US2312931A - Geared axle drive - Google Patents

Description

Mardl 1943- J. c. RHOADS GREASED ,AXLE DRIVE Filed may 16. 1941 I 2 SheQtsPSheet 1 Inventor James C. Rhods,

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Patented Mar. 2, 1943 GEARED AXLE nmvE James C. Rhoafls, Erie, Pa., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New Yo'rl Application May 16, 1941, e i l NO- 3 3519 6 Claims.

My invention relates to geared railway axle drives, and particularly to an improved construction for providing an efficient geared drive and supporting structure which facilitates disconnecting the mechanical drive between the axle and the driving motor.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved geared axle drive and lubricating arrangement.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent and my invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed outwith particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a truck partly broken away and illustrates a railway axle drive embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the truck shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view in section illustrating the improvedgeared axle drive shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating an improved arrangement for removing the driving gear from the shaft of the motor shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a railway truck provided with side frames l con.- nected together intermediate the ends thereof by a transversely extending bolster I I provided with a center bearing plate l2 which is adapted't'o support the center bearing of a railway vehicle frame. The side frames H] are formed with pedestal jaws l3 adjacent each end thereof which are arranged about journal boxes I4 and are secured together at the lower ends thereof by tie bars 5. The truck frame is resiliently supported by a plurality of coil springs l6 which engage spring seats H on the side frames 10 and spring seats M3 on longitudinally extending equalizers l9. The-ends of the equalizers I9 are supported on the upper surfaces of the journal boxes l4 arranged about the ends of driving axles 29. These axles are supported by wheels 2i and are adapted to be driven by electric motors 22 arranged one on each side of the bolster H. The motor 22' is provided with a stationary field structure 23 which is adapted to cooperate electrodynamically witha rotatable member 24 provided with a driving shaft 25.

Fig. 3 more clearly illustrates the gear drive, which includes a pinion spur gear 26 mounted on the motor drive shaft arranged in engagement with a reduction gear 2'! mounted on a countershaft .28 on which a second reduction ear 29 i mounted and arranged in'engagement with an axle gear 30 mounted on the driving axle 28. A gear casing isarranged about this gearing and is-provided with .side walls 3| and 32 having annular sleeves 33 and 3.4 on which sleeve bearings 35 and'36, respectively, aremounted. These bearings 35 and 3.6 are arranged about the axle 20 and are adaptedito support an'end of'the gear casing thereon; -Ajplura"lity of annular flange 31 and 38 is formed on thegear casing and arranged in axially spaced apart relationship .With respect to labyrinth seals ,39'mounte'd on the axle 20. and are adapted to minimize the passage of foreign substances to the bearings 35 and 36. The oppo site end of the gear casing is resiliently suspended from the bolster II by a link 40 which is pivotally secured by a pin 4.! iextending between a pair of flanges 42 formed onthe gear casing. A spring 43 is arranged between aspring seat 44 on the lower .end of the link 4,0 'and on the underside of thebolster H, soas to cushion relative vertical movements between the bolster H and the end of the gear casing. A second compression .coil spring 43 is arranged between a spring seat washer 44' mounted adjacent the upper endof the link 40 and a fiangel I secured to the bolster II for supporting the adjacent end of the gear casing on the bolster as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The countershaft 8,is supported byanti-friction roller bearings 46 and Almounted in removable bearing housing caps .48 and .4.9 secured'by bolts 50and ,5Iin openings formed inthe sides 3! and 32, respectively, of the gear casing. 4

