JPS6154997B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to bearings such as those disclosed in US Pat.

In this specification, a case will be described in which the bearing of the present invention is used as a suspension bearing for such a locomotive, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

This type of bearing is used to support part of the weight of the drive motor on the locomotive axle. Lubricating oil is supplied to the suspension bearing by an oil supply mechanism.

Due to the sensitive nature of this type of suspended bearing, it is important to provide a source of lubricant and to provide sufficient lubricant to support the thrust loads.
To date, a number of conditions have been included, such as the suspension bearing facing up relative to the axle, the presence of gear reaction forces, lateral movement between the suspension bearing and the axle, and the relationship between the bearing and the axle. It has been difficult to achieve the above-mentioned optimum requirements due to variations in the gap between the two.

The present invention provides a mechanism in which excessive amounts of lubricant are restricted from flowing outwardly through the ends of the bearing, and a limited amount of lubricant is directed to the thrust load flange. be. This is accomplished by a lubrication mechanism that includes a lubricating oil collection area of the bearing and an element for conveying lubricating oil from that area to the flange load area.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

Although the present invention is not limited to suspension bearings for traction locomotives, for convenience of explanation, an example of use in such a traction locomotive will be described.

Referring first to FIG. 1, 10 generally depicts a typical traction locomotive suspension bearing assembly. The assembly includes a split bearing liner or shell 11 surrounding an axle or axle 12. The bearing liner 11 is secured to the axle 12 by a portion of the traction locomotive body (not shown) and an axle cap 13.

Lubricating oil is supplied to the journal portion 14 of the axle 12 by a lubrication mechanism 15 which draws from an axle cap oil sump 16. A lubrication mechanism 15 supplies lubricating oil to the journal through a generally rectangular opening in the axle cap and a corresponding opening 18 in the bearing 11. In a typical application, the opening opens at an angle approximately 30 degrees downwardly from the horizontal relative to the sump 16.

The bearing 11 is sleeve-shaped and consists of two complementary parts 19, 20.
are joined to each other at a dividing line 21. An opening 18 is provided in the bearing half 19. The two halves 19, 20 have a common axial bearing surface or bore 22 (FIG. 2). This bearing surface 22 is for supporting a journal or axle, and is for supporting a journal or axle.
constitutes a load-bearing area. The thrust flange surface 23 of the bearing is adapted to contact a lateral restraint member, such as a wheel hub or gear (indicated by dashed line 24). The flange surface 23 thus constitutes a second load-bearing area.

During operation, the lubricating oil supplied to the journal 14 is eventually lost by being squeezed axially outward toward the ends of the bearing. In order to avoid loss of lubricating oil, a member 25 in the form of a rotating ring (FIGS. 2 and 3) is provided according to what is disclosed in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 3,905,659.
This member 25 returns lubricating oil that would otherwise be lost to the oil sump 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, the member 25 can be retained on the journal by a locking action produced by a retaining or biasing member such as a tension spring 26. The rotating ring 25 is the journal 1
The first element rotates with the journal in a first element such as a circumferentially recessed groove 27 opening inwardly towards 4. In order to allow the rotary ring 25 to rotate, the width and depth of the groove 27 are
larger than that of 5.

Move outward into groove 27. That is, the lubricating oil moving from the opening toward both ends of the bearing is moved by the rotating ring 25 and is moved between the opening 18 and the annular groove 27.
(Figs. 2 to 4). Passageway 28 is a generally closed hole extending from a generally vertically oriented side surface 29 of opening 18 and intersecting groove 27 . The passageway 28 preferably extends under the outer periphery 30 (FIG. 3) or the bottom of the groove 27 so as to communicate with the groove. The lubricating oil then flows through the passage 28 and the axle cap opening 1.
7 and enters the oil sump 16.

To further reduce the amount of lubricant loss, further lubricant collection elements, such as grooves or pockets 31, are provided axially outwardly of the annular groove 27. In other words, the second groove 31 is provided closer to the end of the bearing than the first groove 27.

Grooves 27 and 31 are connected to feed slot 32 (second and fourth
groove 31
This allows the lubricating oil that has entered the groove 27 to enter the groove 27. The lubricating oil is then applied to the ring member 2.
5 to passage 28. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the preferred location for the connecting passageway 32 is at the bottom of the groove, or at the 6 o'clock position.

