GB597137A - Improvements in or relating to power-transmission systems for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

597,137. Yielding bearing supports. EVERNDEN, H. 1. F., and HARDY, F. J. Aug. 10, 1945, Nos. 20625 and 27046. [Class 12 (i)] For the support of a transmission shaft of a motor vehicle, such shaft being divided at an intermediate point with the interposition of a universal joint coupling, a bearing is provided adjacent the coupling and such bearing is mounted so as to be capable of movement in a plane normal to the axis of the supported shaft portion but .is so resiliently restrained that the restraint is greater in the vertical than in the horizontal direction. Fig. 1 shows the general layout of the drive with the front portion 24 of the transmission shaft supported by a ball bearing carried in a housing 32; the rear portion 25 of the transmission shaft is driven through a Cardan coupling 28. As shown in Fig. 2 the bearing housing 32 is supported on a chassis part 35 by a bracket 34 having a bolt 33 extending through a rubber bushing 36 secured in a lower part of the housing 32; the ball bearing 30 is mounted in the housing by a rubber ring 31. The housing is able to move in the horizontal direction transverse to the shaft by a pivotal movement about the axis of the bolt 33 with torsional deformation of the bushing 36 but only a small vertical movement is possible with compression of the bushing 36. Any oscillation may be damped by rubber buffers 37, Fig. 3, acting on lugs 38 extending from the housing or by friction plates 45, Fig. 6, engaged by rubber discs 46. Fig. 7 shows the bearing housing 32 supported by links 47 pivoted by means of torsionally deformable rubber bushings, the links being connected to the bearing housing on the lower side thereof whereby movement in the horizontal direction, by pivoting action, is easier than in the vertical direction. In the form shown in Fig. 9 the bearing housing 34 is secured by a metal strap 49 to a seating piece 50 supported from the chassis part by a spring loaded link 51 having torsionally deformable rubber bushings 36 to provide pivotal connections; the horizontal movement is allowed by the pivotal movement of the seating piece 50 about its pivotal connection but the lesser and more restrained vertical movement arises from torsional pivoting at both of the bushings. Figs. 11 and 12 are elevation and plan views showing the bearing housing 32 supported by arms 54 extending horizontally from its lower part which are fixed to plates 55 bonded to rubber blocks 56 carried on brackets 58 attached to the chassis. Movement of the bearing housing 32 is allowed by a deformation in shear of the rubber blocks 56 but horizontal movement is less restrained than vertical movement, due to the disposition of the arms 54: oscillations are damped by the brackets 58 being engaged by friction plates 60 on further arms 59 extending from the bearing housing 32. Stop arms 61 are provided at the top of the bearing housing to engage a chassis part and prevent excessive vertical depression.