IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS FOR THE AXLES OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING PARTS OF THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Augustus Beckman, of No. 116, Fenchurch
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BEARINGS FOR THE AXLES OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN MACHINERY FOR
CONSTRUCTING PARTS OF THE SAME."-A communication from abroad by
Wilhelm Basson, residing at Cologne, in the Kingdom of Prussia.
Sealed the 24th June 1864, and dated the 18th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Augustus Beck-
man at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th January 1864.
I, CHARLES AUGUSTUS BECKMAN, of No. 116, Fenchurch Street, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS FOR THE AXLES OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN
MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING PARTS OF THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in bearings for the axles
of railway carriages, and in machinery for constructing parts of the same.
In railway bearings constructed according to this Invention, the neck of
the axle is enclosed in a box made in two parts bolted together. On the neck
of the axle a brass rests, this fits on to the upper part of the box, but is able
to rock end wise in the box to ensure its bearing with an even pressure on the
neck from end to end. To allow this rocking motion to take place a transverse
rib is formed in the interior of the upper part of the box, and this rib takes its
bearing on the brass and serves as a pivot for it to rock upon. The box is
everywhere closed, with the exception of the opening by which the axle enters
Di 1

page_text: it; this is sufficiently large to prevent the axle coming in contact with the
box, but a tight joint is formed by a leather ring held in a groove in the two
parts of the box and through the centre of which the axle passes. The lower
part of the box contains the lubricating apparatus, it consists of a tray con-
taining oil, and in this tray is also a frame constracted partly of wood and
carrying a large wick or a mass of a suitable loose fabric; this frame with its
wick is pressed upwards by spiral springs underneath it, so that wick or mass
of fabric bears against the neck of the axle, and its lower end being immersed
in the oil it continually brings up grease to the axle. The wick or mass of
fabric where it bears on the axle is prevented spreading out unduly by two
spring pieces, which bear on the axle and retain the wick or fabric on each
side. The oil which drops back from the neck of the axle at its two extre-
mities is received into small troughs; these troughs are perforated to let
the oil pass, but they retain and stop back any solid impurity unless it be
very light or small in size. From these troughs the oil falls into a gutter placed
all round the wick frame, and formed of a porous material; this retains any
remaining solid impurities, but lets clear oil pass through back into the oil
tray to be again used. The groove in which the leather ring surrounding the
axle is fitted is furnished with a passage at the bottom to allow any oil which
accumulates in the groove to flow back. The clip which holds the carriage
spring has a stud underneath which enters a recess in the top of the box.
In order to shape the brasses of the bearings so as to reduce the friction as
much as possible when the wheels are running round curves, the brasses are
not bored to the same shape as the neck of the axle, but so as to permit the
axle to roll somewhat within it. In boring the brasses a cutter of the same
contour as the neck of the axle is employed; this cutter is fixed on a boring
head. Two brasses are held together to be bored, and fixed rigidly on a
suitable support. The boring head passes through them, and it is driven
by an axis, to which it is connected by a ball-and-socket joint. The further
end of the boring head is held in a suitable stop, which can be set to any
extent desired out of centre with the driving axis. This step and the lower
end of the boring head with it are capable of being rotated around the
centre line of the driving shaft as the boring progresses, and thus the cutter
is caused to roll whilst in action to the same extent as it is desired that the
axle should be able to roll in the brass. The support containing the brasses
in process of being bored is driven on a given line by the motion of the
machine, and thus they are bored in the form required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Augustus Beckman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
AUGUSTUS BECKMAN, of No. 116, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Augustus Beckman, Her special licence that I, the
said Charles Augustus Beckman, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Charles Augustus Beckman, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS FOR THE AXLES OF RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, AND IN MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING PARTS OF THE SAME," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Wilhelm Basson, a person resident at Cologne,
in the Kingdom of Prussia, through the medium of his Agent, Feril Ludeske,
of Cologne, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
Augustus Beckman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Augustus Beckman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
In
This Invention has for its object improvements in bearings for the axles of
railway carriages, and in machinery for constructing parts of the same.
railway bearings constructed according to this Invention, the neck of the axle
is enclosed in a box made in two parts bolted together. On the neck of the
axle a brass rests, this fits on to the upper part of the box, but is able to rock
endwise on the box to ensure its bearing with an even pressure on the neck

