND OTHER RE- VOLVING SHAFTS OR SPINDLES, AND TO THE LUBRICATION OF THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINERY IN MOTION
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martyn John Roberts, of the City of Bath, Esquire.
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO AXLES AND OTHER RE-
VOLVING SHAFTS OR SPINDLES, AND TO THE LUBRICATION OF THE SAME AND
OTHER MACHINERY IN MOTION."
Scaled the 7th October 1876, and dated the 11th April 187
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martyn John Roberts at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th April 1876.
MARTYN JOHN ROBERTS, of the City of Bath, Esquire. "IMPROVEMENTS APPLI-
CABLE TO AXLES AND OTHER REVOLVING SHAFTS OR SPINDLES, AND TO THE
LUBRICATION OF THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINERY IN MOTION."
The object of my Invention is to enable the journals or other part moving on
bearings of axles, shafts, spindles, and other machinery in motion to be lubricated
in a better manner than hitherto, and thereby prevent the heating of the journals
and bearings, and at the same time to keep dust or dirt therefrom.
My Invention chiefly consists in fitting within the box or reservoir of lubricant,
in which the journal of the axle, shaft, or spindle revolves, a sleeve or socket running
upon or in a bearing and passing through an aperture in the side of the box or in a
collar or bearing within the box or reservoir which it fits as closely as may be.
The journal or end of the axle is received within this sleeve, and sometimes, as in
the case of railway axles, it may be free to move therein endwise, vertically and
laterally, but the axle cannot revolve without turning the sleeve with it.
In combination with such sleeve or socket I employ an axle box or reservoir,
which is as far as is practicable air-tight, except where the sleeve passes through
it and where an opening is made for filling it with a lubricant, such opening being
provided with a tap or other means of closing it. As the lubricating matter in the
box does not come in contact with the journal or axle (the sleeve or socket being
closed at one end, as in the case of railway axles), and is therefore not subjected
to the effects of the endlong or other motions of the axle, except the rotary motion
of the sleeve or socket, it is not liable to escape through the aperture by which the
axle or the sleeve enters the box, as is the case with boxes of ordinary construction.
I am thus enabled to employ water, oil, or other liquid lubricant and to immerse
the sleeve therein, the sleeve is thus perfectly lubricated and it cannot possibly
[Price 6d.]

page_text: become heated; and further, the liquid itself acts as a stop to prevent the entrance
of dust or dirt.
Sometimes I substitute for the sleeve or socket, which is within the axle box
or reservoir and acts as a sort of loose journal as before described, a solid shaft or
journal, and I make the axle to move on or in this shaft or journal outside the box
or reservoir, the said shaft always revolving with the axle.. Sometimes also in
order to obstruct the escape of the liquid lubricant from the box around the sleeve
or solid shaft or journal I fix upon the sleeve, shaft, or journal a disc which bears
against or near to the inside of the box, and I form radial grooves upon that face
of the disc which bears against or near the box. Any liquid which may get between
the disc and the box will enter the grooves and be in great measure ejected back
into the body of the box owing to the centrifugal force due to the revolution of
the disc.
In cases where the journal, spindle, or other moving part does not revolve entirely,
or only revolves once or twice in one direction and then returns, or in other words
vibrates or reciprocates, I confine the lubricant within the reservoir or about the
bearing by fixing a flexible material, such as india-rubber, both to the reservoir and
to the journal or other moving part.
When water, or other liquid which may oxidize the metal journal or bearing, is
used as a lubricant I attach to this metal another which is electro-positive or more
easily oxidized than the one to be preserved from rust, by which connection I
prevent in great measure the oxidation of the said journal or bearing. In order to
prevent the water or other lubricant from being frozen I add thereto a portion of
glycerine or other material having the effect desired:
In order also to avoid any strain upon the sleeve caused by the motion of the
axle journal within it I sometimes place a stop upon the axle box itself, which stop
being in proper connection with the axle prevents this from leaving the sleeve or
acting injuriously upon it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Martyn John Roberts in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
October 1876.
MARTYN JOHN ROBERTS, of the City of Bath, Esquire. "IMPROVEMENTS APPLI-
CABLE TO AXLES AND OTHER REVOLVING SHAFTS OR SPINDLES, AND TO THE
LUBRICATION OF THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINERY IN MOTION."
The object of my Invention is to enable the journals or other part moving on
bearings of axles, shafts, spindles, and other machinery in motion to be lubricated
in a better. manner than hitherto, and thereby prevent the heating of the journals
and bearings, and at the same time to keep dust or dirt therefrom.
My Invention chiefly consists in fitting within the box or reservoir of lubricant,
in which the journal of the axle, shaft, or spindle revolves, a sleeve or socket run-
ning upon or in a bearing and passing through an aperture in the side of the box
or in a collar or bearing within the box or reservoir which it fits as closely as may
be. The journal or end of the axle is received within this sleeve, and sometimes,
as in the case of railway axles, it may be free to move therein endwise, vertically
and laterally, but the axle cannot revolve without turning the sleeve with it.
In combination with such sleeve or socket I employ an axle, box or reservoir,
which is as far as is practicable air-tight, except where the sleeve or journal passes
through and where an opening is made for filling it with a lubricant, such opening
being provided with a tap or other means of closing it. As the lubricating matter
in the box does not come in contact with the journal or axle (the sleeve or socket
being closed at one end, as in the case of railway axles, or passing through both sides
of the reservoir of lubricant in some other cases), and is therefore not subjected to the

