CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF LUBRICATING MACHINERY
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
COLUMBUS HURRY, of Manchester, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
. WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of May, in the thirteenth year of Her
reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry
Columbus Hurry, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said Henry Columbus Hurry, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Henry Columbus Hurry, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF LUBRICATING MACHINERY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said Henry Columbus Hurry, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Columbus Hurry, do hereby declare that the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and
the following explanation thereof, that is to say: -
The first part of my Invention applies to those working parts of machinery
which are packed for the purpose of preventing the passage of steam, water, or
other vapour or fluid, or for other like uses, and consists, firstly, in the applica-
tion of a brush or hoop placed within the packing, and so constructed as to
form a reservoir for the oil or other lubricating material, and conduct the
same to the circumference of the required parts; and secondly, in the providing
a reservoir for the lubricating material within the piston of a steam engine, or
other such moving part.
The second part of my Invention relates to metallic packing, and consists in
grooving or drilling the said packing so that the lubricating material shall be
distributed around its periphery.
The third part of my Invention relates to an improved method of lubricating
the axles of railway and other carriage wheels, mill shafts, or other such parts,
and consists in forming a chamber within the revolving part suitable for the
reception of the lubricating material.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood, I have appended
to this my Specification certain illustrative Drawings, which I will now proceed
to describe.
Fig. 1 represents in longitudinal section a portion of a cylinder of a loco-
motive engine, shewing the application of the first part of my improvements
to the stuffing box and piston rod, which example will also illustrate its
adaptation to valves, rods, pump rams, regulators, pipe expansion joints, and
all similar working parts.
Fig. 2 represents in cross section the piston rod and stuffing box, this
view being taken in the line A, A, of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an edge view of the bush or hoop used for forming the reservoir
and conveying the oil or other such material to the required moving parts, and
Fig. 4 is a front view thereof drawn partly in section. The cylinder and
cylinder cover are shewn at a, a, a, the gland at 6, and the piston rod at c.
Within the stuffing box is placed a bush or hoop d, there being a thickness of
packing on either side thereof. The construction of this bush or hoop will be
best seen by reference to Figs. 3 and 4; it consists of a cylindrical piece of
metal or other suitable material, the periphery of which is hollowed out towards
the centre thereof, so as to form a channel around it. This channel is provided
with holes e, e, e, which communicate therefrom to the centre part of the
said bush or hoop, and it is through this centre orifice that the moving part to

page_text: be lubricated passes.
Through the stuffing box, and coincident with the
situation of the bush or hoop d, is formed an aperture g, which aperture is in
communication with an oil cup, which may be of any ordinary construction, the
lid closing with a light spring, as shewn in the Drawing, and provided, if
desired, with a stopcock applied to the neck thereof, in order to admit the
lubricating material at pleasure. The bush or hoop d may be made of metal
or other suitable material; its form and size will vary according to the parti-
cular part to which it may be desired to apply it, and it should be made to fit
easily into the stuffing box, so as to support itself without unduly pressing upon
the working part, but sufficiently easy to communicate pressure given by the
gland to the packing on the reverse side of the bush, and it should be bored or
turned out to fit the working parts, so that the fibrous packing cannot be drawn
between. The lubricating material passing from the grease cup will flow into
the channel formed by the hollowed part of the periphery of the bush or hoop,
and from thence passing through the apertures e, e, formed therein, will be
distributed over the surface of the piston rod.
Fig. 5 represents a portion of a stationary engine partly in section, shewing
the application of the bush or hoop to a hemp or other fibrously packed piston.
This Figure also exhibits the bush or hoop applied to the piston rod, precisely
in the same manuer as that described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 6 represents a partial sectional plan or horizontal view of Fig. 5,
the brush or hoop being shewn partly in section and partly whole. The bush
or hoop d, d, is placed within the fibrous packing of the piston, as described
with reference to Fig. 1, and may be supplied with oil at intervals by the
introduction of any suitable apparatus through the cylinder cover and piston.
The method which I have shewn, and which constitutes another part of my
Invention, I will now describe. Within the body of the piston h, h, h, is
formed or attached a chamber or reservoir i, which, by means of pipes j, j,j,
communicates with the bush or hoop d, d, d, (situated within the packing as
before described) at three points of its circumference; the chamber or reservoir
i, i, may be supplied with oil or other lubricating material by various arrange-
ments; the method, however, which I adopt is as follows:-To the upper part
of the chamber i is adapted a stopcock k, the interior of the plug of which is
formed square to receive the end of a tube l, which forms a channel for the
passage downwards of the lubricating material from the grease cup. This
tube carries a valve at m, corresponding to a seat n, in the bottom of the grease
cup, and is connected, by means of a short rod, to a lever o, which is capable of
turning upon a fixed centre p. Within the collar of the grease cup a spiral
slo is formed, shewn by dots in the Drawing at g, and within this slot is placed

