An Improved System or Mode of and Mechanism for Lubricating the Working Parts of Engines and other Machinery.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System or Mode of and Mechanism for Lubricating
the Working Parts of Engines and other Machinery.
We, ALEXANDER GEBBIE HAY, of 201 Paisley Road, West, and MALCOLM
MCINTYRE, of 27 Alexander Street, both in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying two sheets of
drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved system, or mode
of, and construction or arrangement and combination of mechanism or appliances
particularly adapted for automatically lubricating the cylinders, bearings and other
working parts of marine engines, but also applicable for lubricating the working
parts of other engines and machinery; and which will be more simple, efficient,
automatic, and economical than the modes and means heretofore in use for such
lubricating purposes.
The improvements consist in automatically pumping or raising and forcing the oil
or other liquid lubricant by arrangements of pump or pumps and weighted pistons and
gravitation, through distributing pipes and fittings in a positive regulated manner, in
contradistinction to conveying the oil or other lubricants by combined gravitation and
capilliary wicks and dippers to the separate oil boxes and bearings as heretofore; and
also in special improved arrangements of said pumps, and pipes, and valves, and
automatic and other fittings particularly applicable for this improved system of
lubricating said working parts of engines and machines.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended
two explanatory sheets of drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 are an end and side elevation respectively of sufficient
of the framing of an inverted cylinder marine engine and the main working parts
and bearings to show one general arrangement of our new system and improved
fittings for lubricating said engine and its working parts, the details of which.
improvements are shown in the other following figures to larger scales on Sheet 2 and
on this sheet all as hereinafter described and referred to.
Referring to these drawings, the first improvement consists in a new construction
and arrangement of oil raising and automatic serving piston barrel cistern A,
preferably secured and fitted by flange brackets at A', to the top of the cylinder X,
as shown in Figures 1 and 2 or it might be to any other high fixed part of the engine,
or to the bulkheads, above the working parts to be lubricated, and which raises the
oil to itself and forces it therefrom through the first main pipe a coupled to its bottom
branch at a. The construction of this improved supply and service piston cistern A
is shown in enlarged detail sectional elevation and plan in Figures 3 and 4 of Sheet 2
of the drawings, and will be hereinafter particularly described in reference thereto.
As an alternative arrangement, an improved raising and forcing pump B shown in
detached side sectional elevation and plan in Figures 5 and 6 on Sheet 2, and in corre
sponding section through the inlet and discharge valve box B' B³ in Figure 7, is fitted
to some convenient part of the framing so as to be differentially reciprocated by a link
and rod from any convenient moving part of the engine, the improved construction
and action of which will hereinafter be referred to in reference to these figures. The
improvements further consist in arrangements of the service pipes from the said
service supply cistern A or pump B, and improved construction of distributing service
filter branch box C and swivelling couplings E, E¹, and improved service disc.

page_text: valves d d and automatic intermittent feed valve boxes F, F, as shown generally in
Figures 1 and 2, and particularly in the other following figures shown in detached
detailed sections and views on Sheet 2 and will hereinafter be referred to; which
pipes and fittings may be led down and along either the front or back of the
engine.
.
Referring to the first improvement of service piston barrel cistern A shown in
Figures 1 to 4, this consists of a bored cylindrical vessel A, with a working liquid-
tight piston A which may be fitted with cup liquid tight leather rings or other
equivalent with a piston-rod A2 working up through the cylinder cover and guide
bracket A1, A3, which would be loaded with a weight A' on top to press out the oil
from the vessel when filled and set in automatic working order. The oil or other
liquid lubricant would be led in and discharged through the branch a¹ at the lower
part of the vessel A, under the piston A", and the piston would be raised to draw
up
and fill the vessel with oil by a toothed rack cut on the one side of the piston rod A³,
and a spur pinion A working into this carried on a hand spindle A turning and
sliding in bearings in the bracket A³. This pinion A is actuated by a screw
spindle A' below it carried in bearings A, A1111 on the said bracket A³ and on the
top of the cylinder A, and actuated by a hand crank wheel A8 on one end. The
pinion A is held in gear with the rack A' and actuating screw A', by a pin A³, taking
into one of the grooves in the spindle A. When the cylinder A is filled and set to
be discharged by the pressure of the piston A", and weight A, the pinion A³ is pushed
out of gear with the rack A² by its spindle A to one side of its actuating screw
spindle A', where it is held by the pin A in its disengaged position, which allows the
piston A to force the oil down through the discharge pipe a', a to the improved
service pipes, chambers, valves and fittings as hereinafter described. Instead of or as
an alternative for the service pressure cistern A, the pump B shown in Figures 5 to 7
may be employed to raise and force the lubricant to and through the said main supply
pipe a, in this case led from the discharge valve chamber B³, and branch B³.
This improved arrangement of pump is preferably of an improved single acting
plunger form, and arranged to work either vertically or horizontally from any suitable
moving part of the engine. In the vertical arrangement of this pump shown in these
Figures 5 to 7, the plunger B¹ is turned as a parallel stem or spindle, of a small size
as from half inch to inch, this maximum being large enough for most cases, its inner
end being made to fit and work fluid-tight in the bored cylinder or pump B, with a
deep gland stuffing box B fitted to guide the piston rod B', on one side of its valve
box B2, B3, and inlet and discharge branches B4, B5, both fitted with regulating taps
or cocks as seen in Figure 7 and all cast in one with the cylinder B, with a
bracket flange B¹¹ on one side for bolting the whole to any part of the engine or
machinery framing. The outer end of the plunger rod B is formed with a joint
eye to be reciprocated by the free end of a connecting rod B from any moving
part of the engine or mechanism to he lubricated, through a quadrant or segmental
link joint B' at its other end, with various holes shown in side and edge view in
Figures 7 & 7B with a disengaging spring pin B8 on shifting cod B' entering any
of the holes so as to vary the stroke of the pump to approximately draw and deliver
any regulated quantity of the oil from any supply cistern placed either above or
below the apparatus, drawn through the lateral branch and valve B* in the inlet
valve chest B to the lower end of the cylinder B, when the plunger is on its
outward stroke, and force it on its inward stroke out through the same valve chamber B²
and up through a discharge valve in the chest B³, fitted above the inlet valve in the
same chamber and out through the discharge branch B, as indicated by the arrows
in Figure 7 to the service pipe a. This valve chamber B2, B3, is formed and fitted
preferably on the outer side of the cylinder B in centre line with it when made in
the form of a single pump only, and the inlet branch B is immediately below the
valve chest B2 and the discharge branch B' above the inlet branch B₁ on the same
side, with shutting off or regulating cocks or key taps in each branch, or it might
be screw valves. The inlet branch B' leads right through under the inlet valve
seat into the bored chamber B³ at right angles to it, or parallel to the valve chest

page_text: In this way the inlet oil or lubricant is drawn up through the inlet branch and
valve B' into the chest B2 to the lateral branch B at the inner end of the working
cylinder B, and the upper end of this valve chamber is bored and chased, so as to
have fitted in it an annular outlet valve seat and chamber with a screw plug B¹¹
in its upper end, to regulate the lift of the discharge valve. This annular discharge
valve plug B has an annular discharge chamber round it, with lateral recesses
leading direct into the discharge branch B above, the lower end of the discharge
valve seat acting as a stop regulator for the lift of the inlet valve preferably with
a spring over it in the valve chest B₁ to prevent the inlet valve opening too high,
especially when the oil is supplied from a cistern above the pumps, these valves
being in line over each other. This arrangement of pump B may also be fitted
to work horizontally, but in this case, the inlet and discharge valve boxes B2, B3,
would be set at right angles to the cylinder B, that is, for the valves to work
vertically. When the oil is supplied from a cistern above to the oil piston
cylinder A herein before described, it would be filled in by a filler and cock at A¹º,
shown in Figure 3A to fill the cylinder A, below the piston A".
In the arrangement of the lubricating fittings shown in Figures 1 and 2, the
service cylinder A draws its oil as before described through the pipe a² to the pipe a
from one of the hollow columns z of the engine frame, which in this case is made an
oil vessel fitted with a stop cock at a", the oil passing through a two-way cock a³,
shown in side elevation to an enlarged scale in Figure 8, and attached by its lateral
branch a to a service filtering chest C, shown detached in end elevation and side
section in Figures 9 and 10, which when the cock is turned at right angles shuts
off the connection with the pipe a² and opens that between the pipe a and the distributing
service filter box C to supply the oil to the several service pipes c, b, b', through
a perforated partition C, this vessel being fitted with a removable screw cover C¹¹
for cleaning, as seen particularly in Figure 10; these several service pipes c b b¹
leading to the new or improved lubricating fittings of the different moving and
working parts of the engine, as will hereinafter be described. The pipe c conducts
the oil to the fixed horizontal common service pipe c¹ secured over the column z for
supplying the oil by the new or improved disc cocks d d' shown at D₁, and in side
and edge view to an enlarged scale in Figures 11 and 12 and equivalent sections in
other views, for regulating and supplying the oil to the working surfaces of the
guides on the column frames and the slides 3, of the crosshead ³, and also the
pipe 7, from the service filter box C which supplies the opposite slides and guides
at D', by two tubes c" and branches in these instances from each chest d, but there
might be one or more branches in these chests d. The improved arrangement con-
sists in having a disc valve d' with holes d" through it corresponding in size and
number to the branches c¹¹, to be supplied with the oil. The disc valve d' is actuated
by a spindle d', and works on a turned face in the chest d, over the branches c.
