Improvements in Locking the Adjustable Parts of Ball Bearings and Ball Bearing and other Heads of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locking the Adjustable Parts of Ball Bearings
and Ball Bearing and other Heads of Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes.
I GEORGE MABBUTT of Mayfield Villas Avenue Road Acocks Green in the
County of Worcester Machinist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My improvements have reference to the adjustable bearing cones of ball bearings
and parts connected with the said bearing coues and consist of the devices or com-
bination of parts hereinafter described for locking the said adjustable ball bearing
cones on their axles and my improvements in ball bearing and other heads have
reference to a device for locking the central head pins of the same as hereinafter
described.
My improvements are applicable principally to crank axles bottom brackets for
front and back wheel hubs and pedals and the top central pins of ball bearing
heads.
My improvements in locking the bearing cones of ball bearings are as follows:
Instead of making the outer side of the bearing cone flat as usual 1 make the said
onter side conical and either concave or convex and I use with the said outer
conical part of the bearing cone a sliding conical washer coned internally or
externally to fit upon or within the said outer conical part of the bearing cone; or I
use the equivalent parts herein after described.
In applying my improvements to the rotating crank axles of velocipedes of the
safety type where the bearing cones are locked to and rotate with the axles I form
the bearing cone as usual but beyond the milled collar at the outer face of the cone
by which it is adjusted on the axle I form a projecting conical shoulder of less.
diameter than the principal bearing cone and I use a hollow or internally coned
washer to fit upon the outer conical shoulder described. This conical washer has.
internal flats for fitting upon corresponding flats on the screwed part of the crank
axle so that while it is capable of sliding on the crank axle it is prevented from
turning thereon.
By means of a screw nut on the crank axle the hollow conical sliding washer is
advanced to and made to bear firmly upon and grip the outer conical part or
shoulder on the bearing cone and the said bearing cone is securely locked to the
crank axle.
When the outer conical part or shoulder of the bearing cone is made concave
instead of convex the sliding conical washer is made convex to fit into the internally
coned outer part of the bearing cone.
In applying my improvements to the stationary axles of wheel hubs I use bearing
cones having the outer convex or concave coned parts hereinbefore described but
the fixing conical washers are situated in the open ends of the forks supporting the
stationary axle and secured by locking nuts at the front of the forks.
Or instead of using independent loose conical washers for taking upon the conical
outer parts of the bearing cones the eye ends of the supporting forks may be used
for that purpose; that is to say the eye end of the fork is coned out and the screw
nut besides fixing the fork on the end of the axle also serves to advance the
internally coned eye end of the fork upon and lock it to the bearing cone so as to
fix the latter securely on the axle. Or the chain adjusters sometimes fixed on the
axles may be used for the same purpose. In this case those faces of the chain
adjusters turned towards the hub flanges are internally coned for taking upon and
gripping the outer coned parts of the bearing cones; the screw nuts which serve to

page_text: fix the forks upon the axle also serve to fix the chain adjusters, internally coned
upon the bearing cones and axle.
The conical washers whether convex or concave may be made in two parts the
one part having a conical figure and the other unconed. The screw nut is made
conical on its inner face and engages with the cone in or on the first named part of
the washer pins on the said part of the washer taking into holes in the bearing conc
or pins on the bearing cone engaging in slots in the washer.
By the use of these-improvements the locking devices can be adjusted with the
greatest nicety and the defects attending the fixing of the bearing cones of ball
bearings by the use of the ordinary arrangements are avoided and the axle can be
mounted either right handed or left handed.
In locking the pins of ball bearing and other heads I use on the top central screw
piu a conical washer and I provide at the top of the head an internal conical seat
for the conical periphery of the washer to seat itself upon the said conical washer
being pressed and held to its seat by a screw nut working on the projecting end of
the central screw pin.
Dated the 25th day of June 1891.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locking the Adjustable Parts of Ball Bearings
and Ball Bearing and other Heads of Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes.
1, GEORGE MABBUTT, of Mayfield Villas, Avenue Road, Acock's Green, in the
County of Worcester, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My improvements have reference to the adjustable bearing cones of ball bearings
and parts connected with the said bearing cones; and consist of the devices or com-
binations of parts hereinafter described for locking the said adjustable ball bearing
cones on their axles and my improvements in ball bearing and other heads have
reference to a device for locking the central head pins of the same as hereinafter
described.
