Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
Victor Kroh of Krumau in the Empire of Austria, Engineer) to be as follows:-
The street locomotives or traction engines now in use have several defects in
consequence of their construction, which limit their use for the drawing of heavy
vebicles on ordinary roads and for the working of agricultural machinery.
The traction engine is constructed on an entirely new principle, which will be
readily understood from the following specification and consists of:
MI
1
Sin
The locomotive consists of two diagonally arranged and coupled engines whose
cylinders operate a double crank shaft situated over the hind wheels through
connecting rods.
From this shaft another double crank shaft is driven through coupling rods and
is situated over the fore wheels. The distribution of steam may be effected by a
link-motion of ordinary construction and regulated from the drivers platform by
levers or screws. The engine can also be constructed as a compound engine with
cylinders of different size and two separate link-motions.

page_text: 3. THE CARRIAGE.
The carriage consists of a wrought iron frame which supports the boiler and the
engines. In this frame are journalled the two crank-shafts and with their driving
rollers which rollers are carried on steel tyres which carry in consequence the frame.
To this frame are fixed under the driving rollers two or more pairs of brackets
between which are arranged two or more supports in box form around a
vertical axle.
The upper and lower ends of these supports are prolonged horizontally and in
lugs of these arms are journalled four guide rollers for every steel tyre which
moves between these guide rollers.
These steel tyres carry the frame and with the frame the boiler and the engine
according to the arrangement of the apparatus more than four can be used. Each
of these steel tyres is constructed of several wider and narrower steel bands so
arranged that the outer periphery has a deep groove in the middle in which groove
run the driving rollers and the guide-rollers. Through the driving rollers the
weight of the whole machine rests on the steel tyres and when the former revolve
the latter are put also in a rotary motion through the friction and thus cause the
locomotive to travel.
If the friction should not be sufficient to impart a rotary motion to the steel
tyres conoïdal steel teeth may be fixed into the driving rollers which teeth must
engage in corresponding holes in the groove of the steel tyre or another tooth
mechanism may be used which ensures a good engaging of the teeth.
On to the smaller steel bands of the tyre are rivetted the usual diagonal cross
pieces.
The steel tyres which carry the weight of the machino through the driving
rollers and the guide rollers form at the same time the springs of the locomotive
because of their elasticity. They are flattened a little on the top and bottom and
have also therefore a larger area of friction on the road.
If through the ground being uneven one of the tyres should come out of contact
with its driving roller, it would not much matter as a few turns of the driving
roller would bring the teeth into gear again after they are in contact with
the tyre.
The steering of the locomotive is effected by connecting the supports of the
opposite sides by drawbars. On one side of the machine the segment of a worm-
wheel is fixed to the supports with which engage two worms. One of these worms
is left handed and the other right handed and they are operated by the reversible
gear, a sleeve, and shaft in such a manner that the position of the supports can be
shifted round their vertical axles.
As the tyres follow these movements of the guide rollers they are either placed
in a curve or parallell with each other in transverse direction. In the first case
the locomotive will describe curves in the latter it will move in a transverse
direction.
If the point of steering the locomotive in a transverse direction is to be
abandoned it will suffice to couple the supports by draw bars and to make one
of these supports adjustable.
The supports in box form hollow and well riveted serve for the storage of the
water to fill the boiler and are connected with each other and the drivers platform
by flexible hose pipes.
To enable this locomotive to be also used as a stationary engine one of each pair
of the lower guide rollers is made movable. The steel tyres will now be free of the
lower guide rollers and by lifting the machine by a convenient lifting apparatus
the tyres will be disengaged from the 'driving rollers.
The crank shafts are carried out so far beyond the driving rollers as to allow a
fly wheel and a pulley or gearing wheel to be fixed thereon 'to transmit the power
of the machine.

page_text: The advantages of the above described construction over the traction engines at
present in use are the following:
The weight of the machine is utilized for friction the engine can therefore be
constructed much lighter and still have the same drawing power. The weight is
also utilised for the steering and therefore a proper moving of the engine even in
soft ground is assured.
In the traction engines at-present in use the steerable front axletree is but very
little weighted and therefore the influence of the steering over the whole of the
engine is insignificant and unreliable.
The construction of the above described steel tyres which move wholly inde-
pendent of each other is especially adapted for uneven ground as it does not
interfere with the drawing power and the steerability of the engine if one of the
tyres is out of gear with its driving roller. The distribution of the weight is
excellent and as the tyres themselves serve as springs for the locomotive the
travelling motion thereof is extraordinarily quiet and free from breakage.
Dated this 7th day of January 1886

page_text: The locomotive consists of two diagonally arranged and coupled engines whose
cylinders B B operate through the connecting rods C C a double crank shaft D
situated over the hind wheels.
From this shaft D another double crank shaft F is driven by the connecting
rods E E this shaft F being situated over the fore wheels. The distribution of
steam may be effected by a link-motion of ordinary construction and regulated
from the drivers platform by levers or screws. The engine can also be constructed
as a compound engine with cylinders of different size and two separate link
motions.

