Improvements in Anti-Friction Bearings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1897-Accepted, 10th July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Anti-Friction Bearings.
I, GEORGE OTIS GRIDLEY, of Indian Orchard, in the City of Springfield, County of
Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 anti-friction bearings for shafts, and has for its object to
provide an improved bearing which shall be simple in construction, which shall
prevent longitudinal vibration, and wherein the parts may be adjusted to compensate
for wear.
To these ends, the invention consists of a bearing provided with those features of
construction and arrangement which I have illustrated on the drawings, and which I
shall now proceed to describe in detail and then point out in the claims hereto
annexed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating the
same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.
Of the drawings,-
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section through my improved bearing.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of one end of the bearing, showing a slightly
different embodiment of my invention.
Figure 3 is a similar section of the other end of the bearing.
The central stationary arbor or shaft a is provided with reduced ends a', which are
threaded at their extremities, as at a², there being shoulders a³ as indicated. Placed
upon each of the ends of the shaft are two cones 6 6', 'the latter of which abuts against
the shoulder as, and both being so bevelled as to form a V track or groove to receive the
anti-friction balls c c.
The two cones are separated by a removable washer 62, the outer cone b being also
removable. To compensate for wear, the outer cone and the washer may be removed
and a washer of less thickness inserted, the said parts being held firmly in place by a
nut 63 threaded on the external extremity of the shaft.
The hub d is of the "barrel" type, and is provided at one end with an internal
bardened bearing-ring e, arranged opposite the V-shaped groove formed by the
cones 6 61 at that end, so that the anti-friction balls press against it and against the
bevelled faces of the cones. At the other end, the hub is provided with a hardened
bearing ring e', formed with a V-shaped groove arranged opposite the groove formed
by the cones at that end.
Externally threaded dust-guards ff are screwed into the ends of the hub, and aré
provided with central apertures slightly greater than the external diameter of the
ones b, so as to escape them, as shown. These guards not only prevent the entrance
of dust to the bearings and prevent the escape of oil therefrom, but they also serve to
ock the bearing-rings e e' in place, as will be readily understood.

page_text: From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a bearing
which is very simple in construction, and wherein the parts are so combined and
arranged that the hub will rotate with the least possible friction, and will be held.
against longitudinal vibration by the double grooves at the left end thereof.
Where the bearing is used for the rear wheel of a bicycl which the sprocket 9.
is secured, the greatest axial strain is borne by the ungrooved or flat ring e while
the grooved ring e' at the opposite end of the hub serves to prevent the longitudinal
movement of the hub relatively to the shaft a.
It is evident that the bearing-ring e¹ could be formed in two parts, separated by the
washer h, as illustrated in Figure 2, in which case it could be replaced to take up for
wear, in a manner similar to that followed in adjusting the cone. Or if desired, the
flat bearing-ring could be secured upon the shaft a, as shown at 62 (Figure 3), a
grooved ring es being secured in the hub, in position to surround said flat ring e².
This arrangement is a mere reversal of the arrangement of grooved and ungrooved
rings shown in Figure 1.
It will be seen that the above-described construction not only provides for the
prevention of longitudinal vibration or play of the hub upon the shaft, but also
enables wear of the balls and their tracks to be compensated for simply by the
removal of the outer cones or sections b of the V-shaped tracks, without
disturbing the inner cones or sections b¹ of said tracks, said inner cones requiring
no adjustment and always remaining in contact with the shoulders or abutments
formed for their support on the axle a. If desired, however, the said inner cones
or sections 6¹ may be rigidly secured to or made integral with the axle, instead
of being made as separate pieces and supported by shoulders or abutments on
the axle. The same statement may be made regarding the cones shown in
Figure 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. An anti-friction bearing comprising a central shaft, a hub surrounding said
shaft, two grooved ball-tracks on one of said parts, a grooved ball-track and an
ungrooved or flat ball-track on the other part, two of said grooved tracks forming a
pair, while the third grooved track and the ungrooved or flat track form another
pair, and anti-friction balls inserted between the said pairs of tracks, one grooved
track of each pair being composed of a non-adjustable inner ring or section and
an outer ring or section which is movable toward and from the inner section to
compensate for wear of the balls and tracks.
2. An anti-friction bearing comprising a central shaft, a hub surrounding said
shaft, two grooved ball-tracks on one of said parts, a grooved ball-track and an
ungrooved or flat ball-track on the other part, two of said grooved tracks forming
a pair, while the third grooved track and the ungrooved or flat track form another
pair, anti-friction balls inserted between the said pairs of tracks, one grooved track of
each pair being composed of an inner ring or section supported by a fixed shoulder
or abutment, and an outer ring or section separated from the inner ring by a
removable washer and held against said washer by an adjustable retaining
device.
3. An anti-friction bearing comprising a central shaft, a hub surrounding said
shaft, two grooved ball-tracks on one of said parts, a grooved ball-track and an
ungrooved or flat ball-track on the other part, two of said grooved tracks forming a
pair, while the third grooved track and the ungrooved or flat track form another pair,
anti-friction balls inserted between the said pairs of tracks, and dust-guards screwed
to the ends of the hub and having central apertures surrounding the shaft, said
dust-guards retaining oil in the hub.
Dated this 4th day of June 1897
GEORGE OTIS GRIDLEY.