US643939A - Lock for axle-nuts. - Google Patents

Description

' Patented Feb- 20, |900.

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WILLIAM C. BRIGHAM, OF IIAIVLEYVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

LOCK FOR AXLE-NUTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 643,939, dated February 20, 1900. Application iiled'December 12, 1899. Serial No. 740,034. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may conern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. BEIGIIAM, a' citizen of the United States,residing at IIaW- leyville,county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Lock for Axle-Nuts, of which the following is a speciiicaticn.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device for holding the axle-nuts of wagons in place and preventing their being turned off under any of the conditions of use, ordinary or extraordinary, and which shall be so constructed as to permit of the convenient removal of the nut when it is the wish of the operator and without' the use of a wrench or any tools whatever. With this end in view I have devised the novel construction which I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and using reference characters to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, the nut being in section, illustrating the application of my invention to the axle of a Wagon, the lockingplate and operating-lever being shown in the normal or locking position; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section corresponding therewith, the locking plate and operating -lever being shown in the unlocking position; Fig. 3, an inverted plan view corresponding with Fig. 1, the operating-lever being partly broken away; Fig. 4, an end view of the axle with the nut in place, the looking-plate being removed; and Fig. 5 is a face view of the lock' ing-nut detached.

A denotes the wood portion, and B the iron portion, of a wagon-axle; C, the clip by which said parts are held together; D, the spindle, threaded at its outer end, and E the nut, which may be and preferably is made cylindrical in cross-section. The nut is in practice made to turn quite loosely, so that it may be readily turned off by hand,'but is locked securely in place by the engagement therewith and with the axle of alocking-plate F. This locking-plate is provided on its inner face with pins 10, which are adapted to engage holes 11 in the nut, and with a lug 12, which is adapted to engage a groove 13 in the end of the spindle, and recesses 14 in the nut, which are adapted to register with the groove in the spindle, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

15 denotes a longitudinal opening which extends through the spindle and into the iron portion of the axle and runs out on the uuder side of the axle, as at 16.

17 denotes a rod lying in opening 15,Whicl1` is provided at its outer end with a hook 18, adapted to engage a hole in' lug 12, so as to securely retain the locking-plate in the locking position, but permit its convenient removal from the hook in the unlocking posigroove 13, being provided in the end of the spindle to receive the hook in the lockingposition.

G denotes the operating-lever, at the inner end of which is a rounded grooved head 20. This rounded head is eccentrically pivoted to a bifurcated spring-arm 21, the base of which is rigidly bolted to the axle, the operatinglever in the unlocking position, as in Fig. 2, lying between the two branches of the springarm. The pivotal point of head 2O to the spring-arm is indicated by 22 and is at one side of said head.

23 denotes a iiexible connection which is attached to head 20, as at 24, and the other end of which is connected to rod 17, as at 25. This flexible connection may be made of any suitable material, but I have indicated in the drawings a flexible connection consisting of a strip of spring metal.

