AN IMPROVEMENT IN AXLETREES AND AXLETREE BOXES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DE BERGUE, of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of August, in the fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles De Bergue, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Charles De Bergue, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Charles De Bergue, my exors, admors, and
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 and Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention, communicated to me
by a foreigner residing abroad, of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN AXLETREES AND
AXLETREE BOXES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said Charles De Bergue, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be enrolled in Her 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,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Charles De Bergue, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
communicated to me by a certain foreigner residing abroad to consist in

page_text: a new description of axletrees and axletree boxes, suitable for carriages,
coaches, carts, and other purposes, constructed on a principle combining
greater simplicity, safety, and cheapness, together with the advantage that
the wheels can be much more readily taken off for the purpose of cleaning
and lubricating and replaced than with those now in use; and the manner
in which the same is constructed and carried into effect will be seen by
reference to the annexed Drawings and the following description thereof, in
which the same letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts in
each Figure:-
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 a section of one description of axle-
tree and axletree box on the above principle; and Figure 3 and 4 are detached
parts, which will be afterwards referred to.
In these Figures, A represents one end of the axle or shaft on which the
box or bush revolves; B is the box or bush; and C, a small case or chamber
screwed into the end of the box for the purpose of holding a supply of oil
or similar liquid for effectually lubricating the working parts. Towards the
middle of the box or bush B, a small recess 6 is made in the axle, to contain
oil, and in the box itself the recess a is also provided, for the same purpose.
The shape of the axle A, as seen at Figure 2, represents two shoulders or
circular parts of an increased diameter D and E, between which a divided
nut, which may be made of iron, steel, bell metal, brass, or any other suitable
metal, is placed. A plan of this nut is seen at G, G, Figure 3, and the in-
terior construction at Figure 4, where it is so formed as to fit accurately to the
axletree A, in the space between the parts D and E. The outside of this
divided nut is cut with a strong screw thread, which is received into a similar
thread in the interior of the box B, as seen at g, g, Figure 2, so that when
the two parts of the divided nut are placed together on the axle between the
shoulders D and E, as seen at Figure 1, and the box B screwed home, it is
held in the proper positions, and the nut and box or bush, forming as it were
a single body, revolve freely together on the axle A, thus most effectually
securing the wheel from the possibility of coming off when working, as it is
dependent on the shoulder D, which forms part of the solid axle A.
It will be observed, that the screw of the divided nut G, G, is cut in the
opposite direction to that in which the box is designed to turn, so that the
subsequent rotation has a tendency to tighten the screwed part and keep the
nut firm in its place when moving, and that the escape of the oil or other
lubricating liquid is secured by a small collar of sponge or other material used
as packing, which is let into an accurately turned groove cut in the part E, as
70

page_text: When it is required to remove a wheel to clean the box or axle, or for any
other purpose, the divided nut must be held stationary by a key or spanner,
and the wheel and box B turned backwards until the screwed part of the
nut G is relieved from the box B. The wheel and box can then be removed
as well as the divided nut, and when cleaned and oiled replaced in the same
manner.
Although I have shewn but one form of axletree in the annexed Drawing,
which is considered well arranged for ordinary purposes, it will be obvious
that the form and proportions of such axletrees may be variously modified and
varied according to the purpose to which they are to be applied, and I do
not confine myself or do I claim these or any other form of parts which may be
adopted. But what I do claim as new, and never before used in this kingdom,
to the best of my knowledge and belief, and in which this improvement consists,
is the divided nut G, G, and the screwed part of the axletree box g, g, as applied
to axletrees and axletree boxes, for the purpose herein-before described; and
I deliver this as my true and faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles De Bergue, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 18th day of February, One thousand eight