US625021A - cooper - Google Patents

Description

N0. 625,02l; Patented May l6, I899.

. COOPER.

srmocx.

icq ion filed Dec. 27, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets$heat 2.

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS COOPER, OF KINGS LYNN, ENGLAND.

TH RUST-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 625,021, dated May 16, 1899. Application filed December 2 7, 1898. Serial No. 700,415. (N0 model-) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS COOPER, engineer, of The Elms, Kings Lynn, in the county of Norfolk, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thrust- Blocks for Propeller and Similar Shafts, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of the present invention is to facilitate the employment of antifriction-rollers in thrust blocks or bearings used in connection with propeller and similar shafts.

The main difficulty to be surmounted in attaining the above object arises from the failure of the rollers to withstand the pressure of the thrust combined with the high rate of speed at which they are called upon to run.

It would appear that antifriction -rollers which when carrying a given load will last well when run at a low rate of speed will fail very quickly under the same load if run at a high rate of speed, as is necessary when a propeller-shaft is driven at the ordinary full speed. This being so, I have directed my attention to the production of means which will relieve the rollers from an undue rate of speed, while the propeller-shaft continues to be driven as fast as or even faster than hitherto. Accordingly I employ between the collar of the propeller-shaft and the fixed abutment a series of sets of antifriction-rolls, and'between the sets I place a disk or plate of metal capable of turning loosely on the propellershaft. These plates turn or are turned upon the shaft at different speeds. That nearest the propeller-shaft collar rotates at the highest speed, but more slowly than the shaft, and that nearest the fixed abutment at the lowest speed, and those between at rates corresponding to their position between the two end plates. For instance, supposing six sets of rolls to be employed there will be five intermediate disks dividing the sets. For the sake of example I will take the speed of rotation of the propeller-shaft collar at six units, the disk nearest thereto will be driven at five units, the next at four, the next at three, the next at two, and the last nearest the fixed abutment at one. It will thus be seen that each set of antifriction-rollers has only to turn at a speed equal to the difference of r0- tation between the two adjacent surfaces,

embodying my invention.

or a disk and the fixed abutment; In this manner the speed of rotation of the propeller is divided up and distributed among the six sets of antifriction-rollers, so that none are subjected to an injuriously high rate. The number of sets of rolls and disks may be increased'ordecreased to suitvarying requirements. g

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in a longitudinal section a thrust-block Fig. 2 is a face view of a detail detached, as hereinafter explained; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line X X of Fig. 1.

A is the propeller-shaft, and at is a collar fast thereon.

B is a fixed abutment, betweenwhich and the collar a is arranged the antifriction device embodying my invention. 1) is another abutment, which maybe connected to the abutment B by means of bolts or otherwise. This abutment b is intended to take the back: thrust when the engine is reversed.

c, o, 0 c and c are the disks above mentioned, each of which is furnished withan nular races for the antifriction-rollers d. The antifriction-rollers d are by preference carried in cages 1), (shown at Fig. 2,) arranged between the disks, and are free to turn with the propeller shaft, upon which they are threaded. The rollers, which are tapered, are

fitted into recesses in' the cages, which recesses, according to an improvement which forms part of the present invention, I prefer to arrange in two or more concentric rings or annular series, although this arrangement is not in every case essential. This enables me to obtain with, say, two rings or annular series of short rollers of any given diameter a greater total of roller length than can be procured when rollers of double the individ ual length arranged in a single ring of recesses are employed, and, moreover, the lateral thrust incidental to the employment of long tapered rollers is thus diminished.

The differential driving of the intermediate plates may be obtained in various ways. One way which will be found to answer satisfactorily, however, consists in the employment, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, of gear= teeth upon the propeller -shaft collar CL and either disks or a disk and the propeller-collar upon the periphery of the disks 0, 0', c c

and c and of a train of pinions e e e e e e e e e", engaging therewith in such a way as to drive the disks at the required differential speed when the propeller-shaft rotates. These pinions may conveniently be mounted in pairs upon shafts E, threaded through bearings carried by the roller-cages.

There maybe more than one set of pinions arranged at intervals around the circumference of the disks, (two are drawn in Fig. 1 and four are indicated in Fig. 2;) but the number of sets employed will be in accordance with the requirements of each case.

The last of the cages-via, that marked D* in the drawings (see Fig. 3)is provided with a brake-band F, having an adjustable setscrew f. The object of this brake is to prevent the whole series of geared disks and cages from becoming locked together, and thereby throwing all the work on the last set of rollers only. Instead of having a brake the last cage D" may, if preferred, be'geared to the disk 0 and to the fixed abutment, so as to regulate its speed of rotation to the requisite both work well and wear well and will insure in the case of propeller-shafts the immunity from endway friction, which is easily attained by means of rollers in bearings for shafts of lighter and smaller caliber for other purposes.

I claim l. A thrust-block for propeller and similar THOMAS COOPER.

Witnesses:

H. K. WHITE, H. F. GoLTZ.

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