US1369055A - Roller side bearing - Google Patents

Description

I A. STUCKI. ROLLER SIDE BEARING. APPLICATION man uNE 3, |918.

1,369,055. Patented' Feb. 22, 1921.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROLLER SIDE nEARrNG.

`Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Application filed June 3, 1918. Serial No. 237,862.

To all whom t may concern: p

Be it known that l, ARNOLD STUGKI," a resident oi" Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Fennsylvanimhave invented a new and useiiul Improvement in Roller Side Bearings, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to anti-friction side bearings for railway cars. Its object is to provide a roller side bearing adapted to be carried by the truck bolster, which allows for the full angular movement of the car bolsters with a relatively limited or short lateral movement oi: the antiiiriction device; one in which the bearing surfaces are straight from end to end, and where, therefore, said bearing surfaces, and also the antifriction member itself can be formed by a rollin process from high grade steel thereby ad ing to their ability to withstand severe service; one which is not affected by side `bearing clearances; and one which is easy to inspect, is not liable tobecome clogged with dirt, ice orthe like and which possesses other advantages hereinafter appearing.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is in parten end elevation and in part a vertical section through the improvedV device, taken on a plane longitudinal of the car bolster; Fig. 2 is in part a side elevation and in part a vertical section'ofjthe device taken transversely of the car holsters; and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the device adapted for electric car or other service when a large radial movement of the car bolsters occur.

In the drawings, lV represents a portion of the body bolster, 2 a portion oit the trucl-z bolster, 3 the upper bearing plate carried by the body bolster, and l the bottom bearing plate carried by the truck bolster. The former is shown connected directly to the body bolster and is a perfectly plain fiat surfaced plate, without flanges, projections, or the like, so that it can be formed by rolling from high grade steel. rlChe bottom bearing plate is of a similar form and construction, and may, if desired, be also secured directly to the truck bolster, but inthe preferred form is secured to and contained within a frame or housing' 5 provided with flanges 6 for securing the same to the truclr bolster and having upwardly extending walls which house the anti-friction member which is interposed between these two bearing surfaces.

andwhich is adapted to roll on the bottom bearing plate from the central position toward either end. Suitable means are provided ;for returning this roller to, or nearly to, its central position whenever the bolsters separate, and preferably this means vacts solely by gravity. t As illustrated, the side walls 8 of thehousing are provided with guide slots 9 which are inclined downwardly from both ends to the center. Through these slots and through' a central opening or bore l0 in the roller extends a pin or bolt 11 which is of much less diameter than the bore 10 in the roller, and also ot' less diameter than the height of the slots 9 so that it has a loose engagement both in the guide slots and in the roller. This pin forms a gravity returning device and is shown provided on one end with a head 12 and on its opposite end with a collar 13 held in position by a cotter pin l-l-or the like. Both the head 12 and collar 13 can be made large and heavy so as to make the device quite ponderous and enable it to more easily return the roller to central position. The pin ll is preferablycircular as shown, so that it will roll along the lower walls of the slots 9 and thus render its movement free and enable it to exert substantially its full weightwithout dimunition by friction in returning the roller to central position.

The operation ofthe device'is as follows:

Normally, when'the bolsters are cleared, the pin ll naturally seeks ythe lowest point of the slots 9, and consequently holds the. roller in substantially central position` When the body bolster comes down upon the roller and the truck swivels under the car, the roller 7 travels toward oneend of the tracks (as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2), affording a bearing which is substantially frictionless.l In its travel toward the end of the bearing surfaces, the roller presses against the pin 11 and moves it toward the corresponding end of the slots 9, said pin rolling upwardly in said slots on the lower walls thereof, and this movement also is substantially frictionless. As soon as the body bolster again rises, the pin rolls back down the inclined lower walls of the slots 9 and thereby moves the roller back substantially to central position, so that the roller always automatically goes back to approximately a central position whenever normal side bearing clearances occur, and therefore is always in proper position to again receive the load of the body bolster and to roll in either direction, depending upon the direction of the swiveling of the truck under the car.

Preferably, the lower walls of the slots 9 are so positioned that when the parts arel in central position, the pin 1l is slightly clear from the lowermost point of the bore in the roller, so that the roller will not always move to the mathematical center, and consequently will not bear, at all times when the body bolster comes down on it, at the mathematical center of the bottom plate. ils a consequence, the wear on the bottom bearing plate is distributed over a considcrable area and a saving in plates thereby effected. Also, the same point on the periphery of the roller does not always come back to the same point on the bottom plate, due to the fact that the pin ll has a very loose connection with the roller so that under the jolting of the train, and particularly by end shocks on the car, the ar causes the roller to slip on the bearing plate and present a new portion of its surface to the bottom bearing plate. By reason of these two facts, the wear on the bottom plate and also on the surface of the roller is distributed, the bottom plate is prevented from being worn to a depression at its central part, and the roller is prevented from wearing flat.

With the construction shown, the roller need have only a very short bodily travel, due to the fact that there is a double tra-vel, one at its lower surface and one at its upper surface. Consequently, for freight and similar services, the roller can be cylindrical or substantially cylindrical without causing any material amount of slippage due to the arcuate movement of the body holster. lf desired, however, the roller can be formed conical (and is so shown in Fig. 3) and thereby given any desired amount of travel in an arcuate path, as is desirable in electrical car or traction service where sharp curves frequently occur. In this case, the pin also is correspondingly tapered, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to prevent clogging by dirt, ice, and the like, the housing has only shallow end walls and the side walls omitted at 16, thus leaving large openings 17 at both ends at the level. of the bearing surface, thus avoiding a pocket in which ice, dirt or the like can collect.

The side bearing described is of very simple construction, provides for a laro'e relative movement between the body holsters with a very short travel of the roller, enables the use of perfectly straight plainfaced bearing plates, and a plain-faced roller without interengaging teeth or other means and thereby enables these parts to be formed by a rolling process and consequently formed of very durable metal and is therefore able to withstand severe service, is easy to inspect, and has no pockets for the accumulation of dirt or ice. The roller always rests on the bottom bearing plate and hence the device is not affected by side bearing clearances, the roller does not slide down when 'the truck is removed from underneath the car, the device does not rattle, and has other advantages over similar devices carried by the body bolster. The inanner of connecting the roller to the housing is very simple and of ka nature to keep the roller from becoming aslrew, permits the roller to slide under end shocks and jars so that a new face on the roller is brought into contact with the bottom bearing plate but nevertheless the roller at all times is in proper position, and withal provides a substantially frictionless bearing, the roller 7 and also the pin l1 having a true rolling movement as a consequence of which friction is reduced to a minimum.

What I claim is: y

l. In an anti-friction side bearing, the combination with upper and lower bearing plates, of an interposed hollow circular roller or annular anti-friction member, side walls associated'with the lower bearing plate and provided with guide slots inclined from both ends to the center, and al weighted guide pin projecting through the roller and through said slots and provided with enlargements at both ends outside of said side walls. y

2. In an anti-friction side bearing, the combination with upper and lower bearing plates, of ran interposed hollow circular roller or annular anti-friction member, side walls associated with they lower bearing plate and provided with guide slots inclined from both ends to the center, and a circular pin extending through said roller and through said slots and in rolling engagement with said slots and provided at its ends exteriorly of the side walls with enlargements.

In testimonyv whereof, l have hereunto set my hand.

' ARNOLD STUCKI. Witness:

GLENN H. LnRnsoHn.

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