IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BEARINGS, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR THE AVIES OF RAILWAY VEHICLES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT .to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BEARINGS, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR THE
AVIES OF RAILWAY VEHICLES" A communication from abroad by Jackson
LETTERS PATENT .to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BEARINGS, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR THE
Αντα OF BAILWAY VEHICLES" A communication from abroad by Jackson
Roe Baker, of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America,
Metallurgist.
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th July 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT. LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BEARINGS,
CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR THE AXLES OF RAILWAY VEHICLES." A communication
from abroad by Jackson Roe Baker, of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of
America, Metallurgist.
This Invention relates to improvements in journal bearings for the axles of
railway vehicles, shafting, and the like, and comprises a bearing brass having a
circular convex bearing part or surface centrally placed, a curb surrounding the
latter and concentric therewith, and a semi-circular curb or stop concentric with
the said curb, and the said convex bearing surface all formed in and upon the
upper surface of the bearing brass in combination with a disc having a plane upper
surface and a concave depression formed in its lower surface, and also with an axle
box or housing having the under surface of its top plate provided with a centrally
located circular recess surrounded by a concentric curb, and provided with stops
projecting from the said curb towards the rear of the housing, all constructed,
arranged, and combined in the manner hereinafter more particularly shown and
described, whereby the bearing brass may be kept parallel with the axle under all
circumstances.
The said Invention relates more particularly to bearing brasses for railway
vehicle axles, or shafts, constructed and arranged to have lateral and other motion

page_text: within the axle box or housing, so that they may accommodate themselves to the
positions assumed by the axle when passing around curves or over inequalities
in the line of railway. It is well known to those who are familiar with the
construction of railways and the rolling stock therefor, that if the bearings are
immovable within the axle boxes or housings when the axle and its wheels are
passing around curves, greater strain is brought to bear against some parts of the
bearing brasses than at others, which strain results in the brasses being more rapidly
worn away at such places than at others, and causes them to heat and be destroyed.
This uneven strain upon the brasses also occurs when the road; bed, or rails, 'have
inequalities in them. Moreover, when the bearing brasses are immovably fixed
within the housing, the axle is held exactly at right angles to the sides of the
vehicle to which it is attached, so that when passing around curves the flanges of
the wheels are forced to a certain extent tangentially into contact with the rails,
thereby causing the wheel flanges to ultimately wear thin and break, and the
vehicles to leave the rails.
To obviate these difficulties I construct my improved bearing brasses for the
axles, so that they can to some extent partake of lateral and other motion, enabling
them to assume positions at all times parallel with the axis of the axles, and yield
for that purpose to every change of position that the axles are caused to assume by
the curves and inequalities in the road.
My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved bearing brass and housing with
the axle therein; and
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line y, y, Figure 1 representing the under
side of the top plate of the housing.
Figure 4 is a side view of the bearing brass and an axle without an outer
flange.
Figure 5 is an edge view of the metal disc; and
Figure 6 is an under side view of the bearing brass shewing the ribs for holding
the anti-friction metal in position.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing,
My improved bearing brass A is constructed with a convex bearing surface B
centrally formed on the upper side of the said brass. This convex bearing surface
is of a diameter nearly equal to the width of the brass. Surrounding this convex
bearing surface B is a curb C concentric with the said bearing surface; and extending
from the front and rear sides of this curb are curved and angular surfaces a
terminating in semi-circular curbs D at or near the ends of the bearing brass A;
these curbs D are concentric with the curb C. On the outer sides b of the bearing
brass, and midway between its ends, are formed bearings E. The under surface of
the bearing brass A. is lined with any suitable anti-friction metal as usual, which
metal may be held to the said bearing brass in any manner desired, but preferably
by the dovetailed recesses c cast in the bearing brass, and by the dovetail ribs c' as
hereinafter described.
To the bearing brass A constructed as above described is fitted a disc F of steel
or other suitable metal. This disc is of a diameter equal to the diameter of the
convex bearing B, and its under side has formed in it a concave surface or con-
cavity G with a radius corresponding with the radius of the convex surface B, so
that the latter may be received within the said concavity. The upper surface of the
disc F has a plane surface d, and the lower part of its edge is bevelled as at e to
correspond with the curb c, which has its edge or sides likewise bevelled.
Upon the under surface f of the upper plate g of the axle box or housing H is
formed a circular recess I surrounded by a concentric curb J; and projecting
rearwards from this curb and from its outer sides are two parallel stops K. To
the under side of this top plate of the housing are also fitted the ordinary drawing
lugs h,
The operation of the bearing brass and axle box or housing when constructed,