page_text: a pin, which projects from the outside of the tube l, so that by turning the
outward end of the lever o downwards the tube will be caused to rise, and
by means of the valve m close the communication between the grease.cup
and the interior of the engine cylinder; at the same time, through the inter-
vention of the spiral slot), the tube will be caused to revolve, and communi-
cate a like motion to the plug of the stopcock k, thereby shutting off the com-
munication between the upper part of the cylinder and the chamber i, the
descent of the tube in like manner opening the valve seat n, and the com-
munication between the grease cup and the chamber i. When it is desired to
afford a supply of lubricating material, the engine is turned until the piston is at
the top of the stroke, and being kept in that position, the tube l is depressed,
and the required supply effected as above described, which position of the
parts corresponds to that shewn at Fig. 5; the tube is then caused, to rise,
and the engine may be put in motion. In order to provide for the escape of
passage, r, formed in the stopcock;
air from the chamber i, there is a second
this passage communicates with another, s, which passes upward through the
tube l, and is open at top to the external atmosphere. It will be observed on
inspecting the Drawing that that part of the tube which projects into the stop-
cock is conically formed, the object of this is to ensure its entrance into the
socket when moved downwards.
The method above described is, as before stated, that which I prefer for
introducing the lubricating material into the chamber i. The same effect,
however, may be produced by forming a communication therefrom through a
hole drilled lengthwise in the piston rod, which may then be supplied with a
grease cup, similar to that described with reference to Fig. 1, and placed so
near to the cross head as to work clear of the stuffing box.
I have, for the sake of illustration, shewn the reservoir i in connexion with
that part of my improvements relating to the bush or hoop; if desired, how-
ever, it may be used independently thereof, and the lubricating material con-
veyed to the required surfaces by means of any desired number of pipes, similar
to those shewn at j, j, j, projecting in such case through the packing, when
hemp or other fibrous material is used, or through the body and packing rings
of the piston when metallic packing is employed. The reservoir i
may be
a chamber constructed in the casting of the piston, and the passages j, j, may
in like manner be formed or drilled in the casting. In all cases, however,
where the stopcock k is used it will be necessary that it be accurately ground
to its seat so as to be as nearly steam-tight as possible. I would also observe
that, if desired, the bush or hoop d, d, d, may be made in two or more
segments, or of rolled metal twisted to the form of a hoop, soldered or rivetted..

