IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND AXLES FOR VEHICLES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and
W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND AXLES FOR
VEHICLES Communicated to him from abroad by Benjamin Newton Shelley
(Machinist) of Anderson Madison County, State of Indiana, United States of
America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd November 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents. IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS
AND AXLES FOR VEHICLES communicated to me from abroad by Benjamin
Newton Shelley (Machinist) of Anderson, Madison County, State of Indiana,
United States of America.
This Invention consists in the novel construction and combination of a vehicle
wheel and self lubricating axle. The axle is formed of a metal tube or pipe having
an orifice preferably near its longitudinal center through which the tube is to be
filled with oil, and to the ends of the tube are secured sleeves on which the axlo
boxes rotate. The ends of the tubular axle are closed by nuts screwing into the
ends of the boxes. Over the box is placed a sleeve which is lined with rubber to
form a cushion, and the inner ends of the spokes are placed in contact with this
sleeve in zigzag order and clamped between corresponding flanges on two partially
concavo-convex plates. A nut screwing on the end of the box binds the plates
and spokes together. The ends of the spokes are mortised in a felly which is
preferably constructed in one piece having its ends secured together by a block
inserted between them and having means for binding the tire on the felly.
In the drawings, Figure 1 is a.sectional view of the wheel and axle, the latter
being sectional longitudinally and broken away. Figure 2 is an elevation of tho
wheel hub with the spokes removed. Figure 3 is a detail of the tire and felly.
Figure 4 is a modified form of axle. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the wheel.

page_text: Figure 6 is a cross section of the hub; and Figure 7 is an end view of the plug and
check nut. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A indicates the body of the axle which is preferably formed of metal tubing to
save the expense of boring out an oil reservoir, and is provided with an opening A'
through which it is to be filled with oil. Over each end of this tubing a tapering
sleeve a' made of the hardest steel is to be secured by means of a flat sided pin a²
which is made fast in diametrical perforations through the sleeve and tubing. The
flat sides of the pins will cause small openings to be left at each side of the pins
through which the oil will be allowed gradually to escape from the centre of the
axle to the outer surface of the sleeve on which the box B rotates.
An axle constructed as above described has the additional advantage that the
sleeves which alone are subject to wear, may be replaced by new sleeves when
they become too much worn for use at a much less expense than the substitute of
an entire new axle. The sleeve a' is provided with an annular collar bat its inner
end against which a shoulder within the box B is held by means of the nut b¹
encircling the body A of the axle and screwing into the inner end of the box. An
annular washer 62 arranged between the collar b and the nut 6', makes an oil-tight
joint to prevent the waste of oil at the inner end of the box. Into the outer end
of the box and against the end of the axle is screwed a plug d which is constructed
with a cylindrical recess to increase the capacity of the oil reservoir, and over the
outer end of this plug is screwed a check nut d which abuts against the end of the
box B. The box B which is provided with a brass bushing to take the wear, is
constructed with an annular collar d³ on the outer surface of its inner end to serve
as-an-abutment-for-the-sectional-wheel-hub. The outer portion of this hub is
formed of two similar concavo-convex metal plates CD having rectangular
recesses e in their adjacent edges and having the recessed edges bordered with
continuous outward projecting flanges e' to form sockets for the spokes and the
-recesses of the two plates are so arranged with respect to each other that the
spokes when inserted into the sockets shall be "staggered" as shown in Figure 1.
The spokes E are set with their inner ends in contact with an externally threaded
sleeve which covers the box B in order that the threads may assist to prevent
the lateral displacement of the spokes and thus to a certain extent relieve the
strain upon the plates CD due to the staggered arrangement of the spokes. This
sleeve is lined with a sheet of rubber f¹ to provide a cushion between it and the
box.
