Improvements in and connected with the Oil Port Lids of Railway Car Axle-boxes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Oil Port Lids of Railway
Car Axle-boxes.
I, CHRISTIAN ERDBRINK, of 2" Fund Strasse of Hannover, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, German Empire, Royal Architect, 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:-
This invention refers to the lids employed in railway car axle-boxes for closing
the oil ports of the same. In the constructions used up to now the lid is attached
to the body of the axle box, or to its sent respectively either by hinges arranged
at the top of the lid, or by bolts arranged at a side of the same in a direction
rectangularly with regard to the seat for the lid.
Experience has shown that neither of said constructions affords a perfectly tight
closure, or a perfect security against the entrance of dust into the axle box, or into
the oil contained therein respectively; as to lids with hinges there is the drawback
that the locking spring, although pressing the free end of the lid firmly down upon
its sent, tends constantly to raise the lid from its seat at the place of the hinge.
There is thus a possibility of dust entering between that portion of the lid and the
respective portion of the seat.
Concerning lids with lateral bolts there is, it is true, no force tending to effect a
one-sided lifting of the lid, but the weight of the lid is generally insufficient to
effect the desired tight closure of the oil port of the box; morcover, the top side
proper of the lid gets generally covered with dust during the movement of the
train, as there is nothing that protects said side against the precipitation of the
dust. When, thereafter, the lid is raised, the dust having collected upon the said
side of the lid falls down into the oil port of the box, and soils the oil contained
therein.
The object of my invention is to do away with the drawbacks above mentioned,
and I attain that purpose in general by furnishing the top of the body of the axle-
box with a plate that projects over the top-end of the lid, and is provided with a
downwardly extending portion forming a hook. The latter points towards the
seat for the lid. The lid does not possess a hinge proper, but is at its upper rim
provided with a bent off portion that also forms a sort of hook, and takes into the
hook of the plate afore mentioned. Said two hooks may practically be regarded
as a sort of hinge. The body of the axle box is at its upper surface furnished
with two ledges arranged one on one, and the other on the other side of the lid, in
such a manner, that the lid is situated between said ledges. The latter are as high
as to have their upper surfaces lic flush with the upper or outer surface of the lid,
as is all more fully described hereinafter.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the different views, and in
which :-
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical section through one form of construction of my
improved axle-box, the novelty proper (hereinafter more fully explained) being
applied to a so-called American axle-box;
Fig. 2, Sheet 1, shows a portion of Fig. 1, the lid d (with its hook d¹) being in
another position, or opened respectively;
Fig. 3, Sheet 1, represents a front view of the axle-box in question, the upper
bortion being in section: the latter is taken on line 14-15 of kio 1.

page_text: Fig. 4, Sheet 1, shows a section on line 16-17 of Fig. 1 seen from below;
Fig. 5, Sheet. 2, is n vertical section similar to Fig. 1, but showing a slightly
modified form of construction;
Fig. 6, Sheet 2, is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing also the modified form of
construction just mentioned;
Fig. 7, Sheet 2, is a view similar to Fig. 3, and
Fig. 8, Sheet 2, is a view similar to Fig. 4; also these two figures show said
modification; the section in Fig. 7 is taken on line 18-19 of Fig. 5, and the
section in Fig. 8 is taken on line 20-21 of Figure 5, and seen from below;
Figure 9, Sheet 3, is a vertical section through a very similar form of construction
of my improved axle-box, but showing the novelty proper applied to the upper
part of a bipartite axle-box; the lower part of the latter is left away;
Figure 10, Sheet 3, shows a section on line 22-23 of Figure 9;
Figure 11, Sheet 3, shows a section on line 24-25 of Figure 9.
Figure 12, Sheet 3, is a vertical section through the lower part of the bipartite
axle-box mentioned in the short description of Figure 9; said lower part being
provided with my novel arrangement;
Figure 13, Sheet 3, is an upper view of Figure 12, partly in section, the latter
being taken on line 26-27 of Figure 12; anl
Figure 14, Sheet 3, represents the direction, as well as the points of application
of the forces active when the lid is open.
Referring to Figures 1-4, a is the body of the axle-box, or the axle-box proper,
and is a plate secured to the top of the body a by means of the screws c.
Said
plate projects over the sloping front-portion of the body, which portion contains
the inlet opening for the oil. This opening is closed by the lid d, the uppermost
portion of which is formed into a hook d. The latter is generally as broad as
the lid.
The front-portion of the plate bis formed into a casing 62 63 that takes over
the hook of the lid d; in other words, said hook takes into said casing, and, in
fact, the lid is held by the said easing and the said hook. A flat, double-legged
spring e fixed to the lid d, and arranged in such a manner, as to rest with its legs
against the lower portion of the casing bb2b3, presses the lid upon its seat.
If the lid d is raised, the lower front edge of the honk d glides along upon the
lower wall or bottom wall 62 of the casing 6263 in the direction to the front
wall of said casing, and simultaneously therewith. The upper rear edge of the
hook d', or of the lid d respectively, glides along (downwards) upon the seat of the
latter. At the same time the spring e is strained (Figure 2). In consequence
of the particular configurations of the hook d, and of the plate b with its
casing 23, the lid cannot be raised higher than shown in Figure 2; and
another consequence resulting from said configurations, as well as from the spring e
having become strained when arrived in said highest position, consists in the lid
remaining automatically stationary in the said position.
For the sake of complete distinctness, I prefer to specify the parts composing
the casing 263. These parts are: The front wall extending downwards
from the plate; the bottom wall 62 extending rearwards from the front-wall
and the side-walls connecting the wall 62 with the plate b. These parts are
most distinctly represented in Figure 14, and I have also indicated in this figure
the intensities, directions, and points of application of the forces coming into play
on the lid being, and remaining, in its highest position.
The force exerted by the strained spring e produces a momentum which
tends to close the lid. To keep the latter in a state of equilibrium the projec
tion 2 of the wall 62 (which projection contributes to the support of the lid by
the mediation of the book d') should exert a momentum 12 3 acting in an
opposite direction, and having the same magnitude. If only the spring acts to
close the lid, the pressure 2 is but small, because the lever-arm of the force
exerted by said spring is but short. If, however, in a distance i 4 a downwardly
directed pressure" is exerted by hand upon the lid d, then the respective force
C