My improvements are applicable principally to crank axles, bottom brackets for
front and back wheel hubs and pedals, and the top central pins of ball bearing
heads.
My improvements in locking the bearing cones of ball bearings are as follows:
Instead of making the outer side of the bearing cone flat as usual I make the said
outer side conical and either concave or convex, and I use with the said outer
conical part of the bearing cone a sliding conical washer coned internally or
externally to fit upon or within the said outer conical part of the bearing cone; or 'I
use the equivalent parts hereinafter described.
In applying my improvements to the rotating crank axles of velocipedes of the
safety type, where the bearing cones are locked to and rotate with the axles, I form
the bearing cone as usual, but beyond the milled collar at the outer face of the
cone, by which it is adjusted on the axle, I form a projecting conical shoulder of
less diameter than the principal bearing cone and I use a hollow or internally coned
washer to fit upon the outer conical shoulder described. This conical washer has
internal flats for fitting upon corresponding flats on the screwed part of the crank
axle so that while it is capable of sliding on the crank axle it is prevented from
turning thereon. By means of a screw nut on the crank axle the hollow conical
sliding washer is advanced to and made to bear firmly upon and grip the outer
conical part or shoulder on the bearing cone and the said bearing cone is securely
locked to the crank axle.

page_text: When the outer conical part or shoulder of the bearing cone is made concave
instead of convex, the sliding conical washer is made convex to fit into the internally
coned outer part of the bearing cone
In applying my improvements to the stationary axles of wheel hubs I use bearing
cones having the outer convex or concave coned parts hereinbefore described but
the fixing conical washers are situated in the open ends of the forks supporting the
stationary axle and secured by locking nuts at the front of the forks. Or instead
of using independent loose conical washers for taking upon the conical outer parts
of the bearing cones, the eye ends of the supporting forks may be used for that
purpose; that is to say, the eye end of the fork is coned out and the screw nut
besides fixing the fork on the end of the axle also serves to advance the internally
coned eye end of the fork upon and lock it to the bearing cone so as to fix the latter
securely on the axle. Or the chain adjusters sometimes fixed on the axles may be
used for the same purpose. In this case those faces of the chain adjusters turned
towards the hub flanges are internally coned for taking upon and gripping the outer
coned parts of the bearing cones; the screw nuts which serve to fix the forks upon
the axle also serve to fix the chain adjusters, internally coued, upon the bearing
cones and axle.
The conical washers, whether convex or concave, may be made in two parts, the
one part having a conical figure and the other unconed. The screw nut is made
conical on its inner face and engages with the come in or on the first named part of
the washer, pins on the said part of the washer taking into holes in the bearing
cone or pins on the bearing cone engaging in slots in the washer.
In locking the pins of ball bearing and other heads use on the top central
screw pin a conical washer and I provide at the top of the head an internal
conical seat for the conical periphery of the washer to seat itself upon, the said
conical washer being pressed and held to its seat by a screw-nut working on the
projecting end of the central screw pin.
1 will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section the rotating crank axle of a safety
bicycle or other velocipede, the adjustable parts of the ball bearing of the said axle
being locked according to my invention.
Figure 2 represents the conical washer of the locking parts detached.
a is the rotating crank axle supported in the fixed bottom bracket or bearing of
the velocipede as usual; is the fixed bearing cone on the crank axle a; and d is the
adjustable bearing cone screwed on the screwed end of the crank axle and locked
to and rotating with the axle. The outer side of the adjustable bearing cone dis
made conical internally or has a conical concave seat at e for receiving the externally
coned or convex washer (shown separately in Figure 2) sliding on the screwed
end a² of the axle. It will be seen by referring to Figure 2 that the washer has
internal fats, f for fitting upon corresponding flats on opposite sides of the
screwed end of the axle so that while the said washer is capable of sliding on the
axle it is prevented from turning on the axle. After the adjustable bearing cone d
has been advanced to its place on the end a² of the axle by screwing it on the said
axle, the sliding externally coned washer is advanced to and made to fit upon the
internally coned scat e of the bearing cone d. By means of the screw nut y
bearing against the front of the coned washer it is held firmly to its seat e
in the bearing cone and the latter thereby locked very securely to the crank
axle.
