US2801138A - Journal box packing - Google Patents

Description

July so, 1957 Filed Burgh 26. 1954 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,801,138

JOURNAL BOX PACKING 6 Sheets-'Sheet l IN VEN TOR. fmzfmmm July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRIDER JOURNAL. Box PACKING 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed latch 26, 1954 INVENTOR. l .n

July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRIDER .2,801,138 v JOURNAL BOX PACKING Fild latch 26, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,801,138

JOURNAL. BOX PACKING Filed 11m-cn 26, 1954 s sheets-sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

July 30, 1957 R. .1. HARKENmm-:R l 2,801,138

JOURNAL BOX PACKING Filed Haren 26, 1954 v s sheets-sheet 5 44/ INVENTOR.

July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRlDER JOURNAL Box PACKING 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed llarch 26, 1954 United States Patent JOURNAL Box PACKING Robert .LHarkenrider, Winona, Minn., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Miller Lubricator Company, Winona, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Appncafion March 26, 1954, serial No. 419,029

a claims. (C1. sos- 243) Conventional journal box packing is waste threads of wool or cotton, or both, specied by A. A. R. Mechanical Division Manual A-905, and the standard practice of applying it to a journal box is specilied by the same manual L-34.

The material and its application to journal boxes has been in common use for many years attended by many objections and difficulties. The increased speed and mileage of freight cars has so multiplied those things as to result in an emergency for different and better journal box packing.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome the past difficulties and to obtain substantial uniformity of packing and lubrication with freedom from waste grab, hot boxes, etc.

Generally speaking, this is accomplished by providing packing in packages of uniform size `and other characteristics, and that are readily installed in the journal boxes in proper relation to the journal and the oil cellar.

Each package includes a loop of fabric or sheet as a carrier, a uniform layer of waste or yarn on the loop having threads interlaced with or through it and made fast to it, and a resilient core having a high compression factor in the loop distending it and furnishing it with appropriate pressure to apply the waste to the journal;

The best way to get a uniform layer of wastefor an applicator is to card the waste and interlace it with a fabric or other sheet as or just after it is delivered from the carding machine or waste puller, although other machines will feed waste or yarn in a usable layer for nterlacing it with the fabric.

Interlacing well done will fasten most of the waste threads against being pulled out by the journal, but additional fastening withvan adhesive on the inside of the carrier adds an important and desirable factor of safety against waste grab, and also adds an oilbarrier to form a reserve pool of oil directly beneath the journal.

Heavy, open weave cotton cloth, similar to laundry bag cloth, makes a good carrier for journal box waste. The main fabric may be supplemented by a thin sheet including or receiving the adhesive.

A variety of woven or sheeted materials will serve for the carrier in whole or in part, and many bers laced or interlaced through or with the carrier and made fast with adhesive will serve; but a loop of open weave cotton on the order of laundry bag cloth having a layer of journal box waste outside and inside with the threads interlaced through and made fast with an oil resistant adhesive on the inside of the loop is preferred.

v 'Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross section through a journal box and an laxle journal equipped with a packing embodying the invention;

' Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the journal boxand a packing along the axis of the axle;

ice

' to show the different characteristics of the several layers;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one form of resilient core;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another form of resilient core;

Fig. 8 is a broken view indicating one method of fastening the envelope to the core;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the strips used in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a strap or handle used with the package;

Fig. 11 is a cross section ofan alternative form of core;

Y Figs. 12 and 13 are cross sections through journal boxes equipped with packing embodying this invention, Fig. l2 having a resilient core like that shown in Fig.- 6 and Fig. 13 having a resilient core like that shownin Fig. 7; and

Figs. 14 and 15 are cross sections similar to Figs. 12 and 13 including an alternative form of envelope.

But these drawings are for the purpose of illustrative disclosure only, and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 10 indicates generally a conventional journal box on a conventional axle journal 11 with a packing generally indicated by 12 in place between the lower portion of the journal and the bottom of the journal box in what is commonly referred to as the oil cellar of the journal box.

In one way of making the package or packing embodying this invention, a rectangular blank of laminated waste blanket is formed into a loop as indicated at 13 (Fig. 3) with its end portions brought together and made fast at 14. The edges of the blank are bound as indicated at 15, which may be done by putting it through an edging or edge stitching machine.

Such a loop or sub-assembly 13 receives a resilient core 16 by which the blanket material is distended and held in place between the axle journal and the journal box.

In Fig. 3, the resilient core 16 is shown generally elliptical in form, which is very satisfactory for making a reversible packing package that may be used, first, with the side shown uppermost in Fig. 3 against the axle journal, and later reversed to bring the other side against the journal.

For packages not to be reversed,` the core and consequently the package are shaped more nearly like a bow or semi-elliptical and of size suitable for filling the space between the lower side of the journal and the bottom and adjacent sides of the oil cellar.

Carding machines and waste pullers delivering a layer of carded waste substantially uniform have long been familiar.4 Machines for hooking the waste to the fabric are known.

As the layer or layers of Waste and fabric go through a hooking machine, they pass over a hooking plate, where they are subjected to the action of a multitude of hooked needles reciprocating up and down.

The carding machine delivers the layer of waste in substantially uniform thickness and with the waste threads extending generally lengthwise to the layer, although the natural Wave of the threads makes them depart from strict parallelism to the direction in which the sheet is delivered.

As the layer of Waste and fabric go through the action of the hooked needles, many of the waste threads are caught by the hooks and pulled downwardly in loops through the remainder of the layer of waste and through the fabric, and formed into loops below the fabric. In some instances, the waste threads will be caught near the top of the layer-in others, deeper into the layer-but the overall effect is to hookindividual threadsV of waste through the mass of waste and the fabric andA not only fasten those particular threads but associated threads into a blanket in which, generally speaking, all the threads aremade feast against being pulled out in service.V

During` this hookingV operation withlwaste and openV weave cotton like laundry bag cloth, the weave is tightened or shrunk by the interlacing of the threads which are thereby brought into intimate contact with the threads of the cloth in such a way as to promote ready transfer of oil from the cloth to the wasteV threads. ,Y

The number of needles, the spacing of the needles, and the number of passes through the blanket per unit of length determine how thoroughly the threads of waste are` interlaced through the blanket from side to side.

Y In many instances, the loops pull through the fabric r' interlace-below so as to actually knit the Whole together.4 K n In Figsj.-v 4 and 5, 17 indicates a relatively thick layer ofwaste interlaced with a wove'n carrier cloth 18 and a relatively thin layer 19 of waste. The three layers are thoroughly fastened together by the intel-lacing of waste threads.V The Vthinner layer 19 may be formed entirely by hooking threads throughl the fabric from the thicker layer 11,'an`d iti can be in part formed by feeding a thin layer of carded waste underthe carrier cloth before reaching" the hooking machine or in a supplementary or preliminary hooking machine. The relative thickness of the t'wo layersv of waste is a matter of choice.

The specifications for new wastefor journal box packing issued by the Association of American Railroads requiresY that the waste be double machined and thoroughly delinted to remove fly and short ends. Those things, together with the specifications for quality and minimum length, insure thatV the laminatedblanket shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is composed in the main of waste as specified so interlaced inthe several laminations that each and every thread of. that waste is made fast, and the entire blanket is free from objectionable lint and short ends. The use cnf-'suchv a laminated blanket in a packing as described insures that, no matter what Vthe weatherV conditions, thereis only a remote chance of the journal being able tozp'ull a portion of the thread from the applicator and take it under the journal bearing. This distinguishes the packing of the. present invention from the prior packing that `has beenY in common usefor many years with the attendant objections.

However, according to this invention, the inner or lower side of the thinner layer of waste is preferably treated with an adhesive 20 to fasten at the under side ofthe blanket all threads that go through to the under side of the blanket.

. In addition, that adhesive forms a sort of pan or basinV under the journal for a reservoir of lubricating oil that will not drain away While the car ,is still for a considerable period.

That adhesive may be made of any appropriate material, many of which are known as rubber-base cements. They may be used in powder form, sheet form, or liquid. Many of the so-called synthetic rubbers are appropriate-for example, synthetic rubber made from petroleum by B. F. GoodrichChemical Company, Akron, Ohio.

