Improvements in Means for the Reduction of Friction of Axles and Journals.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for the Reduction of Friction of Axles and
Journals.
I, HENRY BIRKBECK, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, of Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me
from abroad by William John Brewer, of Nos. 11 and 12, Clement's Lane,
London, E.C., Civil Engineer, at present residing in Washington, D.C., United
States of America), and in what manner the same is to be performed to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement; —
The invention, in common with others of a series having the same title, con-
sists in improved means for cradling anti-friction rollers whereby those of a
given roller-bearing for any axle or journal to which the same way be applicable
are adapted not only to be removed and handled, together with their revolving
cradle, as one piece, but are rendered capable of being adjusted at any time to
take up wear and insure true and frictionless motion; the improved bearings
being further provided with interchangeable wear-parts that can be quickly and
inexpensively replaced by new parts when the limit of adjustment is reached.
The present invention relates distinctively to the reduction of the friction of
rotating axles or journals; and it is additional to the communicator's "Improve-
ments in roller bearings for car-axles" patented 15 January, 1889, United States
Letters Patent No. 396,324.
The present invention consists in a flexible or chain-cradle of improved con-
struction whereby the series of rollers is rendered adjustable in length to com-
pensate for the elongation of the chains by wear, and the individual roller-pivots
are surrounded by renewable wear-parts in the form of interchangeable castings
of Babbit metal or the like, which receive their final finish in their molds, and
are adapted to be slipped endwise into working position; also in means to render.
such bushes spring-pressed or self-adjusting endwise; also in the combination
with the rollers and chain-cradle of an under-bearing or keep effectively sup-
ported by a pair of through-bolts beneath the axle to prevent the jarring or drop-
ping of the axle away from the rollers above it, and thus to prevent crushing or
deforming blows upon the rollers; also in the provision of the top of said keep
with a renewable wear-plate, with or without an anti-friction roller within an
opening in said wear-plate, as herein described and claimed.
A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.
Figure 1 of these drawings represents a longitudinal section through a car-
axle box embodying the invention as a whole; Fig. 2 represents a vertical trans-
verse section on the line, a Fig. 1, with the rollers and chain-cradle in eleva-
tion; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view, partly in section, showing the
details of the chain-cradle; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing
a modification.
Like letters and numbers refer to like parts in all the figures.
In carrying out this invention, a sufficient number of longitudinal anti-friction

page_text: rollers A, having cylindrical pivots a at the ends of each, are connected with
each other, so as to be handled as one piece, by a flexible or chain-cradle B,
and revolve in series between a rotating axle or journal C and a superposed bear-
ing-surface such as the crown of a car-axle D; the lower part of the axle-box
or equivalent housing forming an oil-chamber E, into which the rollers dip
successively, and thus insure ample lubrication.
The cradle B is provided with interchangeable and renewable wear-parts b,
surrounding the individual roller-pivots a, as bushes for the pivot-holes in the
successive links of the parallel chains that form the cradle; customary washers c
being introduced between the ends of the rollers and the respective chains. The
wear-parts are adapted to be slipped endwise into working position, and with-
drawable outwardly. and are constructed with flanged outer ends 3,1
Fig. 3, and held in place by spring cotters or split pins d,
which are preferably and conveniently so disposed as to press the wear-parts
inward, and keep them tight within the pivot-holes, by endwise spring-pressure.
The weight of the depending rollers takes up wear as it occurs at the sides of
the pivots.
When the wear parts 6 become worn out they are released, by withdrawing
the pins d, and themselves withdrawn and replaced by new parts. This is quickly
and inexpensively accomplished as frequently as may be necessary; the wear-
parts being uniform castings of Babbitt metal or the like, and receiving their
final finish in their molds.
To shorten the chain-cradle as it becomes lengthened by wear it is provided
with one or more compensating joints e, preferably two, at equidistant points-
each of the form of a lap-joint between successive rollers tightened by a screw-
bolt 1, Fig. 3, or Fig. 4, and including a longitudinal slot 2 in one link-part.
