Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1888
Specification Accepted, 10th Aug., 1888
I, ST. JOHN VINCENT DAY of 115 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent 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 :-
The Invention relates primarily to oiling apparatus adapted to save a large amount
of oil by preventing the extravagant and unnecessary waste thereof which now occurs
on railways.
The Invention relates specificially to a mechanical device which is adapted to be
placed in the axle box of a railway car and to feed the oil automatically to the bearings
of the axle as it is required.
As the oil has to be applied to the bearing of the axle on the underside, it will be
seen that the construction is necessarily different from the oiling apparatus which has
been employed from time to time in various classes of machinery and in which the oil
has been invariably applied to the upper surface of the bearing.
Heretofore in the oil boxes of railway car axles, it has been customary to pack
within the box a quantity of saturated waste or equivalent material, the said waste
being so arranged around the bearing of the axle, that loss of oil or lubricating
material was unavoidable inasmuch as there is nothing to prevent the oil from running
out at the rear side of the journal box. As a result of this the oil spreads out and
flows along the axle until it comes to the wheels and at which point it commences to
drip, entailing very large loss of oil.
Another drawback to the ordinary means of oiling the bearings of car axles, is that
the jarring of the cars when travelling causes the waste and oil in the journal box to
lower down and thus move away from the axle, and as soon as it thus settles and falls
away from the bearing the axle becomes dry and heated and the friction generating
will produce enough heat to set the waste and oil on fire. This has often occurred and
is the immediate cause of great loss in railway property.

page_text: To obviate these drawbacks and to provide a simple, effective and automatic oiler
for the bearings of railway car axles are the objects of this Invention.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this Specification,
Figure 1, is a transverse section of a journal box having my lubricator applied.
Figure 2, is a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 3, is a perspective view on a larger scale.
Figure 4, is a section partly in elevation illustrating a modified form of roller.
In these drawings A, is a car axle-box and B, an axle extending into said box and
provided with a bearing C. Located in the bottom of the car axle box is a frame 1),
provided with lugs E, E, Figure 3, extending upwardly therefrom in which are
pivoted frames F, by means of bolts or hinges G. Springs are provided which
surround the bolt or hinge G, and bear against the frame at one end and at their
upper ends against cross pieces H, connecting the two branches of the two frames F.
At the ends of these frames are set the rollers I. These rollers bear against the bottom
of the bearing of the axle as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and are flexibly supported and
held in contact therewith by the frames F, and springs S.
The rollers are provided with centrally located depressions or recesses B¹, and
with plain or smooth surfaces A', which extend outwardly from said recesses or central
depressions to the edges of the rollers. In the edges are formed indentations W, but
the portions contiguous to those cut away are even with the main surfaces A¹, of the
rollers.
Depressions or wells W₁, are provided so that when the rollers are depressed there-
into they will dip into these wells and carry oil therefrom to the surface of the axle
bearing. The cut away portions on the rollers carry oil to the bearing of the axle
and the smooth portion of the rollers distribute it over the same.
It has been found by experimental use that the form herein described and shown in
the drawings is particularly advantageous and serves the purpose better and works
more economically than any other form of roller, but in Figure 4, I have illustrated a
form in which the corrugations are formed in the middle of the bearing surface of the
rollers.
At K, I show a collar which bears against the inner bearing of the axle bearing
and serves to cut off the flow of the oil in that direction thus keeping all of the oil
within the axle box. This collar slides in vertical standards L, and is provided with a
central bearing spring M, which keeps it in contact with the axle bearing.
i
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. Spring pressed lubricating rollers arranged in the box of a car-axle, substantially
as set forth.
2. Lubricating rollers having but a portion of their bearing surfaces corrugated;
substantially as set forth.
3. Lubricating rollers having the outside of their bearing faces corrugated.
4. Lubricating rollers having the outside of their bearing corrugated and the middle
plain but for the groove or recess B¹.
5. The spring-pressed collar K, constructed and adapted to operate, substantially as
described.
Dated this 18th day of June 1888.