Improvements in or relating to Wheel Hubs and other Bearings.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Wheel Hubs and other Bearings.
I, WILLIAM MONK WHITE, of 113, Melbourne Grove, East Dulwich, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to wheel hubs and other bearings, its principal object
being the construction of a hub having its interior so shaped that centrifugal action,
when the hub is running, will force the lubricant in the interior of the hub to its
opposite ends, thus ensuring lubrication of the balls. A further object of this
invention is to provide, for use with any hub, whether of the form above referred
to or otherwise, a cup or ball race to prevent the oil from issuing end-wise from the
hub when the machine is stationary or when it is canted; a further object of the
invention is the provision of a dust cap to prevent the access of dust to the bearings.
For the bearing of a rotatable spindle it is passed, according to this invention
through a stationary shell with end races, having its interior shaped in the same
fashion as the rotary hub above referred to; in this case as the shell is stationary
the action of gravity instead of centrifugal force is relied on to produce a flow of
lubricant to the ends of the shell. This construction is advantageous for use, for
instance, in the bottom bracket of a cycle.
According to this invention the interior of the hub is so shaped that it is of
larger diameter at the ends than at the centre, consequently oil will not stay on
the small central portion but will be caused by centrifugal action to move toward
the larger end-portions at which the bearings are situated; the interior of the hub
may be coned reversely or tapered, or flared in an easy curve from the middle towards
the ends or stepped or otherwise given the desired difference of diameter.
A similar construction is adopted for stationary bearings, as for the bottom
bracket above referred to by way of example.
The cup or ball-race above referred to can be externally screw-threaded or other-
wise engaged with the hub, or it may be formed integral therewith; it has a central
tubular extension surrounding the spindle and projecting towards the interior of
the hub so that there is an annular recess in the cup or ball-race which will receive
and retain the lubricant, and is of such dimensions that the tubular extension
suffices to retain the whole of the oil within the hub and prevent any of it from
leaking out around the spindle.
The cone is so shaped as to extend into the annular recess sufficiently far to
obtain the desired bearing on the balls therein.
In hubs which have an internal flange at their opposite ends within the ball
race, perforations are made in the flange to enable the oil propelled towards the
ends by centrifugal action to pass to an annulus or other space made in the end
cap, which, externally has a circular groove in it to receive the edges of a dust
cap: this latter is preferably provided with an opening which has flattened or
angular sides to engage with a correspondingly-shaped portion of the cone.
077
The

page_text: edges of the dust cap may be milled or otherwise formed so that it can be con-
veniently turned, thereby affording a ready means of adjusting the cone.
The dust cap need not be engaged with the cone, but may simply screw on or be
otherwise attached to the exterior of the shell.
Although ball bearings are herein before referred to this invention is applicable
also to plain or to roller bearings.
Improvements in or relating to Wheel Hubs and other Bearings.
I, WILLIAM MONK WHITE, of 2, Marnock Road, Crofton Park, formerly of
113, Melbourne Grove, East Dulwich, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:
This invention relates to wheel hubs and other bearings, its principal object
being the construction of a hub having its interior so shaped that centrifugal action,
when the hub is running, will force the lubricant in the interior of the hub to its
opposite ends, thus ensuring lubrication of the balls. A further object of this
invention is to provide, for use with any hub, whether of the form above referred
to or otherwise, a cup or ball race to prevent the oil from issuing end-wise from the
hub when the machine is stationary or when it is canted; a further object of the
invention is the provision of a dust cap to prevent the access of dust to the bearings.
For the bearing of a rotatable spindle it is passed, according to this invention
through a stationary shell with end races having its interior shaped in the same
fashion as the rotary hub above referred to; in this case as the shell is stationary
the action of gravity instead of centrifugal force is relied on to produce a flow of
lubricant to the ends of the shell. This construction is advantageous for use, for
instance, in the bottom bracket of a cycle.
According to this invention the interior of the hub is so shaped that it is of
larger diameter at the ends than at the centre, consequently oil will not stay on
the small central portion but will be caused by centrifugal action to move toward
the larger end-portions at which the bearings are situated; the interior of the hub
may be coned reversely or tapered, or flared in an easy curve from the middle towards
the end or stepped or otherwise given the desired difference of diameter.
A similar construction is adopted for stationary bearings, as for the bottom
bracket above referred to by way of example.
The cup or ball-race above referred to can be externally screw-threaded or other-
wise engaged with the hub, or it may be formed integral therewith; it has a central
tubular extension surrounding the spindle and projecting towards the interior of
the hub so that there is an annular recess in the cup or ball race which will receive
and retain the lubricant, and is preferably of such dimensions that the tubular
extension suffices to retain the whole of the oil within the hub and prevent any of
it from leaking out around the spindle.
The tone is so shaped as to extend into the annular recess sufficiently far to
obtain the desired bearing on the balls therein.
In hubs which have an internal flange at their opposite ends within the ball

