Car side bearing.

(Application filed Mar. 3, 1902.)

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United States Patent Office.

Francis g. susemihl and Augustus torrey, of Detroit, Michigan.

CAR SIDE BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,416, dated June 3, 1902.

Application filed March 3,1902. Serial No. 96,403. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Francis G. Susemihl and Augustus Torrey, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the 5 countyof Wayneand Stateof Michigan, have invented certain -new and useful Improvements in Car Side Bearings, of which the following is a specification, reference.beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

io This invention relates to that class of side bearings in which antifriction-rollers are interposed between the truck and body bolsters on opposite sides of the center bearing.

The object of our invention is to make a 15 lOller-b.earing of simple construction and not liable to get out of order; and to this end the invention consists of a casing carried by the body-bolster and inclosing a series of disconnected roller-trucks guided upon a track io within the casing and cooperating with a bearing on the truck-bolster to form an antifriction side bearing, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which—

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bearing with the front wall of the casing broken away to show the interior of the easing. Fig, 2 is a top plan of the bearing; Fig. 3, across-seetion of the bearing. Fig. 4 is a detached plan 30 of one of the roller-trucks, and Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 4.

A and B represent the ou ter ends of a bodybolster and a truck-bolster, respectively, between which our improved side bearing is in35 terposed, the bolsters being, as usual, provided with a center bearing. (Not shown.)

Cis the casing, secured in any suitable manner to the under side of the body-bolster, and D represents a series of roller-trucks inclosed 40 in said casing free to travel. Each roller-truck consists of a pair of tapering rollers a,formed with journals &amp;, and of a rigid frame composed of two side bars c c', formed with bearings d, in which the rollers are removably 45· journaled, a.nd of a cross-bar e, connecting the side bars between the rollers. The side bars c dare rounded off at the ends, and the journals &amp; of the rollers project beyond the side bars of the truck-frame. The side bars 50 are also provided with hoods/) which project over the top portions of the projecting ends of the rollers, but leave the lower portions exposed. These hoods strengthen the side bars at the bearings and at the same time form stops to prevent the endwise movement 55 of the roller in the truck-frame. Each rollertruck is adapted to form an independent traveling unit, and the series of trucks together form an endless train free to travel within the casing around a central core g formed 60 therein, and adapted to support a plurality of the rollers in direct traveling contact with the opposite bolster. To this end the core is flattened upon its upper and lower sides and hrffe rounded ends, and in making 65 the upper face of the truck-bolster the bearing-face upon which the active rollers travel the bearing-fades of the rollers on the core (and respectively on the casing) will be so inclined that the rollers during their travel 70 will be in radial alinement with the center bearing. The core is formed with two parallel guide-flanges 7i, extending around the core at a distance apart equal to the length of the bearing-face of the rollers and adapt- 75 ed to guide the roller and mediately the trucks in a path concentric with the center bearing. The casing is open on top and bottom and may be cast in one piece, with the exception of forming the bearing-face for the 80 active rollers ofa separate steel,plate J. The sides of the casing at their lower edges are formed or provided with inwardly-projecting retaining-flanges i, which prevent the rollertrucks from falling out in. case the bolster B 85 shouldbe withdrawn. Theseretaining-flanges, however, continue upward upon the sides of the casing in the path of the roller-trucks, and from being mere fetaining-flanges they become bearing-flanges i', upon which the 90 projecting ends of the journals of the rollers are adapted to travel in rolling contact therewith in passing around the ends of the core &lt;7, the hoods being suitably cut away to permit this travel. The flanges H are con- 95 tinned upward sufficiently to guide the rollers till they can travel upon the top portion of the core, and they are then stopped off, so as to form a clear and unobstructed entrance into the top of the casing, through which the 100 trucks may be inserted into or removed from the casing when the casing is taken off. The flanges i' in connection with the flattened portions of the core thus form the track on

701,416.

track, an endless train of independent rollertrucks, each roller-truck comprising a rigid frame with a roller mounted therein, sub- 7° stantially as described.'

