US2936202A

US2936202A - Lubricating pad for railway car journal

Info

Publication number: US2936202A
Application number: US617405A
Authority: US
Inventors: Franklin D Barber
Original assignee: Standard Car Truck Co
Current assignee: Standard Car Truck Co
Priority date: 1956-10-22
Filing date: 1956-10-22
Publication date: 1960-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 1977-05-10

Description

May 10, 1960 R 2,936,202

LUBRICATING PAD FOR RAILWAY CAR JOURNAL Filed Oct. 22, 1956 2 sheetgheet 1 t n g x \V \Y; m 3 I? J 2 I at w I k 3 m I 2 a g i g l J 5 i \G K a 5 1 Q g E 5 g s al E E 61 6 \lo I I F v I "s f 1 X m 1 \Q Q I I 9 i Inventor FRANKLN D. BARBER May L0, 1960 F. D. BARBER LUBRICATING PAD FOR RAILWAY CAR JOURNAL Filed QGC. 22, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 eflicient railway service.

United States Patent LUBRICATING PAD FOR RAILWAY CAR JOURNAL Franklin D. Barber, Flossmoor, 11L, assignor to Standard Car Truck Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 22, 1956, Serial No. 617,405

Claims. (Cl. 308243) The present invention relates to improvements in journal lubricating means for journal bearings of the type associated with railway car trucks.

The lubrication of railway car journal bearings has heretofore presented numerous problems in railway car operation. The usual method of lubrication has entailed the use of oil-soaked waste which is packed into the journal boxes in such a manner that the waste makes contact with the underneath side of the journal, whereby the lubricant brought into contact with the journal by capillary or wick action is carried by rotation of the journal into contact with the bearing element or brass which normally seats on the upper portion of the journal. Attempts have been made to improve railway car lubrication and pads or other lubricant applying devices have been substituted for the usual cotton waste material.

Such lubricant supplying devices have not been alt-ogether satisfactory and have not avoided the frequent occurrence of hot boxes which is the cause of expensive damage to the journals as well as of annoying delays in Such hot boxes are frequently caused by the migration of strands of the cotton waste into the space existing between the journal and its bear- ;ing. member or brass, such inclusion of the waste being within the reservoir toward the underneath surface of the journal and ultimately applies a uniform and thin film .of the lubricant to the rotating journal by a continuous process whereby the journal is adequately supplied with lubricantat all times.

- The provision of a lubricating assembly of the character briefly set forth above being among the principal objects of the invention, a further object is to provide such an assembly which, in addition to its lubricating function, further serves to filter or otherwise exclude the lubricant reservoir from the ingress of dust or other foreign matter, thus augmenting the action of the usual dust guard ordinarily associated with such lubricant reservoirs.

; A still further object of the invention is to provide a self-contained lubricating assembly of this sort which, when inserted within the lubricant reservoir, will readily assume the shape of the reservoir and completely fill the same while at the same time closely hugging the underneath side of the rotating journal and offering thereto an effective capillary action whereby the lubricant is continuously drawn into contact with the-journal.

Yet another object, in a lubricating assembly of this 2,936,202 Patented May 10, 1960 character, is to provide a novel form of sealing element which closely hugs the inside shoulder of the journal axle and seals the same against the transverse passage of dust, dirt or other foreign matter along the axle and into the bearing space of the journal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will become more readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially centrally through a conventional journal box of a railway car truck showing the improved lubricating means of the present invention operatively applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a short length of wick material employed in connection with the present invention, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to Fig. 1, the journal box of a railway car truck is designated in its entirety at 10 and provides the usual lubricant reservoir 11 within which the lubricating means of the present invention is operatively installed. The journal box 10 is of conventional construction and may be formed integrally with the side frames 12 and 13 of the car truck. An end opening 14 is closed by a journal box lid 15 hingedly mounted on a bolt 16 carried in a pair of lugs 17 at the upper end of the journal box 10.

The journal box 10 is formed with a circular opening 20 adapted to receive the journal 21 of a wheel axle 22. A dust guard bearing 23 formed on the axle between

shoulders

24 and 25 is fitted with a conventional split dust guard 26 inserted in the usual dust guard slot 27 formed in the journal box 10.

The load on the side frames 12 and 13 is distributed by a wedge 28 onto a journal bearing or brass 29 which rests on the top of the journal 21. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wedge 28 is disposed between shoulders 30 and 31 formed on the journal box 10 and between

vertical sides

32 and 33 thereof. The bearing brass is limited in its endwise movement on the journal 21 between the shoulder 25 and a collar 34 formed at the end of the journal. Sidewise movement of the brass is limited by the

journal box sides

32 and 33.

