Improvements in Ball Bearings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Bearings.
We PETER FRANCIS TURNER, Merchant of 612 W. 39 Street, of New York,
in the County and State of New York and EMIL KLAHN Engineer of West
Hoboken, in the County of Hudson and State of New Jersey both in the United
States of America 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 has reference to improvements in ball-bearings and consists of a
bearing provided with an attachment by means of which a correct contact of the
balls and the surfaces of the ball-chambers is obtained and, after these surfaces
are worked out by the rolling action of the balls, the said contact can be easily
and reliably adjusted, so that a permanent exact working of the bearing is
obtained.
This object is attained by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 an end view of one bearing,
and Fig. 3 a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section
and Fig. 5 an end-view of a modification of the bearing, and Fig. 6 represents a
section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 shows a second modification of the bearing,
Fig. 8 a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 a detail of this modification.
A in the drawings represents the shaft or axle of the bearing having on one end
a curved or conical head a which may be either integral with the shaft or axle or
firmly attached to the same in any convenient manner, and on the other end an
aunular flange a¹. B is a sleeve having on its both ends inwardly extending
flanges b. The outer faces of these flanges are curved or conical. Through the
end-openings of the sleeves, formed by the said flanges b, the shaft A. is pushed so
that the same may revolve in the sleeve, or the latter may be rotated on the shaft.
D is a screw-nut, the thread of which corresponds with a thread on the shaft, so
that, when the screw-nut is screwed upon the threaded end of the shaft, the sleeve B
is located between the said screw-nut and the head a of the shaft, the flange a¹
being in line or nearly in line with the respective flange of the sleeve. The inner
portion of the outer surface of the screw-nut is also curved or conical, so that by
the screw-nut and one flange 6 and by the shaft-head a and the other flange b of sleeve
annular chambers are formed which contain series of balls C, as usual in ball-
bearings. The screw-nut D (illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3) is provided with one or
more traversing screwholes reaching from the top to the bottom-surface of the
same, and into the screw-holes one or more screw-pins d are screwed which project
beyond the bottom-surface of the screw-nut and come in contact with the flange a
of the shaft.
The object of these screw-pins is to regulate the contacts of the balls with the
walls of the bali-chambers and to obtain thereby an easy revolution of the shaft
with the least possible friction.
To attain this purpose, the lengths of the portions of the screw-pins which have
to project through the screw-holes of the screw-nut D beyond the bottom of the
same to rest on the flange a' of the shaft, are found out in order to fix the correct
distances of the walls of the ball-chambers from each other and to create the
required contact of the balls with the said walls, and then the screw-nut is screwed
upon the shaft until the ends of the screw pins firmly rest on the flange a' of the

page_text: Shatt. Should the walls of the ball-chambers press too closely upon the balls, the
screw-nut is screwed back and the screw-pins screwed further through the screw-
nut whereby the spaces in the ball-chambers are enlarged. When, after a certain
time of use, the walls of the ball-chambers are worn out by the rolling action of
the balls and the exact contact of the balls with the said walls disturbed, the
screw-pins are turned back as far as necessary to obtain the required contact, and
the screw-nut is then screwed upon the shaft until the screw-pins rest again on the
shaft-flange.
In the construction shown in Figs. 4 to 6 the top-portion of the screw-nut D is
provided with a circular excavation d' having a threaded side-wall, and two or
more smooth perforations, instead of the screw-holes shown in Fig. 1, reach from
the bottom of the excavation to the end of the screw-nut. Into these perforations
pins d2 are loosely placed and a set-screw E is screwed into the excavation of the
serew-nut D by which set-screw the pins d' are pushed forward upon the flange a
of the shaft. The set-screw, of course, must be provided with a centre-hole,
through which the shaft passes, as illustrated in the drawings. The pins d have
the same purpose as the screw-pins d. To regulate the exact contact of the balls
with the walls of the ball-chambers, the lengths of the portions of the pins which
have to project through the perforations of the screw-nut, are first found out
and then the set-screw E screwed deep enough into the screw-nut, so that when
the pins which all are of a like size, are touched by the said set-screw E and the
screw-nut D is screwed upon the shaft until the ends of the pins reach the flange a,
the required contucts of the balls with the walls of the ball-chambers are obtained.
Should the walls of the ball-chambers press too closely upon the balls, the screw-
nut D is turned back and the pins d2 are pushed forward by screwing the screw-
nut E further into the screw-nut, whereby the spaces of the ball-chambers are
enlarged. When the walls of the ball-chambers are worn out by the rolling
action of the balls and the exact contact of the balls with the said walls is
disturbed, the set-screw E is turned back and the screw-nut D screwed further
upon the shaft, until the required contact is obtained, and then the set-screw E is
screwed into the screw-nut until the pins d' press upon the flange a' of the shaft,
whereby the required contact is fixed again. When the shaft, for any purpose,
should be removed from the sleeve and again be attached to the same, a further
adjustment of the ball-chambers is not necessary, as the required distances between
the walls of the ball-chambers and the balls have been fixed before by the pius d
and the set-screw E, as described.