page_text: from end to end. To allow this rocking motion to take place a transverse
rib is formed in the interior of the upper part of the box, and this rib takes
its bearing on the brass and serves as a pivot for it to rock upon. The box
is everywhere closed, with the exception of the opening by which the axle
enters it; this is sufficiently large to prevent the axle coming in contact
with the box, but a tight joint is formed by a leather ring held in a groove
in the two parts of the box, and through the centre of which the axle passes.
The lower part of the box contains the lubricating apparatus, it consists of a
tray containing oil, and in this tray is also a frame constructed partly of wood
and carrying a large wick or a mass of a suitable loose fabric; this frame
with its wick is pressed upwards by spiral springs underneath it, so that
wick or mass of fabric bears against the neck of the axle, and its lower end
being immersed in the oil it continually brings up grease to the axle. The
wick or mass of fabric where it bears on the axle is prevented spreading out
unduly by two spring pieces, which bear on the axle and retain the wick or
fabric on each side. The oil which drops back from the neck of the axle at
its two extremities is received into small troughs; these troughs are per-
forated to let the oil pass, but they retain and stop back any solid impurity
unless it be very light or small in size. From these troughs the oil falls into
a gutter placed all round the wick frame, and formed of a porous material;
this retains any remaining solid impurities, but lets clear oil pass through
back into the oil tray to be again used. The groove in which the leather
ring surrounding the axle is fitted is furnished with a passage at the bottom
to allow any oil which accumulates in the groove to flow back. The clip
which holds the carriage spring has a stud underneath, which enters a recess
in the top of the box. In order to shape the brasses of the bearings so as
to reduce the friction as much as possible when the wheels are running round
curves, the brasses are not bored to the same shape as the neck of the axle,
but so as to permit the axle to roll somewhat within it. In boring the brasses
a cutter of the same contour as the neck of the axle is employed; this cutter is
fixed on a boring head. Two brasses are held together to be bored, and
fixed rigidly on a suitable support. The boring head passes through them,
and it is driven by an axis, to which it is connected by a ball-and-socket
joint. The further end of the boring head is held in a suitable step, which
can be set to any extent desired out of centre with the driving axis. This
step and the lower end of the boring head with it are capable of being
rotated around the centre line of the driving shaft as the boring progresses,
and thus the cutter is caused to roll whilst in action to the same extent as
it is desired that the axle should be able to roll in the brass.

page_text: roadily carried into effect I vill proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of an axle box and other parts arranged accord-
ing to the Invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same; Figure 3
is a vertical section taken at the line A, B, Figure 2; Figure 4 is a vertical
section taken at the line C, D, Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a vertical section
taken at the line E, F, Figure 2.
a is the axle, and a¹ the neck thereof; 6 is a box made in two
parts, bolted together, and enclosing the neck of the axle; 6 is a
brass fitted into the upper part of the box, and capable of rocking on
the ridge bx therein. This brass, as is shewn, bears on the neck of the
axle, and the power it has of rocking ensures its bearing evenly thereon
from end to end. c is a leather ring, it is securely fixed in the groove b² in
the axle box, this ring fits closely to the axle, and closes the opening in the box
through which the axle enters, thus the centre box is closed grease tight; disa
trough or tray containing oil, in this tray is the wooden frame e,having a bottom
el of sheet metal, it carries the large wick or mass of fibre or loose fabric f,
parts of which descend through holes in the bottom plate el into the oil in
the tray d; g, g, are spiral springs bearing on the under side of the plate e¹,
these springs are kept in their places by the steady pins d² fixed in the bottom
of the box b, thus as will be seen the springs g, g, keep the wick f always
bearing lightly on the under side of the neck of the axle. The frame is
supported and guided as it moves up or down by the inner sides of the trough
h, which is fixed to the axle box b, this trough also serves to catch any excess
of oil which may be taken up by the wick, and run back off the axle. The
inner sides of the trough h are perforated with fine holes, and the oil which falls
into this trough strains through these, and it then falls into the filter i, which
is made of very thin leather, its inner edge is attached to the wooden frame e,
and its outer to the edge of the oil tray d. The oil falling upon this filter
percolates through it, and is thus returned in a clear state to the trough or
tray from which it was taken. In order to prevent the fibres of the wick
lapping around the axles the wires 1, 1, are employed, they are caused to bear
closely against the neck of the axle by the spring arms m, m, which carry
them, and these are attached to a frame of thin sheet metal, which fits around
the wick frame e; n is a passage by which any oil which accumulates in the
groove b² of the axle box escapes,and ultimately gets back by passing through

page_text: the filter i in the oil trough d. The carriage spring o is held by a clip p,
which has a stud on its under side entering a socket in the top of the box.
Figure 6 is a side view, and Figure 7 a front view, both partly in section,
of a machine constructed according to the Invention for boring the brasses
for railway axles. a is a bevilled pinion, which by ordinary lathe gear can
be driven at a slow or fast speed at pleasure, it gears with a bevilled wheel on
the vertical axis b, the lower end of this axis it will be seen is made globular.
Beneath the axis is mounted the rotating table c, on which is a slide d,
carrying the lower end of the boring bar, which is not shewn in these Figures,
but is drawn full size at Figure 8, this Figure is partly in section.
Figure 9 is a section taken partly at the line A, B, and
C, D), Figure 8.
partly at the line
It will be seen that the upper end of the boring bar is made with a socket
for the globular end of the.axis b, and also suitably for receiving a driving
key e, by which motion is given to the boring bar. The lower end of the
boring bar is stepped into the rocking bearing f, the trunnions f¹ of which
are carried by the slide d.
It will be seen that this arrangement admits of the lower end of the boring
bar being moved by the slide out of the centre line of the axis b without inter-
fering with the rotation of the boring bar, and if then whilst the machine is at
work the table c be rotated, it will cause the boring tool to roll, and the
brasses which are being bored will be shaped to correspond; g is a stationary
clip in which two brasses are held clamped together for boring. Figure 10
is a side view of the deck of an axle full size.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Augustus Beckman, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
CHARLES AUGUSTUS BECKMAN. (L.S.)