Under certain, operatingconditions, it becomes desirable ,to' disconnect the mechanical connection betweenthe axle .20 and the driving motor 22 to preventdamage to the motor or the gearing. In order'to Tfacilitate .this operation, an opening;52 is formed. in the side of the gear casing. 32 awayfrom the motorjand is made larger than the motor pinion'gearlfi and coaxial therewith, .so that this fgear may readily' be passed through this opening. A' bearing housing cover plate.53 is removably secured by bolts '54 over the opening 52so asltoprovide 'a closure for this opening and Ya bearing housing for an anti-friction roller bearing 55 which is adapted to support one end ofthe motor shaft 25. Thi s'be aring is provided withan outer race- 55 in whichthe rollers 55are mounted between a pair of radially extending flanges and the race 56 is' secured within the bearing housing cap '53 v between "a flange e aietaming plate '58 which is bolted tothe bearing housing- 53%;: bolts 59. in this manner, the outer bearing race 51 and the antifriction roller bearing 55 is secured as a unit in the bearing housing cover plate 53 and is adapted to be assembled and disassembled as a unit with this cover plate. The bearing 55 is provided with an inner race 60 which is mounted on the motor shaft 25 and secured in position thereon between an axially extending threaded sleeve 6| formed on the pinion gear-26 and a retainer plate 62 se-.

cured to the end of the shaft 25 by a plurality of bolts 63. No other bearing is provided for supporting this end of the motor 25 except the bearing 55, and this construction minimizes the number of bearings and provides a more compact axle drive construction. The other end of the rotatable member 24 of the motor is supported in a bearing arranged in a bearing cap 65 mounted on the motor 22. The end of the stationary member of the motor 22 adjacent the gear casing is l secured by a plurality of bolts 66 to the side 3| of the gear casing, and ventilation of the motor is provided by a fan 61 which is adapted to draw air through the motor and expel it through a plurality of openings 68 formed in the gear casing adjacent the end of the motor. An annular flange 69 is formed on the fan 61 and arranged between flanges of a labyrinth seal 10 to minimize the passage of lubricant from the gear casing along a shaft to the motor. A plurality of slinger ring flanges H is formed on the hub of the fan 61 so as to throw off by centrifugal force any lubricant which may pass along the shaft 25 toward the fan 61. The openings in the labyrinth seal 10 and the slinger ring'flanges H are of larger diameter than the gear 25, thereby enabling the replacement of the driving motor, if this is required by some electrical failure, without'disturbing the gear drive assembly on the vehicle axle, merely by removing the bolts 66 and horizontally moving the motor and driving gear assembly axially away from the gear casing. A new motor and driving gear may then be assembled in'driving position and secured by the bolts 66 without further delay. With this construction, the gear casing is adapted to provide a lubricant reservoir for lubricating the gears 'of the gear reduction unit by conventional dip lubrication and lubricating the bearings which support the gear casing on the axle, the bearings which support the countershaft and the gear, and motor bearing 55 by splash lubrication of the gears in the lubricant of the gear casing.

As has been stated, under certain conditions it is desirable to break the mechanical connection between the axle 20 and the motor shaft 25, and this may readily be done in this construction by removal of' the pinion driving gear 26 from the motor drive shaft 25. In order 'to remove the gear 25 from the shaft 25, the bearing housing cover plate 53 is unbolted from the gear casing and removed, together with the outer race 56 and the roller bearings 55. The retainer plate .62 then is unbolted from the end'of the motor shaft 25, and a center bearing plug 12 is secured to the end of the shaft 25 by a screw 13. A cupshaped gear puller 14 having an internally threaded end portion 15 then is screwed over the threaded sleeve portion 6| of the gear 26 and a bolt 16 which threadedly engages an end portion 11 of the gear puller 14 is screwed intothe gear puller until the end of the bolt engages the center plug 12. The bolt 16 then is tightly drawn up and is turned until the gear 26 is loosened from its press fit on the motor shaft 25. This opera: tion also removes the inner race 50 of the roller bearing 55 from the shaft 25, as this inner race is made slightly smaller than the threaded sleeve 6| of the gear 26 and also slightly smaller than the inner bore 18 of the gear puller 14. After the gear 26 has been removed from the motor shaft 25, the inner sleeve 60 of the bearing may be replaced on the shaft 25 and the bearing housing cover plate 53, together with the bearing 55 may be reassembled as a unit about the inner race 66' to provide a supportfor this end of the rotatable member 24 of the motor. This construction provides an improved lubricating arrangement for the gears and the various bearings of the axle drive construction and an arrangement which driving shaft.

facilitates assembly and disassembly of the motor driving pinion gear 26 for mechanically connecting and disconnecting the axle from the motor This construction also minimizes the number of bearings required for supporting the motor and its driving gear without necessitating the use of an overhung driving gear on the'motor shaft.

