CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN REDUCING FRICTION IN WHEELS OF CARRIAGES, WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO BEARINGS AND JOURNALS OF MACHINERY
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GREENWAY, of Douglas, in the Isle of Man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of January, in the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Greenway, Her especial licence, that I, the said Charles Greenway, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Greenway, my
exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN REDUCING FRICTION IN WHEELS OF CARRIAGES, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO BEARINGS AND JOURNALS OF MACHINERY;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Charles
Greenway, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, may more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Greenway, do hereby declare the nature of my said Patent to consist

page_text: in certain mechanical arrangements for lessening friction in the boxes and
axles of carriages, gun carriages, turning plates of swing bridges, turning
plates of railways, and in certain parts of cranes, ships, slips, and other similar
situations, the construction and action of which will be more clearly under-
stood by reference to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon. The similar letters which are marked on the different
figures refer to the same or similar parts of my improvements.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING...
Figure 1 represents the section of the box and axle of a wheel, A being
the axle, B the box, and C, C, D, D, being the mechanical arrangement for
lessening friction. Figure 2: D, D, represents a piece or frame set on end
which I call my "cradle," and by it the rollers C, C, which have no spindles
or axles, are kept in their respective and proper places, and apart from each
other. Figure 3 is another view of the cradle shewn in Figure 2. The posi-
tion of the axle A and the rollers C, C, are shewn in dotted lines on Figure 3.
Figure 4 represents one of the rollers C, and is shewn on end. When the
cradle (D, D, Fig. 3,) is inserted in the box B (Fig. 1), and when the axle
and rollers of suitable shape, whether spherical, cylindrical, or conordal, placed
therein, the parts C, C. D, D, are kept in their places by any suitable cap, or
plate, or cover, to prevent their dopping or working out. Figure 5 is another
arrangement of the "cradle" D, D, wherein A represents a longer axle, and
C, C, C, arrangements by which numerous rollers may be retained in their posi-
tion. Figure 6 shows the plan of Fig. 5 when the cradle D, D, and rollers C, C,
are inserted round the axle A and within the box B. Figure 7 represents an
clevation of another arrangement of my cradle, applicable to cranes and other
such machines, where it is required to have one part, such as E, revolving
round on axis, say round the centre post A', on which crane post F is firmly
fixed. The rollers C', C', which I use in these cases, are spherical, and the
cradle D', D', D', consists of two plates or dises with speroidal recesses, and
which plates are held together at H, H. Figure 8 represents the lower half
part of the cradle (shewn on Fig. 7) with four of the spherical roller seats
empty, and the other five of the seats, with the spherical rollers C', C', in
their places. It is obvious conordal, cylindrical, or spherical rollers. may be
used, and that the diameter of the circle may be made of any size, and
that the number of the spherical or other shaped rollers may be varied accord-
ing to circumstances. The rollers, spheres, or balls, cradles, cradle pieces or
boxes, may be cast in metal moulds, and when an outer ring or nave is
required, it may be cast upon a metal core in a mould. By casting iron in

page_text: metal moulds the hot metal is suddenly cooled, which produces great hardness,
a quality insuring greater durability; or the said rollers, spheres, or balls,
cradles, cradle pieces, or boxes, may be made in the ordinary way, by means of
lathes and drills, and of any suitable material.
I shall now describe my improvements as applicable to gun carriages. For
ships and for fortifications the common gun carriages in use require a con-
siderable degree of friction between the wheel and the axle, so as thereby to
prevent the gun from running back too easily and too far on firing, and the
carriage on which the trunnions of a carronade are usually fixed has itself no
wheels for the same reason. For the carriages of the said and other guns I
reduce the friction at the proper time and in the following manner :--Figure 9
is an elevation of a ship's gun. When it is run out of the port or embrasure
for firing it rests upon the deck, or other platform or floor at K, without rest-
ing upon the wheels or the axle J. The friction between the gun carriage
and the deck or platform or floor at K, K, helps to keep the gun from recoil-
ing too far, and when the gun has been reloaded, it has to be run out by the
following arrangement, which arrangement is fittled and is used on both sides
of the gun. Lis a sling made of any suitable material, and is made fast to the
axle J; M is a fixed fulcrum in the gun carriage; and N is a lever to which
Lis attached. O is another fulcrum fixed in the gun carriage, and the bar
P, P, is employed to work between the fulcrum O and the lever N; when N
is forced down, the gun carriage upon which M is fixed is lifted slightly from
the axle J, and its wheels, say about an inch, as shown by the dotted lines at
R, R. The gun-carriage frame is thus relieved of its friction at K, K, and
after loading may be more easily worked forward into its port-hole or
embrasure. Figure 10 exhibits another arrangement of the levers on a gun
carriage.
I have now described and illustrated my improvements in reducing friction
in wheels of carriages, and in the bearings and journals of machinery, in such
manner that persons may practise the Invention; and I hereby declare that
I do not claim the application of the antifriction rollers, whether conical,
cylindrical, or conoidal, when they are used without what I call my cradle.
But I do claim as my Invention the application and use of the said cradle,
by which three or more rolling bodies, without any axles or spindles or central
supports, are kept in their positions apart from and distinct from each other,
for the purposes herein specified; and I claim the said cradles, whether the
rollers used therewith be cylindrical, conical, or spherical, and wherever the
three or more rollers are used, the regular section of any of which rollers
may form a circle.

page_text: Further, I claim the same, whether they be used for carriages, gun
carriages, railways, ships, slips, or the bearings and journals of fixed or move-
able machines or machinery.
Further, I claim the application of levers for altering the relative position
of a gun carriage and its axle or axles, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Greenway, have hereunto set my
hand seal, this Third day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
forty.
Signed, scaled, and delivered, by the
said Charles Greenway, party hereto,
before
CHARLES (L.s.) GREENWAY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of July, in the year
of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Charles Greenway came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty.