IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING ARMS OR AXLETREES FOR COACHES, CARTS, WAGGONS, AND ALL OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1819

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I JOIN
SMITH, of Bermondsey, in the County of Surry, Timber Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twentieth day of April, in the fifty-ninth year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said John Smith, my exors, admors,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns, should and
lawfully might, during the term of years therein expressed, make, use,
exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Planta-,
tions abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING ARMS OR AXLETREES
FOR COACHES, CARTS, WAGGONS, AND ALL OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF CARRIAGES;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said
John Smith, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the
said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby

page_text: granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the
same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention of Improvements in Making Arms or Axletrees for Coaches,
Carts, Waggons, and all other descriptions of Carriages, is described and ascer-
tained in manner following (viz):-I construct the axletree in such a manner
that the bearing takes place for a short distance at each end only. The bearings
being both of the same diameter forms a cylindrical fitting within the box. The
outer or extreme end of the arm is formed to a convex shape, which bears
against the end or bottom of the box in the centre only. To reduce the friction
and prevent the back of the collar on the inner end of the arm from touching
the box when the wheel of the carriage drifts endways, a ring or collet of thick
leather or other fit material is applied to the face of the collar, and secured
by a ring of metal bolted against the end of the nave of the wheel, or other-
wise fixed to the end of the box; the leather being firmly pressed around the
edge of the box, and in contact with the face of the collar on the axle, prevents
the escape of the oil with which the axle is supplied. The ring of metal
which secures the leather collett is fitted truly upon a cylindrical part of the
arm close to the face of the collar to keep it steady in its place, and by being
bolted through the nave of the wheel prevents the wheel from coming off by
the motion of the carriage.
In order to explain more fully the nature of my said improvements, I have
annexed a Drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 represents a section taken through the nave of a wheel, shewing
the axletree and box complete, and about one half of the proper size for a
coach axletree.
Figure 2 represents the arm withdrawn from the box. It is shewn broken
off at K, the same as in Figure 1.
.
Figure 3 is an external view of the box, and Figure 4 an end view of it.
The same letters of reference are used for the same parts in all the Figures.
A, A, Figure 1, is the nave of a wheel, having a hole through it to contain
the box B, B, which is made of cast or wrought iron, or any other hard and
durable metal, bored truly cylindrical withinside, and the bottom of the hole
a, a, turned flat as in the Drawing, or convex, for the extreme end d of the arm
to bear against. A recess is formed in the box at b, b, to receive the collar E,

page_text: on the collar or axletree, but of such dimensions as not to touch the same.
The edge of the box at e, e, is turned full of rings or grooves, as represented
in Figures 1 and 4, to penetrate the leather collet c, c, and effectually to
prevent the escape of the oil. C, D, is the arm or axletree, which is turned
cylindrical, and fitted at both ends to the inside of the box by grinding or
otherwise. It is made of good wrought iron, having hoops of steel welded
round it at C and D, forming the bearing parts, which fit the interior of the
box; or it may be made entirely of iron turned away in the middle so as to
leave the two ends rather larger, after which the whole may be case-hardened
to prevent its wearing away. The extremity of the arm is made of a convex
or rounding form, as seen at D, where it bears against the bottom a, a, of the
box to reduce the friction at that part. A collar is welded or otherwise fixed
on the arm at E, and turned quite flat, against the face of which the ring or
collet of leather or other substance C, C, is applied to prevent the oil escaping
round the fitting of the arm. The leather collet is secured in its place, and
firmly pressed against the edge of the box and into contact with the face of the
collar E by the ring of metal F, F, having a groove 9, 9, Figures 5 and 6,
turned in its surface to contain the leather. G, G, are metal bolts passing
through holes in the nave, and also through the ring F, F, with nuts and
washers h, h, on their ends to secure and hold all firm together, and prevent
the wheel of the carriage coming off. S is a screw pin, which may be
withdrawn for the purpose of introducing oil within the box as occasion
may require.
Figure 7 represents the collet of leather c, c, separately.
Figure 8 of the Drawing shews another shape for the convex end of the
arm, the part d being made longer than in the preceding Figures, and the end
or bottom of the box B at a, a, is left convex or highest in the centre (or a
piece of hardened steel of the form seen at x may be introduced into the
bottom of the box for the end of the arm to work against). This form of the
arm and box is. adapted to contain a much greater quantity of oil than the
form seen in Figures 1, 2, &c. And in case the oil should not find a passage
from S by the cylindrical fitting C into the middle part of the box, a small
rounding groove or channel may be cut lengthwise in the part c, as represented
at i, Figure 8.
I have endeavoured to explain and denote clearly all the parts of my
improved axletrees by the annexed Drawing and descriptive references, but
wish it to be understood that I do not make claim to the invention of any of
the parts separately, but to the new combination of the whole, as parts known
and used before, forming an improved description of axletree moving with

page_text: small friction, and which will retain its oil and not become dry so as to heat
during the motion of the carriage.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and nineteen.
Inrolled the Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and nineteen.