page_text: and then properly turned and bored, and that any practicable number of pipes,
jjj, may be employed for conveying the lubricating material thereto.
I have hitherto described my improved bush or hoop as applied to fibrously
packed surfaces; it may, however, be adopted where metallic packing is
employed. In such instances there should not be less than two rings or
stratas of packing on each side thereof, so that a lapping of the joints may be
obtained, in order to prevent the steam, &c., from passing into the lubricating
channel, and so to the other side of the piston, as is well understood by all
competent persons.
The method of supplying the lubricating material may, when the cylinder is
vertical, be similar to that represented at Fig. 5. If horizontal, the piston may
be provided with a plug stopcock of like construction to that shewn at k,.
Fig. 5, through which the lubricating material may be supplied by means of
a funnel or apparatus shewn at Figs. 7 and 8, the former being an outside
view and the latter a section. To the grease cup or bowl is attached a tube u,
which is surrounded by another tube t, capable of turning freely thereon; in
each of these tubes there is an aperture formed at v, which, when brought
into a coincident position, allow the oil or other such matter to flow there-
from. This apparatus is to be introduced through the cylinder cover by
means of a screwed plug hole, and from thence made to project into the:
square
socket of the plug of the stopcock in a similar manner to that described with
reference to Fig. 5, the outside tube t being properly shaped for the purpose.
The holes v being brought opposite to each other by turning the handle w,
and the stopcock being also thereby opened, the flow of the lubricating
material from the grease cup will be effected.
Fig. 9 shews this apparatus adapted to be used for vertical cylinders in
place of the fixed apparatus described with reference to Fig. 5.
In the case
of a horizontal cylinder the reservoir formed or placed in the piston should be
situate in the upper part thereof, so as to cause the oil, &c. to flow as high as
possible; the bowl of the grease funnel, when its tube is inserted through
the cylinder end into the piston, should be high enough to cause the lubricating
material therein to assume a level above the circumference of the cylinder.
The second part of my Invention is shewn at Fig. 1, which represents the
metallic packed piston of a locomotive engine constructed according to one
plan of this portion of my improvement. Upon the centre ring of the piston
is formed a spiral groove as at x, x, and leading from this groove are small
channels, which communicate by means of suitable pipes or passages with a
reservoir similar to that described at i, i, with reference to Fig. 5, and which
may be supplied with lubricating material as before-mentioned. By disposing

page_text: the groove in a spiral form the lubricating material will, by the reciprocation
of the piston, be projected upwards, and be thus assisted in distributing itself
upon the peripheries to which it is intended to be applied. The said groove,
however, may be formed parallel to the sides of the piston, or in any other
line, or in its place a series of holes may be drilled, communicating in like
manner with the reservoir.
The third part of my Invention is shewn at Figs. 10, 11, and 12, which
represent in two modifications my improvement as applied to a railway carriage
wheel; Fig. 10 being a section of the wheel and its appurtenances, and
Fig. 11 a transverse view of the same, partly in section.
The axle upon
which the carriage is suspended is shewn at a, a, and. is stationary, being
affixed to the plummer blocks b; upon this fixed axle are placed the brass
or other metal bushes or steps c, upon which a hollow axle d, d, revolves, the
wheel e, e, being keyed or otherwise fastened thereon. The grease box is
shewn at f, in communication with the bottom of which there is a passage
9, 9, which is drilled lengthwise in the fixed axle a. Through this passage
the oil or other lubricating material will therefore flow, and from thence it will
pass through apertures h, h, formed in the steps or bushes into the hollow
revolving axle d, which thus becomes a reservoir. In order to prevent the
oil, &c. from escaping at the outward end there is a stuffing box and gland
applied as at i, i.
In the modification shewn in section at Fig. 12, the aperture for the passage
of the lubricating material from the grease box is at k, from thence it flows
into a chamber formed by a ring of metal or other suitable material l, which
is placed in a groove provided within the plummer block, and pressed by
springs (one of which is shewn at m) against the face of the boss of the wheel.
This chamber may also be formed by lengthening the hollow axle d until it
is in close contact with the plummer block b, and this contact preserved by
means of a spring attached to the end of the fixed axle a.
The hollow run-
ning axle forms as before a reservoir for the lubricating material which passes
between it and the bushes or steps.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark, that
I have not thought it necessary to point out all the applications of my Inven-
tion, as such matters will be readily understood by all competent persons, and
I do not confine myself to the precise form and construction of parts described
and shewn in the Drawings, but that which I claim as secured to me under the
above in part recited Letters Patent is,―
Firstly, the application of an apparatus placed within the packing of moving

page_text: parts of machines suitably formed for acting as a reservoir, and for distribut-
ing lubricating materials.
Secondly, the application of a reservoir for lubricating materials placed or
constructed within the pistons of steam engines or other such moving parts of
machinery.
Thirdly, forming upon the peripheries of metallic pistons a groove or
grooves, or holes communicating with an internal reservoir, for the purpose
above set forth..
Fourthly, I claim the formation of a reservoir for lubricating materials
within the revolving axle or shaft to which such substances are intended to
be applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Columbus Hurry, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of November, One thousand
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