Improvements in Anti-friction or Roller Bearings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
Improvements in Anti-friction or Roller Bearings.
I, WILLIAM HAMILTON WRIGHT, of 878 West Avenue, in the City of Buffalo,
County of Erie, and State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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:-
The object of my invention is to provide a nearly frictionless bearing for
bicycles, carriages or other vehicles requiring an easy running bearing, and the
invention relates:-
First, To the form and construction of the tapering rollers.
Second, To a suitable means for retaining the tapering rollers in their proper
position within the bearing so that in case the bearing should be removed the
rollers will remain in position within, without falling out even if the bearing is
reversed or its position otherwise changed.
Third, My invention relates to certain details of construction, all of which will
be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1, represents a longitudinal section on or about line a a, Fig. 4, cutting
through the hub of a carriage wheel, also through the bearing cases and other parts
of the device.
Fig. 2, represents a detached face view of one of the bearing cases, showing the
tapering rollers in position within the holding case.
Fig. 3, is a cross section through the hub, the sleeve for connecting the bearing
cases, and the axle journal.
Fig. 4, represents an end view of the hub, showing an outside end view of the
device connected with it.
Fig. 5, is an enlarged side elevation of one of the tapering rollers.
In carrying out my invention I use a series of tapering rollers, preferably of
hardened cast steel, 1, each having at their large ends a projecting holding
portion 2, and at the small end, a similar holding portion 2ª.
The object of these holding portions is to provide the means whereby they can
be secured in place without danger of falling out when the bearing containing them
is removed or its position changed in any way as will appear further on.
In the drawing, Figs. 1-3 and 4, I have shown the invention as applied to a
carriage bub for the purpose of illustrating the same but these tapering rollers
are adapted for use in bicycle or other bearings, 3 represents the hub of an ordinary
carriage.
It is provided with the usual protecting rim-bands 4 and 5. The front bearing 6,
is secured in any well known way to a sleeve 7, and is made tapering at the point 8,
and provided at its front er larger end, with an inside screw thread 9, in which
is secured the nut 10, thereby making the interior of the bearing-case perfectly air
tight at the end of the hub.
The tapering portion 8, forms one of the inside bearing surfaces for the tapering
rollers, and the tapering nut 11, forins the other bearing. On the tapering nut 11,
is secured at the large end a rim 12, having an inside projecting flange 13, which
rests against the back of the nut and prevents the rim-band from being shoved
too far forward so that the projecting parts 2, are just under the inner edge of
the rim.

page_text: On the smaller end of the nut 11, is also a rim-band 14, having a surrounding
flange 15, that curves in slightly toward the end of the roller 1, so as to catch over
and securely hold the projecting portion 2 of said roller.
It will be noticed that the tapering nut 11, is provided with a surrounding
depression 16, similar to the depression 16", in the opposite end of the bearing,
in which the tapering rollers roll and are thereby prevented from moving lengthwise
either way.
The nut 11, with all its rollers and other parts is adapted to screw on to the
screw threaded portion 17, of the axle 18, substantially as shown in Fig. 1.
After the nut 11, is put on it is secured by a jamb nut 9°, a washer 10%, made in
the usual and well known way with a little inward projection to fit into a groove in
the screw threaded portion 17, so that it cannot turn is first put on and then the jamb
nut is brought up tight, thereby making everything rigid.
The holding portions 2 and 2", are therefore simply retaining portions, they do
not act as journals and when in operation they do not even touch their retaining
rim bands 12 and 14, except when the nut 11, and its bearing rollers are removed,
the only object of the retaining portions being to keep the tapering rollers from
getting out of place when the nut 11, with its several parts are removed from the
journal.
The rim bands 12 and 14, are secured by being fitted tightly and forced to
their places on the nut so that they cannot be easily removed, consequently when
the nut is taken out, for oiling the journal, or for any purpose the whole remains
intact and the rollers are not liable to drop out and be lost. This is an important
advantage inasmuch as it saves time when oiling the journal. If the rollers should
drop out, or were not retained in place it would be impossible to put the device
back in place in the hub, unless the carriage was turned over ou its side which would
be impracticable.
The tapering rollers it will be noticed, are made convex at the large end
terminating in a sharp corner or edge 25, and flat at the smaller end.
The object of this construction is to give that part of the roller a bearing against
the shoulder 16, of the depression 16, or bearing seat, so that the roller bears fairly
against it and is not liable to climb up over it, this is an important construction,
because if that end of the roller was flat it would be inclined to cut and jamb up
on the shoulder and bind which action would soon destroy the journal. If that
end of the roller was flat and the corners rounded it would then have a tendency
to cut and climb up out of its bearing, a construction which practice has shown to
be seriously objectionable.
At the opposite end of the sleeve 7, is another tapering bearing-case 18ª, it
is rigidly secured to the sleeve by being slipped on to the end of the sleeve and
expanded as shown, and forms the inner bearing for the tapering rollers, the other
bearing being formed by the tapering solid bearing 19, having a surrounding
depression 16ª, for the rollers 1, to roll in and be kept from moving longitudinally.
The bearing 19, may be made solid with the axle shaft or it may be made
separate and put on and secured in any well known way. At the front of the
bearing 19, is a rim-band 20, for securing and holding the projecting points 2ª of
the tapering rollers, at the back of the bearing 19, is another rim band 21, for
holding the points 2, of said tapering rollers, both rim-bauds being constructed
substantially the same as the rim-bands 12, and 14.
Between the two washers 22 and 23, is secured a felt washer 24, adapted to just
fill the opening in the bearing case to keep the dust out and still allow the parts to
turn easily therein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
1. A roller bearing, consisting of a removable tapering nut having a surrounding

page_text: projection at each end adapted to fit in said seat, rim bands for keeping the rollers
in place, and an outer bearing case, provided with a screw nut 10, for excluding
the dust, forming the outer bearing, in combination with an inner bearing at
the large end of the hub, consisting of a tapering portion 16ª, a series of tapering
rollers having retaining projections, rim bands for retaining them in place and
an outer bearing case, the two outer cases being retained in place in the hub
by a connecting sleeve 7, secured rigidly to them, and a felt washer 24, for
excluding the dust, located between two retaining washers 22 and 23, substantially
as described.
2. A roller bearing, consisting of a removable tapering nut having a surrounding
depression forming a roller seat, a series of tapering rollers having a retaining
projection at each end adapted to fit in said seat, rim bands for keeping the rollers
in place, and an outer bearing case provided with a screw nut 10, for excluding the
dust, forming the outer bearing, in combination with an inner bearing at the large
end of the hub consisting of a tapering portion 16ª, a series of tapering rollers having
retaining projections, rim bands for retaining them in place, and an outer bearing
case, the two outer cases being retained in place in the hub by a connecting
sleeve 7, secured rigidly to them substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of June 1895.
WILLIAM HAMILTON WRIGHT.