As previously set forth, journal box constructions have heretofore been packed with oil soaked waste which contacted the underneath side of the journal so that the rotating journal would pick up a thin film of the lubricant from the waste to maintain lubrication between the bearing brass and the journal. According to the present invention improved lubricant supplying means is provided within the journal box for maintaining a constant supply of the lubricant in the form of a film to the journal in a manner that will now be set forth in detail. The present lubricant supplying means is in the form of a unitary lubricating assembly 40 capable of insertion through the end opening into the lubricant reservoir 11 and beneath the journal 21 for wiping contact with the latter. The assembly 40 involves in its general organization a flexible deformable bagor pillow-like structure which, in its free state, may be substantially ilat and generally rectangular in both longitudinal and transverse cross-section but which is readily deformable and is voir 11 defined by the more or less semi-cylindrical concentric surfaces of the reservoir bottom and the lower half of the rotating journall21.

The bag-like structure 40 comprises an outer dual ithickness fabric covering and an inner core or filling of 'copper mesh wadding together with aligning, reinforcing .and centering means, as well as with capillary wick structure as will appear presently. The dual thickness covering includes an outer woven fabric jacket 42 which may be of relatively heavy cotton strands resembling twine and an inner layer 43 of less heavy cotton material such as canvas, the two layers of material being suitably stitched along their own seams as well as being stitched together at appropriate regions, the nature of the stitching being immaterial except insofar as the ultimate generally rectangular shape of the stitched structure is concerned. Disposed within the confines of the inner fabric layer 43 are a number of wads 39 of flexible material. These wads are similar in size to a mans fist and may be made of expanded metal or intertwined plastic or metal threads. They have resilience but are sufiiciently stiff to retain their shape under moderate pressure. These wads possess the advantage that they are readily flexible and do not become intertangled with each other when a number of them are packed together in the manner in which they are packed into the covering 42, 43 during the manufacture of the lubricating units 40. For this reason the wads may be uniformly packed into the bag covering with no regions of unequal density and when the bag as a whole is distorted from its flat condition so as to assume the curved outline of the reservoir bottom wall and underneath side of the journal 21, the various wads 29 will distribute themselves uniformly and the entire mass will become equalized and homogeneous. Additionally, since the material of the individual wads present no sharp or cutting edges, there will be no danger of the individual strands of the wadded material cutting through or otherwise rupturing the dual thickness covering 4 2, 43.

Expanded metal mesh material such as copper, stainless steel or aluminum are preferred for use. Such material is well known in the art and the same is to be distinguished from ordinary metal wool or shavings in that it possesses a definite pattern structure. Expanded metal is made by the staggered slitting longitudinally of a strip of sheet metal and the subsequent pulling or stretching of the strip transversely to open up the slits and create a series of openings through the sheet so that 'the latter assume a uniform mesh pattern.

As best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the packed assembly 4% assumes a shape within the reservoir 11 so that it presents substantially concentric semi-cylindrical top and

bottom walls

44 and 45 respectively, lateral top wall extensions 41 (Fig. 2), a radial inside end wall 46, and an inclined outside wall 47. The curved top wall 44 is displaced downwardly as at 48 (Fig. l) where the journal collar 34 projects downwardly from the contour of the cylindrical journal 21.

A limited amount of shape and substance is imparted to the

bag

42, 43 by a marginal ribbing strip 49 which, except for its abut-ting ends, is continuous and extends transversely and arcuately along the front and rear edges of the bottom wall 45 and longitudinally along the upper edges of the top wall 41. This ribbing strip preferably .comprises an outer woven or knitted jacket 50 of fabric .material such as cotton, nylon or the like which may, if

.longitudinal'portions of the ribbing strip 49 along the .

journal box sidewalls

32 and 33.

At the rear end of the

bag

42, 43 there is provided a quarter-round contact strip 53 which fits closely against .the arcuate shoulder 25 on the journal axle 22 and follows the cylindrical contour thereof on the underneath side of the latter. This strip 53 is formed of a suitable elastomeric material such as rubber, either natural or artificial, or a. rubber substitute and serves to prevent the bag from creeping inwardly of the journal axle into the region of the dust guard 26. The strip 53 is formed with a series of radially extending fiat attachment fingers or tines 54 (Fig. 3) which are stitched, stapled or otherwise secured as at 55 to the radial end wall or face 46 of the bag structure. The arcuate surface of the quarter-round strip 53 makes running contact with the arcuate shoulder 25 of the axle 22.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the lubricant reservoir 11 is adapted to be partially filled with a. suit able lubricant oil, the level of such liquid within the reservoir being designated at 60. In order to apply this lubricant to the underneath side of the journal 21 in the form of a suitable lubricating film, a mass of capillary tufting is woven in and through the outer fabric covering layer 42 of the bag in the upper regions thereof. This tufting is comprised of a number of lengths of wick material such as has been fragmentarily shown in Fig. 5 including an outer knitted jacket 61 of cotton fibers over an inner core of parallel wool strands 62 which may, if desired, be slightly twisted together. The various lengths of this wick material is stitched into the material of the outer covering 42 over the entire upper surface of the deformed bag to provide a series of outer tuft loops .63 (Figs. 1 and 2) which resemble the looped tufts of an ordinary hooked rug. These loops or tufts are adapted to engage the underneath surface of the journal 29 and, by a capillary action, conduct the lubricant to the surface of the journal in the form of a thin film.

