Improvements relating to Motors for Electric Railways.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Motors for Electric Railways.
I, SIDNEY HOWE SHORT, of 1184, East Madison Avenue, City of Cleveland,
County of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, United States of America, Electrical 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:-
-
The object of my invention is to provide a motor mounting for electric cars,
wherein the motor armature and the truck axle are brought into closer relation
than heretofore without varying the relative speeds thereof, and whereby smaller
sized reduction gears may be employed, thereby permitting the use of larger sizes
of motors in the same space.
In the drawings are illustrated various embodiments of the invention.
Fig. 1, is a plan view of a construction embodying the principles of my
invention.
Fig. 2, is a similar view illustrating a slightly modified construction.
Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4, is a transverse sectional view on the line 4, 4, Fig. 2, looking in the
direction of the arrows.
Fig. 5, is a detail view illustrating a modification embodying the invention.
Fig. 6, is a view somewhat diagrammatical illustrating the operation of the
invention.
In the equipment of modern electric cars it is a matter of material importance
to provide motors of as large a capacity as possible, so that the motor may develop
sufficient power to meet all the exigencies of a varying traffic. It is also,
necessary to employ suitable reduction gears between the motor shaft and the
driven axle. Heretofore any increase in the size of the motor necessarily resulted
in an increase in the diameters of the reduction gearing, in order that the gear
on the axle may reach to and intermesh with the gear on the motor shaft, and
since the gear on the axle cannot exceed the diameter of the car wheel the size
of the motor, and hence its capacity, was necessarily prescribed. It is the purpose
of the present invention to obviate this difficulty by bringing the axle into closer
proximity to the motor shaft.
Referring to the accompanying drawing, A. designates the motor shaft;
B, the truck axle; C, the motor armature; E, the pole pieces of a multi-polar
motor; F, the winding mounted on the pole pieces; G. the ring or casting which
supports the pole pieces, and within which the pole pieces are arranged to project
radially toward the geometric center of the supporting ring. D, designates the
car wheels; H, means for supporting one side of the motor from the car body
or truck frame, the other side of the motor being supported upon the truck axle B.
and J, K, are the reduction gears respectively mounted on the motor shaft and
the axle, and through which rotation is imparted to the axle. The motor employed
is of the multi-polar type, wherein is employed four or more wound magnetic poles
radially arranged within the field magnet supporting ring. In order to accom-
plish the purpose of the invention, I arrange the truck axle B, to pass within the

page_text: magnetic ring B, of the motor field. This result may be accomplished in many
For instance, and as shown in Figs. 1, 3 & 6, the side bars of the magnetic
ways.
ring or casting G, in which the motor pole pieces are arranged, are perforated
and the truck axle B, passes through such perforations, thus lying wholly within
the magnetic ring, such ring having a journal -bearing formed to receive the
axle only at the points mentioned, viz., in the side bars. As shown in Figs. 2 & 4,
the field magnet frame may be constructed. in two halves or parts suitably secured
together and sleeved or otherwise mounted upon the axle, or having seats formed
in the meeting edges of the two parts adapted to receive, the axle, the seat thus
forming a journal bearing for the axle, and being located wholly within the
periphery of the field magnet frame. In Fig. 5, is shown an arrangement embody-
ing the same principle, wherein the field magnet supporting ring is provided
with an inwardly projecting casting, or lug N, which forms a journal bearing for
the truck axle.
By the construction above, described, I provide an arrangement wherein the
lateral distance between the motor shaft and the car or truck axle is very much
shortened, as compared with the arrangement where the truck axle is located
wholly outside of the periphery of the motor field magnetic ring, and hence
permitting the size of the motor and its capacity to-be increased- without unduly
increasing the size of the reduction gears. I am also enabled to tilt the motor
to a point above the horizontal plane of the axle, as clearly indicated. This is
important, for any increase in size of the motor when the motor shaft and truck
axle are in the same horizontal plane causes the outer periphery of the motor
to approach too objectionably near the surface of the roadbed, but by the present
construction I am enabled to tilt the motor and without increasing the diameter
of the reduction gears can increase the size of the motor, still leaving a desirable
clearance between the roadbed and the motor.
In prior constructions of motor mountings the objection is incurred of the
lubricating oil being expelled from the bearings of the axle, which running along
the axle finally drips therefrom upon the winding of the motor field and upon
the roadbed, thus injuring the motor insulation and threatening injury to
passengers underneath the roadbed, in the case of an elevated railway. con-
struction. By the construction shown in Figs. 2, 4 & 5, wherein the motor axle
passes wholly within the inner and outer surfaces of the magnetic ring G, entirely
across the side thereof, the seat or journal bearing of the axle B, is enlarged or
cored out, as indicated at P, thus forming an enlarged chamber to receive the oil
expelled from the axle bearings.
The advantages of the construction above described are particularly apparent
in elevated railway work, wherein it is customary to provide a guard-rail R, in
the roadbed adjacent to and parallel with the track rails S. These guard-rails
are located usually in the vertical plane of the reduction gears J, K, and therefore
still further prescribe and limit the diameters of said gears. Again, in electric
railway equipments the importance of employing as large motors as possible is
increased by reason of the fact that in the economical operation of the roads
it is desirable during certain hours of the day to employ several cars as trailers
in the same train with a single motor car, and hence at such hours the motors
on the motor car are called upon to develop a much larger power than, at other
hours of the day, when the traffic falls off and when it is not economical or desir-
able to run the maximum number of cars in the train, and by my construction
I am enabled to use larger sized motors than would be possible otherwise.
Having now particularly ascertained the nature of my said invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed; I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a motor mounting for electric cars, the combination with multi-polar
motor and an axle and gearing connecting the same, the axle, arranged to pass
within the magnetic ring of the motor field.

page_text: 2. The combination with the armature and shaft of a multi-polar motor, a
supporting frame for the magnetic poles of the motor field, said frame having
bearings formed within the outer periphery of the magnetic ring of such field,
the axle arranged to be received in said bearings, and intermeshing gears mounted
respectively on the shaft and axle.
3. The combination recited in Claims 1 and 2, when the field magnet ring is
made in sections.
4. The combination claimed in Claims 1 and 2, when the motor shaft is tilted
or arranged above the horizontal plane of the axle.
5. The combination claimed in Claims 1 and 2, when the seat or bearing for the
axle in the magnetic ring is cored or chambered out to form a receptacle in order
to receive and prevent the dripping of oil expelled from the axle bearings.
Da 11.
1000
SIDNEY HOWE SHORT,
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.