Improvements in Roller Bearings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Roller Bearings.
We, MICHEL CHARLES PHILIPPE THIERRY (signing as Ch. Thierry) Civil
Engineer, and CHARLES VICTOR THIERRY, Civil Engineer, both of 11 Rue
Meynadier, GORDON DAVID STURROCK, Mechanical Engineer, of 10 Rue Baudin,
and FRANCIS FREDERICK HENRY LEWIS MENNONS, (signing as F. Mennons)
Civil Engineer, of 166 Rue des Vanves, all of Paris, in the French Republic, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to certain improvements in roller bearings adapted for
various purposes such as for pillow blocks, thrust bearings, footstep bearings, axle
bearings for vehicles and other purposes.
Our invention may be stated briefly to consist in co-ordinating the motion of
certain friction rollers interposed between the rotary part and its bearings by means
of bowls, dises or the like of a larger diameter than that of the rollers and mounted
on axle pins of the rollers in order to keep the said rollers apart, the pins being of
a comparative small diameter to reduce the sliding friction to a minimum.
The rollers in one form of our invention consist of a central bearing portion of
smaller diameter which is only in contact with the journal at a certain point and
two end portions of larger diameter which are only in contact with the bearing at
certain points, the journal being preferably reduced in diameter to prevent it bearing
on same. The rollers carry as stated pins of small diameter on which are mounted
discs or bowls of larger diaineter than the rollers in contact with each other only
and not with the journal or bearing, such discs keeping the rollers apart. The
shape of the sides of the discs or bowls is such that they touch only small surfaces
at the ends of the rollers and the ends of the bearing.
Various arrangements of these roller bearings may be employed, the rollers being
placed in suitable casings containing an oil bath and for footstep bearings or the
like preferably being conical.
For thrust bearings a combination of straight and conical rollers is employed the
one being placed at right angles or approximately right angles to the other.
Dated the 8th day of June 1896.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London,
For the Applicants.
We, MICHEL CHARLES PHILIPPE THIERRY, (signing as Ch. Thierry) Civil
Engineer, and CHARLES VICTOR THIERRY, Civil Engineer, both of 11 Rue
Meynadier, GORDON DAVID STURROCK, Mechanical Engineer, of 10 Rue Baudin,
and FRANCIS FREDERICK HENRY LEWIS MENNONS (signing as F. Mennons)
Civil Engineer, of 166 Rue des Vanves, all of Paris in the French Republic, do

page_text: figure being taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2, Fig. 1; the lower
quarter on the left being on line 3-3, Fig. 1; and the lower quarter on the right
hand side, on line 4-4 Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a central vertical section (on line 5-5, Fig. 4) of a step-bearing (as
used for turbines, for example), embodying our improvements;
Fig. 4 represents half a section on line 6-6, Fig. 3; the rollers being supposed
to have been removed from the left hand quarter;
Fig. 5 is a central vertical section of an axle-box of a railway vehicle; this
roller-bearing arrangement being a combination of a cylindrical roller-bearing and
a conical roller-bearing;
Fig. 6 is a diagram of the roller-bearing arrangement illustrating the difference,
as regards wear, between the ordinary single diameter roller and the improved
roller having two diameters;
Fig. 7 is one half of a central vertical section of our roller-bearing arrangement
as applied to the pedal bracket of a bicycle;
Fig. 8 is one half of a central vertical section of the hub of the driving wheel of
a bicycle, constructed in accordance with our invention;
Fig. 9 is one half of a central vertical section of the axle-box of a locomotive
engine embodying our improvements;
Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of a thrust block for the driving shaft of a marine
engine; the part shown in section being taken on line 7-7, Fig. 11, and
Fig. 11 in the left hand half is an end view of the same bearing, while the right
hand half is a cross section thereof; the upper quarter being drawn in section upon
line 8-8 Fig. 10, and the section of the lower quarter being taken on line 9-9,
Fig. 10.
In all these figures (save Fig. 5) the same letters of reference designate
like parts.
In order to obviate as effectually as possible the losses caused by the friction
between the rolling bodies, we prevent such bodies from coming into contact with
each other by means of the following arrangement.
Each of the rollers A (whether they are cylindrical or conical) interposed
between the shaft B and its box or brass C contained in a casing or housing E is
provided at each end with an axial journal a of very small diameter; and upon
each of these journals there is mounted, a disc or roller D, which is free to
turn thereon the diameter of such disc being larger than that of the bearing
rollers A.
As is clearly shewn in Fig. 1 on the right, as well as at the lower part of Fig. 2,
the bearing rollers A in this arrangement do not meet at any point, the only parts
in contact with each other being the discs or rollers D.
The only point, therefore, where a sliding friction can take place here, is between
the journals a and the discs or rollers D. Now, as the diameter of these journals
is greatly reduced, and as, consequently, the peripheral speed of the same is
inconsiderable, it follows that the friction between said journals and the discs is
also reduced to a very low degree.
The discs or rollers D, at their peripheries, should not, of course, touch either
the box or bush C or the shaft B; and, to ensure this, the rollers A are provided
with two collars c' and the shaft B with a collar bi of a suitable diameter or
obviously the arrangement may be reversed.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a series of three sets of rellers A is employed together with the
parts necessary described above.
The discs or rollers D may be prevented from slipping off their journals a either
by collars on the shaft, or by similar collars, or flanges, formed on the bush
or brass.
We prefer however to place these collars upon the revolving body, so as to get
less friction between the bearing-rollers and the guiding wall; for, generally, speed
is the less important factor in the case, being simply the difference between the
speed of displacement of the said guiding wall and the speed of motion of the