While I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not to be limited to the particular arrangement disclosed, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scop of my invention.

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

1. An axle drive including an axle with an axle gear thereon, a driving motor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on said motor shaft for driving said axle gear, a'gear casingabout said gears, an opening larger than said motor shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casing away from said motor substantially coaxially with said motor shaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening, and a bearing arranged to support each end of said motor shaft, one of said bearings being arranged in said bearing housing cover plate to support an end of said motor shaft and said motor shaft gear.

2. An axle drive including an axle with an axle gear thereon, a driving motor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on said motor shaft for driving said axle gear, a gear casing about said gears, an opening larger than said motor shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casing away from said motor substantially coaxially with said motor shaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening,and a bearing arranged to support each'end of saidmotor shaft, one of said bearings being an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said motor shaft and having an inner race mounted on said motor shaft and an outer race mounted on said gear casing bearing housing'cover plate, said outer race and anti-friction bearing being'secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate and being removable therewith from said casing.

3. An axle drive including an axle with an axle gear thereon, a driving, motor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on said motor shaft for-driving said axle gear, a gear casing about said gears, an opening larger than said motor shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casing away from said motor substantially coaxially with said motor shaft gear, a bearing housing cover-"plate removablysecured to said gear casing for closing said opening, and a bearing arranged to support each end of said motor shaft, one of said bearings being an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said motor shaft and having an inner race mounted on said motor shaft and an outer race mounted on said bearing housing cover plate, said outer race and anti-friction bearing being secured as a unit to said gear casing bearing housing cover plate and being removable therewith from said gear casing, said inner race being constructed and arranged for removal from said motor shaft on removal of said motor shaft gear from said motor shaft.

4. A geared axle drive including a driving motor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on said motor shaft for driving an axle, a gear casing about said gearing, an opening in a side of said gear casing away from said motor substantially coaxial with said motor shaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening, and a bearing arranged to support each end of said motor shaft, one of said bearings being an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said motor shaft and having an inner race mounted on said drive shaft and an outer race mounted on said gear casing bearing housing cover plate, said outer race and anti-friction bearing being secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate and arranged to be removable therewith from said casing, said inner race being constructed and arranged for removal from said motor shaft on removal of said motor shaft gear from said motor shaft.

5. A gear drive including a drive shaft, a gearing including a gear mounted on said shaft, a gear casing about said gearing, an opening larger than said shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casing substantially coa-Xially with said shaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening, and an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said shaft and having an inner race mounted on said drive shaft and an outer race mounted on said bearing cover plate, said outer race and anti-friction bearing being secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate and arranged removable therewith from said casing, means for securing a gear puller to said shaft gear, said gear puller securing means including a threaded portion larger than said inner race adapted to engage said inner race and arranged to provide for securing a gear puller to said gear over said inner race for removal of said inner race from said shaft by removal of said gear from said shaft.

6. A gear drive including a drive shaft, a gearing including a gear mounted on said shaft, a gear casing about said gearing, an opening larger than said shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casing substantially coaxially with said shaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening, and an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said shaft and having an inner race mounted on said drive shaft and an outer race mounted on said bearing cover plate, said outer race and anti-friction bearing being secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate and being. removable therewith from said casing, means for securing a gear puller to said shaft gear, said inner race being constructed and arranged on said shaft to provide for securing a gear puller to said shaft without removal of said inner race and for removal from said shaft on removal of said shaft gear from said shaft.

JAMES C. RI-IOADS.

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