The spindle d² works out through a liquid-tight cover d³ fitted with a cup leather d®
(or other stuffing) and expanding ring d' and bush ds with spiral or equivalent spring
at das shown in the sectional views Figures 18 to 21. The spindle d², is
turned by a hand wheel d on the outside, with divisions on it, and has a fixed
index pointer d³ projecting up from the cover d³ to show outside the position of
the disc valve d¹ and so be enabled to regulate the supply of oil to the service
branches c, leading to the working parts to be lubricated. The common supply
tube_c also supplies oil through two of the new or improved double swivelling
or T branches E, E', fitted on it and shown in enlarged sectional view in
Figure 13, on Sbeet 2, by the tubes c2c to the improved intermittent automatic
feed boxes F carried on these swivelling branches and tubes, over the oil cups
at G, G1, G2, so as to be adjusted on their swivelling joints E' and leading the
oil by the tubes g. g¹, ², to the crank or crank pin at the lower end of the con-
necting rod, at Z and to the upper journals at G₁ of the crosshead 23, and to the
outer journals at G² of the crosshead respectively, and shown in detailed section
in Figure 13, and detached sections and elevations in Figures 14, 15, and 16, and the
improved construction and action of which will hereinafter be described,

page_text: Referring to Figures 1 and 2 and 13, the new or improved construction of our
turned and screwed swivelling T branch E, E', for taking off the service from a
common pipe e to swivel service branches c² 3 consists all as follows:-Of a central
branch pipe e, secured by turned and screwed couplings el at its outer ends to the
ends of the service pipe c' and in line therewith, having a turned boss e* in the
centre where the lateral branch e" is formed, and having fitted over this turned boss
the hollow bored branch E¹ embraced liquid-tight by the turned grooved flange
bosses E, E, of two parallel packed screwed stuffing boxes El mounted on the outer
.turned parts of the boss ex of the branche e and bolted together by bolts as shown
in the end view Figure 134, also that this with the branch pipe E¹ and c² can
swivel liquid-tight on the central boss ex of this turned parallel branch e, so as to
.raise their branch pipes c² and automatic lubricators F, F, out of the way of their
oil cups G, G and so as to get at the covers of the bearings or working parts
lubricated by them, without requiring to disturb the main service pipes c¹.
A further improvement consists in making a swivelling joint at E' on the end of
the branch pipe c2 by fitting a recessed stuffing gland E2 with flanges to bolt to the
branch E shown in end view in Figure 13B, so that this branch pipe c² with
the automatic lubricators F, F, and the branch pipe c³ may swivel at right angles
to the former joint E, E¹, E", to take these lubricators laterally away from their
receiving oil cups G, G1, G2, and covers of their moving parts, as shown turned in
this position at a on the left hand side of Figure 2. Each bearing to be lubricated
and its oil cup G has its service pipe and branch c¹¹ fitted with a regulating valve
case d as indicated at D, D, D, with its disc valve d' and spindle, index wheel and
pointer d², d, do, as seen in elevation and section in Figure 13, and substantially as
hereinbefore described in reference to Figures 11 and 12, & 18 to 21. Each
valve d¹, d, and branch c", leads a regulated quantity of oil to one of the new
intermittent automatic service feed cups or boxes F, formed of two side cheeks F, F,
screwed on to the extreme end of the said branches c" by bolts at F1, and having
mounted to swivel between them a conoidal or V-shaped cup at f, formed in two
lever parts F, F', jointed liquid tight in the centre at f¹, preferably formed of
brass, and fulcrumed loose on bolts F2 passed through them and the cheeks F, F,
these parts being shown detached and closed in elevation and section in Figure 15,
and singly in Figure 16, and having lateral weighted arms or levers F3 projecting up
above the fulcrum F2, and out beyond the side cheeks F, F, so as to be lifted up,
as shown in Figure 14, by the top edges g³ of the reciprocating oil receiving cups G,
and open the lips of the service cup F at f and allow the oil to fall into the
cup G at each of its upward reciprocating actions with the connecting rod or cross-
head carrying it, and close by the weight of the levers F³ as the cup receded on
its downward stroke, the acting edges 93 of the cup G¹ being covered with some soft
• material such as leather to prevent knocking, friction, and noise, as shown in Figure 14.
