Improvements in or connected with Axle Trees for Auto-cars or Horseless Carriages.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1896-Accented, 30th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Axle Trees for Auto-cars or
Horseless Carriages.
We, CHARLES GAUTIER and XAVIER WEARLE Engineers, 185, Boulevard
Haussmann, Paris, in the Republic of France do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the samo is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention for improvements in or connected with axle trees for auto-cars or
horseless carriages, has for its object the suppression of the chains transmitting
movement to the whools of auto-cars; the several inconveniences arising from this
mode of connection such as breakage, stretching, wear etc. being well known.
In a carriage the two sides are symmetrical with respect to the axial plane. It
is therefore only necessary to show the hilt of the entire arrangement in the
drawing, the other half being identically the same.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation
showing one end of an axletree constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is
an elevation to a smaller scale, Fig. 3 is a plan, Fig. 4 is a section taken through
- Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an elevation of a locking pin and Fig. 6 is a section taken at
y-y Fig. 1.
The end a of the axle A enters the hub of the wheel and is securely fixed therein
aftor the manner of fixing steel bushes in hubs by wing pieces B B B (Figs. 1 and 3)
forming part of the axle and boing embedded in the wood; when the axle turns
tho wheel thus follows the movement. To prevent the wheel from accidentally
coming off the axle when running, a nut formed with a wide projection or flange a
is screwed up tight against the end of the hub and then keyed. The hub is thus
clamped between this nut and the collar D. It is known that in carriage building
it is usual to give some inclination to the wheels so that they may rotate in a plane
perpendicular to the roads and also because in this way they are more rigid. Our
system allows of this arrangement. The axle rotates in a box E' E' E", connectod
to the other (that on the other side of the carriage) by a bar F (Fig. 3) which is
curved in order that it may clear the various parts fixed on the axle. The two boxes
thus form a rigid whole and support the springs of the carriage, at each end, by
means of a slipper G G (Figures 2 and 3) carried on the box, Fig. 2 clearly shows
this arrangemont. The plaue of the upper face of the slipper is necessarily borizontal
and forms with the axis of the box nn auglo determined by the inclination of the wheel.
The extremity b of the axle, where it leaves the box, has a flattened surface in order
to carry with it in its movement a sleeve H adjusted above and shown in section in
the axis. We have arranged this sleeve to receive the brake which will thus be
situated inside the springs a position which enables the parts thereof to bo concealed,
it carries also as will be seen on the drawing an annular concave surface for ball
bearings, the adjustment of which is effected by means of the nuts I I. Furtner-
more it projects to c to receive the spherical head d of the rod J the object of which
is to transmit the movement communicated to it by the motor. The head d is turned
with a diameter equal to the internal diameter of the sleeve. To effect the movomont
of the latter and of the axle, a pin L L L (Figs. 1, 5 and 6) having a shoulder
to regulato its penetration, projects into the rod, which is bored for this purpose, and
forms a projection at each side. Each projecting part is squared up so as to have
only the width of the grooves e e e el (Figs. 1 and 4) made for their passage into

page_text: the interior of the sleeve. It will be seen that once engaged in these grooves, against
the bottom of which they abut, these projections will impart to the sleove the
movement of rotation of the rod J whilst still allowing the sleeve the power of
inclination with respect to tho axles, in all directions necessitated either by the
inclination of the wheels or the flexibility of the springs, it being understood that the
motor is or may be suspended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, wo declare that what we
⚫claim is :
1. The axletree, with wing pieces actuating the wheel through the hub, whether
the latter be of wood or whether the axle and the hub form one and the sanie piece.
2. The arrangement of the boxes each forming a slipper and connected one to the
other in the manner described.
3. The joint connecting the wheel axle to the driving axle which receives its power
from the motor substantially as described.
4. The brake sleeve connecting the wheel axle and the driving axle arranged and
constructed substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
5. The improvements in or connected with axletrees substantially as described
with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 18th day of November 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.