IMPROVEMENTS IN ANTIFRICTION ROLLER DEVICES FOR BEARINGS, WHEELS, PULLEYS, AND THE LIKE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ANTIFRICTION ROLLER DEVICES FOR BEARINGS, WHEELS, PULLEYS, AND THE
LIKE communicated to him from Henry Giles Yates, Alonzo Shotwell, and
Louis Wellington Boyer, persons resident at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the
United States of America,
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th July 1883.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman IMPROVEMENTS IN ANTIFRICTION ROLLER DEVICES FOR BEARINGS,
WHEELS, PULLEYS AND THE LIKE a communication from Henry Giles Yates,
Alonzo Shotwell and Louis Wellington Boyer persons resident at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in the United States of America
This Invention consists of an improvement in antifriction roller devices for
bearings wheels, pulleys and the like the object of the Invention being to maintain
two sets of antifriction rollers, (those of one set being larger in diameter than, and
alternating with those of the other set), in such relation to each other as to insure
steadiness of Action and freedom from friction.
'I will presume the axle box to which the Invention is to be applied to be of
quadrangular form and adapted to an outer casing for application to the hanger of
a railroad Car, but the said box may form part of a pillow block, or of a hanger
for shafting or it may be a central portion of a pulley or sheave for revolving
round a fixed shaft or round a hub thereon
There is provided upon the shaft or axle at the part where it passes through the
box a hub secured to the same or the hub may consist of a simple enlargement of
the shaft.
Between the box and the hub is an annular space bounded by the Flanges of the
box and the flanges of the hub these flanges being preferably of such depth that
the flanges of the hub shall be near those of the box without being in absolute

page_text: contact therewith for the purpose of excluding particles of dust and dirt from the
annular space.
Within this space are arranged two sets of cylindrical rollers (say five in each
set) the rollers of one set being larger in diameter than the rollers of the other set,
and the larger rollers alternating with the smaller rollers.
The larger rollers fit snugly in the annular space between the periphery of the
hub and the annular bearing surface of the box. By the periphery of the hub is
meant the portion of the periphery between the flanges thereof; the annular
bearing surface of the box also meaning that portion of the surface between the
flanges thereof
The bodies of the small cylindrical rollers are never in contact either with the
bearing surface of the box or with the periphery of the hub but each of the said
small rollers is always in contact with the two adjacent larger rollers, and the
whole of the rollers always retain this relation to each other.
The smaller rollers cannot be dislodged by any radial movement towards the
centre of the hub for this is prevented by the larger rollers and all outward dis-
lodgment is prevented by each smaller roller being bevelled at each end to accord
with the bevelled inner edges of the flanges of the box which thus prevent all out-
ward radial dislodgement of the smaller rollers and at the same time maintain them
free from contact with the annular bearing surface of the box. In other words,
while all the rollers are free to rotate and traverse in a circular course concentric
with the axis of the shaft their relation to each other to the annular bearing
surface; of the box, and the periphery, of the hub, always remains unchanged and
it is this Freedom from all play which insures the steady rotation of the shaft in a
fixed bearing or of a sheave or pulley round a fixed shaft or hub.
It will be understood that the larger rollers have to maintain the box and hub
in proper relation to each other and to resist all strains, the smaller rollers which
are never in contact with the flanges of the hub, but always in contact with the
larger rollers and with the flanges only of the box, maintaining the integrity of
the entire system of rollers
It is preferable to make the larger rollers with abrupt ends slight shoulders on
the hub preventing all end play, and very little friction being caused by the bearing
of the ends of the rollers against the said shoulders.
One of the flanges of the box is made separable therefrom for the introduction
of the rollers into the annular space. The said flange may be screwed into the
box, but it may be secured thereto by bolts or in any other suitable manner or the
hub may be made in two parts the said parts being secured to each other after the
rollers are in place

