Improvements in Ball Bearings.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Bearings.
I, EDWARD THEISEN, of Yburgstrasse 1, Baden-Baden, Germany, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to ball bearings adapted for cases in which the principle
of ball bearings has not hitherto been applied, namely for mounting heavy and
very rapidly rotating centrifugal machines and the like, for which one of the known
forms of step bearing or collar bearing has been necessary. The invention is
applicable to all similar cases in which a strong axial pressure has to be supported.
Previous attempts to use the principle of rolling contact in such cases have
not proved successful.
The liability to jam of a slightly tapered pin set in a correspondingly tapered
bearing, is not avoided by the use of balls, as these travel on the rotating cone as
well as on the stationary pin along such a line of the coned surface as to give
rise to the conditions which cause the jamming.
If the coned pin is very obtuse so that the pressure is on the front surface of the
axis the result is equally bad, for a secure bearing is difficult to obtain and self
centering fails.
By the present invention there are cut in one of the two parts of the bearing,
ball races of which the bearing surfaces for each ball in its race do not lie on
the surface of a cone but are equidistant from the axis so that they lie on the
surface of a cylinder.
By this device the successive series of balls lie in races which are virtually
arranged on a stepped cone. The bearing surface is quite smooth and has the
form of the surface of a cone. Thus each ball has three points of contact, two in
the grooved and one on the smooth coned surface. Notwithstanding this all slid-
ing friction is avoided.
The balls revolve against the smooth coned surface and the least track worn
thereon causes a corresponding vertical shift of the rotating cone so that this
gradually works downwards and for this reason the bearing must be adjustable.
It is necessary in this kind of bearing that there shall be as large a number
of rows of balls as possible, the races being close together, and this makes it
necessary to provide against the danger resulting from splitting of the balls.
For this purpose the balls must be placed at such a distance from each other that
the fragments of a split ball may fall between two balls below and thus escape
from the bearing. When it is necessary to use two bearings, the continual move-
ment of the two cones towards each must be provided for and care must be taken
that contact is preserved in both bearings.
One bearing therefore is axially movable and is pressed by a spring of strength
corresponding with the load which it carries. Such a bearing can be employed
for very many purposes more advantageously than the usual horizontal ball
bearing

page_text: I, EDWARD THEISEN, of Yburgstrasse 1, Baden-Baden, Germany, 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:
This invention relates to ball bearings adapted for cases in which the principle
of ball bearings has not hitherto been applied, namely for mounting heavy and
very. rapidly rotating centrifugal machines and the like, for which one of the
known forms of step bearing or collar bearing has been necessary. The invention
is also applicable to all similar cases in which a strong axial pressure has to be
supported.
Previous attempts to use the principle of rolling contact in such cases have not
proved successful.
The liability to jam of a slightly tapered trunnion set in a correspondingly
tapered bearing, is not avoided by the use of balls, as these are in contact with
the rotating cone as well as with the stationary bearing along such a line of the
coned surface as to give rise to the conditions which cause the jamming.
If the coned surface of the trunnion is very obtuse so that the pressure is prac-
tically on the end surface of the axis, the result is equally bad, as in that case a
secure bearing is difficult to obtain and the self centering action is not obtained.
According to the present invention there are cut in one of the two parts of the
bearing, ball races of which the bearing surfaces for each ball in its race do not
lie on the surface of a cone but are equidistant from the axis so that they lie on
the surface of a cylinder.
By this device the successive series of balls lie in races which are virtually
arranged on a stepped surface. The opposite bearing surface is quite smooth and
has the form of the surface of a cone. Thus each ball has three points of contact.
two in the groove and one on the smooth coned surface. Notwithstanding this all
sliding friction is avoided.
The balls revolve against the smooth coned surface and the least track worn
thereon causes a corresponding shift of the rotating cone leaving always a straight
surface of smooth conical form so that the rotating cone gradually works inwards;
such wear might also be provided for by making the fixed bearing adjustable.
In case the conical smooth surface has been worn down to the allowable extent
larger balls could be substituted so that these balls would again be in contact
with the upper part of the cone for forming a new bearing; this may be repeated
till the smooth cone is entirely worked out.
It is necessary in this kind of heavy loaded bearing that there should be as
large a number of rows of balls as possible, while providing against the danger
resulting from the splitting of the balls. For this purpose both the surfaces of the
bearing as also the balls must be placed at such a distance from each other that
the fragments of a split ball may fall between the surface of the bearing and
two contiguous balls below and thus escape from the bearing. When it is neces-
sary to use two bearings, the above described action necessitates that a continual
movement of the two cones towards each other shall take place, and consequently
means must be provided for always insuring contact in both bearings.
The one bearing therefore is accurately axially movable and is pressed by a soft
cushion and spring of strength corresponding with the load which it carries. Such
a bearing can be employed for very many purposes more advantageously than the
usual horizontal ball bearings.

page_text: faces in each of which is formed a circular groove, and instead of these grooves
being all formed in one and the same body they may each be formed in a separ-
ate disc shaped body, as shewn for example in vertical section at Fig. 7 of the
accompanying drawings, where the grooved discs BB are separately screwed on
to a threaded portion of the shaft A, so as to be adjustable, lock nuts L being
provided for securing the discs when adjusted.
It will also be evident that the circular grooves for the balls could be formed
on the hollow conical surface instead of on the part carried by the shaft, as shewn
by way of example at Fig. 8 which is a modification of the construction shewn
at Fig. 2.
Of course the grooves have to be made so that both points of contact of the
balls therewith are at the same distance from the centre line of the shaft, as in
the other arrangements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A conical ball bearing wherein the one bearing surface is of smooth conical
form while the other surface is formed with circular grooves for the balls, each
such groove being so formed that the two ball races thereon are at equal distances
from the centre line of the shaft or axle, substantially as described.
2. A conical ball bearing consisting of the combination of a hollow conical sur-
face, a central shaft or axle carrying a circularly grooved piece in the groove or
grooves of which are balls that take a bearing firstly on two points of the groove
at equal distances from the centre line of the shaft, and secondly on a point of the
hollow coned surface, substantially as described.
3. In a conical ball bearing such as is referred to in the First and Second
Claims, arranging the smooth surfaces of the bearing and the balls in each of
the several grooves at such distances apart that any broken balls can fall from the
upper rows through the spaces between the surfaces and the balls of the lower
rows, substantially as described.
4. In a conical ball bearing such as is referred to in the First and Second
Claims, for replacing the grooved parts as well as the conical smooth surfaces in
their original relative positions, the method of substituting balls of a larger
diameter for those previously used, so that the more or less worn surfaces of the
bearing can be used over again, substantially as described.
5. In a conical ball bearing such as is referred to in the First and Second
Claims, maintaining the contact between the two parts of the bearing by means
of spring or screw pressure exercised in the longitudinal direction of the shaft or
axle, substantially as described.
6. In a conical ball bearing such as is referred to in the First and Second
Claims, the combination of two pairs of conical bearing surfaces with their balls
arranged opposite each other in such manner as to be capable of adjustment to-
wards or from each other by means of spring or screw action for maintaining close
contact, substantially as described.
7. Conical ball bearings such as are referred to in the First and Second Claims,
constructed and operating as herein described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 30th day of November 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.