Dust Guards for Axle Bearings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
Dust Guards for Axle Bearings.
We, FABIAN JOHN ROBERTS, Mechanic, 212 Dix Avenue, CHARLES JOSEPH
VISGER, Contractor, 64 Foundry Street, and FREDERICK EBEL, Merchant;
522 Baker Street, all of Detroit, County of Wayne, State of Michigan, United
States of America, 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 new and useful improvements in dust guards for axle
bearings, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter
fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the claims.
The object of the invention is to provide cheap, simple and effective means for
excluding dust from axle journals, and in which the arrangement is such as to
prevent any egress of the oil; to permit free and ready access to the axle box; to
provide for the withdrawal or insertion of the axle; and for easily and quickly
replacing the dust guard when worn out.
Which object is attained by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing,
in which ;-
Fig. 1 is a central, longitudinal section through the axle-box and dust guard,
showing the axle in elevation.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the inner end of the axle-box showing the removable
slide on which the dust guard is mounted, partially withdrawn from the box.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front end of the axle-box with the dust guard in the
position shown in Fig. 2, and
Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the slide and dust guard mounted
thereon.
Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the axle box which is
preferably cast, and rectangular in form and is provided with a suitable bearing
brass b therein. In the outer end of said box is a semicircular opening B which
affords access thereto for the purpose of introducing the waste and oil. This
aperture is closed by an oscillative door B' which is pivoted at a to the front of
said box and is adapted to oscillate upon its point of pivot, said door being of such
form as to fill said aperture when in a closed position and to expose the entire area
of said aperture when open, and is provided on its outer face with an extending
lug a', by means of which it is actuated.
Said door is semicircular in form to correspond with said aperture, and to render
it dust tight, its circular edge is adapted to travel in a circular groove or way c
formed in the end of said box concentric with the point of pivot of said door,
whereby, when the door is closed, ali dust and grit is prevented from passing into
the box through said opening.
The inner end of said box is provided with two parallel walls C, C₁ through
which an elliptical aperture is formed for the reception of the axle E, and
between which is a vertical way adapted to receive a movable slide D which is
provided with an aperture through which the axle is adapted to pass and which
registers with the aperture 6 in said walls.
This slide D is adapted to fit closely between said walls at the end of the box
but is capable of vertical movement therein, and the aperture in said slide through

page_text: which the axle passes, is of smaller diameter than the apertures b¹ through said
walls, and closely embraces the periphery of the axle. The location of the parts
being such, that, when in their normal position, the axle is supported centrally
within the apertures b' which allow of a limited vertical movement thereof, the
slide D travelling with said axle in said movement, thereby obviating any variation
of the opening in said slide which embraces said axle.
To provide for preventing any dust or dirt from falling upon the upper arc of
the axle and working through the aperture in the slide D, there is employed an
apron F which is composed of textile fabric and is let into the outer face of the
slide D extending transversely thereof and normally over the upper arc of the
aperture therethrough, so that when the axle is inserted therein, said apron will
bear upon the periphery thereof so that it will partially conform to the contour of
its upper arc, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4, whereby any dust or dirt falling
upon the axle is swept therefrom by said apron as the axle rotates.
As an additional guard, and to arrest the smaller particles of dust and dirt from
passing along the axle to the journal, there is employed, upon the reverse or inner
face of the slide D, a collar of leather or like material G which is let into the face
of said slide around the aperture therethrough and is provided with the flexible
flanged portion d which embraces and extends longitudinally onto the axle.
This Hange or leather collar is divided and its edges lapped one on the other so
as to permit said collar to be contracted closely around the axle.
Mounted upon the inner face of said slide and secured thereto in any suitable
manner, is a webbing of fabric H which covers the entire face of said slide and is
provided with a reduced aperture which registers with the opening therein, and
through which the flexible flange d of the leather collar cxtends. The size of the
aperture through said webbing being smaller than that of the collar, causes the
edges e of the webbing to extend onto the flexible flange d of said collar when
the axle is passed through the aperture in said slide, which position of parts is
shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and by the contraction of the edge e of said webbing said
flange d is caused at all times to closely embrace the axle and is held in yielding
contact therewith. This extension of the flexible flange d inwardly onto that
portion of the axle which projects into the box adjacent to the journal, serves not
only to prevent the entrance of dust along the axle to the journal, but obriates
the escape of oil from the box around the aperture through said slide D, for the
reason that said flange, by the longitudinal play of the axle, will wipe the oil
therefrom back into the box, confining the oil entirely within the box and pre-
venting it from passing into the way in which the slide is located, as would result
were said flange to terminate on a plane approximate to the vertical face of the
slide, as will be readily understood.
The flexibility of the leather collar and flange and of the apron-guard F enables
them to be folded within the aperture through the slide D when it is desired to
withdraw said slide from the box. To accomplish this, the axle is first withdrawn,
when said parts are folded within the aperture in the slide and said slide removed,
as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. This arrangement enables the dust-guard to be
readily replenished when it shall have become so worn as to be of no further
service, the flexible flange d being folded within the slide when it is replaced in
the box and is forced outward to its proper position to embrace the axle by the
passage of the axle through the aperture in said slide, as shown in Fig. 1 and by
dotted lines in Fig. 4.
To prevent the entrance of dust around the slide D from the top, said slide is
provided with the flexible covering I, which is attached to the upper edge thereof,
and which, projecting laterally, covers the opening around said slide, as clearly
shown in Fig. 1.
It will now be seen that this improved device constitutes a simple, effective, and
inexpensive dust-guard, and which, when it becomes worn out, may be replaced by
simply withdrawing the slide and attaching a new leather washer thereto and
replacing the embracing-webbing H and the outer apron F, if required.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;-
1. In a dust guard for axles, the combination with the axle box, and a
removable slide in the end thereof through which the axle passes, of a flexible
apron on the outer face of the slide, a collar on the inner face having a flexible
flange, and a webbing also secured to the inner face of the slide and provided with
an aperture having a flexible edge adapted to receive the flange of the collar and
hold the same against the axle, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a dust guard for axles, the combination of the axle box, the removable
slide located in the end of said box and apertured to receive the axle which
passes through said slide into the box and carries a journal on its inner end,
the flexible collar mounted on said slide around the aperture through which.the
axle passes, said collar having an integral flange which extends into the axle box
and embraces the longitudinal periphery of the axle between the journal thereof
and the face of said slide, and the fabric or webbing mounted on the face of
said slide next the box and having a reduced aperture normally smaller than
the axle through which said axle and flange extend and which extends into the
box and serves to contract said flange upon the axle.
3. In a dust guard for axles, the combination of the axle-box adapted to receive
the axle, the removable slide in the end of said box through which the axle passes,
the flexible apron mounted on the outer face of said slide and embracing a
portion of the upper arc of the axle, and the flexible covering mounted upon the
upper edge of the slide and extending over the edges of the opening or way in the
box in which said slide is located.
4. In a dust guard for axles, the combination with the axle-box having a
semicircular opening in the upper face of the outer end thereof, the remaining
portion of the end of said box below said opening being solid, said box having a
circular way in the upper wall thereof adjacent to and concentric with said
opening, of the semicircular door pivoted to the inner face of the solid portion
of the end of said box concentric with said way, in which its edge is adapted
to travel, whereby the aperture in said box may be opened or closed by the
oscillation of said door.
Dated this 10th day of December 1896.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.