The concavo-convex plates CD, as shown in the drawing, are made with
circular openings at the centre to receive the box B, and the plate C which is the
first to be placed in position, rests against the collar d' at the inner end of the box,
while the plate D, which is to be placed over the outer end of the box on the
opposite side of the spokes from the plate C, is to be forced against the spokes to
Lind the several parts tightly together by means of a nut g' screwing on the outer
end of the box. The spokes E are provided with tenons at their outer ends which
fit mortises in the felly F. The felly may be constructed in several pieces if
desired, but I prefer to form it in one piece which shall be capable of sufficient
expansion to admit the insertion of the spokes into position. This felly is so
constructed that when secured to the spokes a space shall be left between its ends
into which shall be inserted a block h (figure 3) having a mortise for one of the
spokes and flanges for enclosing the ends of the felly. The surface of this block
in line with the periphery of the felly is provided with a recess at i and a threaded
perforation at i', and the flanged tire G wbich is cut as shown, has its ends bent
inward in such manner that they may be inserted into said recess. A seat for a
screw j is formed between the said bent ends, and when the screw is inserted in
the perforation ¹ in the block, the said ends will be firmly held in place by the
screw, while flange j' on the sides of the tire will prevent the latter from slipping
from the felly.
As a modification of the axle, a solid bar A may be used (see figure 4) instead
of the tubing, having the sleeves a¹ screwed over its ends a in such manner that
the sleeves shall project somewhat beyond the ends of the bar to form oil-reservoirs

page_text: at the ends of the axle, and these reservoirs may be closed with leather discs which
will be held against the ends of the sleeves by solid plugs screwing into the ends
of the boxes. By means of a small perforation in the disc, the reservoirs may be
supplied with oil by inserting the nozzle of an oil can therein.
It is evident that lubrication by means of a hollow shaft or tubing as above
described is applicable to all kinds of journals and journal boxes, and I therefore
do not wish to be understood as limiting myself in the use of this expedient to
wheels and axles.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
I declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
the same,
Patent is.
1 A self lubricating axle having a channel or reservoir for oil leading to the
interior of the axle box from a point between the ends of the axle, substantially
as shown and described.
2nd A self lubricating axle having its body formed of a piece of metal tubing
with sleeves secured over the ends of the tubing and having discharge orifices
leading through the tubing and the sleeves and a supply orifice between the ends
of the axle, substantially as shown and described.
3rd An axle having its body formed of a piece of metal with sleeves secured to
the ends thereof which are provided with collars at their inner ends combined with
axle boxes having shoulders to fit against the said collars and nuts adapted to screw
into the inner ends of the boxes and washers arranged between the nuts and inner
ends of said sleeves, substantially as shown and described.
4th A self lubricating axle baving a tubular body with sleeves secured to its
ends and passages for oil leading from the interior of the tubular body through the
sleeves combined with boxes which are secured on the sleeves by nuts screwing
into the inner ends of the boxes and plugs screwing into the outer ends of the
boxes against the ends of the sleeves, substantially as shown and described.
5th The combination with the box having an annular collar on the outer surface
near its inner end, of the concavo-convex plates baving recesses or sockets in their
adjacent edges, the spokes set in said sockets and a nut on the outer end of the box
for binding said parts together, substantially as shown and described.
6th The combination with the box having a collar at its inner end, of the
externally threaded sleeve placed over the box, the rubber cushion arranged
between the box and said sleeve, the spokes having their inner ends set in zigzag
order against the sleeve, the plates arranged on opposite sides of the spokes and
the nut for binding the parts together, substantially as shown and described.
7th The combination with the spokes and the wheel hub, of the felly formed in
one piece and secured to the spokes, the flanged block fitted between the ends of
the felly, the flanged tire having its ends bent inward and inserted in a recess in
the block, and the screw inserted into the block between the bent ends of the tire,
substantially as shown and described.
8th The combination with the spokes and the wheel bub, of the felly formed in
one or more pieces, and the tire having its ends inserted between two adjacent ends
of the felly, substantially as shown and described.
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this twenty second day of November, A.D. 1882.