Improvements in Thrust Bearings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Thrust Bearings.
We, JAMES EDWARDES WEYMAN, JAMES ARTHUR DRAKE and ARTHUR
JAMES DRAKE, of the Church Acre Iron Works, Guildford, in the County of
Surrey, Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRUST BEARINGS to be as follows:-
-
The object of our invention is to lessen the friction on the collars of shaft bearings
where the transmission of power creates a longitudinal thrust, as for example where
the power is transmitted from the crank shaft of an engine through mitre, bevel or
friction gearing at right angles or thereabouts with the same. The tendency of
such gear being to throw a longitudinal as well as a transverse strain upon the
journals of such shafts or as in the case of the shaft of a screw propeller which has
to receive the whole of the propelling power of the screw upon its collars and for which
purpose special bearings having a number of such collars are usually provided.
We attain this object in the following manner. We fix to the bed plate or
framing of the engine or shafting or other suitable position, a disc or bracket of
sufficient strength to resist the thrust of the shaft, which passes so as to revolve
freely through the centre of the disc.
On the shaft and keyed or otherwise secured thereto, we place another disc
which revolves with the shaft, and parallel with the first disc, likewise being made
strong enough to resist the thrust of the shaft on which it revolves.
Between these two discs we place so as to turn freely on the shaft a ring or eye,
like the boss of a drum or pulley provided with three, four or more arms as the case
may require, these arms are turned at their outer ends and are provided with wheels
or rollers to revolve on the same. These wheels or rollers exactly fill the space
between the two discs on both of which a path for the last named wheels or rollers
has been turned.
When longitudinal thrust takes place along the shaft towards the fixed disc the
strain is taken up by the discs and rollers whereby the friction is greatly reduced
and the bearings and other parts of the engine and machinery connected with the
shafting are relieved from strains consequent upon the thrust.
In some cases where a shaft is subjected to alternating thrusts as in the case of a
tram-car or other motor where the reversing of the motion of the vehicle is effected
by throwing a bevel wheel out of gear on one side of the driving shaft, and
throwing another bevel wheel into gear on the other side of the same, I employ
my improved arrangement of dise and rollers on both sides the vehicle, placing one
of the fixed discs on the inside of each frame, or as a modification of the fore-
going as for example on a propeller shaft instead of having one fixed and one
revolving disc, I employ two revolving discs on either side of a strong framing,
carrying fixed wheels or rollers which wheels and rollers would receive the thrust
from first one dise and then the other according to the direction of the thrust; or
as a further modification in some cases I make both discs fixed so that the shaft
can revolve freely through them and I key to the shaft between these fixed dises
the arms carrying the rollers which would be made strong enough to resist the
thrust of the shaft in either direction.
By any of the arrangements herein described of employing my improved thrust
bearings, friction would be greatly reduced and a corresponding saving effected in
the driving power of the engine or other motor.
Dated this 9th day of March 1899
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: t
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Thrust Bearings.
We, JAMES EDWARDES WEYMAN, JAMES ARTHUR DRAKE and ARTHUR
JAMES DRAKE, of the Church Acre Iron Works, Guildford, in the County of
Surrey, Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention
for, IMPROVEMENTS IN THRUST BEARINGS" and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of our invention is to lessen the friction on the collars of shaft bearings
where the transmission of power creates a longitudinal thrust, as for example, where
the power is transmitted from the crank shaft of an engine through mitre, bevel or
friction gearing at right angles or thereabouts with the same. The tendency of
such gear being to throw a longitudinal as well as a transverse strain upon the
journals of such shafts, or as in the case of the shaft of a screw propeller which has
to receive the whole of the propelling power of the screw upon its collars and for
which purpose special bearings having a number of such collars are usually
provided.
We attain this object in the following manner. We fix to the bed-plate or
framing of the engine or shafting or other suitable position, a disc or bracket of
sufficient strength to resist the thrust of the shaft which passes so as to revolve
freely through the centre of the disc.
On the shaft and keyed or otherwise secured thereto, we place another disc
which revolves with the shaft, and parallel with the first disc, likewise being made
strong enough to resist the thrust of the shaft on which it revolves.
Between these two discs we place so as to turn freely on the shaft a ring or eye,
like the boss of a drum or pulley provided with three, four or more arms as the
case may require, these arms are turned at their outer ends and are provided with
wheels or rollers to revolve on the same. These wheels or rollers exactly fill the
space between the two discs on both of which a path for the last named wheels or
rollers has been turned.
When longitudinal thrust takes place along the shaft towards the fixed disc the
strain is taken up by the discs and rollers whereby the friction is greatly reduced
and the bearings and other parts of the engine and machinery connected with the
shafting are relieved from strains consequent upon the thrust.