In this way, the lubricating oil passing through the ring 25 and the groove 27 enters the collection groove 31 and from there descends to the bottom position of the feed passage 32. From that position it is moved laterally in the feed passage 32 to the groove 27 and from there raised by the rotary ring 25 to the hole 28. In the case of suspension bearings for traction locomotives, the parting line 21 of the bearing is offset by a total of approximately 30 degrees from the vertical axis center line, so that the feed passage in the 6 o'clock position is not located at the parting line. That is,
For example, the 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock positions). However, the position of the feed passage can be varied depending on the type and structure of the bearing used.

If the bearing of the present invention is used in a traction locomotive, where it can be replaced at the pinion bearing position or the commutator bearing position (reversely reversed), the feed passages 32 are provided at the 6 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. be able to. If the bearing shown in FIG. 2 is reversed for use in the opposite bearing position, the feed passage 32 at the 2 o'clock position will be at the 6 o'clock position (and vice versa).

In typical use conditions, the annular groove 27 and the collection groove 3
1 can be located on each side of the opening 18. (Figure 2). However, in certain use situations, one or both of grooves 27 and 31 may be removed from one side or the other of opening 18, depending on the desired efficiency.

In most applications, the traction locomotive is configured to allow lateral movement between the axle 12 and the bearing 11 (which is fixed to the locomotive). The magnitude of this lateral movement is generally about 0.16~
It is 0.79cm (1/16 to 5/16 inch). To allow for such movement and to minimize sliding of rotating ring 25 against side wall 33 (FIG. 6) of groove 27, the width of groove 27 may be wider than the width of ring 25. can. In other words, if the width of the ring 25 in the axial direction is about 0.64 cm (1/4 inch), the width of the groove 27 can be about 1.43 cm (9/16 inch). In the radial direction, ring 2
5 is approximately 0.64 cm (1/4 inch) thick, and groove 27
The minimum gap between the bottom 30 and the ring 25 is approximately 0.08
cm (0.030 inch) is suitable.

A satisfactory structure of the collecting groove 31 has a width of approximately 0.64 cm.
(1/4 inch), and is spaced approximately 0.48 cm (approximately 3/16 inch) from the groove 27 by the dividing wall 34 (FIGS. 4 and 5). However, these numerical values are illustrative and do not limit the present invention.

While the shaft is rotating in this bearing, even if the traction locomotive to which the bearing is attached moves from side to side, the rotating ring 25 will rotate with the journal without contacting the walls of the groove 27. do. However, since the ring 25 is moved slightly along the journal and is self-centering, even if the ring 25 contacts the side walls 33, 40 of the groove 27, the contact is quickly lost. As another advantage, the ring spring 26 allows the ring 25 to slide over the journal even if the ring is held stationary. In other words, the ring spring 25 performs a sliding clutch action.

In the present invention, a novel thrust lubrication mechanism, generally designated by the symbol T, is provided to lubricate the thrust surfaces of the bearing (such as the flange 23 which contacts the hub or stop surface 24).

This lubrication mechanism T includes a lubricant feeding element 35.
This element 35 is combined with the bearing element to provide controlled delivery of lubricating oil to the thrust region. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the lubricating oil delivery element 35 may take the form of a flange core made of absorbent material such as felt. A portion of this flange core extends along the flange surface. The flange core 35 may be located in an elongated recess 36 along the flange or thrust surface. For use on traction locomotives, the recess 36 is placed at the dividing line 2 in each half of the bearing.
1.

The recess 36 is made by milling the bearing along the thrust face 23 and then along the tapered face 37 and into the wheel along the bore of the bearing, making the groove 31
communicate with. The recess 36 is provided axially inward along the bearing hole 22 and extends the dividing wall 34 between the grooves 27 and 31 at a position 38 so as to communicate with the groove 27.
(Fig. 4).

