Improvements in Anti-friction Bearings.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1888-Accepted, 29th June, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Anti-friction Bearings.
We, WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT and JAMES R. LANE, both of the City of Chicago,
in the County of Cook, and State of Illinois, in the United States of America,
Gentlemen, do hereby declare that the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS," and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to improvements in Anti-Friction Journal Bearings in
which the journal is surrounded by a series of anti-friction cylinders or balls, separated
from those next in advance of the other, by cylinders free to revolve upon their
own axes, and about the axis of the journal.
The object of this invention is to practically destroy friction between the separating
cylinders and the journal-bearing anti-friction cylinders or other devices, whereby
the friction upon the journal by said cylinders or other devices is reduced to a
minimum.
A further object is to have the separating cylinders so arranged relative to the
journal-bearing cylinders that said separating-cylinders shall have an axial rotation
in the same direction as the journal during their translation around the journal,
whereby said separating-cylinders offer no opposition to the rotation of the journal-
bearing cylinders, and have a positive and forward movement in fixed bearings during
their rotation about the axis of the journal.
These objects are attained by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
in which :-
Fig. 1, illustrates a transverse section through a journal-bearing embodying my
invention.
Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same on the line 2, 2, of figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
In carrying out this invention, a box or case A, having a cylindrical bore, and
provided with removable heads B, is employed, but one of said heads may, if desired,
be integral with the body of the box.
The journal or shaft C, has no bearing against the walls of said openings in said
heads, but is supported by a series of cylinders D, which also bear against the
cylindrical wall of the body of the box, and are not only free to revolve upon their
own axes, but about the axis of the journal.
The anti-friction cylinders D, are somewhat shorter than the internal length of the
box, and have the corners of their ends slightly rounded, as shown at a, which
rounded corners are opposed by; and have their bearing against bevelled or inclined
faces, b, shown formed with the heads B, but may project from the body of the
box.
The effect of these rounded corners opposing the bevelled bearings is not only
to maintain the cylinders from an end bearing against the box, and thereby corre
spondingly reduce friction, but to maintain said cylinders in perfect allignment, and
bearing throughout their length against the journal, for in practice, whenever there is
any tendency of an end movement of the cylinders in one direction, there must be
an effort to ride up or down as the case may be, on the inclined bearing, and
any such effort will, as is obvious, he counteracted by the opposing inclined
bearing, and hence the cylinders are maintained in perfect allignment with the
bearing..
Furthermore, by such inclined bearings, and by rounding the corners of the
cylinders, the friction at the ends of said cylinders is reduced to a minimum, as

page_text: ".
is obvious, by the opposing of a curved surface to an angular surface in a structure
of this character.
Cylinders D, practically surround the journal, and simultaneously bearing as they
do both against the journal and the cylindrical wall of the box, are therefore the
bearing proper of the journal, and when so simultaneously bearing against the
journal and the fixed walls of the box, the said cylinders rotate and travel on said walls
with, and in the same direction as the journal, which causes their revolution, and in
so doing there is practically no friction between the cylinders and said walls, and
between the cylinders and the journal.
Unless however these cylinders are separated from each other, preferably either
by cylinders or balls, they exert between each other an objectionable friction, and my
invention or discovery is that when such separating devices, whether balls or cylinders,
be arranged in contact with the cylinders at such a point that the bearings of said
separating devices shall be between the circle of the axes of rotation of the cylinder,
and the surface of the journal, without contact with the journal, said separating
devices will be revolved on their own axes by the cylinders, and so that they will have
a positive forward travel on their own bearings during their translation about the journal,
and as a result, practically offer no frictional resistance to the journal or cylinders,
but on the contrary substantially reduce the friction of the journal.
While balls may be employed, cylinders are preferred in carrying out my. inven-
tion, and to this end a series of separating cylinders E, are employed, the bearings
of which are formed by the walis of annular grooves in the heads of the journal-box
at a point between the periphery of the journal, and the circle about which the
cylinders D, rotate around the journal, but this annular groove may be at any other
point so long as the axes of the separating cylinders are within the circle above
which the journal-bearing cylinders travel in their rotation about the journal.
As shown, however, the diameter of the separating cylinders are much less than
the outer cylinders and therefore said separating cylinders are entirely within the
circle about which the axes of said outer cylinders travel.
But in this connection it should be understood that for the purposes of my
invention, the separating cylinders should be entirely free from contact with the
journal.
Instead of having separating cylinder's E extending the length of, and separating
the cylinders D, balls c may be arranged at each end of the said cylinders having their
bearing on the annular shoulders or in the annular groove used for the separating
cylinders E and be confined therein and rotated at the proper speed, by narrowing
down the ends of the cylinders D as shown in figures 3 and 4 or the annular groove.
as shown in figure 5, may have an upturned flange serving to hold the balls in their
bearings the balls projecting above said flange so that the cylinders D may rest
thereon.
The inner and separating cylinders preferably have rounded corners 'd, similar to
those of the outer cylinders, and so also the inner end of their bearing is
inclined so that like the outer cylinders, the ends of said inner cylinders shall be
maintained from contact with the ends of the box, and in parallelism both with
their bearing surface and the outer cylinders.
As to the substitution of balls for the main bearing cylinders D, when separating;
cylinders E, are employed (as shown in figures and 2) if we suppose the main
bearing cylinders D, to be divided so as to consist of a series of balls, it will be
readily understood how such a series of balls may be substituted for said cylinders D.
If each cylinder D is transversely divided into five parts we shall have five balls
for each cylinder. Of course each ball would have a frictional bearing against the
others in the series, but each series may be separated by the separating cylinders
precisely the same as are the cylinders D.
In other words, if D is a cylinder it is rigid its entire length, but if D, is made up
of balls, it is flexible because each ball may rotate independent of each other on the
same axis that the solid cylinder would have.
1

page_text: In this connection, however, it should be understood that the invention is not
limited to the details of construction above referred to and the said details may there-
fore be omitted without any departure from my invention.
The statement that balls may be used instead of cylinders D is not intended to
modify the statement of invention, for although perhaps they may be a modification,
the use of balls is intended to be set out as a mechanical equivalent of the main
cylinders D, when used in connection and combination with separating cylinders.
While this invention has been described in connection with the journal-bearing, it
should be observed that it is equally applicable to shafts of any character and also
to pulleys, and my invention is therefore not limited to the application thereof
shown and before described.
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. The combination with a box provided with an inclined bearing face, a series of
journal bearing cylinders having rounded ends opposing said inclined bearings, and a
series of separating cylinders having no contact with the journal, and their axes
within the circle of the axes of rotation of the journal-bearing cylinders about the
journal, substantially as described.
2. The combination of a box, a series of journal-bearing cylinders having their
bearing on the box, and a series of separating cylinders, the axes of which are within
the circle of the axes of rotation of the journal-bearing cylinders, said separating
cylinders being provided with rounded ends, and their bearing in the box, with an
incline opposing said ends, substantially as described.
3. The combination of the box, the journal, and the journal-bearing cylinders in
contact with said box, said journal-bearing cylinders having rounded ends, and their
bearing in the box, inclines opposing said ends, and a series of separating cylinders
having their axes within the circle of the axes of rotation of the journal-bearing
cylinders, and having no contact with the journal, said separating cylinders being
provided with rounded ends and their bearing in the box, with inclines opposing said
ends, substantially as described.
35 Witnesses,
WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT.
JAMES R. LANE.
JAMES P. ELLIOTT.
A. M. BENNETT.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.