Improvements in Ball or Roller Bearings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Ball or Roller Bearings.
We, Dr. RUDOLF HILGENFELD, of 2, Kaiser Wilhelm Allee, and WILHELM
HEINRICHSDORFF, of 22, Friedenstrasse, both in Dortmund, in the Empire of Germany,
Head Master and Teacher of Drawing respectively, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
In the ordinary ball bearings such as are in use for instance for bicycles and the
like when the wheel is set in rotation this rotary motion is transmitted also to the
balls which thereby at their points of contact revolve in an opposite direction so that
friction arises at the points of contact of the halls, which friction is greater the greater
the load on the axle. It is to these unfavourable circumstances of friction that the
frequently arising fractures of balls and bearings are to be ascribed. Further
the balls soon form grooves in the bearings which still further affect the easy running
of the wheel.
In order to remove these drawbacks we give the rotating bodies, that is to say the
balls or rollers where such are employed, fixed geometrical axes of rotation, the position
or bearings of which are arranged so far from one another that no contact of the
separate rotary bodies with one another can take place. By this means the mutual
friction of the balls or the like rotating bodies arising in the existing arrangements
of ball bearings is entirely avoided, so that actually only a development of the rotating
body on its running surfaces takes place without any frictional loss.
In one form of construction of the invention the rotary bodies are provided with
grooves, necks, projections or trunnions which represent axes and are engaged in
corresponding recesses in a support or bearing ring, which recesses form spacing
bearings for the said rotary bodies which are thus always held exactly at the same
distance from each other, the size of the distances apart being determined by the
distance apart of the recesses in the ring and also by. the diameter of the rotary
bodies. A bearing cup is placed on the axle and over the rotary bodies, so that the
rotary bodies travel between the axle and the cup without being able to encounter
one another and there is thus no loss of power through mutual friction.
In another form the rotary bodies have the form of full cylinders or rollers and the
axes of the same are formed of laterally projecting solid pins or by spindles running
completely through so that thus of course two support or bearing rings are required
in this construction.
The form of the rotary bodies themselves has nothing to do with the actual inven-
tion so that a spherical form may also be adopted for them, but in order to avoid the
formation of ball grooves, the roller or cylindrical form is to be preferred, the casing
of which cylinders or rollers receives a certain inclination so that theoretically a
conical or tapering form would result.
The invention is based on the rotary bodies in such bearings being unalterably
located and arranged at given distances apart, geometrical axes being imparted to
them which prevent the several rotary bodies coming in contact with one another.
The constructions described must therefore only be taken as examples as it must
be left to the maker as to the manner in which he arranges the rotary bodies and the
spacing bearings of same.

page_text: Thus it is preferable for instance to make the sockets of the roller axes somewhat
elongated or slot-like in shape in order that when the running surfaces and contact
surfaces of the rotary bodies become worn they can always automatically adjust
themselves to take up wear.
1000
Improvements in Ball or Roller Bearings.
We, Dr. RUDOLF HILGENFELD, of 2, Kaiser Wilhelm Allee, and WILHELM
HEINRICHSDORFF, of 22, Friedenstrasse, both in Dortmund, in the Empire of Germany,
Head Master and Teacher of Drawing respectively, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the ordinary ball bearings such as are in use for instance for bicycles and the
like when the wheel is set in rotation, this rotary motion is transmitted also to the
balls which thereby at their points of contact revolve in an opposite direction so that
friction arises at the points of contact of the balls, which friction is greater, the greater
the load on the axle. It is to these unfavourable circumstances of friction that the
frequently arising fractures of balls and bearings are to be ascribed. Further, the
balls soon form grooves in the bearings which still further affect the easy running of
the wheel.
In order to remove these drawbacks we give the rotating bodies, that is to say the
balls or rollers where such are employed, fixed geometrical axes of rotation, the
position or bearings of which are arranged so far from one another that no contact of
the separate rotary bodies with one another can take place. By this means the mutual
friction of the balls or the like rotating bodies arising in the existing arrangements of
ball bearings is entirely avoided, so that actually only a development of the rotating
body on its running surfaces takes place without any frictional loss.
The object of the invention is shown as an example diagrammatically in the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a section at right angles to the axis and partially in elevation ;
Figure 2, a side view partially in section; and
Figure 3, an elevation of the ring carrying the rotatory bodies.
In this case the rotary body is a roller, the axis of which is formed by a groove
in the middle.
Figure 4 shows a side view of another form of construction of the improved bearing
partially in section, in which the rotary bodies are carried in suitable rings by means
of laterally projecting axes.
In the form of construction shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the invention, the rotary
bodies a are provided with grooves, necks, projections or trunnions which represent
axes and are engaged in corresponding recesses c in a support or bearing ring d,
which recesses form spacing bearings for the said rotary bodies a which are thus
always held exactly at the same distance from each other, the size of the distances
apart being determined by the distance apart of the recesses c in the ring d,
and also by the diameter of the rotary bodies. A bearing cup e is placed on the
axle fand over the rotary bodies, so that the rotary bodies travel between the axle f
and the cup e without being able to encounter one another and there is thus no loss
of power through mutual friction.

page_text: In another form shown in Figure 4, the rotary bodies a have the form of full
cylinders or rollers and the axes of the same are formed of laterally projecting solid
pins or by spindles running completely through so that thus of course two support or
bearing rings & are required in this construction.
The form of the rotary bodies themselves has nothing to do with the actual
invention so that a spherical form may also be adopted for them, but in order to
avoid the formation of ball grooves, the roller or cylindrical form is to be preferred,
the casing of which cylinders or rollers receives for practical reasons a certain
inclination so that theoretically a conical or tapering form would result.
The invention is based on the rotary bodies in such bearings being unalterably
located and arranged at given distances apart, geometrical axes being imparted to
them which prevent the several rotary bodies coming in contact with one another.
The constructions described and shown in the drawings must therefore only be
taken as examples as it must be left to the maker as to the manner in which he
arranges the rotary bodies and the spacing bearings of same.
Thus it is preferable for instance to make the sockets of the roller axes b somewhat
elongated or slot-like in shape in order that when the running surfaces and contact
surfaces of the rotary bodies become worn they can always automatically adjust,
themselves to take up wear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A ball or roller bearing, characterised by the rotary bodies which serve as
supports for the axle, having, as regards their geometrical axes of rotation, fixed
bearings arranged at certain distances apart in such a way that any mutual contact
of the rotary bodies is prevented, substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The general construction and combination of parts taken as a whole forming
the improved bearing substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3, or
Figure 4, of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of February 1900.