Patent ID: 7603955

Claim:
In a friction support bearing for a railway locomotive traction motor comprising a main bearing housing having an inboard end portion and an outboard end portion, and a central wick window for a central lubricating wick, an interior surface at least a part of which contacts an axle-journal, the improvement comprising: two supplemental lubricating wicks, one located at said inboard end-portion and one located at said outboard end-portion; and further comprising an inboard flinger and an outboard flinger groove, and an inboard mounting pocket for mounting said inboard supplemental wick for fluid communication with said inboard flinger groove, and an outboard mounting pocket for mounting said outboard supplemental wick for fluid communication with said outboard flinger groove; each of said supplemental lubricating wicks comprising a main body portion having an upper wick-face surface that contacts a surface of an axle-journal, a bottom surface, a pair of end-surfaces, and a forward-facing tail-section; said main bearing housing further comprising an inboard flinger and an outboard flinger groove, and an inboard mounting pocket for mounting said inboard supplemental wick for fluid communication with said inboard flinger groove, and an outboard mounting pocket for mounting said outboard supplemental wick for fluid communication with said outboard flinger groove; each said pocket extending axially away from a respective said oil groove and lying adjacent to and in fluid communication with said respective oil groove, and having a main portion that is approximately the same shape as a respective said supplemental wick, end-walls, and an entrance opening in fluid communication with said respective groove, said tail-section being mounted in said entrance opening, whereby the supplemental wick is continuously lubricated by lubricant circulating in said respective oil groove; each said mounting pocket having a depth less than the depth of the said respective supplemental wick, so that said respective supplemental wick contacts against a juxtapositioned portion of an axle-journal located thereat.