Lubrication increases life of meter bearings

Discussion and author´s closure of a paper by T. A. Abbott and J. H. Goss, published in the April 1935 issue, pages 428–31, and presented for oral discussion at the instruments and measurements session of the summer convention, Ithaca, N. Y., June 25, 1935. L. D. Price (Public Service Elec. and Gas Co., Paterson, N. J.): As the authors have pointed out, developments in watthour meter design over the period of the past several years have left the lower bearing as probably the one remaining weak spot in the meter. Realizing this and attempting to gather further knowledge of meter bearings, the Public Service Elec. and Gas Company is conducting a laboratory test on 306 watt-hour meters at Paterson, N. J. The purposes of the test are to study the effect of varied degrees of lubrication on sustained meter accuracies, to ascertain the causes of jewel failure, and, if possible, to determine the maximum length of test schedule economically possible under present operating conditions. The meters are representative single element meters of American manufacture; both natural and synthetic jewels are being used and the tests are conducted under classification 2 of the suggested means of obtaining test data at normal speeds under various loading conditions designed to approximate actual service conditions. We felt that this method of test was preferable to the accelerated test because of the time factor involved in the possible breaking down of the lubricant.