page_text: effects of the endlong or other motions of the axle, except the rotary motion of the
sleeve or socket, it is not liable to escape through the aperture by which the axle
journal or the sleeve enters the box, as is the case with boxes of ordinary construc-
tion. I am thus enabled to employ water, oil, or other liquid lubricant and to
immerse the sleeve therein, the sleeve is thus perfectly lubricated and it cannot
possibly become heated; and further, the liquid itself acts as a stop to prevent the
entrance of dust or dirt.
Sometimes I substitute for the sleeve or socket, which is within the axle box or
reservoir and acts as a sort of loose journal as 'before described, a solid shaft or
journal, and I make the axle to move on or in this shaft or journal outside the box
or reservoir, the said shaft always revolving with the axle. Sometimes also in
order to obstruct the escape of the liquid lubricant from the box around the sleeve
or solid shaft or journal I fixed upon the sleeve, shaft, or journal a disc or ring
which bears against or near to the inside of the box, and I form radial grooves
upon that face of the disc which bears against or near the box. Any liquid which
may get between the disc and the box will enter the grooves and be in a great
measure ejected back into the body of the box owing to the centrifugal force due
to the revolutions of the disc.
Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawings represent by way of example a railway
axle box provided with a sleeve or socket to receive the journal of the axle in
accordance with my Invention as herein-before described. A, A, is the axle box,
which is made as air-tight as practicable; B, B, are the bearings or brasses; C is the
sleeve or socket which runs upon the bearings B, B, and passes through an aperture
in the side of the box A, which it fits as closely as may be; its inner end is closed.
D is the journal or end of the axle, it is received within the sleeve C, and is free to
move therein endwise, but it cannot revolve without the sleeve, because there is a
feather E on the sleeve which takes into a longitudinal groove or recess F in the
journal; G is the hole through which the lubricant is supplied, this hole being closed
by a suitable stopper. It will be readily understood that as the lubricant does not
come in contact with the journal D it is not subjected to the effects of the endlong
motion of the axle, and is not therefore liable to escape through the aperture by
which the sleeve C, or the axle enters the box A, and that consequently liquid
lubricant can be used in the box, and the sleeve C can be immersed therein.
sleeve is thus perfectly lubricated and cannot get heated, and the liquid itself acts
as a stop to prevent the entrance of dust and dirt.
The
Figure 3 represents the modification herein-before described, in which a solid shaft
or journal is substituted for the sleeve C within the box A, the journal or axle D
being fitted to the shaft C outside the box. Similar letters of reference indicate cor-
responding parts to those in Figures 1 and 2. H shews the disc or ring on the shaft C,
and bearing against or near to the inside of the box A to obstruct the escape of the
liquid lubricant from the box around the said shaft. This disc or ring has radial
grooves upon that face which bears against or is next the box, so that any liquid
which may get between the disc and the box will enter the grooves and be in great
measure ejected by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the disc back into the
body of the box.
In order to avoid any strain upon the sleeve caused by the motion of the axle
journal within it a stop may be placed upon the sleeve on the outside of the axle
box, which stop being in proper connection with the axle prevents this from leaving
the sleeve or acting injuriously upon it.
In cases where the journal, spindle, or other moving part does not revolve
entirely, or only revolves once or twice in one direction and then returns, or in other
words, vibrates or reciprocates, I confine the lubricant within the reservoir or about
the bearing by fixing a flexible material, such as india-rubber, both to the reservoir
and to the journal or other moving part.
Figure 4 is a section representing this means of confining the lubricant within
the reservoir or box, or about the bearing in cases where a journal, spindle, or
other moving part vibrates or reciprocates. A is the reservoir, B the bearing or
•

page_text: brass, and D the reciprocating journal. I is a collar or sleeve of india-rubber
or other suitable flexible material fixed both to the box A and to the journal D.
When water or other liquid which may oxidize the metal journal or bearing is
used as a lubricant there may be attached to this metal another zinc for example
which is electro-positive, or more easily oxidized than the one to be preserved from
rust, by which connection the oxidation of the said journal or bearing will be
in a great measure prevented.
In order to prevent the water or other lubricant from being frozen a portion of
glycerine may be added thereto.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim-
First. Fitting the ends or journals of axles or other revolving or vibrating shafts
or spindles in or to a sleeve or socket or loose journal situated within or partly
within the box or reservoir of lubricant, substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before described and represented in Figures, 1, 2, and 3 of the accompany-
ing Drawings.
Secondly. I claim as means of lubricating axles and other revolving or vibrating
shafts or spindles a box or reservoir for the lubricant made as air-tight as is prac-
ticable, in combination with a sleeve or socket or loose journal situated within or
partly within the said box or reservoir, substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before described and represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Thirdly. I claim the use of a disc or ring (H) on the sleeve socket or journal
within the box or reservoir, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described and represented in Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly. I claim as means of lubricating journals, spindles, and other parts
which have a vibrating or reciprocating motion a box or reservoir for the lubricant
having a flexible material for confining the lubricant, arranged substantially as
herein-before described and represented in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martyn John Roberts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-six.
T DADRAMA
MARTIN J. ROBERTS. (L.D.)