Improvements in and relating to Centre Bearings for Railway Car Trucks and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Centre Bearings for Railway Car
Trucks and similar Vehicles.
I, PETER HENRY MURPHY, a Citizen of the United States, residing at 524,
Brighton Place, in the City of East St. Louis, County of St. Clair, State of Illinois,
United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly des-
cribed and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being made
to the accompanying drawings, wherein,―
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a bolster, showing my im-
proved center bearing applied thereto;
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same;
Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the bolster, showing my
improved center bearing down to its lowest position;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of a portion of a bolster, the center bearing being
removed;
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the center bearing;
Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the same;
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the bolster plate;
Figure 8 is a cross sectional view, showing a slightly modified form of my in-
vention; and
Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.
This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in center bearings for
car trucks, the object being to provide a center bearing with devices, whereby the
same can be adjusted relative to its bolster, said devices, also, after the adjustment
of the center bearing, locking said center bearing in its adjusted position.
With this object in view, the invention consists in providing means in the form
of cam faces, for co-operating with correspondingly shaped cam faces on the center
bearing, whereby, when said movable cam faces are adjusted, the center bearing
is adjusted vertically, to compensate for wear, etc., or to elevate the body of the
car, so that the same will be off its side bearings, other features of invention resid-
ing in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts,
all as will hereinafter be described, and afterwards pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings, referring particularly to Figures 1 to 7, A indicates a portion
of a bolster of well known construction.
B indicates what I shall term a bolster plate which is bolted or rivetted to the
bolster about the center, said plate being formed with projections b whose upper
faces are inclined. I have shown two of these projections b, but it is understood
that a greater number could be used if desired, also, that these projections could
be cast directly on the bolster instead of on a separate plate which is afterwards
bolted to the bolster.
C indicates the center hearing which is provided with a corresponding number
of projections c whose lower faces are correspondingly inclined to match the in-
clined faces of projections b. From the inside faces of the projections on the

page_text: center bearing, extend lugs c¹ which engage with notches or openings 6' in the
inclined faces of projections on the bolster. If desired, the openings or notches
may be on the center bearing, and the projections on the bolster, as is obvious.
The operation of the device is as follows: The center bearing is designed in
its original position to be arranged as shown in Figure 3, that is, the projections b
and c matching each other preferably. Should it be desired to adjust the center
bearing vertically, the car is jacked up, the center bearing raised to disengage its
lugs from the openings in the projections b, and the center bearing rotated until
it has obtained the proper height, when its lugs c¹ are again fitted into the regi
stering openings 61.
This vertical adjustment of the center bearing, also, effects a rotary adjustment
which is advantageous in that a new wearing face is presented to the bearing on
the body bolster.
The king bolt passing through the center bearing, and the bolster, prevents dis-
placement of the center bearing, and, if desired, a chain may be employed to
prevent loss of the center bearing in case of accidents when the car body leaves its
truck.
In Figures 8 and 9, I have shown a slightly modified form, in which the center
bearing has guide flanges extending laterally and down along side of the bolster,
the lower face of the center bearing being formed with an incline, as shown in
Figure 9, while a wedge P co-operates with said inclined face, to raise the center
bearing, said wedge being formed with a slot for the passage of the king bolt.
A locking block Q, formed with a locking flange g, is adapted to fit behind the
wedge to hold the same in its adjusted position, said locking block being provided
with a lug q fitting in openings a in the bolster, whereby said locking block is
held in place. The head of the wedge is recessed along its lower edge, to receive
the flange g and hold the locking block in place.
In this form, a bolt R is preferably arranged to loosely connect the center bear-
ing to the bolster, to prevent loss of the same.
When the king bolt is in place, engaging the center bearing and bolster, the
center bearing is held to its position, and the wedge may be then moved longi-
tudinally to adjust the center bearing vertically, the flanges of the center bearing,
extending down alongside of the bolster, preventing the center bearing from
turning.
I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and com-
bination of the several parts of my center bearing, can be made and substituted
for those herein shown and described, without in the least departing from the
nature and principle of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with a bolster, of concentrically arranged projections
rising therefrom, said projections being formed with inclined faces, and a center
bearing formed with corresponding projections having correspondingly inclined
faces to match said bolster projections, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a bolster, of a center bearing, and means for adjusting
said center bearing vertically and revolubly, relative to said bolster, substantially
as described.
3. The combination with a bolster, of a center bearing which is vertically and
revolubly adjustable relative thereto, and means for locking said center bearing in
its adjusted position, substantially as described.
4. The combination with a bolster, said bolster having inclined lugs, of a
center bearing having matching lugs, and interlocking devices between said lugs,
substantially as described.
5. The combination with a bolster provided with concentrically arranged in-
clined lugs formed with projections or openings, of a center bearing provided with

page_text: concentrically arranged inclined lugs to match said bolster lugs, and converse
parts on the inclined faces of the center bearing lugs to engage the projections or
openings of the bolster lugs, substantially as described.
6. The combination with a bolster, of a bolster plate B formed with projec-
tions b, said projections having openings 61 arranged therein, a center bearing C
formed with projections c, and lugs c¹ on said projections to engage the openings 6¹
of the projections b, substantially as described.
7. The combination with a bolster, of a center bearing, and a wedge operating
between said bolster and center bearing, substantially as described.
Dated 12th April 1898.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.