AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Simon of No 7 St Peters Square Manchester in the
County of Lancaster for an invention of AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF
A communication to him from abroad by La Société Anonyme
des Ateliers de la Dyle of Louvain in the Kingdom of Belgium an incorporated
AXLE BOXES
Company
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Simon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th May 1882.
"
HENRY SIMON of No 7 St. Peters Square Manchester in the County of Lancaster
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF AXLE BOXES [A communication to me from
abroad by La Société Anonyme des Ateliers de la Dyle of Louvain in the Kingdom
of Belgium an incorporated Company]
Axle boxes for railway, tramway and other vehicles have heretofore been made
of cast iron on account of the difficulty of obtaining otherwise than by the process
of moulding and casting the box-like configuration required. Such cast iron axle
boxes have the great disadvantage of being very liable to fracture, more particularly
on the underside, thereby allowing the escape of the lubricant.
According to the present invention this inconvenience is obviated by manu-
facturing the axle boxes of wrought iron or steel instead of cast iron. For this
purpose the axle box is firstly made of two separate parts, the lower part forming
the receptacle for the lubricant, and the upper part forming the cover and seat for
the gun metal cushion for the axle, which two parts are secured together by screw
bolts passing through external lugs formed on both parts. The said lower part is
produced by first forming by forging stamping or pressing in dies two flat plates
having on one part thereof projections corresponding to the said lugs and to the
grooved flanges or ribs required on each side of the axle box to guide them on the
horn plates. These two plates are then welded or brazed together so as to form
one plate, which is then bent up on each side into a U-forum, having the above
mentioned flanges at the upper ends and the grooved ribs on the outer sides. A
third plate is then formed by forging stamping or pressing in dies, having a con-
figuration such as to close the front end of the U shaped plate, to which it is then

page_text: united by welding or brazing, and the back end is partly closed by a flange formed
so as to allow the passage of the axle and having a groove for receiving the felt
washer fitting over the neck of the axle.
The cover plate is in like manner formed by forging stamping or pressing in
dies so as to close the top of the lower part it being provided with a circular
groove at the back end to receive the upper part of the beforementioned felt
washer, a second circular groove at the front end to receive the end collar of the
axle, and a recess in the middle part to receive the gun metal cushion for the
bearing.
The front end of the box thus formed has a hole tapped into it, into which is
screwed a curved tubular piece provided with a hinged cover, through which the
lubricant is introduced into the axle box.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Simon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th November
1882.
"
HENRY SIMON of No 7 St Peters Square Manchester in the County of Lancaster
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF AXLE BOXES A communication to me from
Abroad by La Société Anonyme des Ateliers de la Dyle of Louvain in the Kingdom
of Belgium an incorporated Company.
Axle boxes for the revolving axles of railway, tramway and other vehicles have
heretofore been made of cast iron on account of the difficulty of obtaining other-
wise than by the process of moulding and casting the box-like configuration
required. Such cast iron axle boxes have the great disadvantage of being very
liable to fracture, more particularly on the underside, thereby allowing the escape
of the lubricant.
According to the present invention this inconvenience is obviated by manu-
facturing the axle boxes of wrought iron or steel instead of cast iron. For this
purpose the axle box is firstly made of two separate parts, the lower part forming
the receptacle for the lubricant and the upper part forming the cover and seat for
the gun metal cushion for the axle, which two parts are secured together by screw
bolts passing through external lugs formed on both parts. The said lower part is
produced by first forming by forging stamping or pressing in dies two flat plates
having on one part thereof projections corresponding to the said lugs and to the
grooved flanges or ribs required on each side of the axle box to guide them on the
horn plates. These two plates are then welded or brazed together so as to form
one plate, which is then bent up on each side into a U form, having the above.
mentioned flanges at the upper ends and the grooved ribs on the outer sides. A
third plate is then formed by forging, stamping or pressing in dies, having a con-
figuration such as to close the front end of the U shaped plate, to which it is then
united by welding or brazing, and the back end is partly closed by a flange formed
so as to allow the passage of the axle and having a groove for receiving the felt
washer fitting over the neck of the axle.
The cover plate is in like manuer formed by forging stamping or pressing in
dies so as to close the top of the lower part it being provided with a circular groove
at the back end to receive the upper part of the before mentioned felt washer, a
second circular groove at the front end to receive the end collar of the axle, and a
recess in the middle part to receive the gun metal cushion for the bearing.
The front end of the box thus formed has a hole tapped into it, into which is
screwed a curved tubular piece provided with a hinged cover, through which the
lubricant is introduced into the axle box.
The improved construction of axle boxes has the following advantages :—Firstly.
The axle boxes are much lighter than the ordinary cast iron axle boxes; secondly,
they offer great resistance to fracture by shocks or blows; thirdly, there is no
leakage of lubricant through fracture of the bottom; fourthly, the boxes being
perfectly free from honey comb, such as occurs in cast iron ones they are not
subject to leakage on this account.
The accompanying drawings shew the construction of a wrought iron or steel
axle box according to the present invention, Figs 1 to 5 shew the mode of manu-
facture, while Figs 6, 7, 8 and 9 shew respectively a cross section, longitudinal
section, plan of top, and plan with cover removed, of the complete axle box, to a
larger scale. The axle box is formed of the parts A and B Figs 1 and 2.
The part A which constitutes the receptacle for the lubricant is attached to the

page_text: cover B by means of screw bolts passing through lugs C.
For forming the part A
two plates are formed by stamping in dies according to the configuration shewn
at D Fig 3. These two plates are then brazed or welded together as at E Fig 4
and are then bent into the form shewn at Fig 4. In the same manner a plate as
at F Fig 5 is formed by stamping forging or pressing in dies, which serves to close
the front end of the box A, being united thereto by brazing or welding, and the
part N at the back end is also fixed or formed on the box by brazing or welding,
or by stamping up from the metal plates E.
The cover B is also formed of the configuration shewn at Figs 2, 6, 7 and 8 by
forging, stamping or pressing in dies, and is then bolted to the axle box A by
bolts G, as shewn at Fig 6. The cover is formed with a recess to receive the gun
metal cushion H for the axle I and with grooves K K¹ to receive respectively the
end collar of the axle and the felt washer L fitted round the neck of the axle, a
corresponding groove being formed in the back end N of the axle box. A hole M
is tapped into the front end of the axle box into which is screwed a curved
tubular piece provided with a hinged cover through which the lubricant is
introduced.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents,
I claim:-
Constructing axle boxes for revolving axles of wrought iron or steel substantially
as herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Simon have hereunto set my hand and
seal this twenty third day of November in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.