'
In the construction shown in Figs. 7 to 9 the flange on the shaft A consists of
a removable annular screw a screwed upon the thread of the shaft, which latter
is provided with a longitudinal recess a³. The outer surface of the screw a is
serrated or ribbed, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The ball-chambers are formed by
upwardly extending end-portions & of the sleeve B and the head a and the screw-
nut D respectively, the end-portions being of a height to enclose the ends of
the said conical or curved head and screw-nut. F represents a washer placed
upon the threaded end of the shaft and having an inwardly extending projection/
which is located in the longitudinal recess a", so that the washer has to follow the
movements of the shaft.
This bearing is put together by placing a series of balls C upon the conical or
curved portion of the head a and then pushing the sleeve B over the shaft, so that
by the inner walls of the said head and the respective end-portion of the sleeve
a ball-chamber is created in which the balls are located. The annular screw a
and the washer F, pushed against the latter, are euclosed by the sleeve aud located
near the other end-portion of the sleeve, which latter has an aperture through
which the screw a can be reached from outside by a pin or other instrument,
as shown in Fig. 7. A second series of balls is then placed upon the inner
wall of the second conical or curved end-portion of the sleeve and the screw-
nut D screwed upon the shaft so that a second ball-chamber, holding another series

page_text: of balls, is formed by the inner walls of the said screw-nut and the second
end-portion of the sleeve.
In this construction the annular screw a³, which is substituted for the flange a¹
shown in Figs. 1 and 4, serves to regulate the contacts of the balls with the walls.
of the ball-chambers.
This is attained in the following manner:
When the different parts of the bearing are put together as described, the.
screw a² is in a position to be reached from outside through the aperture 62, where
it is firmly held by a pin or other instrument pushed through the said aperture into
the serrations or ribs of the screw. Then the shaft is taken hold of and so rotated
that it moves on through the said screw until the correct distance of the ball-
chamber walls on the head-end of the shaft from each other are fixed. Then the
washer F is moved against the screw a² and pressed upon the same by the
screw-nut D by which latter and the second end-portion of the sleeve a second
ball-chamber is formed. For the purpose to decrease the spaces in the ball-chambers,
the screw a² is arrested by means of a suitable instrument, as said before, and the
shaft simply turned forward, the screw is then adjusted from outside and the
screw-nut D screwed against the washer F and the screw a². To enlarge the spaces.
in the ball-chambers, the screw-nut D is first turned back as far as necessary and
then the shaft rotated backwards while the screw a² is held in a firm position by
the said instrument, until the washer rests on the said screw and is firmly located
between the latter and the screw-nut D. After having fixed the correct contacts.
and thereby secured an easy revolution of the shaft, the aperture 63 may be closed
by a plug.
The washer F has the purpose to prevent any communication between the
screw-nut D and the screw a², so that either one can be turned without transferring
its rotary motion to the other one.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A ball-bearing having the shaft or axle provided with an annular flange
located between the ball-chambers of the bearing, and a screw-nut forming a
wall of one ball-chamber, provided with one or more screw-holes into which
screw-pins are screwed which rest on the said flange of the shaft, substantially as.
set forth.
2. A ball-bearing comprising a shaft having an annular flange, a sleeve provided
with inwardly-extending conical or curved flanges, a conical or curved head on
one end of the shaft, a conical or curved screw-nut having one or more traversing
screw-holes, screwed upon the other end of the shaft, series of balls located in.
the chambers created by the conical or curved portions of the flanges of the sleeve
and the head of the shaft and the screw-nut respectively, and one or more
screw-pins screwed into the screw-holes of the screw-nut and resting on the said
flange, substantially as set forth.
3. In a ball-bearing having the ball-chambers formed by a head of the shaft
on one end and a screw-nut on the other end of the shaft and inwardly
extending flanges of a sleeve which encloses the shaft, an annular flange fixed
upon the shaft, adjustable pins projecting through the screw-nut upon the flange,.
and a device by which said pins are kept in position on the said flange, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a ball-bearing having the ball-chambers formed by a head of the shaft on.
one end and a screw-nut on the other end of the shaft and inwardly-extending
flanges of a sleeve which encloses the shaft, an annular flange fixed upon the
shaft, adjustable pins projecting through the screw-nut upon the said flange, and a
set-screw sunk and screwed into the said screw-nut upon the heads of the said pins to
hold them in position, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 5. In a ball-bearing, a screw-threaded shaft, a ribbed or serrated annular screw
screwed on the shaft, a screw-nut screwed on the shaft against the said annular
screw, and a sleeve enclosing the shaft and having an aperture to reach the annular
screw from outside, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a ball-bearing, a screw-threaded. shaft, having a longitudinal recess, an
annular screw screwed upon the threaded portion of the shaft, a washer having
an inwardly extending projection located in the said recess, a screw-nut screwed
on the shaft against the washer and the annular screw, and a sleeve enclosing
the said shaft and being provided with an aperture to reach the annular screw
from outside, the ball-chambers being formed by a head on one end and the said
screw-nut on the other end of the shaft respectively and the end-portions of the
sleeve, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 11th day of June 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.