The operation will be readily understood from the drawings. In the locking position, as in Fig. l, the operating-lever is turned forward, pivotal point 22 being upward. In this position of the parts the locking-plate is drawn inward, its face being in engagement with the outer face of the nut, pins 10 being in engagement with holes 11 and lug 12 in engagement with groove 13 and recesses 14, the spring-arm acting to retain the parts firmly in this position and prevent any looseness or rattling. To remove the nut, the operator first turns the operating-lever backwardthat is, changes it from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2. In the former position it will be noted that the point of attachment of the flexible connection to the rounded head, which I have indicated by 24, is downward, so that the outer end of the face of the rounded head. In the second tion, as in Fig. 2, a recess 19, transverse to IOO the iiexible connection is drawn outward over position the pivotal point of the operatinglever to the spring-arm and the point of attachment of the ilexible connection to the rounded head are reversed, so that it the flexible connection is metallic the lockingplate will be forced outward away from the nut, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, or if the fiexible connection is not metallic the locking-plate will be left loose, so that it may be readily moved outward by the hand of the operator, there being nothing to retain it in the locking position. In this position of the parts, the pins being ont of engagement with holes 1l and the lug out of engagement with the groove and recesses, the locking-plate may be readily removed from hook 18, after which the nut may be turned off from the spindle, as in removing a wheel or for any purpose whatever. Should it happen that from any cause whatever the nut is set upon the thread of the spindle, the operator would move the locking-plate outward far enough to disengage the lug from the groove and recesses, but leaving the pins in engagement with holes 1l, when leverage might be applied in any suitable manner to the locking plate or pins to start the nut, it being understood, as already stated, that it is intended that the nut shall turn freely, except when locked, and that should it become set no great amount of power would be required to start it. In restoring the parts to their normal position, having replaced the nut on the spindle and engaged the lug on the locking-plate with the hook,the operator turns the operating-lever t0 the locking position again-that is, changes it from the position shown in Fig. 2 back to the position shown in Fig. l-it being simply necessary to turn the nut to such a position that the pins will register with and enter holes 11 as the locking-plate is drawn inward.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination with the spindle ot' an axle having a transverse groove in its end, of a nut engaging the spindle and having recesses adapted to register with the groove, a locking-plate having on its inner face a lug adapted to engage said groove and recesses, and means for retaining said locking-plate in the locking position so that the nut cannot be turned off.

2. The combination with the spindle of an axle having a groove in its end, of a nut engaging the end of the spindle and having recesses adapted to register with the groove, and holes ll, a locking-plate having on its face a lug adapted to engage the groove and recesses, and pins adapted to engage holes l1, and means for retaining said partsin engagement.

3. The combination with the spindle of an axle having a longitudinal opening and a groove in its end, of a nut engaging the end of the spindle and having recesses adapted to register with the groove, a locking-plate having a lug adapted to engage said groove and recesses, a rod lying in the longitudinal opening to the outer end of which the locking-plate is detachably secured, and an operating-lever and connections by which the rod is moved longitudinally to lock or release the locking-plate.

4. The combination with an axle and spindie, said spindle having a groove in its end and a longitudinal opening extending from said groove to an opening in the under side of the axle, of a nut engaging the end of the spindle and having recesses adapted to register with the groove, a locking-plate having a lug adapted to engage said groove and recesses, a rod lying in the longitudinal opening and connected to the locking plate, an operatinglever having a rounded head, a spring-arm on the under side of the axle to which said head is eccentrically pivoted and a flexible connection one end of which is attached to the rod and the other to the rounded head opposite to its pivotal point so that movement of the operating-lever will either release the locking-plate or draw the flexible connection over the rounded head and thereby place the lug in engagement with the groove and recesses and lock the nut against backward movement.

5. In a device of the character described the combination with an axle and spindle having a longitudinal opening, a locking-lever having a rounded grooved head and a spring-arm to which said head is eccentrically pivoted, of a nut, a locking-plate adapted to engage the spindle and nut to prevent the latter from turning, and a connection intermediate the locking-plate and the rounded head whereby the locking-plate is retained in the locking position or is released.

6. In a device of the character described the combination with an axle and a spindle having a longitudinal opening, a locking-lever and aspring-arm to which it is pivoted, of a nut, a locking-plate adapted to engage the spindle and nut, and a connection intermediate the locking-plate and the operating-lever.

7. The combination With the spindle of an axle having a longitudinal opening and a groove in its end, a nut having holes 1l and recesses 14, and a locking-plate having a lug which engages the groove and recesses, and pins which engage the holes, of a rod lying in the longitudinal opening and connected to the lug, an operating-lever, a spring-arm to which it is eccentrically pivoted and a flexible connection between the operating-lever and the rod.

In testimony whereof I alIiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM C. BRIGIIAM.

IVitnesses:

A. M. Woosrna, S. W. ATHERTON.

IOO

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