page_text: driving rollers N which rollers are carried on the steel tyres M which steel tyres
carry in consequence the frame G. To this frame are fixed under the driving
rollers N two or more pairs of brackets H between which are arranged two or more
box shaped supports J around a vertical axle K.
The upper and lower ends of these supports J are prolonged horizontally and in
lugs fixed to these prolongations are journalled four guide rollers L for every steel
tyre M which moves between these guide rollers.
These steel tyres M four of which are shown in the drawing carry the frame and
with the frame the boiler and the engine; according to the arrangement of the
locomotive more than four can be used. Each of these steel tyres M is constructed
of several steel bands of varying width so arranged that the outer periphery has a
deep groove in the middle in which groove run the driving rollers N and the guide
rollers L. Through the driving rollers N the weight of the whole machine rests
on the steel tyres M and when the former revolve the latter are also in a rotary
motion through the friction and thus cause the locomotive to travel.
If the friction should not be sufficient to impart a rotary motion to the steel
tyres M couoïdal steel teeth are fixed into the driving roller which teeth must
engage in correspondingholes in the groove of the steel tyre or any other tooth
mechanism may be used which ensures a proper gearing of the teeth.
On to the narrower steel bands of the tyre are rivetted the usual diagonal cross
pieces.
The steel tyres which carry the weight of the machine through the driving
rollers N and the guide rollers L form at the same time the springs of the
locomotive because of their elasticity. The weight of the engine causes them to
assume a slightly elliptical form the longer axis being horizontal and the shorter
one vertical so that a greater portion of the periphery is in contact with the
ground than happens in the case of a perfectly circular wheel thus giving increased
friction.
If through the ground being uneven one of the tyres should come out of contact
with its driving roller it would not much matter as a few turns of the driving
roller would bring the teeth into gear again after they resumed contact with
the tyre.
The steering of the locomotive is effected by connecting the supports J of the
opposite sides by draw bars P. On one side of the machine (in the drawing the
left side from the drivers platform) the segment of a worm wheel Q is fixed to each
of the supports J with each of which segments engages a worm. One of these
worins is left handed an the other right handed and they are operated by the
reversible gear R the sleeve S and shaft T in such a manner that the position of
the supports J can be shifted round their vertical axles K.
As the tyres M follow these movements of the guide rollers L they are either
placed in a curve or parallel with each other in transverse direction.
In the first case the locomotive will describe curves in the latter it will move in
a transverse direction.
If the point of steering the locomotive in a transverse direction is to be
abandoned it will suffice to couple the supports J by drawbars and to make one of
these supports adjustable.
The supports J in box form, hollow and well rivetted serve for the storage
of the water to fill the boiler and are connected with each other and the drivers
platform by flexible hose pipes.
To enable this locomotive to be also used as a stationary engine one of each pair
of the lower guide-rollers L is made movable as represented in Figure 4. The steel
tyres M will now be free of the lower guide rollers and by lifting the machine by a
convenient lifting apparatus (in the drawing the screw-jacks U) the tyres M will
be disengaged from the driving rollers N.
The crank shafts D and F are carried out so far beyond the driving rollers N as
to allow a fly wheel and pulley or gearing wheel to be fixed thereon to transmit
the power of the machine,

page_text: The advantages of the above described construction over the traction engines at
present in use are the following
The weight of the machine is utilised for friction, the engine can therefore be
constructed much lighter and still have the same drawing power.
The weight is
also utilised for the steering and therefore a proper moving of the engine even in
soft ground is assured.
In the traction engines at present in use the steer-able front axle tree is but very
little weighted and therefore the influence of the steering over the whole of the
engine is insignificant and unreliable.
The construction of the above described steel tyres, which move wholly inde-
pendent of each other is especially adapted for uneven ground as it does not
interfere with the drawing power and the steerability of the engine if one of the
tyres is out of gear with its driving roller. The distribution of the weight is
excellent and as the tyres themselves serve as springs for the locomotive the
travelling motion thereof is extraordinarily quiet and free from breakage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In traction and other engines the tyres or hoops M. which have no spokes and
are indirectly acted upon by vertical axles K and the use of these tyres for traction
engines especially.
2. The guide rollers L arranged on the outer periphery of the tyres M for the
purpose of using the elasticity of the whole tyre only weighted at one point by the
driving roller L and to give the tyre the greatest possible bearing power and to
protect it against breakage.
3. The groove in the outer periphery of the tyre M, in which run the driving
roller N and the guide rollers L to prevent lateral movement of the tyre.
4. The tyre M in combination with the support J which is movable round a
vertical axle K for the purpose of enabling the engine to describe even the smallest
curves.
TL
1000