3. In a car side bearing, the combination with the casing forming an endless rollertrack, of an endless train of independent roller-trucks, each roller-truck comprising a 75 rigid frame, and a plurality of tapering rollers journaled therein. . , -, .

4. In a car side bearing, the combination with the casing forming an endless rollertrack which guides the rollers, of an endless 80 train of independent roller-trucks, each composed of a rigid frame and a pair of tapering rollers journaled in said frame.

5. In a car side bearing, the combination 1 with the truck and body bolsters, of a side 85 bearing consisting of a series of tapering rollers, a easing secured to one of the bolsters and forming an endless track for said rollers , adapted to support a part of the rollers in traveling contact with the other bolster, and 90 rigid truck-frames in which said rollers are journaled, said frame and rollers forming an endless train of roller-trucks. , ..

6. In a car side bearing, the combination with the truck and body bolsters, of a side 95 bearing consisting of a series of tapering rollers, a easing secured to one of the bolsters and forming an endless track in which said rollers are free to travel a portion of said travel being in contact with the other bolster, 100 and rigid frames in which said rollers are journaled, said frames and rollers forming an endless train in which each frame and the rollers carrying the frame form an independent traveling unit. . . ^IO5

7. In a car side bearing, the combination with the truck and body bolsters, of a side bearing consisting of an endless train of rollertrucks each composed of a rigid truck-frame and tapering rollers journaled in said frame, 1 το and a casing secured to one of the bolsters and forming an endless roller-track adapted to support a portion of the rollers in traveling contact with the other bolster, each truckframe and its rollers forming a unit, guided n j in its travel in the casing independently of any other unit. . ,

8. In a car side bearing, the combination with the truck and body bolsters, of a side bearing consisting of an endless train of roller- 120 trucks each composed of a rigid truck-frame and tapering rollers journaled in said frame and a casing secured to one of the bolsters and forming an endless track for said rollertrucks, said casing provided with a core 125 adapted to support a portion of the rollers in traveling contact with the other bolster and with projecting guide - flanges extending around, the core at a distance apart equal to the bearing-face of the rollers and adapted 130 to guide the rollers in their travel around the core.

9. In a car side bearing, the combination with the bolster and the casing secured there- which the rollers travel whenever a relative movement between the bolsters takes place, and in whatever direction the movement takes place the trucks of the rollers which bear the.

load push the trucks which carry the idle rollers in the direction in which the movement takes place and in such manner that as soon as each roller is relieved of the load it commences to travel with its journals upon io the flanges i', owing-to the tendency of the trucks to push each other outwardly in passing around the ends of the core. In doing so the rollers are caused to revolve in a reverse direction upon their axis till gravity causes the trucks to drop on top of the core. In passing over the top the rollers travel upon the core, while the trucks ride upon bearings I, formed between the guide-flanges λ. and the side of the casing. As the trucks collectively form an endless train in which the individual trucks can have little or no independent travel, it is not necessary that there should be any connection between the trucks. In fact, we find it more desirable that the trucks should be independent, as it insures greater freedom in travel by allowing the trucks to slightly separate. It also dispenses with unnecessary parts. However, suitable connections between the trucks may be used without interfering with the broader features of our invention. The contour and shape of the truck-frame is such that rubbing contact with the casing will be avoided, and the side bars are of such relative lengths that a line drawn through the extreme end will pass through the center bearing. Instead of one cross-bar centrally uniting the side bars the side bars may be united by cross-bars near the ends.

It is obvious that our improved bearing instead of being carried by the body-bolster may be carried upon the truck-bolster, and any modification with this end in view we deem to be within the scope of our invention.

The advantage of roller-bearings in which the rollers travel in a continuous path over those in which the rollers are stationary or travel in the arc of a circle only is well understood ; but in all construction of the former kind of which we are aware it is possible for the rollers to skew—that is, they get out of radial alinement with the center bearing— and then they become inoperative as an antifriction-bearing. In our construction this cannot occur,as the rollers are rigidly held in alinement by being journaled in rigid truckframes, two or more. It will also be seen that our construction is simple and the rollers are’ adapted to travel with a minimum qf friction.