Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1898-Accepted, 23rd July, 1898
I, JOHN LIDDLE, of 154, St. Vincent Street, in the County of the City of Glasgow,
Chartered 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:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car axle
bearings and it has particular reference to the manner of securing the bearing
in place.
The prime object of the invention is to provide a bearing of simple, but sub-
stantial, construction which will adjust itself automatically in accordance with
the movement and position of the car axle, which varies by reason of unevenness in
the tracks, and otherwise, thereby imparting to the axle a more or less irregular
movement.
A further object of the invention is to provide a bearing for car axle boxes which
is arranged intermediate of the key and the brass, without being rigidly connected
to either and which will permit the brass to adjust itself with relation to the axle
at all times and thereby maintain the weight of the car centralized in the proper
manner.
And a further object is to secure the bearing permanently in the key without
being rigidly connected thereto, so that it is always capable of a limited movement
in the key.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of my improved bearing arranged in place in the car
axle box.
Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the key with the bearing in place therein,
portions of the key being broken away to show the lips on the periphery of the
bearing.
Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the key showing the lug J turned
down in open position; and
Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the lug turned up into locked position.
Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the key showing another way of fastening the
bearing in place.
Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion of the key without the plate S in place;
and
Fig. 7 is a similar view with the plate in place and securing the bearing in
the key.
Fig. 8 illustrates how the plate may be otherwise secured to the key.
Referring to the drawings in which like letters of reference denote corresponding
parts in all the figures, A designates the car axle box, which may be of any
ordinary construction, many different forms of which are in common use on

page_text: railways, to all of which it is believed this invention may be adapted. The axle B
is arranged in the box and, if desired, it may be provided with a loose collar C
to engage the shoulder D. Within the box A a brass E is arranged to engage the
axle and this brass is maintained in proper position by means of the key and
bearing which I will now particularly describe.
The key F may be of substantially the usual form, consisting of a flat plate
provided with a circular recess G to receive the bearing H. The walls of the recess
are provided with an inwardly extending annular securing flange I, and provision
is made at one or more parts of this flange to permit the lips K on the bearing to
pass therethrough and into the space between the flange and the back of the key.
In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 I have shown one method of securing the bearing in place
which consists in providing the annular securing flange I with one or more open
sections T by turning down lugs J from the flange. These open sections in the
flange permit the passage of the lips K of the bearing into the space between
the flange and the back of the key, (as shown in Fig. 1), where these lips operate
freely and serve to hold the bearing loosely in place in the recess of the key.
After the bearing has been arranged in the recess the lugs are turned up from the
open position shown in Fig. 3 to the locked position shown in Fig. 4 to make the flange
I continuous and prevent the bearing from becoming disconnected from the key.
The lugs may be kerfed, as indicated by M in Fig. 3, to dispose of surplus metal so
that they can be readily turned up into locked position.
In Figs. 5 to 8 I have shown another method of securing the bearing in place
in the key which consists in providing a plate S adapted to fit in and close the
open section T in the flange I, the flange being cut out at this part entirely instead
of turned down in the form of a lug as previously described. After the bearing has
been arranged in place in the key, the lips passing through the open section
in the flange, the plate S is fastened to the key in some suitable manner. I have
illustrated a plate fastening device in the form of a pin or projection or lug R
which may be formed integrally with the key in the manner shown
in Fig. 6 and riveted down upon the plate as shown in Fig. 7,
or the plate fastening device may be made integrally with the plate and riveted
down upon the key as shown in Fig. 8. Other devices of suitable character may
be employed for fastening the plate S to the key without departing from the
invention.
The bearing is provided, preferably, with a concave face to fit a convex face of
the brass, and the brass may be provided with an opening W which leads to a
smaller opening L extending through the bearing, to permit the passage of air
and oil, the oil being thrown up by the axle or working up by capillary attraction,
or otherwise, and spreading out between the brass and bearing and the bearing
and the key. The key may be secured in the box by any of the means commonly
employed in the art for this purpose.
The flange of the key may be provided with more than one open section T, with
corresponding lugs or plates, but I have found that one open section is sufficient.
In securing the bearing in the key one lip on the bearing is arranged between the
flange and the back of the key by inserting it through the open section in the
flange, and the bearing is then turned around in the recess G until the other lip
of the bearing comes to its position at the open section, whereupon this lip is
slipped through the opening and into the space between the flange and the back
of the key, the bearing being then turned so that neither of the lips will register
with the opening. The open section is then closed by turning up the lug J or
riveting the fastening plate in place, to make the flange continuous. The operation
is substantially the same if an open section is provided for each lip on the bearing,
whether there are two lips or more. It is obvious that the lugs J may be formed
by turning down a portion on each side of the open section in the flange, or only
on one side thereof, instead of in the manner shown in the drawing; and it is
also obvious that more than one fastening device R may be employed to secure
the plate S in place, or this device may be arranged horizontally instead of

page_text: vertically; and various other modifications may be made, which will occur to those
skilled in the art, without departing from the invention.
By this construction I secure a free movement of the bearing within the limits
of the recess in the key, the bearing being loosely arranged in the recess and not
secured rigidly to any part of the key. It has been found that where rivets or
other devices are employed for securing the key and bearing together they soon
become worn and loosened and prevent the bearing from assuming its proper
position with relation to the brass and axle, and sometimes even bind the bearing
in such a way as to hold the brass in a fixed position, thereby interfering materially
with the operation of the different parts. With the construction herein described
and claimed it will be observed that the bearing is not secured rigidly to the key,
but on the contrary, the bearing has a certain freedom of movement while being
permanently retained in place by the engagement between the flange on the key
and the lips on the bearing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. In a car axle box, the combination with a brass, of a key having a recess
therein, an inwardly extending annular flange provided with one or more open
sections, a bearing adapted to be arranged in the recess in the key, lips on the
bearing to operate between the flange and the back of the key, and means for
closing said open section or sections after the lips have been passed therethrough,
substantially as described.
2. A key for a car axle bearing provided with a circular recess, an inwardly
extending annular flange around the recess and having one or more open sections
therein, and a device for closing said open section, substantially as described.
3. A key for a car axle bearing provided with a circular recess, an inwardly
extending flange around the recess having one or more open sections therein, and
a lug J turned down from the flange at each open section and adapted to be
turned up into locked position to make the flange continuous, substantially as
described.
4. A key for a car axle bearing provided with a circular recess and an inwardly
extending flange having one or more open sections therein, and a plate adapted
to be secured to the key to close said open section, substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of June 1898.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.