US2798776A - Core for journal lubricator - Google Patents

Description

July 1957 R. J.'HARKENRIDER 2,798,776

CORE FOR JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed Oct. 13. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVENTOR.

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y 9, 1957 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,798,776

CORE FOR JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed Oct. 13, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

U ited States. Patent 2,793,776 j j CORE FOR JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Application October 13, 1954,.Serial No. 462,088-

6 Claims. or. 308-443) The present invention relates to a core for journal lubricators, and more particularly, a core for a journal box packing assembly of the type disclosed in several of my copending applications, for instance, applications Serial Number 345,552, filed March 30, 1953, which matured into Patent No. 2,747,952 on May 29, 1956, and Serial Number 367,321, filed July 10, 1953, which matured into Patent No. 2,762,667 on September 11, 1956.

It is highly important in the operation of railway cars that a sufiicient quantity of lubricant at all times be supplied to the journal. In the past it has been common practice to pack the journal box with waste and provide a quantity of oil in the bottom of the journal box from which oil is lifted to the journal by capillary action. While waste in itself has been generally accepted as a satisfactory lubricator for railway car journal boxes, it has been found that the human element involved in the servicing of journal boxes has resulted in an excessive number of hot boxes. That is, the excessive number of hot boxes has been found to be caused largely due to the lack of, or hurried, or improper, servicing of journal boxes; not infrequently hot boxes have resulted when inexperienced men are assigned to oil and reset the packmg.

In my above-identified copending applications, I disclose a journal box packing in the form of a package which may be readily installed in the journal box in proper relation to the journal and the oil cellar by even the most inexperienced, and which requires a minimum of servicing. Each package includes a loop of fabric or the like as a carrier, a layer of waste or yarn on the outside or both the outside andinside of the carrier, having threads interlaced with or through the carrier and made fast to it, and a resilient core within the carrier distending it and furnishing, with the aid of springs, if so desired, the appropriate pressure for applying the waste to the journal.

The present invention relates to an improved core for use with the carrier and layer or layers of waste to form the lubricator package described in my aforementioned applications.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a core for a journal lubricator package which is oil resistant, and which is sufliciently resilient to constantly maintain the blanket or layer of waste surrounding the package in firm engagement with the journal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a core for a journal lubricator which is sufficiently stiff to resist forces tending to bend the lubricator about its middle, thus providing a lubricator which tends to maintain itself in position within the journal box once it has been correctly inserted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a core having a novel type of distending spring or springs and wherein novel means are provided for securing the springs within the core.

According to one embodiment of the invention I pro- 2,798,776 Patented July 9, 1957 ing a plurality of lengthwise layers of resilient material bonded together, with the respective layers being separated from each other by a sheet or strip of relatively inflexible material, such as cloth impregnated with Hycar latex or phenolicresins. Each of the layerscomprises a resilientbody which may be of resilient. fibers, such as fiber glass yarn or natural hair, interlaced in a resilient wool-likemass, with individual layers having been dipped in Hycar latex or phenolic resins to bind the individual fibers together and to make them oil resistant. The entire assembly is cored out from its upper and lower sides and a double conical spring is inserted; core plugs are positioned within the cores and are bonded in place to hold the springs in position. a

It will be appreciated that the presentinvention has certain inherent advantages. For instance, a pad assembly or lubricator package including the herein disclosed resilientcore has excellent resiliency in a vertical direction which insures that the Waste blanket will always be properly applied against the journal, and'yet it is resistant to compression in a horizontal direction. Furthermore, it does not yield readily to forces which tend to bend the pad assembly or lubricator package about its longitudinal center line, thus preventing displacement of the pad assembly when once positioned in the journal box. i

In addition to the foregoing, it is an object of the present. invention to provide a resilient core of the character defined which is economical of manufacture, convenient in use, and capable of ready incorporation in lubricator packages, for instance, of the type disclosed in my aforementioned copending applications.

Other objects and advantages of the. present invention will become apparent as the disclosure of a preferred embodiment is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross section through a journal box and an axle. journal equipped with a lubricator package including the resilient core of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the journal boxand packing shown in Figure 1, along the axis of the axle; a

Figure 3 is a vertical section through one of the double conical springs of the core, showing only the core body;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, with the lower half of the core being broken away and with the illustrated core plug partially removed, and

Figure 5 is an attempt to illustrate the manner in which the individual fibers of the core are bonded together.

In Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 10indicates a conventional journal box on a conventional axle journal 11 with a package of packing generally indicated at 12 in place between the lower portion of the axle journal and the. bottom of the journal box in what. is commonly referred to as the oil cellar of the journal box. As disclosed in my aforementioned applications, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in the interests of brevity, one way of making the package of packing includes forming a rectangular blank of laminated waste blanket into a loop 13 with its end portions brought together and secured to one side of a loop of canvas or the like 15 by stitching or cementing, or both. The waste blanket may be treated with an adhesive 16 to fasten the waste threads to the underside of the blanket and to form a pan or basin for a reservoir of lubricating oil, substantially as described in my aforesaid application Serial No. 367,321. r v

-The resulting subassembly oroil applicator is thus prepared to receive a resilient core 18, such as the core Yide a resilient core of generally elliptical shape compriscomprising the present invention, by which the blanket a material is distended and held in its place between the axle journal and the journal box.

In Figure 3 a resilient core 18 of elliptical form is illustrated, which is very satisfactory for making a reversible packing package that may be used first with the side shown uppermost in Figure 1 against the axle journal, and later reversed to bring the other side against the axle journal.

After inserting the core 18, the end portions of the strap 15 may be folded as indicated in Figure 2 and fastened together at 19by stitching, or the like, which closes the strip on the resilient core and forms a handle 20 for the package.

It is to be understood, however, that Figures 1 and 2 are provided for illustrative purposes only, and the use of the resilient core 16 is not limited to the package diagrammatically illustrated therein.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 3, 4, and

- the resilient core 18 comprising the present invention is made up of a series of flat pads or layers 22. Each pad or layer has inherent resiliency and may be composed of a plurality of resilient fibers 24 interlaced in a resilient wool-like mass. Fibrous material such as glass fiber yarn or curled natural hair is satisfactory for this purpose. Preferably, each pad is dipped in Hycar latex or a phenolic resin to bond the individual fibers together and to make them oil resistant. Such bonding is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 5 wherein fibers 24 are joined together at 26 by drops of the latex or resin. The joining together of the individual fibers is important as it fixes the individual fibers to the core, insures that the distribution of the fibers will remain equal throughout the individual layers 22 during the life thereof and there fore insures that the resiliency of each layer will be substantially uniform through the respective layers.

The individual layers 22 are separated'by and respectively bonded to sheets or strips 28 of relatively stiff fabric. The sheets or strips 28 may take the form of a cloth of a suitable grade impregnated with Hycar latex or phenolic resins, with the individual layers 22 bonded to the sheets or strips by similar or equivalent substances. After the pads are secured to the sheets or strips 28, the core may be trimmed to the elliptical form shown in Figure 3.

The pad assembly comprising the core 18 is cored out at the upper and lower sides thereof, as at 30, and a. double conical spring 32 is inserted. Plugs 34, which may be the portions of the core 18 removed to position the spring 32 within the pad assembly 18 as shown in Figure 4, or may be bodies of fibrous material 36, similar in composition to the individual layers 22 but not laminated, as shown in Figure 3, are inserted and bonded in place with either Hycar latex or phenolic resins. Preferably the bonded position of plugs 34 is such that the outer surface thereof merges smoothly into the surrounding surface of the core 18.

When a package embodying the resilient core of the present invention is put to use, the package is compressed and inserted lengthwise under the journal in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The superposed layers of fibrous material in the core act to distend the blanket 13, particularly where needed most, that is, upwardly and downwardly (in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2), thereby constantly urging the applicator surface of the blanket against the lower surface of the journal. It has been found that the degree of resiliency of the core in the vertical plane is such that it is impossible for the applicator surface of the blanket 13 to lose contact with the journal due to such factors as sag or lifting of the journal with respect to the oil cellar. The relatively stiff sheets or strips 28 provide a horizontal strengthening factor which prevents bending of the core about its middle. This factor insures that once the package is positioned as shown in Figures land 2, the package will resist sidewise forces which tend to double it up in the middle and would tend to work it up into the upper portion of the journal boxes and out of contact with the oil in the oil cellar. The heretofore described manner of securing the springs 32 within the core insures that the springs move with the core body and not against it or apart from it thereby preventing deterioration of the fibrous material adjacent the spring and consequent lessening of the distending action of the lubricator core.

It will be observed that the resilient core of this invention is symmetrical in form and is adapted to be reversed; i. e., after one side of the lubricator has been used in contact with the journal bearing, the entire lubricator may be removed and turned upside down for application of the other side to the hearing.

The double conical springs 32 are employed in place of cylindrical springs for the reason that they permit the core to be more readily compressed to a small dimension for ready insertion into, and removal from, their operative position within the journal box. The fibrous pad material 22 is sufiiciently yieldable to permit the double conical springs to be inserted from either side of the cored out portion without difficulty. Preferably, the double conical springs are made of phosphor bronze, so that there is no opportunity for the journal to be scored in the event of breakage of a spring or the penetration of a spring through a blanket which has been worn thin. Preferably, the wire diameter for thesprings 32 is approximately sixty thousandths of an inch.

The resilient fibrous material constituting the pads 22 may be of natural hair, such as pig bristles, horsehair, or the like, and a product known as Hairflex, manufactured by Armour & Company of Chicago, Illinois, is satisfactory. The pads may also be made of glass fibers, and a product known in the trade as Swirl Mat Glass, manufactured by Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. of Toledo, Ohio, would be one satisfactory type of this kind of material.

The sheets or strips 28 may be eight-ounce duck, heavy cotton press cloth, burlap, or the like.

The Hycar latex into which the layers or pads 22 are dipped refers to a synthetic rubber made from petroleum by B. F. Goodrich Company under the trade name Hycar. The same latex may be used to secure the layers or pads 22 to the sheets or strips 28.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention, and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except in so far as the appended claims are so limited since those skilled in the art who may have my disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a lubricator for a car journal adapted to be mounted in a journal box and rest upon the floor of the oil cellar therein, the combination of a resilient core and an oil absorbent material mounted on the top side of the core and adapted to be resiliently pressed into contact with the car journal by said resilient core, said resilient core comprising a body of resilient fibers interlaced in a wool-like mass, with the individual fibers being bonded together, at least one layer of relatively inflexible material extending lengthwise of the body, and at least one double conical spring extending transversely of the body and urging the core toward distended position.

2. In a lubricator for a car journal adapted to be mounted in a journal box and rest upon the floor of the oil cellar therein, the combination of a resilient core and an oil absorbent material mounted on the top side of the core and adapted to be resiliently pressed into contact with the car journal by said resilient core, said resilient core comprising a plurality of lengthwise layers bonded together, each layer composed mainly of glass fibers interlaced in a resilient wool-like mass, a plurality of sheets of relatively inflexible material bonding said layers together, and at least one double conical spring extending transversely of the core and urging the core toward distended position.

3. In a lubricator for a car journal adapted to be mounted in a journal box and rest upon the floor of the oil cellar therein, the combination of a resilient core and an oil absorbent material mounted on the top side of the core and adapted to be resiliently pressed into contact with the car journal by said resilient core, said resilient core comprising a plurality of lengthwise layers bonded together, each layer comprising a body of resilient fibers interlaced in a Wool-like mass, with the individual fibers being bonded together, a sheet of relatively inflexible material separating each of said layers, a series of double conical helical springs extending transversely of the core and urging the core toward distended position, and a fibrous plug positioned within each of said springs and bonded to said core.

4. A journal box packing, comprising, in combination, a resilient core encircled by a flexible envelope, said core comprising a plurality of lengthwise layers bonded together, each of said layers being composed mainly of resilient fibers interlaced in a wool-like mass, and at least one relatively inflexible sheet extending lengthwise through said core.

5. A core for a journal box packing, comprising a plurality of layers of resilient fibers, with the fibers of each layer being interlaced in a wool-like mass, said layers being separated by and respectively bonded to relatively inflexible strips, said core having a generally ohlong transverse cross sectional configuration and said strips extending generally parallel to the major axis thereof.

6. In a lubricator for a car journal adapted to be mounted in a journal box and rest upon the floor of the oil cellar therein, the combination of a resilient core and an oil absorbent material mounted on the top side of the core and adapted to be resiliently pressed into contact with the car journal by said resilient core, said core comprising a plurality of superposed layers of resilient material bonded together with at least some of said layers being interspersed with relatively stiff sheets extending lengthwise through the core and substantially the entire width of the core, whereby the core when in operative position beneath the car journal is resistive to lateral creepage along the floor of the box and upwardly along the side of the journal due to the stiffness afforded to the core by said relatively stiff sheets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 91,000 Devlan June 8, 1869 228,337 Flynt June 1, 1880 590,328 Muller Sept. 21, 1897 1,810,443 Steurs June 16, 1921 2,115,457 Cunningham et a1. Apr. 26, 1938 2,565,941 Barnard Aug. 28, 1951 2,600,843 Bush June 17, 1952 2,657,959 Sockwell Nov. 3, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES Perfect Journal Lubrication, June 1, 1937, published by Lubrication Products Co.

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