Improvements in Ball Bearings for Vehicles, Bicycles, and all Machinery where it is desirable to Reduce Friction between' Two Relatively Moving Surfaces.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th June, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Bearings for Vehicles, Bicycles, and all
Machinery where it is desirable to Reduce Friction between'
Two Relatively Moving Surfaces.
A communication by OLIVER CROMWELL KNIPE, of 231 East Elin Street,
Norristown, in the County of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, and ROBERT HAMILTON
READ, of 41 Cortlandt Street, in the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America, Electrical Engineer and Patent Agent.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to ball-bearings for vehicles, bicycles and all machinery
where it is desirable to reduce friction between two relatively moving surfaces.
The principal object sought to be accomplished is to prevent scattering of the
balls when the parts of the bearing are separated and to permit the ball-race or
cage to be handled independently of the bearing without displacing the balls.
The device comprises a raceway formed of independent parts to permit the balls
to be readily assembled, the sections of the raceway being locked together by a
rigid casing. The raceway is divided into two parts on a plane passing through
the series of balls; each of these parts has a circular or dish-shaped curvature so
that when assembled they will form an annular internal raceway, the walls of
which embrace more than half of each ball and thereby confine it permanently in
place. After a series of balls have been assembled in one section of the cage or
raceway and the other section placed over them, a piece of hard metal tubing is
placed over them and flanged around the edges by means of a suitable die, thereby
firmly locking the parts together. The annular opening through which the balls
project may be on the outside, inside or face of the raceway, and the tube which
locks the parts together is placed so that when flanged over the parts it will not
obstruct the slot. Of the two sections of the raceway, one is dished deeper than
the other so that the balls will not have to roll on the joint; the slot through
which the balls project is sufficiently wide to permit the balls to project far enough
to enable them to ccoperate well with the surface on which they are to bear when
in use, but must not be as wide as the diameter of the balls to be used.
Dated this 28th day of September A.D. 1895.

page_text: Improvements in Ball Bearings for Vehicles, Bicycles, and all
Machinery where it is desirable to Reduce Friction between
Two Relatively Moving Surfaces.
A communication by OLIVER CROMWELL KNIPE, of 231 East Elm Street,
Norristown, in the County of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America, Mechanical Engineer, and ROBERT HAMILTON READ,
of 41 Cortlandt Street, in the City, County, and State of New York, United
States of America, Electrical Engineer and Patent Agent.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick, and 322, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 ball-bearings. The object of the invention is to
'provide a ball-race capable of being handled independently of the hearing
without displacing the balls. In carrying out the invention a race-way is provided
formed of independent parts to permit the balls to be readily assembled and the
sections of the race-way are then locked together by a rigid casing. The race-
way is preferably divided into two parts ou a plane passing through the series of
balls. Each of these parts has a circular interior curvature so that when
assembled they will form an annular internal race-way, the walls of which will
embrace more than half of each ball and thereby confine it in place. After a
series of balls have been assembled and the race-way completed over the latter is
placed in a suitable die a piece of hard metal tubing, preferably steel, and by a
cooperating member of the die the tube is flanged over the race-way, thereby
firmly locking the parts together. An organization is thus provided which may
be handled as an entirety and placed in or withdrawn from any suitable bearing
with which it is to cooperate without possibility of disturbing the relationship of
the balls or permitting the latter to escape.
.
The several features of novelty of the invention will be more particularly
hereinafter described, and will be definitely indicated in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention,
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a ball-race embodying the
improvements;
Figure 2 is a median section of Figure 1 on a plane at right angles to that of
the paper;
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a shaft hanger or bearing to which two of the
improved ball races have been applied;
Figure 4 is a sectional view of a wagon-hub to which the improved ball-races
have been applied.
A represents a sectional annular shell preferably made of cold rolled steel
stamped into shape in suitable dies. The plane upon which the shell which forms
the race-way is divided should be parallel to the plane of the shell, thus forming
of its two sections two dish-shaped annular pieces, which when brought together
will enclose more than half of the circumference of a ball, thus preventing the
latter from dropping through the groove left at the edges of the shell. The
shell may be divided on a plane passing through the centre as indicated at B in
Figures 3 and 4, but is preferably divided on a plane laterally displaced from the

page_text: With
centre, as shown in Figure 2 at B; the latter construction leaves a perfectly
smooth bearing surface where the ball bears hardest against the race-way.
this organization the circular series of balls may be assembled in the larger
section of the race-way or shell, and the smaller section then laid in place.
Around the shell forming the race-way is an exterior enclosing casing C. This is
preferably formed by placing a piece of cold drawn steel tubing over the shell A
after the balls have been assembled and by means of a die forcing the ends of the
tube to embrace the shell, as shown in the drawings. The sections of the shell
are thus firmly locked together and the balls can by no possibility fall out of the
race. The latter may therefore be freely handled and removed from its bearing.
for cleaning or lubrication without danger of loss of the balls. The ball-race may
be mounted in a bearing in any suitable way. The shells may be graded in size to
suit the requirements of the shafts or axles with which they are to be associated,
and the race may be dropped into a socket formed in a bearing and anchored in
place in any suitable manner. For example, in Figure 3, two of the races are
shown as applied to a shaft hanger, the ball-races being placed in grooves formed
in the bracket and held in place by a face-plate bolted thereto. In Figure 4
where two of the ball-races have been shown as applied to a wagon-wheel, the hub.
may be bored at the ends to snugly admit the ball-race, and the latter be dropped
or forced into place and end plates applied to hold them snugly in the socket in
the hub. The two types of bearing shown in Figures 3 and 4 are illustrated
simply by way of example, as the race may be applied to any bearing where it is
desirable to avoid friction losses. The balls are shown in the drawings as mounted
in the race-way so as to have an interior bearing, surface; it will be evident that
the groove in the race through which the balls project could be formed on the
outer or side face of the casing, and .the enclosing or locking shell be placed
inside and flanged outwardly or otherwise to lock the sections of the ball-race
together.
Where it is desired to adjust the bearing, the complete race and locking casing
may be confined in a cylindrical tube in which it may be adjusted longitudinally
of the bearing when desired to prevent too great grooving by the balls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A ball-race comprising a race-way of independent annular parts meeting in
a plane passing through the balls and forming an open annular way embracing
more than half of each ball, and a casing around the race-way parts.
a
2. A ball-race for a bearing comprising a sectional race-way A, B, containing
series of balls, and a casing C upset around the race-way to lock the sections
permanently together.
3. A ball-race comprising a race-way of independent annular parts meeting in
a plane passing through the balls and forming an open annular way embracing
more than half of each hall, and means for securing the annular parts together.
Dated this 27th day of June 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.