Improvements in Journal Bearings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 26th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 26th June, 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
Improvements in Journal Bearings.
I, LEWIS PROSPER DELANO, a Citizen of the United States of America, residing
at 3962, Morgan Street, in the City of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, Manu-
facturer, 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 improvements in journal bearings and more particu-
larly to improvements in that class of bearings in which the wearing surface
is composed of two dissimilar metals, preferably arranged in spirally disposed
strips.
One object of my invention is to so construct the bearing that it can be
thoroughly and effectively lubricated without waste of oil. Another object of
my invention is to provide means for renewing the wearing surface of the bear-
ing, thereby saving the expense of machine work required to fit a new bearing
to the bearing box.
My invention consists in part in providing the wearing surface of the bearing
with one or more oil grooves extending from a suitable oil hole, around the
bearing to carry the oil in the direction of the length of the bearing and return-
ing to the oil hole, whereby the oil is distributed along the bearing without.
waste. My invention also consists in a bearing composed of an outer shell or
casing adapted to fit in a suitable journal box, an inner shell forming part of
the wearing surface, and an intermediate layer of an casily fusible metal, such
as babbitt metal, holding said shells together and also forming part of the wear-
ing surface.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a bearing made in accordance
with my invention, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a casting adapted to form the inner.
shell of the bearing; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the bearing;
Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sections of a one and two part bearing respectively.
Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in the several views of the
drawings. 10 is the outer shell or casing of the bearing and is formed of iron,
brass or other durable metal. The outside of the shell or casing 10 is turned
to fit accurately in the journal box. 11 is the inner shell which forms part of
the wearing surface of the bearing and is preferably formed of bronze or similar
metal. The shells 10 and 11 are connected by an intermediate layer 12, prefer-
ably of a soft and easily fusible metal, such as babbitt metal, which also forms
part of the wearing surface of the bearing.

page_text: The inner shell 11 is composed of wearing strips 13 and connecting strips 14,
which are preferably cast integral. The shell 11 may be cast in the form of
a plate as shown in Fig. 1, and bent into the form of a cylinder, or it may be
cast in the form of a cylinder as shown in Fig. 2. Formed in a suitable number
of the strips 13 terminating at the oil-hole 15, are oil grooves 16 which cause
the oil to flow from one side of the oil-hole 15 spirally along the bearing and
return it to the other side of said oil-hole. In forming the bearing, I place the
inner shell 11 around a snug-fitting shaft or mandrel surrounded by the outer
shell or casing 10 so as to leave a space between the two shells, and then pour
into the space between the two shells melted babbitt metal 12. The babbitt
metal 12 completely surrounds the connecting strips 14 thus holding the shell 11
firmly in the shell or casing 10 and also forms the part of the wearing surface
unoccupied by the strips 13. In making a two-part bearing, I form near the
edges of the parts of the casing 10 grooves 17 as shown in Fig. 4, into which the
babbitt metal 12 flows and thus prevents the parts of the half bearings from
becoming separated.
In operation, oil is supplied to the bearing through the oil-hole 15. The
motion of the shaft carries the oil into one end of the grooves 16, distributes
it along the bearing and returns the unused oil to the other side of the oil-
hole 15. The shaft may be run in either direction, as the action will be the
same, except that the direction of the flow of the oil will be reversed. When
the bearing becomes worn, it is removed from the journal box. Heat is then
applied to it to melt out the babbitt metal 12. The outer shell or casing 10
can be used to form a new bearing thus obviating the cost of machine work and
the materials of the parts 11 and 12 can be remelted. As there is no friction
on the casing 10, it is practically indestructible if made of a durable metal.
I am aware that journal bearings have been provided with oil grooves, either
extending from each end to the centre where the oil is discharged or extending
the entire length of the journal. I am also aware that journal bearings have
been formed of perforated sheets of copper secured in place by babbitt metal
cast directly in the journal box, and therefore I disclaim such constructions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A journal bearing having an oil-hole formed therein and one or more oil
grooves formed in the wearing surface thereof and extending from one side of
said oil-hole around and in the direction of the length of the bearing and
returning to the other side of said oil-hole.
2. A journal bearing having its wearing surface composed of two dissimilar
metals, an oil-hole formed therein, one or more strips of one of said metals
extending from one side of said oil-hole around and in the direction of the
length of the bearing and returning to the other side of said oil-hole, and an
oil groove or grooves formed in said strips and conforming thereto.
3. In a journal bearing, an outer shell or casing for insertion in a journal
box, an inner shell forming part of the wearing surface, and an intermediate
layer of fusible metal holding said shells together and also forming part of the
wearing surface.