Next, referring to FIGS. 4-9, lubricating oil delivery elements such as the flange core 35 will be described. This flange core 35 has a shape somewhat similar to an L shape, and has a main leg 39 and a branch leg 41. The main leg 39 enters the recess 36 and extends to a point where it is flush with the outer sidewall 40 of the groove 27 in the bore 22 of the bearing. branch leg 4
1 extends generally perpendicular to the main leg 39. Branch leg 41 extends within groove 31. A plan view of the flange core 35 (FIG. 8) shows how the main leg 39 has a protruding nose 42 extending beyond the branch leg 41. This nose section 42 has the side wall 34 at position 3.
8 and extends through it.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a branch leg 41 extends through half 19 of the bearing opening to a point adjacent to or in line with the feed slot between grooves 27 and 31. This is highly desirable in the 6 o'clock position of the bearing, which collects lubricating oil in grooves 27 and 31.

During operation, the flange core 35 can receive lubricating oil along the surface 43 of the nose 42 facing the ring 25. As the ring 25 rotates, droplets of lubricant are collected by the surface 44 of the flange core 35;
It is transmitted through the main leg 39 to the surface 44 of the core 35 which is in contact with the hub 24. Surface 43 extends beyond sidewall 40 into groove 27 to collect more lubricant directly from the rotating ring. Since the lubricating oil is sent from the groove 27 through the feed passage 32, the flange core 35 can collect the lubricating oil along the branch leg 41 and collect the lubricating oil that collects in the groove 31. . Branch leg 41 transmits lubricating oil through main leg 39 to core surface 44 .

Another feature of the invention is that when the locomotive is stopped, some of the lubricating oil in the bore 22 of the bearing is gradually drained towards the end of the bearing and collected in the grooves 27, 31 before being removed. It is collected in the oil sump located at the hour position. At the flange end of the bearing, a branching leg 41 of the flange center (this branching leg 41 is in the half of the bearing containing the 6 o'clock position, such as the opening half shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). , bottom 45 of groove 31
Make good use of lubricating oil by collecting it from (Figure 2). The branch leg 29 carries lubricant to the main leg 39 to the core plane 44 . The core 35 thus functions as a sump to store lubricant and make the lubricant readily available for starting the locomotive.

In other words, as shown in Figure 1,
The branch leg 41 of the flange core 35, which is located at point A in the opening half of the bearing, extends downwardly towards the 6 o'clock position of the bearing. At least one of the collection groove 31 in which the branch leg is placed, the feed slot 32 and the groove 27 serve as oil sump for collecting lubricating oil which is discharged axially towards the ends of the bearing. In other words, the groove 31 extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the bearing hole 22.

Therefore, no lubricating oil can exit the bearing except to be sucked up by the flange core 35. At the end of the bearing opposite to the flange, the lubricating oil discharged to that end flows into grooves 27, 31, 3.
2 etc. and is held there until the rotating ring 25 rotates with the axle.

In this way, the lubricating oil is stored by restricting the discharge of lubricating oil from the end of the bearing, and moreover, the lubricating oil is passed through the branch leg 41 to the surface of the flange center.
4 can be sent under control.

In conventional bearings where the flange center is located at approximately the 6 o'clock position, when the core is sufficiently soaked with lubricant, the lubricant flows past the core and most of the lubricant is lost. . Similarly, if the vertical centerline of the bearing is shifted from the conventional flange center,
The lubricating oil never reaches the flange center and often drains from the bearing at the 6 o'clock position.

Since a locomotive stops at least once every 1 to 2 hours due to driver changes, siding stops, changeovers, etc., the amount of lubricating oil lost by draining from the end of the bearing when stopped is: It can reach a considerable amount in one day. And the amount of lubricant lost over a week or a month becomes extremely large. The amount of lubricant lost during running is reduced by the rotating ring 25 as described above.

Lubricating oil that does not need to seep into the flange core while the locomotive is stopped is stored in the grooves 27, 31, etc., and when the rotating ring 25 rotates, it flows into the oil sump 16 through the passage 28.
returned through.

The opening half of the bearing shown in FIG. 2 shows the bearing inverted with respect to the bearing shown in FIG. 1, and shows the bearing located on the pinion side of the engine of the locomotive. Figure 1 shows the bearing on the commutator side. The bearing on the pinion side is an inversion of the bearing on the commutator side. Grooves 27 and 3 on the pinion side
The feed slot 32 appearing at the 6 o'clock position between 1
appears at the 2 o'clock position on the commutator side.
In each case, when the parting line of the bearing is moved from the vertical centerline of the axle, the branch leg 41 of the flange core extends from the parting line to the feed slot 32. The feed slot 32 is moved circumferentially from the parting line 21 to the opening 18. In the rear half 20 of the bearing,
Branch legs 41 also extend from parting line 21 .