page_text: If we take a double diameter roller, travelling along the external stationary
track A, A', with its larger diameter, and along an internal track C, C', with its
smaller diameter; then the point m of the bearing-roller, whenever such roller
completes a revolution about itself, will invariably come round to the position m¹;
but the point p which by this time will have reached the position pl will then be
in contact with the point C, the situation whereof on the inner track is such, that the
length of the are C°C equals the developed circumference of the small diameter of the
bearing roller. Therefore the point C of the inner, or movable track will during
one revolution of the said roller have travelled through the space C, C₁, represented
by the sum of the angles a and y.
Upon comparing these data it will be seen that in the former case the inner or
moving track will have turned at an angle a +ẞ while in the latter case its angle of
rotation will be only a +7.
From the foregoing demonstration it follows that if it be desired to reduce the
speed or motion of the movable track in relation to the motion of the roller, it is
necessary that such roller should have two diameters; and further, that the more-
the smaller diameter of the two is reduced, the more also will the speed of the shaft
in relation to the speed of displacement of the roller be reduced; and consequently,
the wear of the movable track or path, will be less, as compared with the wear of
the bearing-rollers and the stationary path or track.
Double-diameter bearing-rollers, however, afford another means of transferring the
wear, so to speak, from the movable track on to the other parts of the mechanism;
for inasmuch as the rollers travel along the outer track with their large diameter
only, and along the inner path solely with their smaller diameter, if different lengths,
or different sums of lengths, be imparted to the contact generatrices respectively,
then an additional means of regulating or controlling the wear will virtually be-
obtained as a result.
Figs. 7 and 8 for example clearly show this; the sum of lengths of the
generatrices gg exceeding the length of the generatrix h.
Obviously, in an ordinary bicycle pedal mechanism, for instance, any one identical
point of the path of the revolving shaft will far more often pass over the bearing-
roller than any one identical point of the external stationary path. The shaft too,
therefore, tends to wear more quickly than the bush or bearing. But inasmuch as
we arrange (see Fig. 7) for the bearing surfaces of the rollers upon the shaft to be
of greater length than the bearing surfaces of the rollers upon the stationary track,
the wearing surface on the roller may be so extended that, notwithstanding the
difference of diameters and velocities, the wear may, if required, affect the shaft
and bush alike.
This possibility of transferring a portion of the wear of the movable track to the
other parts of the mechanism is particularly important in connection with, say, the
rolling stock of railways, where a bearing or bush may be more readily replaced
than a shaft.
Figs. 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9 further show that double diameter rollers may also assist.
in keeping bearing-rollers parallel to each other; for should any one of such
rollers from any cause show a tendency to shift out of the parallel position, the
preferably conical or bevelled shoulders of the collars 6 of the shaft (Fig. 7), or
of the collars c' of the bearing C (Fig. »), which constitute the real guides of the
bearing-roller, would counteract such tendency.
The same shoulders also prevent any displacement of the bearing-rollers through
side pressures, that is to say axial pressures. The junction between the parts of
a roller differing in diameter is preferably of conical shape, but yet made to taper
differently from what the shoulders of the collars (or c¹ as the case may be) do,.
so as to avoid friction.
Fig. 8, which is a section of the hub of a cycle driving wheel, shows that it is
also feasible to make the rollers travel on the shaft with their larger diameters,
and on the external path or track with their smaller diameters. In this instance it
is the internal path that is stationary.

page_text: inserted between them; whereupon the adjusting bolts and set-screws are tightened.
The whole arrangement may be fitted together or taken to pieces both quickly and
readily, and lubricated automatically and uniformly with oil; from the boxes, F no
provision being requisite for cooling, as there is no risk of the parts becoming
overheated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In roller bearings, co-ordinating the motion of friction rollers interposed
between the rotary part and its bearings by means of dises or the like of a larger
diameter than the rollers bearing against one another and mounted on axle pins of
the rollers in order to keep said rollers apart the pins being of comparatively
small diameter to reduce the sliding friction to a minimum.
2. In roller bearings the means for apportioning the wear between the rolling
and the fixed body consisting of the double diameter rollers constructed and
arranged for this purpose as specified.
3. In roller bearings the combination with the double diameter rollers of the
fixed and rolling surfaces in which are formed bearing portions of different
diameters such bearing portions and rollers being arranged and operating as and
for the purpose specified.
4. In roller bearings the combination with a double diameter roller of
separating discs rollers or the like carried on journals on the ends of the double
diameter rollers the parts being arranged and operating substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
5. In roller bearings the combination of the conical or cylindrical rollers of
separating discs rollers or the like carried on journals on the ends of said main
rollers and adapted to bear against one another the parts being arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.
6. In a roller bearing the combination of a number of cylindrical and conical
rollers arranged at right angles or substantially right angles to each other and
provided with separating discs or the like mounted on journals thereof substantially
as and for the purposes specified.
7. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.
8. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.
9. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described
and illustrated in Fig. 5.
10. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in Fig. 7.
11. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in Fig. 8.
12. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described
and illustrated in Fig. 9.
13. In roller bearings the arrangement of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11.
Dated the 15th day of February 1897.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicants.