New or Improved Manufacture of Axle Boxes for Railway Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1889
IDIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Manufacture of Axle Boxes for Railway
Carriages and other Vehicles.
We, JOHN DONNELLY, of 21 Parliament Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, WILLIAM MCLAREN, of Moorgate Works, Moorfields, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, and AMBROSE TRASK, of Sandbourne Road, Brockley, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has reference to the formation of axle boxes out of sheets or plates
of metal by first imparting to the metal by means of suitable dies the general form
of a box and afterwards by drawing or passing through a suitable die or dies impart-
ing to parts of the box so produced the necessary formation to produce horn plate
guides spring seat and dust guard.
Dated this 1st day of December 1888
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Manufacture of Axle Boxes for Railway
Carriages and other Vehicles.
We, JOHN DONNELLY, late of 21, Parliament Street in the County of Middlesex,
but now of 45, Brockley Road, in the County of Kent, Engineer, WILLIAM
MCLAREN, of Moorgate Works, Moorfields, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
and AMBROSE TRASK, of 34, Sandbourne Road, Brockley, in the County of Kent,
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:-
In the specification of Letters Patent granted to us dated 16th March A.D. 1887
No. 3992, there is described the manufacture of axle boxes for railway carriages and
other vehicles, by submitting metallic plate to successive stamping or pressing
operations and thereby producing without machining the required form of axle box
with grooves for axle guards or for axle guards and dust guard, and a seat for a
carriage spring.
Now our present invention has reference to the formation of such axle boxes out
of plates of suitable meta! such as mild steel by imparting to the metal, by means
of suitable dies, the general form of a box and afterwards by drawing or passing
through suitable dies,-imparting to the parts of the box so produced the necessary
formation to produce grooves for axle guards, or for axle guards and dust guard; a
seat for a carriage spring, when required, being formed in the box at any suitable
stage of the manufacture.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings,
Fig. 1 represents a rectangular plate of metal of approximately uniform thickness
and such as can be used for conversion into an axle box by drawing operations
according to this invention.
Figs. 2 and
are respectively a vertical section, and a plan of a movable inner
or male block or die, a metal plate that has been bent or cupped thereby and a
stationary outer or female die. These figures illustrate the first stage of the process
for converting the metal plate into an axle box.

page_text: Figs. 4 and 5, and Figs. 6. and 7 are similar views to Figs. 2 and 3 illustrating
further stages in the process of converting the metal plate into an axle box of
the required form.
Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken in a plane at right angles to Fig. 6.
Fig. 9 is a vertical section hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 10 is a plan or top view of the finished box.
Figs. 11, 12, and 13 are respectively a vertical section, a horizontal section,
and a transverse section of a complete axle box constructed according to this
invention with an axle journal located therein.
A (Fig. 1) is a plain plate or blank of suitable metal such as mild steel, of about
say one quarter of an inch in thickness. The form of this plate or blank will
vary according to the form of axle box required. For an axle box such as shown
in Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 it will be of approximately rectangular form with
rounded corners as shown in Fig. 1. This plate or blank is first dished or
cupped or has imparted to it the general form of an axle box with extended side
portions 1, 1 as shewn in Fig. 3. For this purpose the plate or blank is heated
to a suitable temperature say to redness, and then placed upon the top of a female
die 2 in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The opening through this
die is approximately of rectangular shape, but two of the opposite sides are formed
with curved recesses 2 A as shewn in Fig. 3 and the upper edges of the opening
are rounded as shown to facilitate the passage of the plate therethrough. A
male die 3, the contour of which is similar to that of the interior of the female
die but smaller, is then placed upon the metal plate and forced downwards by
any suitable means such as a hydraulic press, of a power press, so as to draw or force
the sides or that part of the metal plate around the male die, downwards through
the female die into the position shewn in full lines in Fig. 2 and thereby
impart to the plate the cupped or dished form shown. The edges of the plate,
which are rendered uneven by the cupping or dishing operation, are then trimmed
or made even.
The partially formed axle box is, if necessary, again heated, and is then placed
upon another female die 2ª (Fig. 4) the opening through which is of smaller area
than that in the first female die 2. A correspondingly formed male die 3 is then
placed within and upon the partially formed box and forced downward in such a
manner as to force down the sides of the box and subject the metal thereof to a
drawing action and thereby to lengthen the sides as shewn in Fig. 4. The partially
formed box is then subjected to one or more further drawing operations until the
axle box has been gradually extended in length and reduced in cross sectional
area, as seen in horizontal section, to approximately the size of the desired finished
axle box.
These further drawing operations are performed in a similar manner to that just
described by sets of suitable dies of decreasing cross section, each set comprising a
male die 3 and a female die 2ª which are similar in form to those shewn in
Figs. 4 and 5 but the male die of one set will be made longer and of smaller
cross section than that of the set for a preceding operation whilst the female die will
be of a form to correspond with the male die in each case. The box may if necessary
be heated to redness before each drawing operation, but if the successive operations
be effected in rapid succession, the box after being heated for the first operation will
not usually require to be again heated.
When the top of the axle box is to be formed with a seat for a carriage spring it
should be heated say to redness and pressed between suitable male and female
dies 2*3* (Fig. 9) to form a recessed part 4 from which may extend, upwardly
inclined parts 5, 5 downwardly inclined parts 6, 6 and raised hollow bosses or parts 7, 7
as shewn in Figs. 6, 8, and 10%; or the top of the box may be pressed between
dies (as in Fig. 9) that only form raised hollow bosses or parts 7 to which a grease
box cover is subsequently hinged or jointed. The box is then again heated and
placed upon another female die 2b (Figs. 6 to 8) and in it is placed a male die 3b the