Another example of the flange core 35 is shown in FIG. In this example, a portion of the core extends into or over the bearing bore 22 so as to contact the shaft 12. The raised portion 46 corresponds generally to the branch leg 41 in the circumferential direction. This provides the advantage that lubricating oil can be supplied from the flange cores A and B at the oil sump positions below the grooves 27, 31, 32. The lubricating oil provided to the axle by cores A and B is transferred to the upper flange cores C and
It is wiped from the axle by the corresponding contact area 46 of D and then refilled onto the face 44 of the flange core. Thereby, lubricating oil is sent from the lower flange to the upper flange center by rotation of the axle.

A typical shape of the flange core 35 is shown in FIGS. The main leg 39 extends tapered along the face 23 of the thrust flange and terminates at a lower tip. To ensure the delivery of lubricating oil to the thrust hub 24, the lower surface 44 of the flange core extends slightly beyond the face 23 of the thrust flange.

The length of the branch leg 41 can be varied to vary the amount of lubricant delivered to the flange. As the branch leg 41 (located at center A in FIG.
7,31 and therefore a greater amount of lubricant is available. In this way, the amount of lubricating oil displaced by the flange core 35 can be varied. Similarly, the amount of lubricant delivered to the flange core can be controlled by varying the dimensions of the delivery passage between grooves 27 and 31.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flange center 35 is located at the top and bottom (1) of the dividing line 21 of the bearing halves 19, 20.
o'clock and 7 o'clock positions). heart 35
can also be provided adjacent to each other on both sides of the dividing line 21. In this structure, the branch legs 41 extend in different directions along the groove 31.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 10-15.
This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-9 in that it has a flange lubrication element 49 extending below the groove 27 (or below the periphery) to further collect lubricant from the ring 25 and supply it to the flange. Different from the example. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the flange recess 36 into which the flange core 49 is placed is machined to form a deep pocket 50 in the end of the flange so that it extends across the bottom wall 30 of the groove 27. be done. Next, the portion 51 of the flange core 49 (10th, 1st
5) is deformed to form a bottom 52 that more or less conforms to the bottom 30 of the groove 27 and the side walls 4 of the groove.
It has a side surface 53 generally aligned with 0.

As mentioned above, the flange core 49 is connected to the branch leg 41
can have. By providing the bottom wall 52 of the flange core 49 extending beyond the outer circumference of the ring 25, as the ring 25 rotates, lubricating oil is drawn across the bottom wall 52, providing further lubricating oil to the flange core. Therefore, in addition to the side wall 53 of the flange core 49 being exposed to receive lubricating oil from the ring 25, an additional amount of the lubricating oil that is moved into the discharge hole 28 of the opening is removed by the bottom wall 52 of the flange core. It is absorbed and sent to the face 44 of the flange core.

In summary, the bearing lubrication mechanism of the present invention provides
It is possible to achieve the seal ring's functions of reducing lubricant loss and preventing foreign matter from entering, and it is also possible to control the amount of lubricant supplied to the thrust load supporting area of the bearing.

The figure shows that the flange centers 35 and 49 are provided adjacently on both sides of the bearing parting line (both are shown at the top and bottom of the bearing, at 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock as seen in Fig. 1). position), and other positions, and in some cases it may be desirable to have fewer hearts. Also, in some applications, it may be desirable to extend the nose 42 of the flange center to the front of the grooves 27, 31 to reduce the amount of lubricant.

