Magnus Div. of L.v. Ventures, Inc.

Magnus Division of Lv Ventures, Inc.

General Electric Company

Harris Broadband Wireless Access, Inc.

Robert B Foster

Paul Bien

John E Macklin

Michael Philip Hagle

David C Schafer

Charles R Baugh

Dale C Walker

An improved sleeve bearing for locomotive traction motor that provides additional lubrication over and above that of the one central wick currently used. The sleeve bearing is provided with a recirculation system comprised of either at least two additional wicks located near the 6:00 operating location or multiple oil communication and delivery grooves passageways communicating with the oil flinger grooves placed for the purpose of collecting and providing a mechanism for providing additional lubrication for extending the oil-wetted envelope available for supporting the truck-axle journal in the axial direction.

Sleeve bearing for railway traction motor

An improved wick-holder for mounting a felt lubricating wick of a lubricating system for lubricating the axle journal surface supported in a support bearing of a traction motor used in a locomotive is provided with a plurality of oil-reservoir louver pockets or splash-cups molded or pressed into the wick holder which store oil from the time that the oil reservoir was full or near its maximum height and which store splashed oil during normal operational use, and delay the run off of the oil to increase the oil saturation of the wick housed within the wick holder. The oil reservoir pockets are located above the minimum serviceable oil level, and are designed to improve and increase oil saturation of the wick. As a result of the increased oil saturation, the wick are, therefore, capable of delivering increased amounts of oil to the axle journal area. The increased amount of oil saturation and reduced wicking height provide increased protection against traction motor support bearing failure if a locomotive is used with axle journal oil levels near the recommended minimum oil levels. Each reservoir pocket or splash cup is preferably louver-shaped, whereby during normal locomotive operating service, the splashing of oil in the bearing housing oil reservoir is collected and delivered to the lubricating wick. In a second embodiment, the reservoir pockets or splash cups are provided on a separate splash sleeve telescopingly mounted over, and to, the lower, free end of the central lubricating wick.

Wick holder for a lubricating system of a locomotive traction motor support bearing

An improved wick-holder for mounting a felt lubricating wick is provided with a passive inertia-activated pump mounted for submersion in the axle-cap lubricant-reservoir at a level that ensures that for all levels of the reservoir, the pump inlet is submerged in the lubricant of the reservoir. In a first embodiment, the passive inertia-activated pump takes the form of a piston-type pump, while in a second embodiment, the passive inertia-activated pump takes the form of a diaphragm pump. In either embodiment, the inlet of the passive inertia-activated pump is submersed in the lubricant-reservoir, and the output of the passive inertia-activated pump is directed to the surface-interface between the felt wick and the axle journal surface-area to increase the lubrication thereof over and above that which normally ensues owing to the conventional capillary action of the felt wick. In a modification of the first embodiment, the piston pump is mounted to a splash sleeve forming part of the wick-holder and which is telescopingly received over the free end of the felt wick, with the output of the passive inertia-activated pump delivering the lubricant to the surface-interface between the felt wick and the axle journal surface-area via the hollow interior-volume of the splash sleeve and wick holder proper. The slosh pump of the invention may replace the wick assembly entirely, whereby the lubrication is achieved solely by the slosh pump of the invention.

Method and apparatus for improving the delivery of oil of a wick lubricating system for a locomotive traction motor support bearing

A contour or profile of a bore of a locomotive traction-motor support bearing structure, where such profile preserves the currently center-loading of the upper load zone but moves inboardly the lower load zone to a more general central location. The profile of the bore for the support bearing, according to the invention, takes into account not only truck-axle bending due to locomotive weight, but also that from motor tilt through bearing clearances, and couple action on the axle from heavy radial loads on PE support bearing and adjacent axle gear. The bore is configured such that the upper surface is horizontal, but the lower surface slopes downwardly in the outboard direction at an angle based on a function dependent upon the three misalignment factors. In a preferred embodiment, the bore mid-section is defined as a frustroconical section of a cone with an altitude having a slope of substantially 1&#xd7;Mto the horizontal, and an apex angle of substantially arctan 2&#xd7;Mwhere Mis the value of the misalignment factor associated with the locomotive load on the axle.

Interior contour for bore of a friction support bearing of a railway locomotive traction motor

A contour or profile of a bore of a locomotive traction-motor support bearing structure, where such profile preserves the currently center-loading of the upper load zone but moves inboardly the lower load zone to a more general central location. The profile of the bore for the support bearing, according to the invention, takes into account not only truck-axle bending due to locomotive weight, but also that from motor tilt through bearing clearances, and couple action on the axle from heavy radial loads on PE support bearing and adjacent axle gear. The bore is configured such that the upper surface is horizontal, but the lower surface slopes downwardly in the outboard direction at an angle based on a function dependent upon the three misalignment factors. In a preferred embodiment, the bore mid-section is defined as a frustroconical section of a cone with an altitude having a slope of substantially 1&#xd7;Mto the horizontal, and an apex angle of substantially arc tan 2&#xd7;M, where Mis the value of the misalignment factor associated with the locomotive load on the axle.

A method and apparatus for aiding in positioning during assembly of a locomotive wheel with respect to a drive gear mounted adjacent the wheel during assembly and for maintaining the position of the drive gear during locomotive operation. The apparatus includes a lateral stop including a spacer formed of a semi-elastomeric material having a low coefficient of friction and specially adapted to fit into a stress relief groove of an axle between a hub of the drive gear and a hub of the wheel. The spacer is so designed as to be installable on the locomotive axle after installation of the drive gear, to be self-centering on the axle and to inhibit rotation of the spacer with respect to the axle such that the axle will not be marked circumferentially by spacer rotation.

Lateral support for a drive gear and wheel on a locomotive axle

For sealing the axle opening in a traction motor gearcase on the motor side thereof, an annular member of elastomeric material has a sleeve portion that is adapted to be clamped to a motor-supporting axle bearing thrust flange and a radially outwardly projecting flange portion that is adapted to fit inside an annular groove formed in an edge of the gearcase sidewall that surrounds the hub of an axle gear adjacent to the thrust flange. The seal further comprises a reinforcing ring having concentric outer and inner sections: the outer section is attached to the flange portion of the annular member to ensure a tight fit in the aforesaid groove, and the inner section extends from the groove to within close proximity of the axle gear hub and forms, with the axle-gear end of the sleeve portion, an annular trough for collecting axle bearing lube oil that escapes through the gear hub-thrust flange interface.

Growing community of inventors

Erie, PA, United States of America

Robert B Foster