page_text: bottom of which corresponds in form to that part of the drawn plate forming the top
or crown of the axle box. This male die 3 has two of its opposite sides flat and the
other two opposite sides are each provided with three vertical ribs or projections 9 so
that, as seen in cross section in Fig. 7, the exterior form of the block or die 3' in plan
or top view corresponds as shown, with the interior outline of the axle box shell shown
in sectional plan in Fig. 12. The partially formed box is so arranged with reference
to the die 3 that its extended curved side portions 1, 1 are adjacent to the said ribs or
projections 9. The opening in the female die 2b has an internal configuration corre-
sponding in form with the exterior outline in plan of a complete axle box. The
male die 3 is then drawn or forced downward by any suitable means such as a
hydraulic press, thereby completing the formation of the axle box and corrugating or
bending the extended portions 1, 1 of the plate between the projections 9, on the
block 3b and the adjacent corresponding parts of the die 2b (Fig. 6 7 and 8) so as to
form in the box, the grooves 11, 11 for axle guards and grooves 12, 12 for dust guard
as clearly shown in Fig. 12. During this final bending and corrugating operation the
inverted top of the drawn plate or box is, when formed with a recess for a spring and
bosses or parts 7, supported by a correspondingly formed die or pressure plate 2° as
indicated in Figs. 6 and 8 held in contact therewith by a yielding pressure such as a
stiff spring.
The hole in each of the female dies 2 2a 2b herein referred to is as is usual in dies
or draw-plates used for drawing operations, of gradually decreasing cross sectional
area, as it extends from one side of the die to the other or has rounded upper edges
as shown.
In some cases plate metal axle boxes drawn to form in the manner hereinbefore
described, may be formed only with grooves 11 for axle guards in which case the male
die 3 will have only one pair of projections 9 at two of its opposite sides, and the
female die 2b will be correspondingly formed.
One side 13 of the axle box produced by the operations hereinbefore described has,
like the axle box constructed according to our former specification hereinbefore
mentioned, a portion thereof cut or punched out by any suitable means to form an
opening as shewn at 14 (Figs. 11 and 12) for the entrance of the journal end of an
axle 15. The edge of the upper part of the opening may advantageously be
flanged outward as shown at 17 by any suitable means as by hammering, or by
drawing up in dies.
One of the inclined parts 6 at the top of the box is also cut away as shown in
Fig. 11 to form an opening for the insertion of grease, and the opening is provided
with a cover, shown in dotted lines, that is hinged or jointed to the raised bosses
or parts 7.
16 (Figs. 11 and 13) is a bent plate secured in any suitable manner it may be by
welding to the upper part of the box and serving in conjunction therewith as a grease
Dox. This plate 16 is formed into a part box with three sides as shown by any
uitable means, it may be by drawing in suitable dies in the manner hereinbefore
lescribed for forming the axle box shell and is provided with a hole or holes for the
assage of grease. The end part 16b of the plate 16 is welded to the flanged part 17
f the side 13. The bent plate 16 when in position serves as a seat to receive
nd retain in place laterally, a liner brass or bearing (shown in dotted lines in
ig. 13) that rests upon the top of a journal of one of the axles of the vehicle to
hich the axle box is fitted. 18 is another stamped or drawn plate secured to the
ower part of the axle box in any convenient manner such as by bolts and serving as
keep therefor.
It will be obvious that axle boxes differing somewhat in form from that shewn may
e constructed in accordance with this invention.
It is to be understood that we do not make any general claim to the manufacture of
le boxes of wrought iron or mild steel nor to the manufacture of axle boxes made
plate metal by a series of stamping or pressing operations, but that our present
vention has reference especially to the manufacture of axle boxes from metal plate
approximately uniform thickness, by drawing and corrugating or bending such

page_text: metal to shape in such a manner as to obviate the necessity for machining in order to
make the grooves for axle guards or horn plate, the seats for springs, and the grooves
for dust guards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
-
1. The manufacture of axle boxes in the improved manner hereinabove described,
that is to say, by imparting to metal such as mild steel in the form of plate of
approximately uniform thickness, by means of suitable dies, the general contour of a
box, and afterwards by drawing and forcing the box so partially formed through
suitable dies, completing its formation and corrugating or bending parts of its
walls so as to produce grooves for axle guards or for axle guards and dust guards.
2. An axle box made as hereinabove described from a plate of metal such as mild
steel of uniform thickness, the grooves for axle guards or for axle guards and dust
guard being produced by forcing the box when partially formed through suitable
corrugating dies.
Dated this 27th day of September 1889.
JOHN DONNELLY.
WILLIAM MCLAREN.
AMBROSE TRASK.