In the operation of the lubricating assembly 40, the substantially homogeneous mass of metal mesh material 39 constituting the filler or core of the bag-like structure will extend uniformly through the body of lubricant 60 within the reservoir 11 so as to prevent sloshing of this lubricant within the reservoir due to motion of the car truck and will promote free drainage of the lubricant from the bag-like structure when it is withdrawn from said reservoir. A more effective capillary action on the lubricant will be exerted by the continuous inner and

outer fabric coverings

43 and 42 respectively so that the upper walls of these coverings will at all times be effectively damp with the lubricant. The knitted cotton jacket 61 of the wick material will also exert a capillary action on the lubricant but the inner contained wool strands 62 will exert a powerful capillary effect and these latter strands may be relied upon to draw a generous quantity of the lubricant upwardly from the confines of the bag and apply it through the covering 61 directly to the surfaceof the journal 21.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. Only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

I claim:

1. The combination with a rotating journal of a railway car axle, a journal bearing supported on said journal, and a journal box enclosing said journal and bearing and defining with the journal a lubricant reservoir, of means for applying lubricant to said journal and bearing comprising a unitary, self-contained, bag-like structure including a closed outer fabric covering enclosing within the same a quantity of expanded metal mesh material, said structure being deformed to completely fill the reservoir and bearing at its upper surface against the underneath side of the journal in wrap-around fashion, a marginal ribbing strip secured to the outside of said fabric covering and extending longitudinally along the sides of the structure at the upper end thereof and being looped downwardly at the ends of the structure and following the ends of the bottom wall of the structure.

2. The combination with a rotating journal of a railway car axle, a journal bearing supported on said journal, a dust guard bearing on said axle, there being a rounded shoulder existing between the dust guard bearing and the journal bearing, and a journal box enclosing said journal and bearing and defining with the journal a lubricant reservoir, of means for supplying lubricant to said journal and bearing comprising a unitary, selfcontained, bag-like structure including a closed outer fabric covering enclosing Within the same a quantity of expanded metal mesh material, said structure being deformed to completely fill the reservoir and bearing at the upper end thereof against the underneath surface of the journal in wrap-aroundfashion coextensively with said surface of the journal, a quarter-round sealing strip formed of an elastomeric resilient material secured to the upper inside edge of said bag-like structure and bearing coextensively against said rounded shoulder of said axle in sealing relation with respect thereto and provided with supporting fingers attached to the side face of the bagl-ike structure to maintain the sealing strip in its operative position against said rounded shoulder, and a lubricant disposed within said reservoir and impregnating said structure.

3. In combination with a rotating journal of a railway car axle, a journal bearing supported on said journal, and a journal box enclosing said journal and said bearing and providing a reservoir beneath the journal for containing a pool of lubricating oil; of means for applying a film of said oil to said journal comprising a unitary bag-like structure including an outer fabric covering of absorbent material immersed in said oil in the reservoir and functioning to elevate the oil to the journal by capillary action, and a resilient non-capillary body enclosed in said covering to support the top portion of the latter against the underneath side of said journal; the said resilient non-capillary body being composed of metallic mesh material formed into a plurality of individual wads to provide the desired resilience and to promote free drainage of oil therefrom whereby the said oil is elevated and applied to the journal solely by the capillarity of said covering.

4. The combination structure defined in claim 3 wherein the said bag-like structure is deformed to completely fill the reservoir and the top and end walls of said outer covering include a plurality of tufts of woolen wick material formed into loops and extending outwardly from said top and end walls to absorb the oil and convey it to the journal.

5. The combination structure as defined in claim 4 wherein the said outer covering includes an inner fabric bag containing the said resilient body of non-capillary material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 403,141 Rogers May 14, 1889 485,265 Edgar Nov. 1, 1892 1,012,031 Underwood Dec. 19, 1911 1,596,574 Becker Aug. 17, 1926 2,264,250 Shoemaker Nov. 25, 1941 2,713,524 Hagy July 19, 1955 2,781,239 Potter Feb. 12, 1957 2,807,803 Rockwell Sept. 24, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,603 Great Britain 1892