It will however be seen that one oscillating service cup valve and lever f¹ F¹ might
be used instead of two, that is, one part only of the cup oscillating, the lips f¹
closing on a fixed part; and that instead of the upward motion of the oil receiving
cup Gg lifting the lever F3 of the service cup F¹, an oscillating or reciprocating
motion of said cup might open it, and its own weight or a spring might be used to
close it. It will be observed that a separate branch c³ is led from the branch
with a regulating valve at D to carry the service tube c and service cup F, F¹, to
¡deliver the oil into the receiving cup G2 of the outer ends of the crossbead 23, as
shown on the right of Figures 2 and 13. Referring again to the general arrange-
ment of the service lubricating pipes in Figures 1 and 2, the oil for lubricating the
journal bearings Z' of the crank shaft Z is led down by the vertical pipe & to
the horizontal common service pipe 62 by a T coupling branch at 6, and from the
ends of which knees and angle branches & descend to improved single swivelling
branches at 63, all secured to the column z by brackets at D4, so that the branches
carrying the service valve chest d at D2 with its two branches c" for the cover Z
Cof each bearing can be folded down, to lubricate the bearings, as indicated in
Figure 1 and on the right of Figure 2, or be folded up out of the way as shown
:

page_text: at Ds on the left hand of Figure 2 when the covers Z₁ of the bearings have to
be removed. Figure 17 shows a sectional elevation detached of one of these
improved swivelling single joints 63 to a large scale formed of two glands 65, 66,
screwed together to form an internal swivel joint for the end of the knee branch
of the swivel pipe 64, and secured by a bracket D to the column z of the
engine, shown also in end elevation in Figure 18, which also shows a side section
of one of the service valve chests d shown in plan in Figure 19, and in sectional
end view in Figure 20 showing the two branches c" as fed from the valve d'
with the two ports d. Figure 21 shows a section of the cover of these new
disc regulating valves and valve chests showing the manner of inserting and
forming the cup ring d of leather or other equivalent, and its internal expanding
metal ring d' with inverted bush ds and spring d round the rod d² of the
valve d', for retaining this cup ring de which dispenses with stuffing box packing
on the spindle d2, the cup ring de being expanded to grip the rod and the recess
in the cover of the joint by the spring ring d. Figure 22 shows a plan of the
cup ring d and its internal metal spring tightening ring d.
A further improvement consists in the construction and use of an automatic acting
oil serving syringe dipper shown in sectional elevation with the moving parts in
their normal and discharging positions respectively in Figures 23 and 24 on Sheet 1,
for being attached by its screw tube stem I with jam nut to the lower end of any of
the oil serving tubes cl Figure 13 of the cups G, G1, G2, either with or without the
new cocks or valves d, d¹ on them, instead of or as an alternative for the intermittent
automatic feed box F for delivering any desired measured quantity of oil at each
reciprocation to lubricate crank pins, piston rod crossheads, pump rocking lever links,
and like moving parts by the action of the oil box, or a concave part G on it for
the purpose as it rose and pressed against the lower nozzle end J₁ of this syringe,
which is formed of a hollow cylinder J, bored at its upper end J2 to fit a hollow
piston I formed on the lower inner end of the screw tube I, passed in through a
screw stuffing cover J", and having a lateral orifice i, in the centre of its piston
part 12, opening into an annular wide part ; in the bored cylinder J². A perforated
division J is formed in the centre of the hollow cylinder J, with a strong spiral or
other spring fitted between it and the lower end of the piston 12, so as to press
this division J3 and the cylinder J down from the piston 12 until the cover stops
against the upper end of the piston 12, as shown in this position in Figure 23, in
which position the oil passes from the tube I into the lower bored part J2 of the
cylinder J as indicated by the arrows in this figure. A hollow tubular disc valve.j
fitted on the lower face of the perforated disc J³, to close or open these perfora-
tions and reciprocate within the lower bored part J, of the cylinder J. The hollow
stem of this disc valve has a light spiral spring fitted over it, resting on the
lower screw plug end J¹ in a bored part of which the lower stem of the valve
works, this spring closing the perforations ; when the cylinder J is pressed down by
the spring, as shown in Figure 23. But when the convex end of a receiving
lubricating cup, as shown in sharp lines at G in Figure 24, comes up and strikes
the lower end J of this lubricating cylinder J, it compresses the spring and forces
the oil out of the chamber J' through the perforations j' and out through the hollow
stem of the valve j³, and lower end "J' of the syringe, the pressure of the oil acting
