Improvements in Thrust Bearings for Screw Propeller Shafts.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1886
Complete Left, 5th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 8th Mar., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Thrust Bearings for Screw Propeller Shafts.
We CHARLES JOHN COPELAND, of the firm of Westray Copeland and Company, of
Barrow-in-Furness, and RICHARD BICKERDIKE, of 21 Elvey Street, Newton Heath,
both in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THRUST BEARINGS FOR SCREW PROPELLER SHAFTS
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements on the Invention for which Letters Patent
No. 12118 were granted to Richard Bickerdike on the 8th day of September 1884
and the chief object of our Invention is to improve the arrangement of the thrust
bearings described in the said Patent and prevent waste of the liquid employed by
collecting and returning it to the pump.
According to our present improvements we employ a thrust collar or collars on the
propeller shaft working against faces or hearings of metal or other material and we
keep a supply of liquid under pressure between the collars and their bearings by
means of a suitable pump or pumps. The liquid is pumped through suitable pipes or
passages in the thrust block and on to the faces or bearings against which the thrusi
collars bear, the liquid thus forming a cushion and greatly reducing the friction
between the moving and stationary surfaces; at the end (or ends) of the thrust
bearing on the shaft we fit a stuffing box and gland to prevent the escape of liquid
along the line of the shaft.
Passages are made in the thrust block and connected to the liquid supply reservoir
by a pipe or pipes through which the liquid escaping from the bearings returns to the
reservoir from which it may be again pumped as before.
H. B. BARLOW,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Thrust Bearings for Screw Propeller Shafts.
We CHARLES JOHN COPELAND, of the firm of Westray Copeland and Company, of
Barrow-in-Furness and RICHARD BICKERDIKE, of 21 Elvey Street, Newton Heath,
both in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THRUST BEARINGS FOR SCREW PROPELLER SHAFTS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention relates to improvements on the Invention for which Letters Patent
No. 12118 were granted to Richard Bickerdike on the 8th day of September 1884
and the chief object of our Invention is to improve the arrangement of the thrust
bearings described in the said Patent and prevent waste of the liquid employed by
collecting and returning it to the pump.
According to our present improvements we employ a thrust collar or collars on the
propeller shaft working against faces or bearings of metal or other material and we
keep a supply of liquid under pressure between the collars and their bearings by
means of a suitable pump or pumps. The liquid is pumped through suitable pipes or
passages in the thrust block and on to the faces or bearings against which the thrust
collars bear, the liquid thus forming a cushion and greatly reducing the friction
between the moving and stationary surfaces; at the end (or ends) of the thrust
bearing on the shaft we fit a stuffing box and gland to prevent the escape of liquid
along the line of the shaft.
Passages are made in the thrust block and connected to the liquid supply reservoir
by a pipe or pipes through which the liquid escaping from the bearings returns to the
reservoir from which it may be again pumped as before.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figures 1 and 2 are end elevations and Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations, Figs. 1, 2,
and 3 being partly in section, of the thrust block or bearing of a screw propeller shaft
to which our present improvements have been applied.
The propeller shaft a is in this case shown with three thrust collars a' a² a³ made
with it; any suitable number of thrust collars however may be employed according to
the power employed to drive the shaft; is the thrust block or pedestal which
supports the shaft a; the cap or upper portion b¹ is secured to the lower portion of
the block by bolts c. The end collar af has its bearing on one side against a brass
or other metal face secured above the shaft to the cap and below to the lower
portion of the block 1. Between the collars a' and a² is a loose shoe or collar d which
is also faced with brass or other metal; between the collars a² and a³ is a second loose
collar d and so on according to the number of thrust collars upon the propeller shaft.
All the loose shoes or collars d rest as shown in Fig. 2 upon internal flanges 2 cast
with the block and are held together by nuts e on screws e¹; the ends of the screws

page_text: pass through the ends of the thrust block one screw on each side of the shaft a, and in
each shoe d as well as in the cap and block is cast a pressure pipe or passage
communicating by a series of short pipes or passages with the bearing surfaces;
cach of the pipes is connected by a branch to a pipe through which liquid from
a supply reservoir is pumped and distributed by the passages on to the faces or
bearings against which the thrust collars a a² a³ work the liquid under pressure thus
forming an elastic cushion and greatly reducing the friction between the moving and
stationary bearing surfaces; g is the stuffing box and g the packing or gland which
we employ to prevent any escape of the liquid along the line of the shaft. The liquid
escaping from the bearings returns through passages to the liquid reservoir in the
lower portion of the thrust block whence it is conducted through the pipe back to
the pump by which it is again forced on to the bearings as already described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is-
1. In thrust bearings for screw propeller shafts the combination with thrust collars
on the propeller shaft, of loose collars or shoes provided with pipes or passages through
which liquid under pressure is distributed upon the faces or bearings against which
the thrust collars work substantially as herein described and as illustrated by the
Drawings annexed.
2. In a thrust bearing supplied with liquid under pressure the arrangement of a
number of pipes or passages such as f¹ for distributing the liquid directly upon the
bearing or working surfaces.
3.The combination with the pipe or pipes and passages through which liquid
under pressure is pumped and distributed upon the bearings of return passages and a
pipe or pipes through which the liquid escaping from said bearings is conducted back
to the
pump substantially as herein set fortli.
4. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting
our improvements in thrust bearings substantially as herein described with reference
to the accompanying Drawings.
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for Applicants.