Improvements in Axles and Axle-boxes for Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Axles and Axle-boxes for Carriages and other
Vehicles.
I, ALFRED WILLIAM KNIGHT, of Cuckfield, in the County of Sussex,
Ironmonger and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to axles and axle-boxes for road carriages or vehicles and
especially to axles and axle-boxes of the kind known as Collinge's. In such axles
there is employed a leather washer supported at its rear side by a shoulder upon
the axle and adapted upon its other side to have the adjacent face of the axle-box
in contact therewith. In practice this leather washer soon becomes worn to such
an extent as to allow oil to escape and to admit dust and furthermore when such
collar is worn the wheel, having a certain amount of lateral play upon the axle,
thumps against the said washer and against the collet or cone on the outer end of
the axle.
Now the object of my invention is to construct the axle and axle-box in such a
manner that the latter is always held in position upon the axle between two metallic
surfaces, and at the same time to provide washers to prevent the escape of oil and
the admission of dust.
According to my invention I make the shoulder of the axle of a less diameter
than the end surface of the axle-box and place a washer of leather or other
suitable material around this shoulder adapted to hear against that portion of the
adjacent surface of the axle-box against which the metal shoulder does not bear.
This washer is preferably supported behind by a metal plate acted upon by a spiral
spring or springs so that it shall always be held in close contact with the axle box
to prevent the escape of oil and the entrance of dust. The axle box at the outer
end is held in position upon the axle by means of a collet or coue which is
preferably secured in position upon the axle by means of a conical nut fitted within
it and screwed onto the axle. The usual cap in this case is preferably screwed onto
the exterior of the collet.
In some cases instead of forming the shoulder adjacent to the inner face of the
axle-box it may be formed near the outer end of the axle, in which case a collar on
the axle-box runs between the shoulder and the collet. In both of the above
arrangements a spring or other washer is arranged around the collet and the nut
which secures the axle-box in the hub is preferably made in one piece with the
stock-hoop.
My improved axle and axle box is very advantageously used in conjunction
with the step described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to me
No. 13928 of 1890.
I advantageously employ in conjunction with my improved axle and axle-box a
lubricator attached to the axle behind the axle-box and connected by a suitable
passage with the groove in the axle.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Axles and Axle-boxes for Carriages and other
Vehicles. :
1.
I, ALFRED WILLIAM KNIGHT, of "Cuckfield, in the County of Sussex,
Ironmonger and Engineer, 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:
My invention relates to axles and axle-boxes for road carriages or vehicles and
especially to axles and axle-boxes of the kind known as Collinge's. In such axles
there is employed a leather washer supported at its rear side by a shoulder upon
the axle and adapted upon its other side to have the adjacent face of the axle-box
in contact therewith. In practice this leather washer soon becomes worn to such
an extent as to allow oil to escape and to admit dust and furthermore when such
collar is worn the wheel, having a certain amount of lateral play upon the axle,
thumps against the said washer and against the collet or cone on the outer end of
the axle.
Now the object of my invention is to construct the axle and axle-box in such a
manner that the latter is always held in position upon the axle between two metallic
surfaces, and at the same time to provide washers to prevent the escape of oil and
the admission of dust.
According to my invention I place a washer of leather or other suitable material
within the shoulder of the axle adapted to bear against that portion of the adjacent.
surface of the axle-box against which the metal shoulder does not bear. This
washer is preferably supported behind by a metal plate or ring acted upon by a
spiral spring or springs so that it shall always be held in close contact with the
axle-box to prevent the escape of oil and the entrance of dust. The axle-box at
the outer end is held in position upon the axle by means of a collet or cone which
is preferably secured in position upon the axle by means of a nut fitted against or
within it and screwed onto the axle. The usual cap in this case is preferably
screwed onto the exterior of the collet or within the axle-box.
In some cases instead of forming the shoulder to take the wear adjacent to the
inner face of the axle-box it may be formed near the outer end of the axle, in
which case a projecting collar in the axle-box runs between the shoulder and the
collét.
My improved axle and axle-box are very advantageously used in conjunction
with the step described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to
ine No. 13928 of 1890, in which arrangement a spring or other washer is arranged
around the collet.
Iadvantageously employ in conjunction with my improved axle and axle-box a
lubricator attached to the axle behind the axle-box and connected by a suitable
passage with the groove in the axle.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a carriage axle and an axle-box
provided with my improvements; and,
..
