US2423775A - Railway lubricator - Google Patents

Description

Juifs, 194.7. '.1. J. Hl-:NNx-:ssY 2,423,775

RAILWAY LUBRICATOR Filed July 23, 1945 NEN-ron:

JAMES J. HENNEssY /5 'evy A FIG' 2' ATToR E@ Patented July 8, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY LuBinoA'roRv Y James J. Hennessy, Montclair, N. J. Application July 2s, 1945, 'serial Natoaesi 6 cmms. (cl. 30s-sa The invention relates to the lubrication of railway axle journal boxes and is more particularly adapted yfor locomotive driving boxes in which journal and bearing pressures and wear are greater than in other bearings.

Such bearings may be provided with' devices adapted to pump at least an adequate quantity of lubricant to the journal ifrom a cellar beneath' th'e journal. Ordinarily with such a device surplus lubricant will accumulate on the journal and be discharged therefrom back to the cellar or may pass beyond the ends of the journal and out of the box.

An object of the present invention is to provide emergency lubrication in the event of failure of the pump normally supplying lubricant to the journal.

Another object is to collect automatically surplus lubricant supplied to the journal to avoid wasting of the same and for the purpose of emergency lubrication as previouslymentioned.

Another object is to utilize for the above-mentioned purposes boxes such as are in general use without substantially changing them and `lwithout substantial additional equipment.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a selected embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through a railway driving axle journal and its bearing and box and lubricant cellar and is taken on approximately the line I I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the structure shown in Figure 1 and is taken on approximately the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The axle. I vhas a journal portion 2 and an outer end 3 adapted to be received in the hub 4 of a driving wheel. Journal 2 supports a crown brass or bearing 5 and the latter is seated in a box including side walls 6 and a top wall 1 which is arched upwardly between the side walls and forms a seat for bearing 5. Ribs or walls 8 extend upwardly above wall 'I as do the upper portions of walls 6 and cooperate to form a reservoir or compartment adapted to contain lubricant L. Preferably this compartment is provided with a sheet metal top wall 9 vented at I0 with its edges brazed or welded to the upper portions of walls 6 and 8.

A passageway II of relatively small diameter extends from the uppermost portion of the surface of journal 2 through bearing 5 and top wall 'I into the lubricant compartment.v A boss I2 is formed or attached, as by welding W, to the upper portion of wall 1 and a relatively large diameter passageway I3 extends from the upper end of l Y t 2 f boss I2 downwardly through the same, wall 1 and bearing 5 to a part of the journal surface substantially below the level of the lower end of passageway II.

A cellar I4 belowthe journal is carried by bolts I5 in the usual manner and may be packed with waste for containing` lubricant but preferably forms a sump for lubricant and receives a pump P actuated by the longitudinal play of the axle in the box to feed lubricant to the journal by which it is carried to the bearing. This pump and its operation may be of the type rillustrated and' described, for example, in Patent 2,191,468 issued July 16, 1937, to the present inventor and in itself does not comprise the present invention.

As the bearing 5 is worn due to the rotation of the journal and to the thrusts between the journal and box from the engine pistons and driving rods, there is likely to develop a condition shown, with some exaggeration, at C indicating a clearance or space adapted to receive lubricant carried by the journal from the distributor in the cellar. Such lubricant is forced between the journal and the bearing and upon reaching passageway IIy rises in the latter intorthe compartmentat the top of the box where it accumulates until it reaches th'e level of the top of boss I2 from which it will drain back through passageway I3 to the journal and to the cellar.

In the event the pumping action should cease because the locomotive is stationary, or is moving slowly over track, which does not result in play of the journal in the box, or for any other reason, the surplus lubricant accumulated in the compartment at the top of the box will flow back through passageway Il to the journal sufliciently to avoid the bearing running dry with resulting serious injury. When the locomotive picks up speed and normal pumping conditions prevail, the need for lubrication through passageway II will cease and the compartment at the top of the box will be replenished with lubricant.

Even if there is no occasion for supplying lubricant to the journal from the reservoir and the top of the box, the reservoir and passageways II and I3 will function to remove surplus lubricant and feed it back to the journal and cellar instead of it being forced lengthwise of the journal at the uppermost part thereof and discharged over the end of the bearing where it is likely to be lost.

It is not essential that passageway I I lead from the very top of the journal but it should be near the top to insure contact between the journal and bearing and thus facilitate the feeding of lubricant through the passageway to the upper reservoir. I have found that a smal] diameter passageway leading from the journal to the upper reservoir functions better than a large diameter passageway and this may be considered due to capillary attraction contributing to the upward flow of the lubricant. These and other details may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated. l Y

What is claimedis:

1. In a railway axle box having a top wall and a journal bearing seated against the same, a lu`VJ` bricant reservoir above said bearing and` wallpa` passageway leading from the journal-engaging above the top wall, and a journal bearing is fitted tofthe underside of the top wall, a cover plate 1Vspaced above said top wall and extending besurface of the bearing to saidresrvoirfiand.

adapted to feed surplus lubricant from*between the bearing and journal to said 'reservo'i'ig` and' a4 passageway leading from an upper portionloifthe reservoir and adapted to drain lubricant therefrom. Y

2.( In a railway axle box havin-gatop wall-and a journal. bearingseated against thesame, `a lubricant reservoir above said bearing and walLa passageway 'of relatively small diameter leading from the :journal-engaging surface ofthe Abearing to said, reservoir and adaptedv tol feed surplus lubricant from between the. bearing andv journal to saidV reservoir, and a passageway of" relatively'- large diameter leading,y from an upper :portion of the' reservoir andA Vadaptedpto drain lubricant therefrornto' a lower portion ofthe bearing.

3. In a railway axlezbox having a top wall and a journal bearing seated against the same, a lubricantreservoirabove saidr bearing andl wall, a passageway leadingi'from 'the uppermost .part of the :jourrial-engaging.'Y surface of the bearing to saidlreservoir and adapted Vto feed surplus lubricant from .between'zthe bearingjandjournal to saidreservoirgi and a passageway leading, from an upper-portion of. the ,reservoirand adapted to drain lubricant therefrom to a lowerportion ofthe bearing. Y j

4. In a` railwayy axle box having atop wal-l andA tween Iopposite sides and end walls and cooperating with-saidy walls to form lubricant-containing compartment `an upstanding boss on said top wal1,` a passageway leading from the upper portion of the journal-engaging face of the bearing and extending upwardly through the bearing and the top-wall into' said compartmenmand a.y Dassagewayyextending from the top.l of saidboss downwardly th-roughsaid top wall and bearing to a point on the journal-engaging surfacez'oi thef latter below the entrance to said first-mentioned passageway. l

6. In combination a railway journal-box having a top-wall and a lubricant-containing comparta-a` ment, the bottom of which isrformed by said .wall, arvcrown bearing seated'V againstwsaid top wall, an axle journal supporting said bearing-and boX,'a device in said box for pumping lubricant from the bottom of the box to the journal; there being a passageway leading from the upper: por tion ofthe journal-engaging face of thesbearing through the bearing and the top wall of the box to said compartment and adapted to convey sur-` plus lubricant betweenv the upper 'part ofv said journal and said bearing tof said compartment',

` and an elevated overflow drain insaid' compartment leading from theupper part thereof downv through said top wall and said bearing to the surface of the; journal below the level VofA the en-` trance .to said first-mentionedpassageway.`

JAS. J. 4HENNESSY,

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