Figure 3 represents in elevation (partly in section) the adjustable ball bearing of
a crank axle in which the front locking part of the hearing cone is made convex
instead of concave and
Figure 4 represents the sliding conical washer used with the arrangement repre-
sented in Figure 3.
In this arrangement the outer face of the bearing cone d has a projecting conical
shoulder h of less diameter than the bearing cone and the sliding washer i (having

page_text: internal flats) is hollow or internally coned to fit upon the projecting conical
shoulder of the bearing cone. The hollow or internally coned washer is
advanced to and made to bear upon and grip the outer conical part or conical
shoulder by means of the screw nut g so as to securely lock the bearing cone d to
the crank axle as described with respect to Figure 1.
Figure 5 represents in elevation, partly in section, a pedal axle the ball bearing
of which is provided with my improved locking device. The locking parts are the
same as those represented in Figure 1 and corresponding parts are marked with
the same letters of reference. In the said Figure 5 the axle of the pedal is
marked k and the said axle is fixed to the crank in the ordinary way.
Figure 6 represents in section a locking device constructed according to my
invention in which the sliding conical washer is made in two parts and Figure 7
represents the conical washer detached. The two parts of the conical washer are
marked respectively m and n and are connected together by the pin p². The
part m is internally coned and is split. at one side so as to make it elastic and
the part is unconed but has internal flats to prevent the compound washer
rotating on the axle.
When by the advance on the axle a of the double or compound washer m, n by
means of the screw nut g, the internally coned and split part m, passes upon the
conical shoulder of the bearing cone, the said conical and split part m is expanded
and made to grip very firmly the conical shoulder and additional security in the
locking of the parts is thereby obtained.
Figure 8 represents in section and end elevation another arrangement of my
invention in which a double coned sliding washer and an internally coned screw nut
are used, and Figure 9 represents the double .coned washer separately. The two
parts of this washer are marked respectively p and q and the internally coned
screw nut for advancing and fixing the double coned washer on the axle is
marked r.
It will be seen by an examination of Figure 8 that the inner coned part p
of the washer fits within the internally coned scat e of the bearing cone d and that
the internally coned screw nut takes upon the outer coned part of the double
coned washer.
Figure 10 represents in longitudinal section and Figure 11 in end elevation my
locking device applied to the stationary axle of a wheel hub, the coned washers
being situated in the open ends of the forks supporting the stationary axle.
y
Figure 12 represents in section the double cone faced bearing cone and the coned
washer used therewith; a is the fixed axle and the wheel hub turning thereon;
d is the ordinary bearing cone and e is the projecting front cone of the same; is
the internally coned washer to be seated upon the projecting coned part e of the
bearing conc. The said coned washer besides sliding on the screwed end of the
axle, is fitted and slides upon the open end of the fork supporting the stationary
axle. The coned washer clips the outer sides of the branches of the fork
(see Figures 10, 11 and 12) and thereby strengthens the said fork by preventing
its branches from opening out. is the screw nut for fixing the coned washer onto
the bearing cone as in Figure 3. I have represented in Figures 10 and 11 a
driving chain adjustment combined with the ball bearing locking device. The
chain adjustment is locked against the open end of the fork by the screw nut /
by which the coned washer and bearing cone are locked in position on the end of
the axle. A set screw is used to actuate and assist in fixing the chain adjustment
in its place as usual.
Instead of the clip coned washer represented in Figures 10, 11 and 12, a coned
washer of the kind represented in Figure 13 may be used for sliding in the open
end of the supporting fork 9. This washer has at its outer side projecting lugs 4, 1
which fit and slide in the space between the branches of the fork
y.
Figure 14 represents another arrangement of my locking device. In this
arrangement the independent loose washer is replaced by the eye end of the
supporting fork ;. b is the wheel hub turning on the fixed axle; e is the front coned
part of the bearing cone and his the locking nut; m is the supporting fork, the

page_text: eye end m² of which is coned out and is used in place of a cone washer for fitting
upon the projecting front coned part e of the bearing cone, the screw nut h serving.
both to fix the fork m on the end of the axle and to advance the internally coned
eye m of the said fork upon and lock it to the front of the bearing cone as.
represented in the drawing.