The axle-box D is provided with a crown-plate F, Figs. 1 and 2, preferably of
chilled cast-iron or hard bronze, and removable through the door f of the box.
so as to be renewed when worn; and, beneath the axle, it is further provided
with an under-bearing or keep G to prevent the jarring or dropping of the axle
away from the rollers above it as aforesaid, and having a renewable wear-plate g
of chilled iron, or bronze, and an anti-friction roller g³, or the former at least.
The keep G, owing to its provision with said wear plate may be of cast iron
or cast-steel without machining except it be a seat for said roller g²; it extends
from end to end within the box as in Fig. 1 so as to act as a strut when fas-
tened, a pair of through bolts H, with screw-nuts h at the front of the box.
serving to detachably secure the keep in place, and at the same time to adapt
it to resist any strain to which it may be subjected.
The guides I, Fig. 2 for keeping the rollers away from the sides of the axle,
are detachably secured to the sides of the keep G by screws 3, so as to be
renewable.
When the rollers and chain-cradle are to be removed for adjustment or for the
renewal of the wear-parts, the nuts h are removed and the bolts H withdrawn
so that the keep G may drop away from the axle. The box D is then lifted by
a iack so as to free the crown-plate F, which is then withdrawn, followed by the
rollers and cradle; the box D being tilted if need be to permit the rollers and
cradle to clear the end-flange 4 of the axle. After renewing the wear-parts or
making the required adiustments the parts are replaced as in the drawings.
The chains of the cradle B, apart from their provision with said compensating
joints e and said renewable wear-parts 6 may be of any approved construction.
Two forms of link are shewn in Figs. 1-3 and Fig. 4 respectively. The latter
shews bifurcated links whereby the strain on the adjusting bolts 1 and wear-
parts b, respectively. is better distributed. When the wear-plate and roller-
seat are both used, as shown, the plate may contain the roller-seat, or bear-
ings for roller-pivots, so as to provide for renewing said seat or bearings when
worn, and for reducing its friction; and other like modifications will suggest
themselves to those skilled in the art.

page_text: Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination with a rotating axle or journal, a box therefor, having
an oil-chamber at bottom and a bearing surface concentric with the periphery
of the axle or journal at top, and a series of longitudinal rollers interposed
successively between said bearing-surface and said periphery in contact with
both, of a chain-cradle uniting said rollers and revolving therewith without con-
tact with said bearing-surface or periphery and comprising parallel chains, and
means consisting of lap-joints between successive rollers for shortening said
chains to compensate for wear.
F
2. In a roller-bearing, the combination with longitudinal rollers having cylin-
drical pivots of a chain-cradle provided with pivot-holes coincident with said
pivots and renewable wear-parts surrounding said pivots within said pivot-holes
and consisting of interchangeable castings of Babbitt metal or the like adapted
to be slipped endwise into working position.
3. In a roller-bearing, the combination with longitudinal rollers having cylin-
drical pivots of a chain-cradle provided with pivot-holes coincident with said
pivots, renewable wear-parts surrounding said pivots within said pivot-holes,
adapted to be slipped into place endwise and withdrawable outwardly, and means
for tightening said wear parts by endwise spring-pressure.
4. In combination with a rotating axle and a car-axle box having an internal
bearing-surface at top, a roller-bearing comprising longitudinal rollers coacting
with the periphery of the axle and with said bearing-surface and a chain cradle
for said rollers, and an under-bearing or keep extending from end to end within
the box in contact with the bottom of the axle and a pair of through-bolts detach-
ably fastening and supporting said keep within the box, for the purpose set
forth.
5. In combination with a rotating axle and a car-axle box having an internal
bearing-surface at top, a roller-bearing within said box comprising longitudinal
rollers coacting with the periphery of the axle and with said bearing-surface,
and a chain-cradle for said rollers, an under-bearing or keep in contact with the
bottom of the axle; a renewable wear plate forming the contact surface of said
keep, and means for detachably supporting said keep within the box, substan-
tially as herein before specified, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this ist day of July t
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.