IMPROVE- MENTS IN BEARINGS FOR AXLES AND SHAFTS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hill, of Merrylee, Cathcart, in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BEARINGS FOR AXLES AND SHAFTS."-A communication from
abroad by John T. Buen, of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th February 1868.
I, THOMAS HILL, of Merrylee, Cathcart, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS FOR AXLES AND SHAFTS," which Invention has
been communicated to me from abroad by John T. Buen, of New York,
United States of America, to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its objects to prevent the abrasion of the
journals of axles and shafts; to reduce the friction surface; to obtain an
improved distribution of the lubricating matter; to retain the lubricating
matter in the bearing; and to make the bearings in a simple and
economical manner.

page_text: The Invention consists in making the rubbing surface of the bearing
with grooves of a peculiar configuration adapted to secure the con-
templated objects, and which configuration is to be modified to suit the
position or situation of the axle or shaft. The grooves are by preference
formed by casting the metal, alloy, or material of the bearing in the
axle box, or cap or piece which is to hold it, and upon a mandrill or core
formed with suitable counterpart ridges. If the axle or shaft is in a
horizontal position, as in the case of a railway axle box for example, the
grooves cross the top of the bearing at right angles, and are curved on
each side so as all to converge towards the middle of the bearing. In
the case of a vertical or inclined shaft in which gravitation causes the
lubricating matter to continually move towards the lower end, the
grooves are in a helical form, disposed so that the inclined edges of the
lands (or parts between the grooves) continually scrape the lubricating
matter in an upward direction. Helical grooves may also be used in
some cases when the shaft is horizontal, as for example, in the stern
bearing of a screw propeller shaft where the water is allowed to flow
continuously through. The grooves may also be helical where a
.horizontal shaft revolves in one direction only.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HILL, of Merrylee, Cathcart, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Hill, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Hill, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Hill, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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,

page_text: within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS
FOR AXLES AND SHAFTS," (a communication to me from abroad by John
T. Bruen, of New York, United States of America,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Hill, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument 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 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 Thomas Hill, 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 in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
The said Invention has for its objects to prevent the abrasion of
the journals of axles and shafts; to reduce the friction surface; to
obtain an improved distribution of the lubricating matter; to retain the
lubricating matter in the bearing; and to make the bearings in a simple
and ceonomical manner.
The Invention consists in making, the rubbing surface of the bearing
with grooves of a peculiar configuration adapted to secure the con-
templated objects; and which configuration is to be modified to suit
the position or situation of the axle or shaft. The grooves are by
preference formed by casting the metal, alloy, or material of the bearing
in the axle box, or cap or piece which is to hold it, and upon a mandrill.
or core formed with suitable counterpart ridges.
And in order that the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet
of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and repre-
senting examples of bearings as made with the improvements.. The
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts in all
the Figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of a pillow block bearing for a horizontal shaft,
with the cap and upper brass removed, but showing the inside of the
lower brass 1, to which the upper brass is similar. For a horizontal

page_text: shaft as in this example, the grooves 2 in the brass 1 are shaped so as
to cross the longitudinal centre line of the brass at right angles, and
they are curved on each side so as all to converge towards the middle
of the brass at the sides, and cause the lubricating matter which tends
to spread towards the ends to return towards the middle; Figure 2 is
an elevation of the pillow block with the parts in position for casting
the brasses in their places. The cover or cap 3 is screwed close down,
and a mandrill 4 is inserted in the place for the shaft to serve as a core
for shaping the insides of the brasses, and which is formed with ridges to
form the grooves (2, Figure 1). The mandrill 4 is formed with flanges 5
to close the ends of the spaces for the brasses in the block and cover;
one, however, of these flanges is shaped as indicated at 6 to form the gate
for pouring in the molten brass or other metal. The mandrill is also
formed with ribs 7 to occupy the spaces ordinarily left to admit of the
brasses being brought closer together as they wear; these ribs are how-
ever cut through at one or two points to let the molten brass pass down
to the space for the lower brass when both the upper and under brasses
are cast simultaneously, for which the arrangement shown in Figure 3
is adapted. It may, however, be most convenient to cast the upper and
under brasses separately, in which case a half mandrill may be used,
such as is shown in side elevation in Figure 3, and in cross section in
Figure 4.
In the case of a vertical or inclined shaft in which gravitation causes
the lubricating matter to continually move towards the lower end, the
grooves 2 are in a helical form, as shown in Figure 5, which is a vertical
section of a footstep bearing. With this arrangement the inclined edges
of the lands (or parts between the grooves) will continually scrape
the lubricating matter in an upward direction. Helical grooves may
also be used in some cases when the shaft is horizontal, as for example,
in the stern bearing of a screw propeller shaft where the water is allowed
to flow continuously through. The grooves may also be helical where
a horizontal shaft revolves in one direction only.
Having thus particularly described the said Invention communicated
to me from abroad, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the hercin-before
in part recited Letters Patent is, the casting of brasses or bearing pieces

page_text: for axles and shafts with grooves disposed so as to correct the spreading
or descending tendency of the lubricating matter, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
THO. HILL. (L.S.)