IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ROAD ROLLERS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Aveling, of Rochester, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ROAD ROLLERS."
Sealed the 18th July 1871, and dated the 25th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Aveling at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th February 1871.
I, THOMAS AVELING, of Rochester, in the County of Kent, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ROAD ROLLERS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct a light and efficient steam
road roller with horizontal boiler. To this end I so modify the
construction of the roller as to avoid the necessity for the heavy framing
heretofore employed.
In carrying out my Invention I adopt the general arrangement of the
ordinary traction engine, converting the driving wheels into rollers, and

page_text: the space left by these rollers I cover by a pair of front rollers which
sorve also as steering wheels. These rollers are made conical or "dished"
in order that on the ground line they may be close together, while at
and above their axle there is space for a vertical shaft standing up from
their axle and which serves as a front support for the boiler. This
shaft is so connected to the shell of the horizontal boiler as to allow of
its receiving a slight lateral (as well as an axial) motion, which lateral
motion is required to permit of the rollers adjusting themselves to their
work. The front rollers are mounted loosely on a dead axle to which
is bolted the lower end of the vertical shaft. To the extremities of this
axle a forked or saddle piece is attached to act as a guide for the
steering chains and to take up the slack thereof. These chains pass
rearwards to a transverse roller, by turning which on its axis the chains
will be wound up and run out to effect the steering of the rollers, the
axle of which is free to swivel on the axle of and oscillate with the
vertical shaft attached thereto. By keeping the driving wheels behind
as is usual in traction engines, instead of placing them in front as
is common to steam road rollers the utmost bite of these wheels in
moving up steep inclines and in traversing soft ground will be
ensured, and thus the disadvantages at present experienced will be
avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Aveling in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
AVELING, of Rochester, in the County of Kent, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Aveling, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Aveling, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Aveling, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term

page_text: therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, excrcise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM ROAD ROLLERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Aveling, my executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE that I, the said Thomas Aveling, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of this Invention is to construct a light and efficient steam
road roller with horizontal boiler. To this end I so modify the con-
struction of the roller as to avoid the necessity for the heavy framing
heretofore employed.
In carrying out my Invention I adopt the general arrangement of the
ordinary traction engine converting the driving wheels into rollers, and
the space left by these rollers I cover by a pair of front rollers which
serve also as steering wheels. These rollers I prefer to make conical or
"dished" in order that on the ground line they may be close together,
while at and above their axle there is space for a vertical shaft standing
up from their axle, and which serves as a front support for the boiler.
This support I so connect to the shell of the horizontal boiler as to
allow of its receiving a slight lateral (as well as an axial) motion,
which lateral motion is required to permit of the rollers adjusting
themselves to their work. The front rollers are mounted loosely on a
dead axle, to which is bolted the lower end of the vertical shaft or
support. To the extremities of this axle a horizontal, forked, or saddle
piece is attached to receive and act as a guide for the steering chain.
The chain passes rearwards to a chain wheel, by turning which the
steering of the rollers will be effected, their axle being free to swivel and
oscillate with the vertical support attached thereto.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the
improved road roller; Fig. 2 is a Diagram plan of the same, illustrating
the steering arrangement; Fig. 3 is a front elevation, showing the mode
of carrying the forward end of the boiler; and Fig. 4 is a back clevation
of a road roller.
A, A, is a boiler and furnace supported in the rear by a pair of driving
wheels B, and in front by a pair of steering wheels C. The driving
wheels receive motion as usual through gearing from the crank shaft of
the engiuc, the cylinder of which is mounted on the shell of the boiler,
as shown at D. The axle of the wheels B is carried by side plates E, 1
which also carry the axles for the gearing and likewise the crank shaft
of the engine, as described in the Specification of my Patent, bearing
date April 8th, 1870, No. 1037.
The driving wheels B are formed with broad flanges (see Fig. 4) in
order that they may act as road rollers while propelling the engine
forward. The portion of road which lies within the lines of progress of
these driving wheels is acted upon by the steering wheels C, which
together serve to cover this intervening space. The wheels C are made
slightly conical, and are mounted loosely on a dead axle F, the ends of
that axle being depressed so as to throw the wheels sufficiently out of
the vertical to allow of a shaft G (Fig. 4) being interposed between
them; this shaft is formed with a flange at its lower end to allow of its
being made fast by bolts and units to the dead axle F. The vertical
shaft G is furnished with shoulders at its upper part which embrace
slotted projections of the shell of the boiler. This shaft serves to carry
the weight of the forward end of the boiler, and the slots through which
it passes are so formed as to allow for a slight lateral play while the
shaft is free also to turn on its axis. By this mode of mounting the
boiler not only are the wheels or rollers allowed to adjust themselves to
any irregularity of the ground but the boiler is supported without the
employment of the heavy framing heretofore employed. Fitted to the
opposite ends of the axle F, and extending rearwards is a flanged, forked,
or saddle piece H, to which the opposite ends of a chain I are attached;
this chain passes rearwards around a chain wheel I, the axle of which is
carried by a bracket J bolted to the front wall of the furnace. Keyed to
the upper end of the chain wheel axle is a worm wheel K, into the teeth
of which gears a worm on the axle of a worm wheel L, which axle is also
carried by the bracket J. By turning the worm wheel L an axial motion

page_text: is given to the chain wheel I', and thus through this chain I the wheels
or rollers C are steered, the axle F being free to swivel on the axis of the
vertical shaft G.
The steering may be effected either at the back or front of the steam
road roller by means of a worm operated by a hand wheel, as shown in
two positions at M and N respectively in Fig. 1. By keeping the driving
wheels B behind as is usual in traction engines instead of placing them in
front as is common to steam road rollers, the utmost bite of these wheels
in moving up steep inclines and in traversing soft ground will be insured,
and thus the disadvantages at present experienced will be avoided.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Steam Road Rollers," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The arrangement of the driving and steering rollers above
described.
Secondly. Supporting the boiler of steam road rollers so as to allow of
the rollers adjusting themselves to their work and at the same time
rendering the use of heavy framing to carry the boiler unnecessary.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Aveling, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.