US3151917A - Antisplash seal for railway journal box - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 6, 1964 J. .1. HENNESSY ANTISPLASH SEAL FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5. 1961 FIGJ IN V EN TOR.

Oct. 6, 1964 Filed July 3. 1961 J. J. HENNESSY ANTISPLASH SEAL FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,151,917 ANTISPLASH SEAL FER RAHLWAY JOURNAL BGX James J. Hennessy, Chambersburg, Pa., assignor to Hennessy Lubricator Company, Inc., Chambersburg,

Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,690 2 fllaims. (Cl. 39883) The invention relates to the lubrication of railway axle journals and more particularly to preventing loss of oil through the opening at the inner end of a journal box. The requirement of adequate oil supply to the journal at high speeds and particularly in cold weather frequently results in the supply of oil to a higher level than is necessary for lubricating the bearing, and such oil is likely to splash through the opening in the inner end wall of the box into the dust guard pocket and be lost from the pocket to the exterior of the box because the oil and dust guard in the pocket does not prevent loss of oil out of the back of the box when the lower part of the dust guard pocket is filled. The usual dust and oil guard cannot be applied or removed without removing the box from the journal.

The main objects of the present invention are to apply an oil seal to the axle inwardly of the box and without disassembling the box and journal; to fit such a seal snugly to the axle; to adapt the seal for movement into and out of the box while the box and axle journal are assembled; and to accommodate jacking up the box for replacement of the journal. These objects are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through an Association of American Railroads (A.A.R.) journal box and journal assembly in which the journal is lubricated by a pad structure feeding oil by capillary attraction from the bottom of the box to the journal.

FIGURE 2 is a detail perspective of the seal unit applied to the box and journal shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of an axle journal and box, with the box broken away in part, to which a mechanical pump lubricator is applied and with which an antisplash seal embodying the invention is assembled.

The box shown in FIGURES l and 2 has a bottom wall 1, an outer rear wall 2 and an inner rear wall 3, a forwardly and upwardly extending front wall 4, a top wall 5 and side walls 6. The opening at the front end of the box is closed by a conventional spring pressed lid 8. The axle it? has a reduced diameter portion or dry seat 12 projecting into the interior of the box, and a journal 14 provided with a collar 15. An axle bearing 17 and wedge 19 are mounted on the journal and support the journal box and the load thereon. All of this structure is conventional.

Seated in the lower portion of the box is a pad 21 formed of cellular material with tufted fabric walls for feeding lubricant by capillary attraction from the bottom of the box to the journal. One form of such a pad is illustrated in application Serial No. 75,879 filed December 9, 1960, now Patent 3,135,563.

Assembled with the pad, journal and box is the antisplash seal detailed in HGURE 2 in which an upright sheet 23 of fibrous packing material, such as felt, is stapled or otherwise secured to a relatively stiif backing plate 25 of metal or plastic and extends upwardly from the body of the plate a substantial distance, although the plate may have one or more lugs 26 for supporting sheet 23. An elongated wire bail-like element 28 is pivoted at in a recessed lip 32 projecting rearwardly from plate 25. Element 28 engages the lower portion of ribs 31 projecting forwardly of plate 25 and also extends beneath and is positioned by pad 21. The wire of element 28 possesses sufiicient resiliency to thrust plate 25 and sheet 23 rearwardly against wall 3.

In this form of the invention, additional bail-like wires 34 are secured by staples 36, or otherwise, to the upper portions of plate 25 and extend forwardly therefrom and their forward ends engage opposite side walls 6 of the journal box and the upper side portions of pad 21. Elements 34 contribute to positioning the sheet and plate in the box.

The structure shown in FIGURE 3 includes a box, axle, journal, bearing and wedge similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 and the antisplash device includes a fibrous sheet 41 and a relatively stiif backing plate 43 corresponding to those parts previously described. The journal is lubricated by a bellows-like pump 45 actuated by a bell crank 47, 48 having an upright finger 49 opposing the journal collar 51 which plays back and forth in the box and thereby operates the pump. A shallow distributor plate 53 with a fibrous sheet 55 is mounted upon pump 45 and conveys oil to the lower part of the journal substantially throughout its length. Plate 53 and sheet 55 are supported against the journal by a wire spring 57, 58 coiled about a pivot rod 59. The lower portion 58 of the spring extends rearwardly along the bottom wall of the box and is pivotally assembled with backing plate 43 similar to the assembly of elements 25 and 23 previously described. The pump assembly, springs 57, 5S and the antisplash device are thrust rearwardly of the box against the box rear wall r53 by a spring pressed yoke 65 and arms 67 on rod 59. This pump arrange ment is disclosed in Patent 2,753,227 issued July 3, i956.

In both forms of the invention the antisplash unit is readily inserted into the box beneath the journal, and removed therefrom, without disassembling the box and journal, and usually without even jacking up the box and removing the wedge, as is customary when the bearing is to be replaced. If the bearing is to be replaced, the box may be jacked up, and sheet 23, 41 will distort sufficiently to accommodate the approach of the box bottom wall to the journal.

With either of the structures disclosed, as long as the oil level L in the box is beneath the upper edge of the lower portion of the inner transverse end wall, there will be no splashing or free flow of the oil over the upper edge of the lower portion of the wall, as is possible with the usual journal and box assembly. It will be understood that the antisplash plate supplements the oil and dust guard shown at G but safeguards against the flow of oil into the dust guard pocket formed between the double transverse end walls of the box.

The details of the construction may be modified other than as described above and shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a railway journal, bearing, and a journal box mounted thereon and having a bottom wall, an inner transverse end wall, and side walls provided with inwardly projecting lugs for positioning the journal bearing lengthwise of the box; an antisplash device comprising an upright sheet of fibrous material lying against the inner end wall of the box and having positioning elements extending forwardly therefrom with their forward ends bearing against said lugs and being of yielding material to press the upright sheet against the box inner rear wall.

a 2. The combination of railway journal, bearing, jour- References Cited in the file of this patent nal box, and antisplash device according to claim 1 in UNITED STATES PATENTS which the journal box has a forward opening and the upright sheet and the positioning elements therefor are g 6 g? flexible and yieldable transversely of their length to be 5 2162383 J 1939 dislodged from said lugs for removal of the device from 231139O 2322: 23 1943 beneath the ournal and through the open iront of the 2,386,121 Jeffem et a1. Oct. 1945 box.

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A RAILWAY JOURNAL, BEARING, AND A JOURNAL BOX MOUNTED THEREON AND HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, AN INNER TRANSVERSE END WALL, AND SIDE WALLS PROVIDED WITH INWARDLY PROJECTING LUGS FOR POSITIONING THE JOURNAL BEARING LENGTHWISE OF THE BOX; AN ANTIPLASH DEVICE COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT SHEET OF FIBROUS MATERIAL LYING AGAINST THE INNER END WALL OF THE BOX AND HAVING POSITIONING ELEMENTS EXTENDING FORWARDLY THEREFROM WITH THEIR FORWARD ENDS BEARING AGAINST SAID LUGS AND BEING OF YIELDING MATERIAL TO PRESS THE UPRIGHT SHEET AGAINST THE BOX INNER REAR WALL.

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