Patent ID: 7874255

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, a central wick window for a central lubricating wick, and an interior surface at least a part of which contacts an axle-journal, the improvement comprising: at least one supplemental lubricating wick being located at least one of said inboard and outboard end portions for additionally lubricating the surface contact area between said interior surface and said axle-journal axially beyond the limits of said central lubricating wick; said at least one supplemental lubricating wick comprising a main body portion having an upper wick-face surface that contacts a surface of an axle-journal, a bottom surface, and a pair of end-surfaces, said at least one supplemental lubricating wick being mounted in said interior surface for contact against a portion of a surface of an axle-journal; said at least one supplemental wick being made of lubricant-absorbing material consisting of elongated fibers each defining a length; the length of said fibers being oriented substantially perpendicular to said upper wick-face surface and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of rotation of an axle-journal mounted in said support bearing, whereby breakage and tearing of said at least one supplemental wick is reduced.