In some cases where a shaft is subjected to alternating thrusts as in the case of a
tram-car or other motor where the reversing of the motion of the vehicle is effected
by throwing a bevel wheel out of gear on one side of the driving shaft and
throwing another bevel wheel into gear on the other side of the same, we employ
our improved arrangement of disc and rollers on both sides the vehicle, placing one
of the fixed discs on the inside of each frame, or as a modification of the fore-
going, as for example, on a propeller shaft, instead of having one fixed and one
revolving disc, we employ two revolving discs on either side of a strong framing,
carrying fixed wheels or rollers, which wheels and rollers would receive the thrust
from first one disc and then the other according to the direction of the thrust; or
as a further modification in some cases we make both discs fixed, so that the shaft
can revolve freely through them, and we key to the shaft between these fixed discs
the arus carrying the rollers which would be made strong enough to resist the
thrust of the shaft in either direction.
By any of the arrangements herein described of employing our improved thrust
bearings, friction would be greatly reduced and a corresponding saving effected in
the driving power of the engine or other motor.
Our invention is likewise applicable to motors of the Connelly type where the
power is transmitted by means of a vertical shaft set parallel with a disc placed on

page_text: the face of the fly wheel, on the shaft is a loose friction pulley which engages with
the face of the disc and is prevented from revolving on the shaft by tongue and
groove, so that it can be moved up and down on the shaft by means of two
screwed rods which pass through the pulley and revolve with the shaft, and by
this means the speed at which the car is travelling may be varied by bringing
the friction pulley into contact with the disc on the fly wheel at points varying
in distance from its centre. In carrying out this arrangement however considerable
thrust is thrown upon the collars of the crank shaft bearings of the engine, which
may be greatly reduced by our improved thrust bearings in a manner similar, to
that herein previously described, the disc in this case being the fly wheel of the
engine, one side of which receives the thrust of the friction roller by which the
propelling gear is actuated and the other side bears upon the wheels or rollers
which fill the space between the disc on the fly wheel and the disc on the frame
of the engine.
The nature of our invention will be better understood on reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which,
Fig. 1, is an elevation of a portion of the framing of a tram-car motor, partly in
section, shewing the crank shaft, discs, thrust bearings and friction pulley herein
referred to.
Fig. 2, being a front view of the revolving thrust rollers and disc on the frame
of the engine.
Fig. 3, being a front view of the fly wheel of the engine with the disc, friction
pulley and vertical shaft, the position of the thrust rollers and the disc on the frame
of the engine being shewn by the dotted lines.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
a, is the frame of the engine.
b, is the disc or bracket on the same.
c, is the crank shaft of the engine.
d, is the disc or fly wheel keyed on to the crank shaft and running parallel with
the disc, b, on the frame of the engine.
e, is a ring or eye carrying the arms of the thrust rollers, g.
ff, are the arms on the last described ring or eye.
9, 9, are the thrust rollers.
h, is the vertical shaft which drives the propelling gear of a motor of the
Connelly type.
i, being the friction roller on the same.
is the disc on the fly wheel of the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is,
1. In thrust bearings, the employment of a fixed disc attached to the bed plate
or framing of the engine or shafting or other suitable independent position, formed
with a pathway on its face, through the centre of which disc the shaft creating the
thrust is passed, placing and keying on this shaft a second disc of a similar
diameter to the last named disc and provided with a pathway, the same revolving
with the shaft placing between these two discs so as to turn freely on the shaft,
an eye constructed with arms carrying at their outer extremities three, four or
more wheels or rollers turned to exactly fit the space between the two discs, so
that when longitudinal thrust takes place the strain is taken up by the discs and
rollers thereby relieving the friction on the collars of the journals of the shaft,
in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
2. In thrust bearings, employing on the thrust shaft two revolving discs firmly
keyed on the shaft similar to the revolving disc described in Claim 1, one such disc
being placed on each side of a fixed framing carrying wheels or rollers revolving
in the same so as to receive the longitudinal thrust, first from one disc and then

page_text: the other according to the direction of the thrust, in the manner and for the
purposes substantially as herein described and illustrated.
3. In thrust bearings, employing two fixed discs similar to the fixed disc
described in Claim 1, through the centre of both of which discs the shaft causing
the thrust is passed, such shaft being provided with wheels or rollers placed so as
to fill the space between the two discs,, but instead of the rollers with their arms
revolving freely round the shaft they are keyed or otherwise secured to it so as to
revolve with the shaft, so that the alternating thrust of the shaft is received
through the rollers first on one of the fixed dises and then on the other, in the
manner and for the purposes substantially as herein described and illustrated.
4. In locomotives or other motors where the reversing of the motion of the
vehicle is effected by gearing so as to throw the thrust first on one side and then on
the other side of the shaft, employing discs with rollers as described in Claim 1, at
both ends of the said shaft, in the manner and for the purposes substantially as
herein described and illustrated.
5. In thrust bearings as applied to motors of the Connelly type, forming the fly-
wheel of the engine with a disc on both sides, the disc on the engine side working
parallel to a disc on the engine framing with the revolving rollers placed between,
in the manner and for the purposes described in Claim 1, the disc on the other side
the fly wheel being employed to receive the thrust of the friction roller by which
the propelling gear is actuated, in the manner and for the purposes substantially as
herein described and illustrated.
Dated this 7th day of December 1892.
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicants.