Improvements in Means for the Reduction of Friction of Axles and Journals.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for the Reduction of Friction of Axles and
Journals.
I, HENRY BIRKBECK, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, of Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me
from abroad by William John Brewer, of Nos. 11 and 12, Clement's Lane,
London, E.C., Civil Engineer, at present residing in Washington, D.C., United
States of America), 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 the reduction of the friction of axles and journals,
such as the axles of cabs and like vehicles, those of railway and tramway rolling
stock, engine and propeller shafts, ships' pulleys and other hoisting blocks, and
the like.
The invention consists in improved means for cradling anti-friction rollers
whereby the rollers of a given journal are adapted not only to be removed and
handled, together with their revolving cradle, as one piece, but are rendered
capable of being adjusted at any time to take up wear and insure true and
frictionless motion, and the improved bearings are provided with bushings or
equivalent parts preferably and conveniently of anti-friction metal to which
wear is confined that can be quickly and inexpensively replaced by new parts
when the limit of adjustment is reached.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through an axle box and roller bearing, the
same being particularly designed for the axles of cabs. Figure 2 is an end
view of the rollers and their cradle detached. Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged
sectional views respectively of one of the sliding bushings and one of the fixed
bushings shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through
a cab axle box of modified form showing my roller bearing applied thereto.
Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view showing a portion of one of the rollers and
the supporting cradle. Figure 7 is an end view of a modified form of my com-
plete roller bearing. Figure 8 is a longitudinal section, parts being broken
away, of an axle box provided with the improved roller bearing shown in Figure 7.
Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrate details of the roller bearings shown in
Figures 7 and 8. Figure 13 is an end view of my roller bearing particularly
adapted to be applied to car axle boxes. Figure 14 is a longitudinal section of
a car axle box with the roller bearing shown in Figure 13 applied thereto.
Figure 15 is a longitudinal form of a car axle box with a modified form of roller
bearing applied thereto, and Figure 16 represents a still further modification of
my improved roller bearing.
In any embodiment of the principle which is the leading feature of my inven-
tion, the axle A of the cab or other vehicle to which my invention is to be
applied, is surrounded with anti-friction rollers B extending lengthwise of the
journal and mounted in a frame or cradle C composed of end rings 1 and 2 and
connecting rods 3 so that the whole may be withdrawn endwise from the axle
box. Said end rings are provided with renewable bushings a a³ or equivalent

page_text: parts to which the wear is confined preferably made of Babbitt metal or similar
material for the individual pivots of the rollers, the wear parts for each ring at
least being interchangeable; and provision is made for taking up, wear by
adjustment until said renewable parts are worn out, or a given limit is reached.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 the removable wear parts a a² are in the form
of non-rotating bushings respectively sliding and fixed, the sliding bushings a
having parallel sides and fitted to corresponding holes in the outer ring 1 of
the cradle C and the fixed bushings being tapered externally and fitted to
tapered holes in the end ring 2. The roller pivots b and the bushings a a² are
correspondingly tapered to facilitate adjustment. The end ring 1 has a hub cat
its inner diameter that is screw-threaded externally to connect with a screw
ring E by the movement of which the sliding bushings a and the rollers as a
whole are simultaneously adjusted to take up wear. The screw ring E has a
pair of holes 4 and 5 by means of which it may be conveniently turned by a
spanner to press the bushings a inward. If at the same time there is any loose-
ness at the bushings a², the rollers yield endwise and take up the wear at this
point as the bushings a are adjusted. The cradle C is held in place within the
axle box by an annular check plate F (Figure 1), which may be removed by a
wrench. After this plate is removed the roller bearing may be adjusted into
its proper position around the. axle A, or the cradle and rollers may be with-
drawn as above described, to replace the bushings a a², when worn by new ones.
In the modification shown in Figures 5 and 6 the arrangement of parts is
substantially the same as has already been described with the exception that the
spindle A is tapering, the rollers B are conical and the end rings 1 and 2 of the
cradle Care of different diameters. In this modification however, the axle is
provided with a projection a¹ (Figure 5), against which the end ring 2 may bear:
Longitudinal tie rods or bolts 3 are used to connect the two end rings 1 and 2
together.
