Improvements in Means for Lubricating Loose Pulleys.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1898-Accepted. 29th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Lubricating Loose Pulleys.
I, JOHN GREENWOOD, of 224, Mill Street, in the City of Rochester, in the State
of New York, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, o hereby
declare the nature of this invention. and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
This invention relates to the lubrication of bearings and has for its object to
provide means for lubricating loose pulleys. Its novel features will be fully set
forth and explained in the following description.
In the annexed drawings;-
Fig. 1, is an elevation of a loose and a tight pulley, together with portions of
their shaft and hanger, a portion being shown in cross section;
Fig. 2, is an end view of my device;
Fig. 3, is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4, is a longitudinal section of parts of the loose and tight pulleys, showing
a modified form of my invention; and
Figs. 5 and 6, are cross sections on the lines 5-5 and 6-6 respectively, of Fig. 4.
A represents the shaft, which tapers from the shoulder a to its extremity. The
tapering end of the shaft is journalled within the non-rotatable box B, and the
whole device is supported by the hanger C, the box B being secured to the hanger
by adjusting screws c. A bracket C¹, may be used in place of said hanger, to
support the shaft, in the manner shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.
A shoulder b, is formed upon the outside of the box B, adjacent to the hanger C,
and from the shoulder to its extremity, the exterior surface of said box is tapered
in an opposite direction from that of its internal taper, thus making an external
reverse taper. Upon the tapering exterior surface of the box B, the loose pulley D,
is revolubly set, its hub d having a tapering bore to fit the said external taper of
the box and being extended so as to lie against the flat face of the shoulder b on
the said box. At the other end of the hub of the loose pulley an inwardly pro-
jecting flange b¹ (Fig. 1) lies between the end of the box B and the shoulder a
of the shaft A, or the end of the hub of the tight pulley. The loose pulley is thus
retained between the shoulder b and the shoulder a or the end of the hub of the
tight pulley and is thus secured against excessive lateral play. Adjacent to the
loose pulley D, and inside the shoulder a the tight pulley is fastened to the
shaft by any suitable means.
One or more orifices connect the interior surface of the box with the exterior
surface thereof at or near the inner end thereof, where the two tapering surfaces
are nearest together. This orifice or these orifices are therefore close to the inner
end of the hub of the loose pulley. Such an orifice or perforation is shown in
Fig. 1, in the box near its inner end.
The oil is fed from the supply cup F and passes through the perforation of to
the shaft A, the flow of the oil from the cup being regulated by any of the well-
known devices employed for that purpose. As the axis of the shaft is borizontal,

page_text: that end of the box B through which is the perforation 62, is lower than the other
end which is beneath the supply cup, and therefore the oil tends to flow through
the box to the said perforation 63 within which it accumulates. The revolution
of the shaft carries the oil by the action of centrifugal force, through the box to
the perforation 62. Passing through said perforation to the hub of the loose
pulley, the oil works back through said hub, when the loose pulley is set in motion,
since the exterior surface of the box B, is tapered in the opposite direction to that
in which the shaft is tapered. As it leaves the hub it is caught within the
chamber 63 in the box B above the shoulder b. An outwardly turned flange d
upon the end of the hub discharges the oil through the pipe 6+, from which it
passes into the drip cup G.
In that form of my device shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the oil does not pass freely
through the box B to the perforation 62 when the shaft is idle, and when therefore,
the oil which has accumulated within the perforation has been exhausted by the
running of the loose pulley, the supply of oil may fail it.
In order to provide a supply of oil which enables the loose pulley to be run con-
tinuously for a longer period, an orifice connects the interior of the box with the
exterior thereof, consisting of a recess 65 in the end of the box. B¹ below the shaft
as shown in Fig. 4, and also form a longitudinal channel 67 in the Babbit lining 69
of the box B, leading to the said recess from the other end of the shaft. The
orifice 65 need be only in the lower side of the box, but two such orifices are shown
in Figs. 4 and 6, one in the upper and the other in the lower side of the box, in
order that the box may be reversed so as to provide against wear. Through this
channel the oil flows to the said recess in such quantity as to furnish a constant
supply for the loose pulley. The oil also flows through the channel 67 when the
shaft is idle, and the loose pulley is thereby lubricated. An inwardly turned
flange upon the end of the hub d of the loose pulley prevents the oil from
escaping from the recess 65 between the two pulleys.
The chamber 60 into which the oil is discharged from the flange d', shown 'in
Fig. 4, is somewhat open above the hub d.
As shown in Fig. 4, a groove a³ around the end of the shaft beneath the perfora-
tions fpermits the freer flow of oil to the longitudinal channel 7 beneath it.
It will be observed that the perforations f and f', perforation 2, recess 65. and
channel 7 are duplicated in perforations f3 and f', perforations 62, recess 66, and
channels 8, respectively, cach being diametrically opposite its corresponding part,
so that the boxes B and B may be turned half around upon the shaft in order
to prevent their wearing, and bring into use said duplicate parts. When this is
done the plugs H, I, H¹ and I change places with the cups F, G, F, and G
respectively.
The box is shown closed about the end of the shaft A: If the shaft is slow
running, the oil is apt to drip from its end unless it is so enclosed, but if the
shaft is run at high speed the oil is carried rapidly to the other end of the box B
and little, if any, of it escapes from the end of the shaft..
The foregoing construction shows the preferred form of my lubricating device
for general use. It is obvious that the shaft need not be tapered, but that the
flow of oil will still occur as above described, without the taperings specified above.
The untapered form of the device is intended for use with high-speed sliafts. -
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―
.. J.
1. The combination of a shaft; a non-rotatable box formed internally to fit the
shaft and having an external tapered bearing surface; a loose pulley having a hub
tapered internally and fitting the external bearing surface of the box; said box
having an orifice connecting the interior of the box with the exterior thereof and
located at or near the smaller end of the tapered box; and an oil supply to the
outer end of the shaft.

page_text: 2. The combination of a shaft having a tapering end; a non-rotatable box
tapering internally to fit the shaft, and having an external reverse taper; a loose
pulley fitting the external taper of the box said box having an orifice connecting
the interior of said box with the exterior thereof, located at or near a point where
the interior and exterior surfaces are nearest together; and an oil supply to the
end of the shaft.
3. The combination of a shaft having a tapering end; a non-rotatable box taper-
ing internally to fit the shaft, and having an external reverse taper; a loose pulley
fitting the external taper of the box; said box having an orifice connecting the
interior of said box with the exterior thereof, located at or near what is the lowest
part of the interior of said box when the said shaft is horizontal; said box having also
a longitudinal channel in the interior surface of the box leading from said orifice
to the end of the shaft; and an oil supply to the end of the shaft.
4. The combination of a shaft having a tapering end; a non-rotatable box taper-
ing internally to fit the shaft, and having an external reverse taper; a loose pulley
fitting the external taper of the box; said box having an orifice connecting the
interior of said box with the exterior thereof, located at or near a point where
the interior and exterior surfaces are nearest; an oil supply to the end of the shaft;
and a drip cup at the outer end of the reverse external taper of said box.
5. The combination of a shaft having a tapering end; a non-rotatable box taper-
ing internally to fit the shaft and having an external reverse taper; a loose pulley
fitting the external taper of the box; said box having an orifice connecting the
interior of said box with the exterior thereof, located at or near a point where
the interior and exterior surfaces are nearest together; an oil supply to the end
of the shaft; a chamber around the said box above the outer end of the reverse
external taper of said box; and a drip cup beneath said chamber.
6. The combination of the shaft A having a tapering end; the non-rotatable
box B tapering internally to fit the shaft and having an external reverse taper;
the loose pulley 1), fitting the external taper of the box; said box having the
orifice b connecting the interior of said box with the exterior thereof, located at
or near the point where the interior and exterior surfaces are nearest together;
said box having also the longitudinal channel in the interior surface of the
box leading from said orifice to the end of the said shaft; and an oil supply to
the end of the shaft.
Talad thi 93rd day of August 1898