page_text: race perforations are made in the flange to enable the oil propelled towards the
ends by centrifugal action to pass to an annulus or other space made in the end
cap, which, externally has a circular groove in it to receive the edges of a dust
cap; this latter is preferably provided with an opening which has flattened or
angular sides to engage with a correspondingly-shaped portion of the cone.
edges of the dust cap may be milled or otherwise formed so that it can be con-
veniently turned, thereby affording a ready means of adjusting the cone.
The
The dust cap need not be engaged with the cone, but may simply screw on or be
otherwise attached to the exterior of the shell.
Although ball bearings are herein before referred to this invention is applicable
also to plain or to roller bearings.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section in the median line of a cycle-wheel hub with
spindle and bearings constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view, one end only being shown, the hub being formed
with internal end flanges, and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
Referring first to Figure 1, the hub A, is shaped internally with its smallest
diameter in the median line, as at A¹ and flared in an easy curve towards each end,
which is provided with an internal screw thread at A².
The two ends of the hub, spindle and bearings are identical in construction, the
description of one end must be held to apply to both throughout this specification.
The spindle B is formed with a collar B¹, immediately in front of which is a
threaded shoulder B². The end of the spindle is likewise threaded at B³, this
threaded portion being of smaller diameter than a plain portion of the spindle 14,
left between the threaded end B3 and the threaded shoulder B2. A sleeve or bush C
is screwed on to the shoulder B2, so as to butt against the collar B. The front end
of the bush C is bored out so as to leave an annular space C' where it surrounds
the part B of the spindle. Its upper front surface C2 forms the ball cone.
The outside diameter of the bush C is less than the internal diameter of the hub
end, so as to allow free passage for the lubricant from the central portion of the
hub to the ball race.
The cup or ball race D is provided with a flange D¹, threaded to engage with the
end A2 of the hub, and is also formed with an extension or flange D2, which lies
within the space C. The extension D2 is bored to form an easy fit with the
portion B of the spindle which it surrounds so that whilst no friction is set up
between the two surfaces, the space between them is sufficiently narrow to prevent
the passage of the lubricant to the outside of the bearing. The face of the cup D
is provided with a boss D³.
The dust cap E is screwed on the end B3 of the spindle, so that it butts against
the shoulder of the plain portion B, and it has a flange El which overlaps the
boss D3 of the cup D, as shown in the figure, or alternatively it may engage in
an annular groove formed in the boss. As the cup D and cap E have relative move-
ment they must not frictionally engage.
A lock nut F may be provided.
In Figure 2 the hub A, whilst similar in general configuration to that shown in
Figure 1, is formed with an internal flange A³ which carries the bearing cup A*.
The end of the spindle B is screw-threaded to receive a sleeve or bush G, having
a coned end G¹ which forms the bearing cone, and a cylindrical body extending
beyond the oil retaining cap H, by the extension D2 of which it is surrounded.
The flange H¹ of the cap H screws into the end A2 of the hub. The extension or
thickened central portion D2 is bored to form an easy fit with the body of the
sleeve G, and is grooved to receive the flange E¹ of the dust cap E: the latter is held
on the end of the sleeve G by the lock nut F screwed on the end of the spindle B.
Preferably the end of the sleeve is formed with flats G2, as shown in Figure 3,
fitting a correspondingly shaped opening on the dust cap E.

page_text: To give passage to the lubricant from the interior of the hub to the ball race,
the hub flange A³ is provided with holes A5, as shown in Figures 2 and 3,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A bearing sloping to larger diameter at the ends than at the centre of its
length for the purpose described.
2. In a bearing a cup D or cap H having an extension such as D² for the purpose
described.
3. In a bearing the combination with a spindle of a cone C or other extension
therefrom affording an annular space such as C¹ and a cup D having an exten-
sion D2 received within the space substantially as described.
4. The complete bearing substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1
or Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of August 1898.
WILLIAM MONK WHITE.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.