page_text: substantially as above described, is as follows, that is to say :-' -The disc F is placed
with its concave surface G upon the convex bearing B, so that this convex bearing
will be received within the concavity in the disc F as above stated. The plane
surface d of this disc is now placed within the recess I in the underside of the
top plate g of the axle box or housing H. In this position the bearing brass A is
received between the drawing lugs h, so that the bearings E on the sides of the
bearing brass A. will be immediately adjacent to the inner surface of these lugs.
The bearing brass A when thus placed in position has its curb C in contact with
the bevelled side or edge e of the disc F, and the semi-circular curbs D fit loosely
around the curb J on the under surface f of the top plate g of the axle box or
housing, the sides of the bearing brass entering between the parallel stops K on
the underside of the said top plate g. The axle L is next placed within the bearing
brass A in the ordinary manner, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. When the several
parts above described are thus combined and arranged, the entire superincumbent
weight of the vehicle and its load is borne directly by the disc F interposed between
the bearing brass A and the top plate of the housing as above described, and since
the concave surface G of this disc rests upon the convex bearing B, it can have a
free, through limited motion, not unlike the motion produced by a universal joint,
that is to say, the bearing brass A can by this means have a lateral as well as a
vertical movement, and also other motions incident to this form of joint. As the
bearing brass moves sidewise or laterally, its motion in this direction is controlled
or limited by the bearings E which are brought in contact with the drawing lugs h,
and also by the sides which are brought in contact alternately with the parallel
stops K. The vertical or vertical rocking motion of the bearing brass A as well as its
forward and backward motion are limited by the semi-circular curbs D which are
brought in contact with the curb J, so that while this bearing brass has an irregular
or almost universal motion, its several motions are controlled in the manner just
described. Now it will be obvious that when the axle of a railway vehicle wheel
is combined with a bearing brass and the devices above named, it is not immovably
fixed at right angles to the sides of the vehicle, but on the coutrary, as the wheels
pass around a curve in the lines of rail or over irregularities therein, the bearing
brass A will accommodate itself to the additional force brought to bear on the
wheels as they pass around or over such inequalities, so as to assume positions that
will be parallel or nearly parallel with the axle within the brass, thereby permitting
the axle to yield to the variations in the surface of the road, the bearing brass
also changing its position, as before stated, so as to be substantially parallel with the
axle in its various positions, thereby causing the axle or its journal to bear evenly
on the brass, and not on some points more than others, and thus preventing undue
friction and consequent heating and cutting out of the brasses. Moreover, as the
axle of the wheels is permitted to yield to a change of surface in the road the
wheels on the axle can to some extent also swing to adapt themselves to a curve
in the road, so that their flanges, instead of being brought tangentially into contact
with the sides of the rails, and thus worn, can gradually accommodate themselves to
the curves.
The undue wear of the said flanges that now ordinarily results when
the axle is immovably fixed at right angles to the sides of the vehicle is thus
prevented.
The free movement of the bearing-brass A on the disc F is facilitated by the
bevelled edge e of the latter, and the bevelled surfaces a on the brass A between
the curb C and the semi-circular curbs D.
Axles are usually provided with an outer flange M, the purpose of which, with
the ordinary bearing brasses, is to control the lateral motion of the axle within the
brass by opposing it to one end of the same and opposing the shoulder N to the
other end of the said brass, but with my improved bearing brass and its accom-
panying housing and the devices above described, I can dispense with this outer
flange M, since the lateral thrust or play of the shaft or axle is received by the
end n of the brass from the shoulder N of the axle, and borne directly by the
semi-circular curbs or stops D in contact with the curb J on the underside of the

page_text: top plate g of the housing H or journal box, and since each axle is constructed
with two of these shoulders N, the lateral thrust of the shaft is checked by one
shoulder and its brass and stops in one direction, and by the other shoulder N and
its brass and stops in the other direction. I thus effect a considerable saving in
the cost of railway vehicle axles and shafting, and lessen their frictional surfaces.
If desired, however, the axles may be provided with the outer flanges M.
In the under side of the bearing brass are cast the series of dovetail ribs c¹ for
holding to the brass the anti-friction metal t, so that when this metal is run into
the underside of the said brass it is effectually dovetailed in place by these ribs.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. A journal bearing brass with a convex part formed on its upper surface
and surrounded by a concentric curb and with concentric semi-circular curbs or
stops also formed on its upper surface, in combination with a metal disc having a
concave lower surface fitted upon the said convex part, substantially as above set
forth and for the purpose specified.
Second. In a journal bearing for axles, shafting, and the like, a convex part and
curb and stops on the upper surface of the said brass, in combination with a disc
fitted thereon, and a journal box or housing with a recess in the under side of its
top-plate, the said recess being surrounded by a curb, substantially as above set
forth and for the purpose specified.
Third. In a journal bearing the sides in combination with the parallel stops K
secured to the underside of the top plate of the housing or axle-box, substantially
as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In a journal bearing the combination of an axle or shaft with a bearing
brass provided with a convex surface and with curbs and stops, a metal disc fitted
thereto, and an axle box which has the underside of its top-plate provided with a
circular recess and surrounding curb and parallel stops, substantially as above set
forth and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.