page_text: requires, by reason of the greater length of the lever-arm, a correspondingly
greater pressure i6 if a state of equilibrium is to be obtained.
Apart from the slight friction at the points or places of support of the lid d
(which friction tends to keep the raised lid in its position), it is clear, that a
downward movement of the lid must occur as soon as the force i" becomes so great
that the components of pressure i7 i 8 (acting in an oblique upward direction, and
resulting from resolving the forces 2 and 6 in a direction parallel to the seat
for the lid, and in a direction rectangularly to said seat) become greater than the
components 9 10 of the forces and ", which components exert a pressure in an
opposite direction. If, however, only the force i of the spring acts to close the
lid, the component 19 has a preponderance over the component i 7, and the lid
remains therefore in a position of rest.
Instead of letting the side-portions of the upper rear edge of the lid rest solely
upon the respective portions of the seat, I may provide the latter with projections a
(Figure 6) forming supports, and stops, for the upper edge of the lid. In this case
the hook need not project.so far as in the form of construction first described,
i.e. it need not push against the lower surface of the plate when the lid is raised,
because the upward movement of the lid is not stopped in this case by the plate b,
but by the projections a afore mentioned. I prefer to provide the upper edge of
the lid d with projections d2 (Figures 5 & 7); these projections are to
co-operate with the projections al of the seat; ie. they are to rest upon the
projections a' when the lid is raised.
In order to secure the oil as much as possible against being soiled by dust and
the like, the rear surface of the lid is provided with two lateral ledges d3 d 4
(Figures 4, 8 and 10 & 11), and with a lower horizontal ledge d5 (Figures 1, 5,
9 and 12); all said ledges take over the seat proper of the box a, as is distinctly
shown in the figures mentioned. The side-walls proper a 2 a 3 (Figures 4, 8,
and 10/11) are provided with comparatively broad or large ledges a4 a5
(Figures 3, 4, 7, 8, 10/11, and 12), that are situated somewhat below the
ledges d 3 d 4 of the lid, and are of an angular section. The edges a 4 a 5 of
the box take from below around the ledges d 3 d4 of the lid, or around the side-
portions of the lid respectively; in other words, the lid is situated between the
angular ledges a 4 a 5, and the ledges d3d4 of the lid take into the channels or
grooves formed by said ledges a 4 a5 and the adjacent parts of the seat. This
means has proved very effective, in as much that any dust, water, or enow, entering
said channels or grooves is caught up therein, and is completely hindered from
getting into the interior of the box. The said channels or grooves are open at
their lower ends, and the rain-water, or water resulting from melted snow, may
therefore flow freely off, taking with it any dust that may have been present
within the grooves, and keeping the latter thus constantly clean.
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. In a railway car axle box, the combination with the body, or box proper of
the same, of a hingeless lid d having its upper rini formed into a hook d'; a plate b
secured to said body, and having a casing 62 63 taking over said hook; and a
spring arranged between said casing, and the lid, aud adapted to hold the latter
in its raised position, substantially as described.
2. lu a railway car axle box, the combination with the body, or box proper of
the same, of a hingeless lid d having its upper rim formed into a hook d'; a plate b
secured to said body, and having a casing 623 taking over said hook; and a
spring arranged between said casing and the lid, and adapted to hold the latter
in its raised position; said lid having projections d2, and the body having
projections a' adapted to support said former oues, substantially as described.
3. In a railway car axle box, the combination with the body, or box proper of
the same, of a hingeless lid d having its upper rim formed into a hook d'; a plate b

page_text: secured to said body, and having a casing bb2b3 taking over said hook; and a
spring arranged between said casing and the lid, and adapted to hold the latter
in its raised position; the body having angular lateral ledges a 4 a 5 taking around
the side-portions of the said lid, substantially as described.
4. In a railway car axle box, the combination with the body, or box proper of
the same, of a hingeless lid d having its upper rim formed into a hook d'; a plate b
secured to said body, and having a casing 263 taking over said hook; and a
spring arranged between said casing and the lid, and adapted to hold the latter
in its raised position; the body having angulur lateral ledges a 4 a 5 taking around
the side portions of the lid, and forming channels or grooves; the lid having
ledges d 3 d4 taking into snid channels or grooves, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1896.
CHRISTIAN ERDBRINK,
By Cassell & Co.,
22 Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, W., Agent for the Applicant.