US1402349A - Bearing - Google Patents

Description

BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.2, 1919.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.,

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MAURICE F. GEER, 0F IRONDEQUOIT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL MILWA'Y SIGNAL GOMPIANY, OFQROOHESTER, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OFNEW YORK.

BEARING.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE F. GEEK, a citizen of the United States, and resident ofthe town of Irondequoit, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bearings, of which the following iS a specification.

This invention relates lto a guard or protecting device for preventing oil leakage from high speed shaft bearings.

In one type of machine, specifically a power driven clothes washing machine, for which my invention is particularly adapted, a high speed shaft passes into a casing or housing enclosing the operating parts of the machine and containing a heavy gear oil or similar lubricant for these parts. In such a construction there is diiiiculty -in preventing oil leakage from the bearingl of this shaft, there being a considerable head of oil upon the bearing. It is foundvthat an ordinary stufiing box construction will not prevent oil leakage from such bearings Withoutbeing so tight as to produce excessive friction and wear on the shaft, and will not stand up in service without adjustment.

In accordance with my invention, I provide, as a substitute for the ordinary stuffing box, or as an additional protection to be used in connectionv therewith, a pumplike device which opposes the pressure of oil upon the bearing and prevents it leaking out, while at the same time the bearing is freely lubricated. i l

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings,'in which like reference characters designate the corresponding parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a washing machine and operating mechanism therefor, to which I have illustrated my present invention applied, and

y Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1, and shows the construction of one embodiment of my invention. e

For the purpose of illustrating and explaining the construction and functions of my invention I have shown it applied to a `clothes washing machine, but it should be understood that the invention may be used in connection with other machines under similar conditions by making appropriate Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Jam, 3, 11922., Application led December 27, 1919.` Serial No. 3427,684.

changes in mechanical details. This wash' .well known way. The load-shaft4 is driven by a pinion 6 which meshes with a gear sector 7 journaled on a suitable fixed bearing stud 8. The gear sector 7 is oscillated by apitman or connecting rod 9, which is pivotally connected at one end to an arm of said gear sector, and is journaled at its other end on an eccentric pin 10 in a worm gear 11. The worm gear 11 is driven by an intermediate worm 12 fastened on a vertical drive shaft 13 supported in bearings 14.. To the lower end of the drive shaft 13 is pinned a worm gear 15 which is driven by a high speed worm 16 on a worm shaft 17 which 1s driven by a suitable electric motor M. These parts are supported and enclosed in a unitary casing or housing S fastened by bolts 18 to the legs 1. This casing S is provided with a gear compartment C having a detachable bottom plate 19 (for the purpose of fa-v able plug 21, and a thrust ball bearing 22 is interposed between this plug and a s acing sleeve 23 pinned to the shaft 17. he

worm -16 is keyed to the shaft 17. The inner bearing for t e worm shaft 17 comprises a sleeve 24 having an enlarged annular portion 25 constituting what is conveniently termed a pump casing. Between the bearing sleeve 24 and the worm 1G is a, sleeve 26 pinned to theshaft 17 y and provided with a double fm or rid e 27 spirally wound and constitutingin e ect the teeth of a duplex worm, these teeth being pitched opposite to the teeth of the worm 16 and fitting closely inside of the so-called pump casing 25. In the bearing sleeve 24 is an oil hole 28 communicating with the main portion of the ear compartment C througha channel 29. utside of the bearing sleeve 24 I have shown a stufing box of well known construction, comprising packing rings 30, a gland nut 31, and a lock 'nut 32.

In the type of construction above described, it will be evident that the inner bearing of the high speed worm shaft 17 is subjected to a considerable head of oil, and where a light body lubricant is used, diiiiculty has been found in obtaining a suitable stuliin box construction which will prevent oil lea age out of this bearing. In machines of this character leakage of oil is highly objectionable. Moreover, such machines do not ordinarily receive in service the care and attention required t0 make a stuiiing box effective.

According to my invention leakage of Oil out of the inner bearingfor the high speed worm shaft 17 is prevented byopposing the oil pressure While said shaft is rotating, due to the pui'iipr action of the ridge .27 in the casing 25. he direction of rotation of the shaft 17 is indicated by arrow a in Fig. 2, and the ridge 27 is spirally wound so as to draw oil through passage 29 and hole 28 through the bearing sleeve 24, thereby providing free circulation of oil around this bearing and maintaining it eifectively lubricated. This pumpin action kee s the oil from working out of t e bearing, t e passage 29 being made smaller than the discharge capacity of the ridge 27 acting7 as a ump at the normal running speed. hen t e shaft 17 stops, this pumping action, of course, also ceases, but with the parts stationary, the oil does not leak out appreciably. When the shaft 17 is stationary the oil readily works around the ridge 27 and primes the pump, so to speak. The stuing box construction illustrated merely constitutes an additional protection against oil leakage, principally to prevent any gradual escape of oil while the shaft 17 is stationary, and when the parts are somewhat worn or improperly fitted; and in practice, this stufiing omitted, if desired. y

Obviously, various modifications and adaptations may be made in the particular construction shown and described without departing from its functions and principles ox may be of operation and I desire to have it understood that this construction is merely one illustrative embodiment of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to` secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A leak-proof bearing structure for the high speed worm shafts of worm gearin which is enclosed in a housing lled witg lubricant, comprising a stationary bearing sleeve for the worm shaft, said sleeve being formed with a cylindrical open-ended casing at the inner'end, and means constituting a' spirally wound ridge rotating with the shaft and fitting closely within said casing, said ridge being pitched opposite to the worm on said shaft and acting while the shaft rotates to force lubricant inward from the bearing sleeve. v

2. A bearing structure for high speed shafts adapted to prevent leakage of lubricant, comprising a stationary bearing sleeve in which the shaft rotates, said sleeve bein formed at its inner end with a cylindrica casin having an open end, a collar fixed to the wound ridge fitting closel within said casing, said ridge being pitc ed and coperating with said casing while the shaft is rotating at high speed to force lubricant inwardly from the bearing sleeve.

`3. A bearing structure for high speed shafts comprising, in combination with a bearing sleeve, a cylindrical casing at the inner end of said sleeve, a lspirally wound ridge within the casing, and rotating wit-l1 the shaft, and means permitting circulation of oil from one end of the casing to the other through the bearing sleeve.

4. A device for preventing vleakage of lubricant out of the bearings of hi h speed shafts projecting from housings fi ed with lubricant, comprising an open-ended cylindrical casing and a du lex worm driven by the shaft and fitting tightlyl in the casing, said worm and casing constituting apump to force lubricant inward from the shaft bearing.

5. A device of the character described comprisin in combination with a high speed shal t and a bearing sleeve therefor, means driven by the shaft for forcin oil in one direction between the shaft and s eeve.

, MAURICE F. GEER.

aft and provided with a spirally.

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