Referring to Figures 7 to 12, the end rings 1 and 2 are made in sections, one
of which sections is shown in Figure 9 Each of said sections is provided with
a central slot a3 and with removable wear parts 6. In this modification the
anti-friction rollers B are not provided with end pivots but the ends thereof are
made convex, as shown at 7 in Figure 8, and fit between the removable wear
parts 6 upon the sections of the end rings.
Each of these ring sections forms a part of two adjacent sockets for the con-
vex end 7 of the rollers B, which roller sockets are bi-sected radially by the
open joints between the ring sections. The notches in these ring sections are
engaged by one or the other of the bolts 3 each of which is provided with a sleeve 8,
limiting the distance between the end rings of the cradle. Each of these ring
sections is provided with a hub portion and around, these hub portions is a
contractable circumferential band 9 that separably unites the ring sections of
the end rings with each other and draws them more or less closely together and
at the same time draws the wear plates 6 into more or less close contact with
the ends of the rollers B. The means for contracting said band is shown in
Figure 11. It consists of a screw bolt 10 provided with a head and a nut at its
respective ends, the inner surface of said head and nut being convex, which
bolt passes through the perforated end lugs 11 and 12.
To facilitate the contraction of this band by preventing the bolt 10 from turn-
ing, a bolt holder 13, shown detached in Figure 12, embraces the head of the
bolt 10 by means of a notch in one of its ends, while the other end is hooked
over the extremity of the lug 12.
In the modification shown in Figures 13 and 14 which is especially designed
for a car axle box, the end rings 1 and 2 are provided with cylindrical holes in
which the removable wear parts a are located. These wear parts are held in
position by the rings a as. In this case also the axle A is provided with a
convex end a to still further reduce the friction. In this modification the wear
parts a are rectangular in cross sections and are interchangeable throughout

page_text: he entire roller bearing and the retaining rings a are fastened to the end
ngs 1 and
by screws a¹0. In this modification, as in the others shown, the
hole roller bearing may be removed through the end of the axle box.
In the modification shown in Figure 15 the end rings 1 and 2 are held in
osition by the ends of the axle box. In this modification the rollers B and their
ivots are hollow and the rods 3 extend through said rollers and pivots and
nd rings and the wear parts 14 are tapered externally as well as internally and
nserted within the end rings from within outwardly being kept in position by
he rollers B without any other means.
In the modification shown in Figure 16 the end rings 1 and 2 are provided with
cups 15 instead of holes to receive the wear parts 16 and the rollers B are pro-
ided with rounded ends 17 which are arranged to fit in the wear parts 16. In
this case the rods 3 are provided with sleeves 19 which limit the distance between
the end rings 1 and 2. These tubes form the equavalent of shoulders on the other
bolts 3 in contact with the end rings and contribute to the rigidity of the cradle,
while said tubes are readily shortened by filing off their ends to permit the
required endwise adjustment to take up wear.
Many modifications of the various parts will readily suggest themselves to
those skilled in the art.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The construction and arrangement of parts constituting an axle box pro-
vided with a roller bearing as described and shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the
drawings.
2. The construction and arrangement of parts constituting an axle box pro-
vided with a roller bearing as described and shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the
drawings.
3. The construction and arrangement of parts constituting an axle box pro-
vided with a roller bearing as described and shown in Figures 7 to 12 of the
drawings.
4. The construction and arrangement of parts constituting an axle box pro-
vided with a roller bearing as described and shown in Figures 13 and 14 of the
drawings.
5. The construction and arrangement of parts constituting an axle box pro-
vided with a roller bearing as described and shown in Figure 15 of the drawings.
6. The construction and arrangement of parts constituting a roller bearing
as described and shown in Figure 16 of the drawings.
7. In means for the reduction of the friction of axles and journals, the com-
bination of longitudinal anti-friction rollers, a cradle for said rollers comprising
end rings provided with renewable and interchangeable wear parts to co-act with
said rollers and means for adjusting said end rings to take up wear, substantially
as described.
8. In means for the reduction of friction of axles and journals, the combination
with longitudinal anti-friction rollers, of a cradle for said rollers composed of
end rings provided with renewable and interchangeable wear parts to co-act
with said rollers, and through bolts for adjusting said end rings towards each
other to take up wear, substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of July
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
31, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.