Year: 1885

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by Paschal Plumber Emory, Sumner Alexander
Bemis, and Frederick Harris, all of Springfield, Massachusetts, Manu-
facturers, and Charles Edwin Booth, of the City, County, and State of
New York, Merchant, all in the United States of America.]
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, and
323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Paschal Plumber
Emory, Sumner Alexander Bemis, and Frederick Harris, all of Springfield
Massachusetts, Manufacturers, and Charles Edwin Booth, of the City, County and
State of New York, Merchant, all in the United States of America), to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in Journal-Brasses for car-axles, and
other rotating shafts which are subject to rapid rotation under great weight, the
object being, to provide a journal-brass for unpolished but otherwise truly turned
and finished axle journals, or, in other words, a brass peculiarly adapted to be used
with a new journal to at once, and without exciting friction, polish and perfectly
finish its turned surface as left by the lathe. A further object of this invention is,
to provide a journal-brass of peculiar construction relative to the surface thereof
against which the journal rotates, whereby a cast brass journal is made which
requires no machine-finish to fit it for the journal with which it is to operate,
thereby saving the expense of said finishing and fitting, to prepare a proper seat
for the journal.
In making said journal-brass, it is cast with a journal bearing surface of proper
curvature to fit the journal on which it is to be placed. It is then properly
cleaned and its curved surface is covered with a film, only, of tin, which is applied
in the usual way when the brass is heated for that purpose. Said coating of tin
is in no sense a "soft metal" lining or bearing for the brass, for it has not
sufficient thickness therefor. A strip of thin sheet lead, is then applied to the
tinned surface of the brass and attached thereto by "sweating" under the action
of heat in the usual way.

page_text: Said lead strip is applied longitudinally over the central portion only of the
bearing surface of the brass and extends from end to end thereof as shown, leaving
on each side thereof a considerable surface covered only with said tinned coating.
The thickness of the lead strip which in practice is employed, is about one thirty
second of an inch.
The action of the journal-brass, made as above-described, and of a truly turned
end, unpolished journal, in practical use under a car, is as follows:-
The brass is placed in any ordinary suitable axle-box and the journal is
lubricated as usual, the latter having a bearing upon no other part of the brass
except on the surface of said lead strip. After the journal and brass have been
run for a few hours in contact, which they will do without heating, the lead will be
found to have been spread over the surface of the brass between the latter and the
journal, and the latter will have become perfectly polished and smooth, and in
suitable order for continuous running with the brass with no danger whatever
from heating, the lead and tin gradually disappearing and the journal eventually
finding its permanent seat on the surface of the brass, which, by the above
mentioned action of the journal and lead, has become perfectly polished.
Thus it is seen that the said tin coating, and the lead strip which are applied to
the brass for temporary service only, that is, to polish the journal and in turn to
enable the latter to polish the brass, do not constitute, either separately or together,
what mechanics understand by the terms "soft-inetal packing," or "white metal
lining" for bearings, for lead alone is not suited to such uses, nor is pure tin, and
what there is of said two metals which are applied separately and not mixed, to the
brass, soon disappears from the latter after running a short time, as above described.
And furthermore, the thickness of said lead strip is quite insufficient to permit
of exposing it to the action of any journal excepting one having a truly turned
cylindrical form. A partially worn axle, or one having rings in it resulting from
running it in contact with a hard bearing with insufficient lubrication, cannot be
used with the brass herein described for the softness of the lead strip would permit
such worn journal to come almost immediately in contact with the hard brass body,
thereby creating excessive heat and friction.