on the valve opening it by compressing the light spring ³, as shown in this
position and indicated by the arrows in Figure 24. Figure 25 on Sheet 2 shows an
elevation and plan of one of the disc valve boxes d more particularly described in
reference to and shown in Figures 11 to 13, and 18 and 19 with the view of shewing
the outlet branches c" to the feed pipes d* from these boxes d with swivel jointed
couplings cx to these feed branches dx to either swivel vertically or horizontally to
or out of the way of the bearings to be lubricated, as shown on the left and right of
Figure 25 showing also a pointer d³ on the cross handle d' on the top of the spindle d²
of the valve, instead of a stile pointer d³ as described in reference to the former
figures, fitted nearly close down to the cover d³ of the valve, chest d so that the

page_text: =
divided index is cut on the corner opposite the cross hand pointer d' instead of on
the hand-wheel of the former arrangements opposite the stile pointer d³.
Figure 26 shows a sectional elevation of a single swivelling joint E, E¹, for fitting
on the ends of the oil service pipes c¹, where the tube c² leading to the bearings to be
lubricated has to be raised out of the way, when the bearings have to be tightened up,
equivalent to and as a substitute for the swivelling tube joint shown in Figures 13,
and 17. In this arrangement the fixed central hollow boss ex on the end of the
tube chas a small hole e" in it leading to the service tube c³, so that the
oscillating eye E' on this boss to which the service tube c² is coupled at E2 in
being lifted or turned up shuts off the passage ell of the oil to the service tube c²
and prevents leakage or waste, and the fixed boss ex has a solid end projecting
through one of its gripping flanges E to which the bracket D₁ is screwed for
securing the pipe c¹ and boss e* to the columns or any fixed part of the framing;
otherwise it is constructed substantially as shown in the said other Figures 13 and 17.
But to ensure tightness of the swivelling flanges E E of these couplings their inner
eyes where they swivel on the boss and tubes are shown as formed with grooves
for the insertion of small cup leather rings d and internal spring metal rings d
for making these working parts E on these tubes liquid tight, the same as the
rings shown in Figure 22 to a larger scale. And these cup leather rings de may
be so applied to the swivelling joint flanges of any of these couplings as indicated
to a large scale in section, in Figure 26ª.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The system or mode of, and means or arrangement and combination of
service cistern, and force pumps, distributing service filter boxes, shutting off and
regulating valves, oscillating service pipes and their swivelling joint branches and
intermittent feed boxes or syringes and fittings for automatically supplying or
distributing oil to lubricate the cylinders, bearings, and other working parts of
engines and other machinery, all substantially as herein described, in reference to
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines
and other machinery, the construction and use of raising and service piston barrel
cistern and fittings, substantially as and for the purposes herein described, in
reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines
and other machinery, the construction and use of a force pump, with its valves and
fittings, substantially as and for the purposes herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines and
other machinery, the construction and use of a filter service distributing box and its
fittings, substantially as and for the purposes herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines and
other machinery, the construction and use of flat bottomed disc shutting off and
regulating single, double, or multiple ported service valves or cocks with their plugs
and cupped leather spring washers on the lubricating pipes, substantially as and
for the purposes herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Sixth. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines and
other machinery, the construction and use of intermittent automatic regulating feed
delivery box, with hinged valves, substantially as and for the purposes herein described,
in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Seventh. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines
and other machinery, the construction and use of an automatic regulating feed oil

page_text: forcing syringe for lubricating the crank pins, crossheads, lever links, and other like
moving parts, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Eighth. In a system of automatically lubricating the working parts of engines
and other machinery, the construction and use of double and single swivelling joint
couplings for the oil service pipes, substantially as herein described in reference to
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Did the 1nd Antahan 1200
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.