IMPROVEMENTS IN BUSHING MATERIAL AND IN JOURNAL AND OTHER BEARINGS PROVIDED THEREWITH
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd April 1882. A communication
from abroad by George F. Senter of New York, United States of America
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London. IMPROVEMENTS IN BUSHING MATERIAL AND
IN JOURNAL AND OTHER BEARINGS PROVIDED THEREWITH," A communication
from abroad by George F. Senter of New York, United States of America
This invention relates to an improved composition for forming bearings for shafts
or spindles, and for similar purposes, also to an improved construction of the rough
metallic parts of the bearings so as to render the combination therewith of the said
composition cheap, efficient, and durable. The said bearings are also provided with
grooves or air channels, for allowing atmospheric air to pass through between the
journal or spindle and the bearing for the purpose of keeping them cool.
According to the said invention 1 provide a metallic shell or casing for holding
the said composition to form a bearing for a horizontal shaft, a vertical shaft or
spindle, or to form a step for a vertical shaft. In either case these castings or shells
need only be formed roughly inside that is to say they may be used in the rough
state just as they come from the foundry, no inside turning, boring, or finishing
being required. The bearing surface is formed of a lining or bush consisting of the
following materials manufactured in the manner hereinafter described. The
material which I have found best adapted to this purpose is a mixture of talc or
mica and plumbago, in about equal parts by weight, together with as much fibrous
binding material, as there is of the before-mentioned materials combined, that is to
sny one part by weight of talc or mica, one part of plumbago, and two parts of the
fibrous binding material. These proportions however are not arbitrary and may be
somewhat varied for different purposes. The tale or mica is ground or crushed so
as to leave as far as possible the laminae unbroken, the plumbago is finely ground
or powdered, and the fibrous binding material is well separated and picked, and
the latter should be preferably not too long in the fibre. The fibre used for this
purpose may be either animal, such as fine hair or wool, vegetable, such as fine flax
or jute, or mineral, such as asbestos or mineral wool.
The before mentioned materials are thoroughly mixed and incorporated together

page_text: in a suitable vessel or mixing mill, and during the mixing there is added to the
mass, a strongly adhesive sizing, such as liquid silicate of soda or liquid silicate of
potash, sufficient in quantity to form the mass into a stiff paste. This paste, while
still in a plastic condition, is pressed into the shell or casing thus forming the lining
or bush. These bushes may be pressed into their retaining shells around a mandril
or former so as to leave the bearing completo and ready for use, or they may be
pressed in solidly, and then bored and turned so as to fit the journal or spindle they
are intended to support. In either case the material will indurate in the surrounding
casing, and form a hard, and durable bearing which will require no oil or other
lubrication, the anti-frictional properties of the plumbago alone being sufficient
when compounded in the manner described, to cause all shafts in bearings thus
made to run smooth and cool with any desirable attainment of speed.
In the case of cotton and silk mill spindles, or other bearings where an exceedingly
high rate of speed is desired I introduce air grooves or passages in the substance of
the bush and in the bearing portion thereof. These air grooves may be made
straight through the bearing, in lines parallel with the axis of the journal or spindle,
or they may be made spirally so as to allow the rotation of the journal or spindle to
assist in drawing or driving the air through these ducts. In the case of a step of
a spindle-or-vertical shaft where these air grooves cannot pass entirely through the
length of the bearing, L-introduce lateral-ducts-radially through the sides of the
bearing. In either of these cases the air ducts will- permit a continuous current-of
cool air to flow through between the spindle and bearing.
In the case of mill-spindles it has usually been the custom to form the collar of
the spindle larger at the top than at the bottom so as to allow the oil or lubricant
to flow easily down-and--thereby readily oil or lubricate the bearing. In these
improved bearings however this old form of construction-is-entirely unnecessary
inasmuch as no lubricant will be required or used, the collar of the spindle will be
made-cylindrical, and the looseness and play that was required in the old form of
construction will be entirely obviated-and-the-bearings thereby much improved.