Year: 1889

page_text: CHARLES INWOOD "Advance" Works, Gravesend, in the County of Kent,
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 of the improvements hereinafter described in the production
of an adjustable ball and roller bearing principally for engines, velocipedes and shafts,
but applicable to various other purposes.
In ball or roller bearings used hitherto for preventing friction between the fixed
and moveable parts of machinery the adjustment has been of such a nature as to
alter the position between the rotating and fixed parts in which the balls or the like are
held.
By my device the balls or the rolls always rotate concentrically to their initial race
or path, and the balls or bearing case are not effected laterally by any amount of wear
which may be taken up by adjustment.
My invention is shown in the annexed drawing Figs. 1 to 7. applied to a bicycle
bearing. Fig. 1 being a side elevation of a knuckle joint bicycle bearing. Fig. 2. is
a plan of Fig. 1. with cap and set screws removed. Fig. 3. is a longitudinal section
through centre of bearing with axle, balls and one moveable cone in position. Fig. 4.
is a transverse section through line Fig. 1. Fig. 5. is an enlarged section as
Fig. 4. but fitted with my improved rollers T. Fig. 6. is an elevation, section and
plan of my moveable cones. Fig. 7. is a section of the form of roller employed, which
shall be a concavely formed cylindrical body with rounded or truncated conical
ends, and is so shaped that its frictional area is only equal to that of a ball its own
diameter.
A Fig. 1. is an end view of a cylindrical axle continued through bearing case as
shown at A Fig. 5. E&E is the top and bottom parts of the bearing case, being
separated and held in position by the adjusting and set screws & ¹ & 6 & b. Fig. 2.
is a plan of Fig. 1. with cap and set screws removed showing the method by which
the axle, balls and moveable cones are held in position. A is an axle around which is
formed an annular path of suitable shape to allow the balls to rotate freely thereon.
(This is shown in section at P Fig. 5.) Fare loose rings each in the form of a hollow

page_text: truncated cone or the underside of these may be spherically formed to give a greater
bearing on the balls, as shown at F¹ Fig. 6. C is a conical cylindrical cavity of the
same shape as the outer portions of the rings but of greater diameter, the upper part
of the case E Fig. 1. is shaped internally the same. The adjusting screws are
employed in conjunction with and perform the same function as ¹ and are only used
in this form to lessen the size and weight of bearing. They may be screwed into the
lower portion of the case E¹ to any distance but their heads must be the same height
from the face, the screw ' is provided with a milled edge to enable its being screwed
into the lower part of the case by the finger and thumb. The heads of these screws h h
and form a seating for the top part of the case E which is securely held against
same by set screws 6 & 6. Adjustment of the bearing is effected by loosening the set
screws & whereupon the scrows h h & ' may be turned to the dosired height and
the whole bearing locked together by tightening the set screws.
A passage m on the
top half of the case is provided for lubrication, and a plugged drain n in the bottom
portion. It will thus be understood that my bearing consists of an axle or axle sleeve,
around which is formed a groove or path into which is arranged a series of balls or
rollers which are kept in contact with the same by the application of two loose conical
rings which then form a race for the balls to revolve in. The said rings are held in
position by a split bearing case, which is provided with an internal cylindrical cavity
shaped in conformity with outside of loose rings, but of greater diameter. After the
moveable cones have been adjusted to their proper positions, they may be locked to
caso by screws or other arrangements. By this method of construction a fine adjust-
ment of both sides of the bearing is secured by the drawing together of the top and
bottom portions of the bearing case by means of adjusting screws or the like. I am
aware that balls and rollers have been used in many combinations for anti-friction
bearings, but I am not aware that balls or the like have been guided around an
annular path by two conical rings held in position and adjusted both sides at the same
time by the vertical movements of the bearing case. Neither am I aware of any form
of roller used in such bearings which has no more frictional area than a ball whose
diameter equals the diameter of the roller although its (the roller) length may equal
many times its diameter.
The rollers are shown in the drawing at about four times the length of their diameter
although this length may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.
The whole of the bearing may be formed from any suitable materials and it is obvious
that the particular form of casing forms no part of my invention since it may be
modified to suit any location provided it is internally formed to have the specified
action upon the loose conical moveable rings, and I do not therefore limit myself to
any particular form of casing or adjusting screws in fact, liners may be used in the
place of the screws and reduced as necessity requires to allow the clamping faces of
the bearing case to approach each other in the event of adjustment being required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1st. The perfect equal lateral adjustment of a ball or roller bearing, in that, the
rotating path is not moved from its initial position by adjustment.
2nd. That this adjustment is attained by the drawing together of the halves of
the bearing case acting on two conical rings which form part of the path of the balls
or rollers.
3rd. That the roller is of such form that although its length may equal many times
its diameter the frictional area is only equal to that of a ball the same diameter.
Dated this 14th day of January 1889.