Hycar latex No. 1552, type OR-25, thickened with about 12% ammonium casein solution is very satis- Y factory.

Hycar 15617type OR-15 latex has superior resistance to oil, and provides a more uniform layer, which does not penetrate the blanket unduly.

Y Other suitable synthetic rubbers are described in Materials Handbook by Brady, 1941, McGraw-Hill, p. 523.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the blanket is provided with an additional fabric 21, and the adhesive layer is applied to that fabric as well as the interlaced threads.

This further insures that the adhesive will not penetrate so far into the blanket as to interfere with the proper capillary action. When properly applied, the adhesive is coniined to the lower side of the waste layer 19 and the fabric 21.

Leno weave netting, commonly known as onion-bag material, has been found satisfactory for the supplemental fabric 2l. Alternative material made from sisal fibers is also good.

The supplemental fabric adds materially to the strength of the blanket and enables the lubricator to hold its shape for extended periods of time inV rough service in the journal box. The addition of the supplementary cloth also permits a much more uniform lmof adhesive to be applied to the back of the blanket, effecting a saving in the costly Hycar material.

Y Preferably the applicator surface of the waste` package has the' threads running generally parallel toV the axis of the journal with which it is to be used, so that when the journal is reversed in direction of rotation kthere is some turning of the threads] that presents new surfaces to the journalv and retards or eliminates glazing.

The use of the laminatedY blanket, such as described, keeps the waste in place and makes it possible to'use a' smaller quantity of waste than required when the journal box is packed as recommended by the Association of American Railroads. Y l

About 141/2 ounces'of laminated waste blanket is suicientI for a package to be used in a 6" X ll journal box, Whereas the ordinary way of packing su'ch a package takes about two pounds of waste.

The resilient core The resilient core can be'madeV -of al variety of materials and many-diiferent constructions, but all are characterized by having a plurality of parallel contiguousl tubes of oil-resistant,- rubber-likev material arranged in Ywhat may generally be termed a honeycomb.

In Fig. -6, there is illustrated a coreV 30 composed mainly of a stack of like parallel, circular tubes 31 vulcanized together at adjacent surfaces 32; Thisc'ore is conveniently made by extruding the tubes simultaneously or'separately, bringing themV together while uncured, and curing them. The tendencyY to collapse canV be controlled by injecting air or-otherv fluidunder pressure,

In Fig. 7, Vthere is illustrated a core- 33; alsogcomposed mainlyv of a stack of like parallel tubes, but in this` instance each tube has-wall-po'rtions in common with other tubes 34 andintegrial with them atthe adjoining corners 35. This Vcore is' conveniently made, by extruding in one piece', whereby theI cellular structurel is entirely in'- tegral and the' distribution of material makes it possible to have an extremely light, springy element with a strong resistance to deforming under pressure'V and a high Yrecovery upon release, even after beingcompressed for a long time under adverse temperature conditions.

Corescorresponding to that shown inFig.- 7 can be made-in a greatvariety offorms Almost any-polygonal formlcan be thus-extruded, whether regular, irregular, right angulanror otherwise. v i A Y Of the many polygonal andY generally polygonal forms which` may lend themselves to the application of theinvention, the equila'teral hexagonyis chosen becausey it lends itself so readily to`- making cores, and itY has a structure particularly adapted for this purpose;V Its springin'ess'is- Very well suited to the` needs of holding the applicator against the journal inv spite of all the vibration,- presence` of o il,` cold and other conditionsthat Gbtain'in the journal, bOX.- Y Y j The production of the extruded core is the subject of a companion application, Ser; No. 418,442, led March 24, 1954, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference. 'The material used is an oil-resistant,

`rubber-like material, such as Hycar, a product of B.,F,.

rcore 36 composed mainly of parallel tubes 37 of polygonal cross section having common Walls and integral at the intersections or corners 38 of those Walls. It is readily extruded.

The extruded cores may be, and preferably are, made in one piece; and they are preferred to the form shown in Fig. 6 because `of the different strength qualities as well as the ease of manufacture.

One of the advantages of the multi-tubular core is the fact that the packing assembly, when subjected to a transverse force, compresses easily and fully to a small dimension, but does not bulge sidewise on application of endwise pressure when, for instance, the packing is being inserted into the journal box.

There are several reasons for this desirable trait. For

one thing, the tubes of the cores extend longitudinally :over the total space occupied by the core in its unstressed position, and actually occupies a relatively small percentage thereof. This permits the core to be compressed almost tlat, for instance, to less than one-tenth of its size; and yet it takes no set.

The longitudinally extending tube construction of the core is significant for another reason. When a packing containing the core is installed in a journal box, the relatively small space between the end ange of the journal and the front of the journal box (see, for instance, Figure 2) requires that the end of the. core take a substantial portion of this pressure. The longitudinally extending interconnecting walls of the core prevent the material forming the core from bulging `outwardly at the sides and edges of the core under this endwise pressure against the core. This permits the packing to slip into place without having to jack the box, contrary to practice when installing most lubricators.

The reason for this appears to be that endwise pressure yon the interconnecting walls places the walls under offsetting tension and compression forces, thereby eliminating the tendency of the outer surface of the core to r bend or bulge sidewise of the packing. Referring to Figure 7, for instance, application of endwise pressure to one of the three walled corners may place two of the walls in compression and the third wall in tension, or vice versa, whereby the tendency of the corner 35 to buckle under endwise pressure is resisted. This makes the core relatively stiff longitudinally (which may be called columnar rigidity), but permits the sidewise springiness required to press the packing applicator surface against the journal.

Fastening the envelope to the core It is necessary to fasten the resilient core in the laminated envelope 13, and, while this may be done in a variety of ways, it is simply and effectively accomplished by using a strip or strips of cloth tape (Fig. 9) cemented or vulcanized to the core at 41 (Fig. 8), and sewed, cemented, yor vulcanized to the end portions of the laminated envelope at 42. The showing in Fig. 8 is, rof course, diagrammatic and distorted to indicate a long area of contact between the strip 40 and the core and end contacts between the strip and the envelope. In one form that has been found satisfactory, one strip above and another below are sut`n`cient.

Handle or strap When the package embodying this invention is to be put to use, it is compressed and worked down under the journal int-o the position shown in several of the igures. Once in that position, the resilient core holds it in plac'e and prevents it from working out of the correct position.

In order to make it easy to remove the package from the journal box, it is provided with a strap 44 (Fig. 10) fabricated of oil resisting rubber-like materials and canvas or jute webbing, and made fast to the lubricator package substantially throughout the length of the latter and extending well toward the entrance to the journal box, as illustrated in Fig. 2, where it is provided with an opening 45 to receive a hook similar to that ordinarily found on the box packers tool and by which the entire package may be withdrawn from the journal box.

In order to insure that the strap 44 is suciently exible to bend as the package is put into or pulled out of the outer position, its lower surface is provided with a series of notches or grooves 46.

The projecting portion of the strap 44 is provided on its upper side with a legend giving the size of the journal box in which it is to be usedy and directions This side up; and it may be well toalso mark the other side Bottom.

In the cross section shown in Fig. 12, the lubricator package includes an envelope 13 with a core' 30. corresponding to that shown in Fig. 6, in which the tubes are distorted due to the compression necessary in the restricted space between the lower side 1of the journal and the bottom of the journal box.

in the cross section shown in Fig. 13, the lubricator package includes an envelope 13 and a resilient core 33 corresponding to that shown in Fig. 7 distorted for the reasons indicated above.

in both Figs. l2 and 13, the strap or handle 44 is shown as secured to the outside of the envelope 13 at the bottom, which may be done by vulcanizing, stitching, or both, or any other suitable means.

In the cross section shown in Fig. 14, the package includes an envelope S0 corresponding to the envelope 13 on the upper side, but having no waste attached to the lower portion 51. Instead, the carrier cloth 18 is left bare and long enough to extend from the area indicated by 52 to the middle of the box and back to 52 again. In other words, the laminated portion of the basic material has a sort of selvage of the woven fabric 18 wide enough to fold and extend from the area 52 to the middle of the box.

This construction has the advantage of using less cotton waste and 'leaving the capillary action of the woven material free from any diverting ow that might occur in the form shown in Figs. 12 and 13, to the end that the lift of oil charged into the oil cellar is more rapid than when the envelope has waste all the way around.

In Fig. 14, the strap 44 is shown attached to the upper side of the envelope at the bottom of the package and overlapping the joint between the two sides of the selvage to which it is secured by vulcanizing, stitching, or both, or otherwise.

Fig. 15 corresponds to Fig. 14 except that the core 33 corresponds to that shown in Fig. 7 instead of that shown in Fig. 6.

In one form that has been found satisfactory, the resilient core is composed of 58 hexagonal tubes on the order of W16 in size with wall thickness on the order yof .020.

The strap 44 is approximately g" thick by 2" Wide, and stiffer than belting of those dimensions. It is molded to rit the contour of the bottom Wall of the journal box substantially as shown in Fig. 2 and assists in holding the package in place.

The strips 40 are 21/2" nylon webbing 20 mils thick with a tensile strength on the order of 1200 pounds.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my applications Serial No. 345,552, tiled March 30, 1953, now Patent No. 2,747,952, and Serial No. 367,321, filed July l0, 1953, now Patent No. 2,762,667.

I claim; A

1. Infa'lubriator 'for a car journal, adapted to be mounted in a journal b ox and rest upon the oor of the oilcellar therein, the .combination of a resilient core, an oil-absorbent material mounted on the top side of the ,core and adapted Vto be resiliently pressed into contact .with the car journal by said resilient core, and capillary means for lifting oil from Vthe oil cellar to said oilabsor-bent material, said core being made of oil-resistant, rubber-like material and comprising Va plurality of parallel tubes arranged in contiguous relation to provide a honeycomb structure, the depth of said tubes being many Ytimes ,greater than the thickness ofthe tube Walls, whereby the core may be compressed vertically to a small fraction of its free ,heighttorfacilitate ,the ready insertion Yand removal of the lubricator from the journalbox.

2. A lubricator as Vset forth in claim 1 in which `the core an extruded member having a'single wall thickness between vthe contiguous tubes.

Y `3. vA lubricator as set forth in claim l in which contiguous Vtubes have common Walls having a wall thickness Vontherorder of .about .020'I and with the depth oi the Vtubes 'being on'the order of 9/13". A i '4, A lubricator asset forth in claim l in which said capillary means is looped about the core and comprises a/wo'ven cloth'of capillary `material having its ends positioned adjacent each other at ther'bottorn of the lubricator, and a strap overlappingrand secured to the contiguous ends-of said cloth, said strap extending forwardly of the capillary means to form a handle.

5. In a lubricator for a car journal adapted to be mounted in `a journal box and rest upon the floor of the Yoil' cellar therein, the combination of a resilient core, an

oil-absorbent material mounted on the top side of the core and adapted to be resiliently pressed into contact withthe car journal by said resilient core, capillary means for lifting oilfrom the oil Acellar Vto said oil-absorbentman bricator, said strap being provided with transversenotches Perfect Journal Lubrication.

along a .portion of its secured 'length to facilitate bending of the strap in the area of the notches during the insertion and removal of the lubricator from the journal box, Y A

6. A lubricator as set forth in claim v2 in which the tubes are of hexagonal cross-sectional shape.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Y 91,000 'Devlan lune 8, 368,937 Flynt Aug. 30, V1887 1,825,827 Smith Oct. 6, `1931 2,079,734 Ditmore May 11, 1937 2,100,492 Sindler Nov. 30, 1937 2,115,457 Cunningham Apr. 26,1938 2,180,304 Minor Nov. 14, 1939 2,213,028 Y Kraft Aug. 27, 1940 2,298,986 Taylor et al. Oct. 13, 1942 2,348,911 Korn May 16, 1944 2,369,006 Banks Feb. 6, 1945 2,454,354 Stiles 'Nov, 23, 1948 2,672,672 Shaw Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 643,541 Germany Apr. 10, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES Advertisement by Lubrication Products Co. entitled,

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