TRAVELER CAR ASSEMBLY FOR INCREASING EFFICIENCY OF SELF-CONTAINED BEARINGS

摘要

A traveler car assembly is characterized by a car (10) slidably carried on an elongate track (13), bearings (11) for facilitating sliding movement of the car along the track and a coupling (14) for mounting the car and track for conjoint rotational movement about an axis. In use, the car is subjected to tensional loads (22) along a load line of force having a directional component that extends generally perpendicular to and away from the car and track and that varies in direction arcuately about the axis. The coupling accommodates conjoint rotation of the car and track with and in response to changes in the arcuate direction of the load line of force about the axis while at the same time the car and track remain in generally fixed orientation relative to the load line of force. The bearings lie in a plane perpendicular to the load line of force and, advantageously, so do races (13a) for the bearings, so that not only is there uniform loading of the bearings in response to tensional loads on the car but also the maximum capacity of the bearings is available for utilization at any angle of the load line of force relative to the axis.