IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WHEELS OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES USED IN COLLIERIES OR OTHER MINES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Lawrence, of Durham, in the County of Durham,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WHEELS OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
USED IN COLLIERIES OR OTHER MINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Lawrence at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd May 1881.
«
HENRY LAWRENCE, of Durham, in the County of Durham. IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE WHEELS OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES USED IN COLLIERIES OR OTHER MINES."
My Invention relates to the wheels of locomotive engines actuated by compressed
air, steam, or other means, and used in the underground workings of collieries or
other mines or places where explosive gases are liable to be present.
It has for its object an improved method of constructing the wheels of such
locomotive engines in order to prevent the possibility of exploding such gases by
the sparks caused by the friction of the wheels against the iron or steel rails upon
which they run.
In such locomotive engines as now used upon rails laid in the levels and under-
ground workings of collieries, compressed air at high pressure is ordinarily used as
the motive power, and it is found that where the rails are unevenly laid, or the
compressed air is not admitted to the engine with sufficient care, the iron driving
wheels as ordinarily used are liable to slip and revolve with great speed upon the
rails, streams of brilliant sparks being emitted by the friction, and where explosivo
gases are present, great fear of the explosion of such gases being caused.
My present Invention consists of a novel method of constructing the wheels of
such locomotive engines so that the possibility of the emission of sparks in the
way described is prevented. For this purpose I form the tyres of the driving
wheels of the engine of hard brass, gun metal, or other mixture of copper and tin,
or other metals or materials incapable of emitting sparks by rapid friction against
iron or steel. I take wheels of cast iron or other material as ordinarily used, and
round the peripheries of such wheels I fix, by shrinking or other well known
means, tyres of brass or other metals or material incapable of emitting sparks in
the circumstances above described.
Or sometimes I make the entire wheel, instead of the tyre only, of brass, gun
metal, or other such metal or material as above described, the centre of the wheel
being bored or otherwise fitted upon the axle which carries it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Lawrence in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd November
1881.
HENRY LAWRENCE, of Durham, in the County of Durham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE WHEELS OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES USED IN COLLIERIES OR OTHER MINES."
My Invention relates to the wheels of locomotive engines actuated by compressed
air, steam, or other means, and used in the underground workings of collieries or
other mines or places where explosive gases in dangerous quantities are liable to be
present. It has for its object an improved method of constructing the wheels of
such locomotive engines in order to prevent the possibility of exploding such gases
by the sparks caused by the friction of the wheels against .the iron or steel rails
upon which they travel.
In such locomotive engines as now frequently used upon rails laid in the levels
and underground workings of collieries, compressed air at high pressure is ordinarily
used as the motive power, and it is found that where the rails are unevenly laid,
or the compressed air is not admitted to the engine with sufficient care, the iron or
steel driving wheels as ordinarily used are liable to slip and revolve with great
speed upon the rails, streams of brilliant sparks being emitted by the friction, and
where explosive gases are present there is great fear of the explosion of such gases
being caused.
My present Invention consists of a novel method of constructing the tyres of the
wheels of such locomotive engines so that the emission of the sparks in the way
described is prevented. For this purpose I form the tyres of the driving wheels
of the engine of hard brass, gun metal, or other mixture of copper and tin, or other
metals or materials incapable of emitting sparks by rapid friction against iron or
steel. I take wheels of cast iron or other material as ordinarily used, and round
the peripheries of such wheels I fix, by shrinking or other well known means,
tyres of brass, gun metal, or other metals or material incapable of emitting sparks
in the circumstances above described.
Or sometimes I make the entire wheel, instead of the tyre only, of brass, gun
metal, or other such metal or material as above described, the centre of the wheel
being bored or otherwise fitted upon the axle which carries it in the usual way.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which it is to be
performed, I claim the method of constructing the wheels or the tyres of the
wheels of locomotive engines used in collieries or other places where. explosive
gases are present, of brass or other metal or material, substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Lawrence, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 31st day of October, in the year of our Lord 1881.