Instead of internally coning the hole in the eye end of the fork, the said hole.
may be made cylindrical or nearly cylindrical for taking upon the front projecting-
coned part of the bearing cone.
Figure 15 represents partly in elevation and partly in section another arrangement.
of my locking device applied to a driving wheel hub. In this arrangement the
chain adjusters are used in place of loose coned washers.
a is the fixed axle; is the driving hub and the driving chain wheel thereon;:
d, d are the bearing cones and e, e the front projecting coned parts of the same;
g are the chain adjusters which with the supporting forks are fixed on the
axle a by the screw nuts hh. It will be seen that the vertical eye parts of the
chain adjusters g, g are internally coned (or the holes in the said eye parts may be
made cylindrical or nearly cylindrical) and seat themselves concentrically upon the-
projecting front cones e, e of the bearing cones when they are advanced upon
the screwed end of the axle by the screw nuts h, k, the said chain adjusters taking-
the place of the loose washers hereinbefore described.
By the use of the improvements described and illustrated, the locking devices can
be adjusted with the greatest nicety and the defects attending, the fixing of the
bearing cones of ball bearings by the use of the ordinary arrangements are avoided
and the axle can be mounted either right handed or left handed.
l
Figure 16 represents in elevation and partly in section one of my arrangements
for locking the screw pin of a bicycle head and Figure 17 represents the conical
washer detached; i is the tubular head of the bicycle and is the screw pin of the.
same, the said head turning on the conical ended central pin as usual; m is the-
internal conical scat at the top of the bicycle head and is the washer sliding on
the screw pink and having a conical periphery, the said sliding washer seating.
itself in the conical seat m of the head. The washer is held in its place by the
screw nut and the screw pink thereby locked, to the bicycle head.
Figure 18 represents my locking device applied to a ball bearing socket head,
and Figure 19 represents the conical washer detached ; is the fixed tubular part
of the ball bearing head carrying one half of the ball bearing cup q² and r is the
rotating part of the ball bearing head carrying the other half of the ball bearing.
cup, the said rotating part r being screwed to the axis s. The said rotating ball
bearing part is locked to the screwed axis s by means of the projecting conical_
shoulder t upon which the sliding internally coned washer seats itself and is locked
in its place by the screw nut ». The sliding washer has an internal pin w which
works in the slot in the screwed end of the axis for preventing its rotation on the.
axis. The parts for locking the ball bearing head Figure 18 to its axis resemble
generally the corresponding parts represented in Figure 3 for locking the adjustable
ball bearing cone to a crank axle, but the same result may be obtained by making.
the cup partFigure 18 with a conical recess or seat for receiving a convex
sliding washer of the kind represented in Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner of performing the same I declare that I claim as my invention of
"Improvements in locking the adjustable parts of ball bearings and ball bearing-
and other heads of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes":
First The combinations of parts herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings for locking
the adjustable bearing cones of ball bearings to the rotating and stationary axles
of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes that is to say, making the outer face
of the bearing cone, which said outer face is ordinarily made flat, of a conical figure,.
either concave or convex, and the combination with the outer conical face of the-

page_text: bearing cone of a sliding washer coned internally or externally to fit upon or
within the outer conical face of the bearing cone substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
Secondly Making the sliding conical washer in two parts, one of the said
parts being coned and slit or divided, for the purpose and substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
Thirdly-Making each face of the sliding washer conical and the use therewith
of an internally coned screw nut for taking upon the outer coned face of the double
coned washer substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9
of the accompanying drawings.
:-
Fourthly The use with the front or outer coned faces of adjustable bearing
cones used on the stationary axles of wheel hubs, of supporting forks having
internally coned eyes or cylindrical or nearly cylindrical eyes for fitting or
taking upon the outer convex coned faces of the bearing cones in place of sliding
coned washers as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 14 of the
accompanying drawings; also the use of chain adjusters having internally coned
eyes or cylindrical or nearly cylindrical eyes for the same purpose substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in Figure 15 of the accompanying
drawings.
Lastly The several arrangements or combinations of parts hereinbefore
described with respect to Figures 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the accompanying drawings
for locking the screw pins of ball bearing and other heads for bicycles tricycles
and other velocipedes.
Dated the 20th day of Falu 1205
GEORGE MABBUTT.