page_text: Improvements in Journal Brasses.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and
323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Paschal Plumber
Emory Sumner Alexander Bemis, and Frederick Harris all of Springfield
Massachusetts, Manufacturers, and Charles Edwin Booth, of the City, County and
State of New York, Merchant, all in the 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 improvements in Journal Brasses for car-axles and
other rotating shafts which are subject to rapid rotation under great weight, the
object being, to provide a journal-brass for unpolished but otherwise truly turned
and finished axle journals, or, in other words, a brass peculiarly adapted to be used
with a new journal to at once, and without exciting friction, polish and perfectly
finish its turned surface as left by the lathe. A further object of this invention is,
to provide a journal brass of peculiar construction relative to the surface thereof
against which the journal rotates, whereby a cast brass journal is made which
requires no machine finish to fit it for the journal with which it is to operate,
thereby saving the expense of said finishing and fitting, to prepare a proper seat
for the journal.
In the drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view
of a journal brass embodying these improvements.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of said brass, and a side elevation of an axle-
journal having such a surface as is adapted to rotate in contact with the bearing
side of said brass.
In the drawing E, is the bearing end of a car-axle having the journal h thereon,
the latter being turned smooth and truly cylindrical, but not polished. This
particular description of said journal is given to distinguish it from old or partially
worn ones which are in an imperfect or bad condition by reason of deep rings
being formed in them which cause much friction, and the improved brass is not
adapted to be used with such journals.
In the brass D, as shown by Figure 1, e indicates the body thereof which is cast
in the usual way, and thereby is formed the usual curved or arched side shown.
The mottled portion a, of the bearing surface of the brass D, indicates its
unfinished condition, or that in which it is left when it is cast.
The parallel-lined portion c, of said bearing surface, which is shown partly broken
away to expose to view said surface a, represents an exceedingly thin coating of
tin, and b indicates a narrow strip of thin sheet lead, one end of which is shown
broken away.
In making said journal-brass, it is cast with a journal bearing surface of proper
curvature to fit the journal on which it is to be placed. It is then properly cleaned
and its curved surface a is covered with a film, only, of tin, c which is applied in

page_text: the usual way when the brass is heated for that purpose. Said coating of tin is in
no sense a "soft metal" lining or bearing for the brass, for it has not sufficient
thickness therefor. A strip of thin sheet lead, b, is then applied to the tinned
surface c, of the brass and attached thereto by "sweating" under the action of
heat in the usual way.
Said lead strip b is applied longitudinally over the central portion only of the
bearing surface of the brass D, and extends from end to end thereof as shown,
leaving on each side thereof a considerable surface covered only with said tinned
coating c. The thickness of the lead strip 6 which in practice is employed, is
about one thirty-second of an inch.
The action of the journal-brass, made as above described, and of a truly turned
end, unpolished journal, in practical use under a car, is as follows:-
The brass is placed in any ordinary suitable axle-box and the journal is lubricated
as usual, the latter having a bearing upon no other part of the brass except on the
surface of said lead strip b. After the journal and brass have been run for a few
hours in contact, which they will do without heating, the lead will be found to
have been spread over the surface of the brass between the latter and the journal,
and the latter will have become perfectly polished and smooth and in suitable
order for continuous running with the brass with no danger whatever from heating,
the lead and tin gradually disappearing and the journal eventually finding its
permanent seat on the surface of the brass, which, by the above mentioned action
of the journal and lead, has become perfectly polished.
Thus it is seen that the said tin coating, and the lead strip which are applied to
the brass for temporary service only, that is to polish the journal h and in turn to
enable the latter to polish the brass, do not constitute, either separately or together,
what mechanics understand by the terms "soft-metal packing" or "white metal
lining" for bearings, for lead alone is not suited to such uses, nor is pure tin, and
what there is of said two metals which are applied separately and not mixed, to
the brass, soon disappears from the latter after running a short time, as above
described.
And furthermore, the thickness of said lead strip is quite insufficient to permit of
exposing it to the action of any journal excepting one having a truly turned
cylindrical form. A partially worn axle or one having rings in it resulting from
running it in contact with a hard bearing with insufficient lubrication, cannot be
used with the brass herein described for the softness of the lead strip 6 would
permit such worn journal to come almost immediately in contact with the hard
brass body e, thereby creating excessive heat and friction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
A journal-brass consisting of a cast brass body baving on the cast surface of its
journal-seat a coating of tin, and having attached to said 'tinned surface a strip of
lead extending centrally thereon from end to end of the brass, substantially as set
forth.