Improvements in Roller Bearings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 4th Dec., 1897
Improvements in Roller Bearings.
I, HENRY ALLAN Moss Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Madras,
India, residing at Parkside, Peter's Road, Royapetta, Madras, 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:.
This invention relates to roller bearings and it has for its main object to provide
roller bearings in which the friction due to shifting in the positions of the parts
is considerably reduced.
There are employed for the purpose of this invention roller bearings the length
of which is short in comparison with their diameter and I arrange these short or
disc like rollers to work between hard, smooth and flat guiding or confining
surfaces, and a special feature of the invention is that the rollers are made either
concave at their ends or hollow, so that they rub against the guiding surfaces
at only the outer part of their ends. If the whole or practically the whole of the
ends were to rub against the guiding surfaces there would be uneven wear due
to the greater travel of the part near the circumference as compared with the part
nearer the centre. In other words by limiting the bearing surface of the ends
of the rollers to a narrow circular strip at the outer edge of the ends, the bearing
surface is always maintained flat and does not tend to wear convex. The effect
of this mode of construction is to cause the rollers to run true, whilst the rubbing
friction at the ends of the rollers is very small, and the rolling friction on the
cylindrical surfaces of the rollers due to their running askew or out of parallel
with the axis of the shaft or of the bearing, is greatly reduced.
One or more rings or series or circumferential rows of such rollers may be
used in one and the same bearing according to the load or pressure which the
bearing is intended to sustain. Where several rings, rows or series of rollers
are used in a bearing, the guiding or confining surfaces above referred to may
conveniently be formed of thin flat rings or washers of hard metal dividing the
rings, rows or series of rollers. Rollers of the kind above described can be advan-
tageously employed to diminish friction in the bearings of shafting and of all
kinds of machinery, also in the bearings of the propelling mechanism of vessels
and in the bearings of the wheels and axles of vehicles used on roads, railways
or tramways; in the working or sluices, hydraulic shutters or gates; and generally
where such rollers shall be found useful in diminishing friction.
A good proportion in ordinary circumstances of the length to the diameter of
these disc-like rollers is as 1 to 2, but this proportion may be varied according to
requirements, the important point being to make the diameter of the rollers large
in comparison with their length, and especially to make the rollers either concave
at their ends or hollow so that the friction at the ends is substantially at a point
equidistant from the centre whereby the wear is uniform and consequently the
tendency to jam and bear hard on or grind against the confining surfaces is
inappreciable and causes but slight resistance due to rubbing friction.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a typical arrangement of the improved

page_text: roller bearing for a revolving shaft in which trollers are employed as above
described.
Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section illustrative of the improved
roller bearing.
Figure 2 is an end elevation with the outer end retaining plate at that end
removed to show the rollers.
Figure 3 is a plan of the bearing.
Figure 4 is an end view, and
.
Figure 5 a section of a roller with concave ends.
Figures 6 to 7 are similar views of a hollow roller.
Figures 4 to 7 are drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1 to 3.
A is the revolving shaft to be carried by the bearing. B is the main body
of the bearing. C is a renewable liner. 1) are the disc-like rollers; they
are arranged to work between the shaft A and the liner C. E E are removable
retaining plates or covers fastened by means of screws to the end faces of the
bearing for the purpose of keeping the rollers in place. Each of the rollers D
consists of a cylinder the length of which is short in comparison with its diameter;
the drawings show rollers the length of which is one half of the diameter which
is considered a good proportion in ordinary circumstances. The rollers D) are
arranged in the form of circumferential rings around the shaft A to take the load
of the shaft and transmit the same to the liner C. As many rings of rollers D
are employed as are required to fill up the length of the bearings, fifteen rings
are shown in the drawings. F F are the thin flat rings or washers of hard metal
. dividing or separating each ring of rollers D on both sides from the adjacent
rings of rollers. Similar rings F are also placed between the end retaining plates
or covers E E and the adjacent rings of rollers.
a a Figures 4 and 5 represent concavities in the ends of the roller. b b
Figures 6 and 7 represent the central space of the roller when made hollow.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
Claim is:-
1. In a roller bearing one or more circumferential rings of bearing rollers which
are either concave at their ends or hollow and are preferally short in proportion
to their diameter, the said rings working between hard smooth and flat, guiding
or confining surfaces, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. In a roller bearing the use of short rollers which either have concave ends
or are hollow, whereby uneven wear of the roller ends is practically avoided
. substantially as hereinbefore described.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.