Similarly, in other applications, the ring 25 may be omitted from the flange end of the bearing. However, even in this case, flange cores offer significant advantages. The lubricating oil that normally comes out of the bearing from the 6 o'clock position is in the groove 31.
gather inside. Lubricating oil continues to be sent to the flange core 35 through the branch legs 41, supplying lubricating oil for starting and operation to improve operating performance. According to the results of on-site testing of the bearing of the present invention,
It has been found that very significant improvements have been achieved in terms of lubricant retention and flange wear resistance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a traction locomotive suspension bearing and axle cap; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a traction locomotive suspension bearing and an axle cap; FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the thrust lubrication mechanism of the present invention taken as a whole along line 4--4 in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the bearing showing the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the thrust lubrication mechanism taken along line 5--5 in FIG. A view taken along line 6-6 (along the dividing line) in Figure 5 showing the side view of the thrust lubrication mechanism, Figure 7
The figure is a side view of the bearing flange taken along line 7-7 in Figure 5, Figure 8 is a top plan view of an example of the thrust lubricating element, Figure 9 is a side view of the lubricating element shown in Figure 8, and Figure 10. 11 is a partial top view of the embodiment of FIG. 10 showing the thrust lubrication elements on both sides of the bearing parting line; FIG. Figure 12 is a view taken along line 12-12 in Figure 11, Figure 13 is a side view of the bearing flange taken along line 13-13 in Figure 11, and Figure 14 is a view of the thrust lubrication mechanism shown in Figures 10-15. A top view of the embodiment, FIG. 15 is a side view of the thrust lubricating mechanism shown in FIG. 14. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Bearing assembly, 11... Bearing liner, 15... Lubrication mechanism, 19, 20... Bearing portion, 23... Thrust flange surface, 25... Rotating ring, 26... Ring spring, 27, 31... …
Groove, 35, 49...Flange core.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A bearing for a substantially horizontal shaft of a rotating body, which prevents leakage of lubricating oil, the bearing having a sleeve-shaped bore extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft. a bearing body having a bore forming a load supporting surface that slides against the outer peripheral surface of the shaft; an opening provided in the bearing body for supplying lubricating oil to the shaft; and a bearing body for receiving a thrust load. a thrust surface provided at one end of the main body and protruding in the radial direction; and a connection between the opening axially outward from the opening of the inner peripheral surface of the bore forming the load supporting surface of the shaft and the thrust surface. a first groove provided at a position between the first groove and the thrust surface, and a first groove provided at a position separated from the first groove by a dividing wall between the first groove and the thrust surface on the inner circumferential surface of the bore; a second groove or collection groove, the lowest portion of which is located below the inner circumferential surface for collecting lubricating oil, and the collected lubricating oil is axially directed toward the thrust surface by the dividing wall. a collection groove adapted to act as a reservoir for discharge in the direction; and the lowest position of the collection groove to allow some flow of lubricating oil between the first groove and the collection groove. a communication means for communicating the first groove and the collection groove in the vicinity of the portion; a communication means opening in the thrust surface, connected to the collection groove, and passing through the dividing wall to a point above the lowest portion of the collection groove; a recess provided in the bearing body extending into the first groove at a position offset from a vertical line passing through the axis of rotation of the shaft and located above the lowest portion of the collecting groove; a recess; and a lubricant delivery element that receives lubricant from the first groove and the collection groove and delivers the lubricant to the thrust face for use on the thrust face. , a main leg in the recess and a branch leg in the collection groove, the branch leg extending circumferentially within the collection groove to a communication means between the first groove and the collection groove. collects lubricating oil therefrom and directs it to the main landing gear for use on the thrust surface, and the main landing gear collects lubricating oil therefrom for use on the thrust surface;
exposed at a portion passing through the dividing wall between the collection groove and the first groove, and capable of receiving lubricating oil from the first groove and the shaft during rotation of the shaft;
A bearing characterized in that the main leg extends at an angle with the branch leg, but terminates before intersecting or overlapping the opening. 2. In the bearing described in claim 1,
The main leg of the lubricating oil delivery element is offset from the vertical axis of the bore, and the branch leg in the collection groove extends into the lowest portion of the collection groove close to the communication means. A bearing characterized in that it receives flowing lubricating oil. 3. In the bearing described in claim 1,
The bearing body is of a split type, and the bearing halves are abutted along a parting line extending in the axial direction, the recess extends along both sides of the parting line, and the lubricating oil feeding element is arranged along the parting line. adjacently provided in each bearing half, branching legs of adjacent lubricating oil delivery elements being narrower than each main leg, the branching legs extending away from the parting line in the collecting groove of each bearing half; A bearing characterized in that only a portion of the length of the collecting groove extends in mutually opposite directions.