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Patent Office on the 22nd January
1884.
"
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANTIFRICTION ROLLER DEVICES FOR BEARINGS
WHEELS PULLEYS AND THE LIKE a communication to me from Henry Giles
Yates, Alonzo Shotwell and Louis Wellington Boyer persons resident at
Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the United States of America
This Invention consists of an improvement in antifriction roller devices for
bearings wheels pulleys and the like the object of the Invention being to maintain
two sets of antifriction rollers (those of one set being larger in diameter than, and
alternating with, those of the other set) in such relation to each other as to insure
steadiness of action and freedom from friction.
:
And in Order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the like letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 are sections at right angles to each other of a box and shaft or
hub showing the annular space between the two for the reception of the anti-
friction rollers. Figures 3 and 4 are similar sections shewing the antifriction
rollers in place. Figures 5. 6 and 7 are diagrams drawn to an enlarged scale to
illustrate the Invention more clearly and Figures 8 and 9 illustrate modifications
of the Invention.
The axle box A is shewn in the present instance of quadrangular form and
adapted to an outer casing for application to the hanger of a railroad car, but the
said box may form part of a pillow-block or of a hanger for shafting as in Figure 8
or it may be a central portion of a pulley or sheave for revolving round a fixed
shaft or round a hub thereon as shewn in Figure 9. B is a shaft or axle and Da
hub secured to the same, or the hub may consist of a simple enlargement of the
shaft.
Between the box A and the hub D is an annular space W (Figures 1 and 2)
bounded by the flanges a a' of the box and the flanges 661 of the hub these flanges
being preferably of such depth that the flanges of the hub shall be near those of
the box without being in absolute contact therewith for the purpose of excluding
particles of dust and dirt from the annular space.
Within this space are arranged two sets of cylindrical rollers (say five in each
set for example) the rollers G of one set being larger in diameter than the rollers
H of the other set and the larger rollers alternating with the smaller rollers as
shewn in Figures 3 and 5.
It should be here remarked that this arrangement of large and small rollers is of
itself old in antifriction devices and that this invention consists in the manner
which will now be explained of combining the rollers with the box and hub
reference being had to the enlarged views. Figures 5. 6 and 7.
The rollers G fit snugly in the annular space W between the periphery n
(Figure 5) of the hub and the annular bearing surface m of the box. By the
periphery of the hub is meant the portion of the periphery between the flanges
the annular bearing surface of the box meaning that portion of the surface between
the flanges a a¹.
The bodies of the small cylindrical rollers are never in contact either with the
bearing surface m of the box or with the periphery of the hub as will appear by

page_text: reference to Figures 3 and 5 but each small roller is always in contact with the
two adjacent larger rollers and the whole of the rollers always retain the relation
shewn to each other.
The small rollers cannot be dislodged by any radial movement towards the
centre of the hub for this is prevented by the larger rollers and all outward
dislodgment is prevented in the manner which will be best understood by reference
to Figure 6 where it will be observed that each small roller is bevelled at each end
to accord with the bevelled inner edges of the flanges a a¹ of the box which thus
prevent all outward radial dislodgment of the smaller rollers and at the same time
maintain them free from contact with the annular bearing surface m of the box.
In other words while all. the rollers are free to rotate and traverse in a circular
course concentric with the axis of the shaft their relation to each other, to the
annular bearing surface m of the box and to the periphery n of the hub, always
remains unchanged and it is this freedom from all play which insures the steady
rotation of the shaft in a fixed bearing or of a sheave or pulley round a fixed shaft
or hub.
-
It will be understood that the larger rollers have to maintain the box and hub
in proper, relation to each other and to resist all strains, the smaller rollers which
are never in contact with the flanges bb₁ of the hub but always in contact with
the larger rollers, and with the flanges only of the box maintaining the integrity of
the entire system of rollers.
It is preferable to make the said larger rollers with abrupt ends as shown in
Figure slight shoulders w w preventing all end play, and very little friction
being caused by the bearing of the ends of the rollers against the said shoulders.
One of the flanges a¹ of the box is made separate from the latter for the introduc-
tion of the rollers into the annular space W the flange being in the present instance
screwed into the box but it may be secured thereto by bolts or in any other
available manner or the hub may be made in two parts as indicated by the
dotted lines in Figure 4, the said parts being secured to each other after the rollers
are in place.
The shaft bearing shown in Figure 8 is adapted to be bolted to any suitable
support and in the pulley or sheave shewn in Figure 9 the hub of the pulley
becomes the box A, the shaft or pin being stationary.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is :-
An antifriction device in which two sets of cylindrical antifriction rollers (those
of one set being larger in dianieter than, and alternating with, those of the other
set) are combined with and interposed between a hub or shaft D and a box A
provided with "bevelled flanges, which, bearing continuously against the bevelled
ends of the small rollers, prévent their outward displacement and maintain the
whole of the rollers in the same unvarying relation to each other, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John Henry Johnson have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal this eleventh day of January One thousand
eight hundred and eighty four.
J