Improvements in and relating to Bearings and Couplings for iShafts.
Year: 1895

page_text: or Application, End In
1005
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Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct.. 1895-Accepted', 28th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left. 2nd Oct.. 1895-Accepted', 28th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bearings and Couplings for
iShafts.
svoqu
I, PIERRE JOSEPH CHARLES CARRON, of Pont de Claix, in the Republic of
France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the natures of this invention to be' as
follows:
My invention relates to bearings and couplings for shafts.
ah
According to one part of my said invention a rotary shaft is supported by
bearings which by an elastic medium can yield more or less by receding from their
mean position instead of being invariably fixed to their supports. The object of
this system is to obviate or render less-injurious the vibrations of the shaft, produced
either through want of equilibrium, inaccurate centering or other defects of the
rotary parts or by vibrations resulting from parts or materials in connection or
communication with the shaft or the rotary parts.
.
Fach of the journals of the rotary shaft is held in a bearing proper which does
not rest upon rigid parts but is suspended by springs fixed at one extremity upon
the bearing proper and at the other extremity upon a rigid frame...
These springs extend radially from the shaft bearing proper and are placed
under suitable tension or compression. They may be made of elastic metal, such
as steel, in the form of flat bands folded in zig-zag manner, or spiral or helical
springs. Any other form given to a round or prismatic rod of metal may produce
the desired effect. These springs may also be made of indiarubber or any other
elastic material capable of realizing the proposed object.
****
A bearing constructed according to my said invention. may have four or any
greater or smaller number of springs according to requirements. The shaft may
be supported by two similar bearings, but the number of these bearings will depend
ou the applications to be made, for example along a transmitting shaft may be
arranged any number of bearings.
1
Upon the shaft may be mounted any device or tool, such as a pulley, sleeve, gear
wheel, fly wheel, wheel of a centrifugal pump, wheel of a fan; wheel of a turbine,
screw, rotary parts of dynamos or any electrical machines; transformers, hydro-
extractors, circular saw, crank; shaping tools, polisbing tools, lapidaries, grindstones,
wheel of any vehicle, or the like.
It will sometimes be necessary to transmit the rotation of the elastically supported
shaft to another shaft mounted in rigid bearings.
According to the second part of my invention I provide improved couplings
adapted for achieving this object.
1. / 1
An arrangement which I use comprises two discs, one of which is fixed upon the
elastically supported shaft and the other upon the shaft whose bearings are not
elastic. The driving takes place by héans of a carrier as in a lathe, but two
carriers are preferably provided to give more symmetry to the movement.
In another arrangement the elastically supported shift and also the shaft whose
bearings are not elastic terminateliin two sleeves. To each of these sleeves are
fixed the extremities of spring forged of an elastic band or cod made for example
of steel and bent to a helical or spiral shape.al

page_text: In either of these arrangements it will be understood that by reason of these
couplings the rotary movement is transmitted white permitting of the play of the
shaft mounted upon the spring bearings.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Bearings and Couplings for
Shafts.
I, PIERRE JOSEPH CHARLES CARRON, of Pont de Claix in the Republic of
France, Civil 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 :-
My invention consists in devices enabling a rotary shaft to rest with its journals
or its pivots upon or in bearings, pedestals or the like which instead of being fixed
or rigid, may, by an intermediate elastic medium or device be enabled to yield
more or less by deviating from the mean position, of equilibrium or rest.
The object of this invention is to obviate or to render less injurious the vibrations
or the reactions of the shaft produced either by defects of equilibrium, or
defects in the centering of the shaft and of the moving parts carried thereon.
This object is attained by providing an elastic reaction on the shaft instead of an
unyielding reaction like that of a fixed support. My invention moreover enables
the rotary parts to be centered gyroscopically, that is to say that when the
geometrical axis of construction is not coincident with the centre of gravity of
the rotary parts, the said parts will act upon the elastic supports in such a manner
that the centre of gravity will yield to the tendency which it has to remain
stationary when the parts rotate, which tendency is so much the greater as the
rotary speed itself of the parts is greater. It follows therefore that, however
great the speed or rotation may be, the rotating shaft will communicate to the
fixed parts of the machine only those forces which correspond to the bending of
the elastic part, permitting of the immobility of the centre of gravity.
My invention can be carried into practice in various ways as hereinafter
described.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved pedestal bearing,
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof partly in section and
Figures 3 and 4 show modifications of the improved device.
AA are the journals of the rotary shaft. Each of the two journals is carried
by a bearing such as B. This bearing does not rest upon rigid supports but is
suspended between and supported by springs R R each of which is attached at one
extremity to the bearing B and at the other extremity to a rigid frame C.
The springs R R may be arranged radially to the shaft or in any other suitable
manner, and are extended or compressed to any desired amount. The said springs
may be formed of steel or any other suitable elastic metal, and may be constructed
of a flat or round or other shaped strip of metal bent in a waved or zig-zag shape,
or wound helically, or spirally or in any other suitable manner.
These springs may
also be made of solid india rubber, or of hollow indiarubber tubes or the like
inflated or filled with a gas, air or liquid arranged in any suitable manner so as to
produce an elastic spring. Any other elastic material may also be employed which
is capable of attaining the desired object.

page_text: Figure 1 shows a bearing mounted with four springs, but the number of springs
may be greater or smaller as found desirable.
i In Figure 2 the shaft D is shown supported by two similar bearing pedestals or
supports CC; but the number of these pedestals will be dependent upon the
applications in view. For example along a transmitting shaft any suitable
number of bearing pedestals or supports may be arranged, or this number may
be reduced to one single support according to requirements. F represents a
mechanical device mounted upon the shaft and which may be a mechanism such
as for example: a ventilator or fan, a steam or water turbine, a fly wheel, gearing
mechanism, rotating parts of a dynamo or electric machines, cutters, polishing
bits and the like.
It will sometimes be necessary to transmit the rotation of the elastically
suspended shaft to another shaft carried by rigid or fixed bearings or supports.
To achieve this object the coupling must be made in a suitable manner, or by
means of one of the two arrangements represented in Figure 2. The coupling
which is represented at the right hand side, carries two plates G H, one fixed
upon the shaft D, the other upon the shaft O, the supports of which latter are not
elistic. The transmission is effected by means of a pin such as used in a lathe ;
or two pins I may be employed instead of one in order to impart more symmetry
to the movement.
'
Another transmission coupling is represented at the left hand side of Figure 2.
A shaft A and the shaft N, which latter is the one whose supports are not elastic,
each terminate in a sleeve L; to each of the sleeves are fixed the extremities of a
spring M formed by an elastic band strip-or rod of steel or of any other suitable
metal or material wound helically or spirally.
"It is evident that in consequence of these couplings the rotary movement is
transmitted, while at the same tinie the shaft mounted upon the elastic bearings or
supports is enabled to freely play.
Figure 3 represents a device illustrating the application of my system to a
rotary shaft supported at one of its extremities.
The shaft D is supported in P by an elastic or non-elastic bearing at the
shaft is pivotally connected by means of an universal joint. F is a rotary part
mounted upon the shaft and arranged towards the extremity which lies opposite
the pivoting point. This part may for instance be a steam or water turbine, a
ventilator or fan or any other suitable mechanical appliance.
The extremity of the shaft D terminates in a journal pivot or axle end. This
journal, pivot or axle end a engages with a bearing E. D' is an elastic rod, that
is to say sufficiently thin in order to suitably bend when a transverse force is
At its left
exerted and to return to its normal position when this force ceases.
hand extremity this rod D' is fixed to the support, bearing, or socket E; the other
end, that is to say, the right hand extremity is fastened by screwnuts a' a' against
a fixed piece; the rod may also be attached thereto in any other suitable manner.
This rod may be made of steel or any other suitable metal or of any material
fulfilling the purpose in view.
It will be clearly understood that when the piece F rotates around an axis which
is not that of the bearings, the elastic movability of the support or socket will
enable it to follow the movement of the axis in relation to which it is brought out
of the centre; thus describing circles around the same.
Particularly, under the influence of a rapid rotation the piece F and the shaft
upon which the same is mounted, tend to rotate around an axis which passes through
the centre of gravity of the whole of the axis and of the piece F. The point Q
or better the centre of the pivot being fixed, the jointed piece will turn around an
axis which passes through the pivot point and through the centre of gravity; if
this axis does not coincide with the axis of the construction, this latter will describe
a cone having as its apex the centre of the pivot and as its axis a line which passes
through the point Q and through the centre of gravity. The socket or support
will be forced to produce a circular movement which it is permitted to do owing to

page_text: the flexibility of the rod D', whereas, if the socket or support were fixed, it would
have had to support all efforts of the pivot or journal which are due to the
tendency towards immovability possessed by the centre of gravity of a body with
a rotary motion.
From this arrangement it results that the journal or pivot only exerts upon the
support or socket such forces as are due to the flexion of the rod D¹.
Figure 4 represents the same arrangements as shown in Figure 3 the only
difference being that the rod D¹ is bent in form of a spiral spring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1.) The arrangements hereinabove described enabling a shaft or portion of a
shaft to become centred "gyroscopically," i.e. so that its parts may rotate about
its centre of gravity, while such centre of gravity may remain stationary.
(2.) The arrangements whereby the faculty of performing "elastic" move-
ments is imparted to plummer-blocks, step-bearings and other shaft-supports, so as
to enable the shafts to accomplish movements varying in extent more or less, and
prevent them from exercising upon their supports more considerable strains than
those resulting from the flexure of the elastic parts, such a result being attained,
irrespective of the speed of rotation, whenever the speed is sufficient to render
the centre of gravity stationary; vibration and shocks being, at the same time,
deadened.
(3.) The arrangements for admitting of an "elastic" displacement of step-
bearings and other shaft-supports, situated at the ends of shafts, in conjunction
with linked or jointed shafts, and with an arrangement wherein the elastic or
yielding parts are placed all on one side of the revolving parts; so that while the
more delicate elastic parts are situated on one side, a shaft of any desirable
strength or power of resistance may be placed on the opposite side.
(4.) The different combinations which may be carried out by means of the
several devices or parts of machinery constituting my invention.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.