Improvements in Anti-friction Journal Boxes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Anti-friction Journal Boxes.
I, ROBERT WASHINGTON MOFFETT, of Denver, in the County of Arapahoe, and
State of Colorado, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to that class of anti-friction journal boxes in which the
bearing for the shaft is composed of a series or number of cylinders or rollers secured
in a frame or cage and supporting and rotating with the shaft.
In some types of such class of boxes, in order that the rollers may be kept in proper
relative position to each other, within the frame or cage, it has been customary to
form gearings upon their peripheries meshing with gearings on the periphery of the
shaft and upon the interior circumference of the frame or cage.
Such construction is somewhat objectionable in that both the shaft and the journal
box must be especially fitted and adapted, each for the other, it being necessary to
form upon or secure to the shaft a gearing or gearings meshing with those upon the
rollers or cylinders. Usually it is neither convenient nor feasible to do this, as when
bearings or journal boxes are required for shafting such kind is preferred as may
readily be placed in position without the necessity of altering, cutting or fitting the
shaft to adapt it to the box or bearing; in other words, it is found preferable in
practice to use a bearing or journal box adapted to the shaft as it is than to use a box
requiring the shaft to be especially fitted to it.
Moreover the cutting and forming of the number of gears needed in such anti-
friction journal boxes adds largely to the labor and cost thereof, making some forms
quite expensive.
In another type the main rollers have been kept in position by having semi-
spherical cavities formed in their ends, one in each end and corresponding cavities
formed in the heads or rings, a single ball lying in the cavity in the end of a roller
and the corresponding cavity in the head or ring. In such these balls had but one
movement, viz.; rotation on an axis, remaining stationary relatively either to the
roller or to the head or ring and hence were not true roller bearings but in
substance mere ordinary bearings, not materially reducing friction at their points of
application.
For such reasons this class of box has had a very limited application and use, even
though possessing, as it does, great and marked advantages, the latter being over-
balanced by the disadvantages referred to.
The objects of my invention therefore are to furnish an anti-friction journal box
having the bearing parts for the shaft of rotating rollers secured in proper relative
positions within the box frame or cage by the use of multiple lesser roller bearings so
that all bearings are multiple roller bearings and so constructed that the shaft may be
placed and properly supported therein without any alteration of, addition to, cutting
or fitting of the shaft proper, a box of simple construction and economical relatively
to the advantages thereof, adapted for ready application to a shaft, reliable, efficient
and durable in use; to which ends it consists in the features more particularly herein-
after described and claimed.
In practicing my invention the ends of the box or frame are formed of two plates
or rings, having central apertures of a size sufficient to permit the shaft to pass
therethrough and secured together at the proper distance apart by bolts passing from
one to the other.
Between these heads are placed the rollers to form the bearing for the shaft, such
number being used as the size of the box and the shaft may warrant. In the ends of

page_text: these rollers, grooves are formed, one circular groove, in each end of each roller of
any desired contour in cross section and of a depth sufficient to receive one half of
certain balls or cylindrical rollers hereinafter mentioned Upon the inner sides of
the end rings exactly corresponding grooves are formed, corresponding in number,
size and configuration and placed at the points where it is desired to retain the rollers
when in operation. In such grooves are placed cylindrical rollers or balls which lie
half in the grooves in the end rings and half in the grooves in the ends of the rollers,
they not only retaining the rollers in one location in the box or frame, but also
furnishing anti-friction bearings for the anti-friction rollers themselves As these
rollers lie around in a circle, a space is left within such circle into which the shaft of
proper size may be passed without any change or cutting and yet have a desirable
bearing therein.
This construction may be better understood by reference to the drawings in which
is illustrated a box, embodying my invention, and in which,
Figure 1, is an end view thereof.
Figure 2, a longitudinal section on line x----x figure 1.
Figure 3, a plan view of a part of the inner side of one of the ends.
Figure 4, an end view of a roller
In these figures the reference numeral 1. 1. indicate the ends of the box or frame.
While they may be of desired shape, they are herein represented as rings, such being
a preferred shape. They have a central aperture 12, through which passes the shaft 4
They are secured together to form a frame or box by the bolts 2, passing from one to
the other and holding them together at the proper distance apart Upon one part
of each end of the box a flat portion 10, may be formed having extensions 11, forming
lugs or brackets by which the completed box may be secured to any suitable base or
support. 3. 3. are the anti-friction rollers, held between the heads or ends 1. 1. and
of which any desired number may be used, depending somewhat on the size of the
shaft to be supported and the size to be permitted to the completed box. In each end
of each roller is formed a circular groove 5, which groove may be circular or angular,
or square in cross section and of a depth sufficient to receive one half of the
cylindrical rollers or balls, balls 7, being herein illustrated. As the locations corre-
sponding to the locations of the rollers within the box or can, similar circular
grooves 6, are made, the number of grooves in either end plate being equal to the
number of rollers to be used and in which take the other half of the balls 7. These
balls then taking in grooves both in the ends or heads and in the ends of the rollers
hold the latter in one location within the can or box and in the same relative position
to each other, yet permit them to rotate freely. The balls themselves, as they rotate
not only on their own axis but revolve in circles whose centres are the axis of the
rollers, furnish true roller bearings for the main rollers, causing the box to be one in
which every bearing is a true roller bearing.
It is readily seen that such a box may be put together and finished complete at the
factory and shipped to the point of use, where it may readily be slipped upon the shaft
or the shaft slipped therein, without any labor, time and expense being involved in
cutting, fitting or preparing the shaft therefor.
Between the heads or ends 1. 1. a cover or casing may be applied to enclose all the
rollers and form a tight box therefor, and where the box is to be used as an end or
terminal support for a line of shafting or a journal, only one of the heads or ends 1. 1.
may be apertured at 12, if so desired, the end of the shaft in such case lying within
the box or frame.
The avoidance of the use of any gears simplifies and cheapens the construction
while provision is made enabling the ready application of the suitably sized box to the
correspondingly sized shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1 In an anti-friction journal box, the combination of ends or heads suitably

page_text: connected together and each having a series of circular grooves on its face, a series of
rollers placed therein between and each grooved at each of its ends and a plural
number of roller bearings, lying partly in the grooves in the heads and partly in the
grooves in the ends of the rollers, substantially as set forth.
2 In an anti-friction journal box, the combination of a series or plural number of
rolls, each grooved at each of its ends, end plates or heads, between which the rollers
are secured and each having a series of circular grooves corresponding to the
grooves in the roller ends, bolts securing these end plates or heads at the proper
distance apart and a plural number of bearings, as described, for the rollers taking in
such grooves, substantially as set forth.
3: In an anti-friction journal box, the combination of a series of main rollers
each having a circular groove in each of its ends, end plates or rings each having
circular grooves in its inner face corresponding to the circular grooves in the ends of
the main rollers, means for securing the end plates or rings in proper position, and
a plural number of roller bearings at each end of each main roller, lying, partly within
the main roller groove and partly within a groove in a head or end, substantially as
set forth
Dated this 17th day of Anril 1889