Improvements in Ball Bearings.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Ball Bearings.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD WALMSLEY of 8 Hyde Road, Waterloo, Liverpool in the
County of Lancashire, Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved construction of ball bearing which has for
its object enabling the axle with its cones or cups, the cups or cones mounted in the
case or hub or its equivalent and also the balls to be removed altogether when it is
desired to dismount the axle or wheel as the case may be.
For the purpose of this application I will describe my invention as applied to the
hub of a wheel. Both the cups or cones to be mounted in the hub are threaded
externally with the same threads and both are inserted from the same end of the
hub, the one to be placed in first being of a slightly smaller diameter than the other
one and the barrel of the hub being of such a size as will allow the said cup or cone
to be placed in position. This cup or cone has a small flange or its equivalent on
ts inner side to limit its movement in an outward direction.
The cones on the axle are formed or mounted thereon in any convenient manner.
The bearing is adjusted either by the cup or cone in the hub which is inserted
last or one of the cones on the axle may be so mounted thereon as to provide for
the adjustment.
When it is desired to dismount the wheel, the cups or cones in the hub are
unscrewed a little say half a turn. The nuts on the ends of the axle are then
screwed up against the washers thereon to clamp-between the said washers and the
cups or cones in the hub-suitably shaped filling pieces adapted to fix the axle to the
said cups or cones so as to make them integral. Then by rotating the axle
the cups or cones will be unscrewed from the hub with the axle without disturbing
the position of the balls.
Improvements in Ball Bearings.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD WALMSLEY of 8, Hyde Road, Waterloo, Liverpool in the
County of Lancashire, Manager of Works, 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 :-

page_text: its object enabling the axle with its cups or cones, and the cups or cones mounted in
the case of the bearing or its equivalent, together with the balls or spheres, to be
removed altogether when it is desired to disinount the axle from the bearing.
In the accompanying drawing which by way of example illustrates this invention
as applied to cycles:
Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a hub of a cycle wheel embodying
this invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the locking washers in position for removing
the axle with the cups or cones of the hub and balls altogether, and
Figures 3 and 4 are end views of the said washers.
Figure 5 is a view in longitudinal section of a pedal-crank axle bearing bracket
embodying this invention, and
Figure 6 is an end view of the washer.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 the cups or cones A and A¹ of the hub B are
screwed in from one end thereof as shown, the cup or cone A being of a slightly
smaller diameter than the cup or cone A¹ in order that it may pass freely through
the end 6 of the hub into which the cup or cone A¹ screws, without engaging with
the threads thereof, the pitch of the threads at both ends of the hub being the
same. The cup or cone A is provided with a small flange a adapted to engage with
the inner end of the threaded part of the end 6 of the hub in order that its move-
ment outwards may be limited.
The cones C are shown mounted on the axle D in the usual manner, but the
adjustment may be effected in various ways.
If the adjustment of the bearing is to be effected by one of the cups or cones in
the hub, one of the cups or cones-preferably the one of smaller diameter A-is
provided with any suitable locking device in which case the cones C on the axle
may be formed in one with or permanently fixed to the said axle. If however the
adjustment is made by one of the cones on the axle, the cups or cones A and A¹ are
screwed up dead tight as shown and one of the cones on the axle is threaded thereon
to provide for the adjustment, the said cone being locked to the axle in the usual
manner by the nut F provided for fixing the axle to the frame of the machine.
To dismount the parts from the hub, the cups or cones A. and A¹ are slackened
slightly and each are then made fast to the axle D by means of washers such as X,
or their equivalents, carrying small dowel pins x or their equivalents which engage
with holes a¹ or their equivalents in the outer faces of the cups or cones A and A¹.
These washers are passed on to the ends of the axle D and engage with the flats c
on the cones C and are locked thereto by the nuts F as shown by Figure 2. The
cups or cones A and A' being made fast to the axle in the manner described, the axle
is rotated by means of one of the washers X which unscrews the cups or cones A
and A¹ from the hub B and with them withdraws the axle D with its cones C and
the balls or spheres Z altogether and in their positions relative to one another.
The washer X adapted to engage with the cup or cone A¹ is preferably formed
with an extension X¹ to enable it to be rotated without the use of a spanner.
In applying this invention to a pedal-crank axle bearing bracket the axle D can
be conveniently made fast to the cup or cone A¹ by threading a set screw such as x¹
in one of the spokes of the chain wheel so that it engages with one of the holes a¹ or
its equivalent in the said cup or cone, and as there is no threaded nut on the end of
the axle to fix the washer X engaging with the cup or cone A, the said washer is
provided with a set screw x² as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) The improvements in ball bearings, substantially as described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawing.
(2) A ball bearing characterised by the fact that the cups or cones in the case

page_text: are of different diameters whereby they can be inserted from one end of the case
and screwed into the respective ends thereof, as and for the purpose set forth.
(3). In a ball bearing threading the cups or cones in the case both from one end
thereof, and means for temporarily locking the said cups or cones to the axle, as
and for the purpose set forth.
d this 13th day of October 1897.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.