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively an elevation and a section of a detail of the
same:
Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 1 but illustrating a modification of my
invention :
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of part of a carriage axle and axle-box
illustrating. my improvements in conjunction with the step described in the said
former Specification :
7.2
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section shewing my improvements applied to a military
axle; and,

page_text: Figure is a detail of the same :
Figure 8 is a longitudinal section shewing the construction of the parts at the
outer end of a waggon axle having my improvements applied thereto :
Similar reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
a is the axle, the axle-box, c the shoulder on the axle, d the leather washer
for forming an oil-tight joint between such shoulder and the end of the axle-box,
the collet or cone, and the usual cap or nut, both being on the outer end of the
axle.
:
Referring to Figure 1, is the metal plate or ring which I employ for keeping
the washer d in close contact with the end of the axle-box, the said ring being,
shewn detached in Figures 2 and 3. The ring g together with the washer dis
located in a recess in the shoulder c, thus leaving a portion of the said shoulder
bearing against the axle-box to take up wear. The ring g is advantageously
provided with pins engaging in holes in the shoulder and with springs.
surrounding the said pins and serving to press the said ring and thereby the
washer against the end of the axle-box whereby the oil is prevented from
escaping and at the same time undue wear of the said washer is prevented by reason
of the wear being taken up by the portion of the shoulder e bearing against the,
end of the axle-box b as above described.
h¹
To prevent the ring from being forced away from the shoulder by the;
springs I advantageously provide it with an additional pin h having a notch with
which a screw 2 screwed into the shoulder c engages, the notch being sufficiently.
wide to allow the ring g to press the washer d forward a certain distance.
k is the nut which advantageously employ screwed onto the axle a to secure
the collet e in position against the outer end of the axle-box, the said box being
recessed to receive it as shewn and also to receive the cap f. is a nut for locking
the nut k in position.
m is the lubricator for lubricating the axle, the said lubricator being advan-
tageously screwed into the shoulder c and connected to the usual oil groove n in the
axle by a passage o.
p, Figure 4, is the projecting collar within the axle-box which I employ when I
form the shoulder (indicated by the letter c) to take the wear at the outer end of
the axle, the spring washer d being located between the shoulder c and the inner
end of the axle-box as in Figure 1. The said collar is located between the said
shoulder c' and the collet e, the latter being prevented from turning on the axle by
engaging a groove a' thereon. By this arrangement I am enabled to employ a
parallel axle-box whereby the same can be more casily fitted into and wedged in
the hub of a wheel, flanges 9, 9 screwed onto the ends of the said box and held by
screws, serving to secure the said box and wedges in position.
When using a step of the kind described in my said former Specification, I
employ the washer s, Figure 5, around the collet between the end of the axle-box
and an enlargement of the said collet carrying the step. The washers which is
preferably of leather is advantageously provided with a spring-ring similar to the
ring g at the shoulder c whereby leakage of oil is prevented.
When using my improvements in conjunction with military axles as shewn in
Figure 6 I provide a spring washer d at the shoulder and the usual collar e (shewn
detached in Figure 7) with a washer and spring-ring similar to that used in the
shoulder c to prevent leakage of oil and I make a portion of the axle outside the
axle-box and immediately adjacent to the latter parallel to carry the collar and
spring washer, the said collar having notches t, with which the linch-pin u engages
as shewn whereby the said collar is prevented from revolving on the axle.
As the application of my improvements as hereinbefore described does not in any
way alter the form of the part of the axle upon which the wheel rotates it is.
obvious that wheels upon axles adapted to be greased can in case of necessity be
interchanged with the wheels upon my improved axle.
When my improvements are applied to waggon axles I advantageously arrange

page_text: a uute to screw onto the end of each axle as shewn in Figure 8, a pin & held by a
set-screw w being used to secure each nut in position, the said pin passing through
one of the notches made in the flats of the nut. The nut on the right hand axle
looking towards the horse has a right hand thread and the nut on the other end a
left hand thread in the usual manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination with a carriage or other axle, with or without the usual
collet and washer, of a metallic shoulder provided with a spring or other washer
substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
2. The combination with a carriage or other axle having the usual shoulder, of
a spring-washer and an axle-box having an internal collar arranged between a
shoulder on the axle and the usual collet, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a carriage or other axle of the kind described of a
lubricator connected to the axle behind the axle-box, substantially as set forth.
4. The modification of the arrangement described in the second claiming clause
wherein the collet is formed with a step and provided with a spring-washer between
the said collet and the outer end of the axle-box, substantially as described and
illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawing.
5. The improvements relating to axles and axle-boxes hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 15th day of January 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.