IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING STEAM AND GAS ENGINES AND FOR OTHER LUBRICATING PURPOSES, AND FOR INTRODUCING BOILER COMPOSITION INTO STEAM BOILERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESSURE GAUGES, VACUUM GAUGES, BAROMETERS, WEIGHING AND OTHER ANALOGOUS APPARATUS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John James Royle, of the city of Manchester, Mechanical
Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR
LUBRICATING STEAM AND GAS ENGINES AND FOR OTHER LUBRICATING PURPOSES,
AND FOR INTRODUCING BOILER COMPOSITION INTO STEAM BOILERS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
PRESSURE GAUGES, VACUUM GAUGES, BAROMETERS, WEIGHING AND OTHER
ANALOGOUS APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John James Royle at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th February 1882.
JOHN JAMES ROYLE of the city of Manchester, Mechanical Engineer, "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING STEAM AND GAS ENGINES AND FOR
OTHER LUBRICATING PURPOSES AND FOR INTRODUCING BOILER COMPOSITION INTO
STEAM BOILERS WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PRESSURE GUAGES, VACUUM GAUGES, BAROMETERS, WEIGHING,
AND OTHER ANALOGOUS APPARATUS
"
This Invention refers firstly to improvements in a lubricator for which Letters
Patent No. 4909 were granted to me on the First day of December 1879 to render
such lubricator capable of feeding Graphite or black lead (or other lubricating
powder) to Engine Cylinders and consist in employing the steam jet described in
the Specification of my said Letters Patent to exhaust or partially exhaust a
vessel containing the powdered graphite or other lubricant in powder so inducing
a current of air to act upon or through the graphite and by thus agitating it a
portion of the graphite is carried along with the air passing to the steam jet and
is so fed into the cylinders. A valve is arranged to prevent the return of the
powdered lubricant at the period of high pressure in the cylinder. These
improvements are equally applicable to apparatus for lubricating the cylinders of
air compressors.
Secondly. This Invention refers to the use of Graphite (or other lubricant in a
powdered state) as a lubricator for Gas Engines and air compressors and to a
modification of the foregoing for feeding it to the cylinder of such engines.

page_text: I employ the same method of agitating the Graphite by placing the lubricator
on some part of the engine where the charge of air and gas or air alone is drawn
into the cylinder aad so that a portion of the air may pass through the lubricator
and by agitating the graphite carry some portion of it into the cylinder at each
indraught.
Thirdly. This invention refers to improvements in those classes of enclosed
lubricators for steam, air, gas and other motive power engines which in the case
of steam engines are capable of being placed either upon the slide valve chest,
steam pipe or upon the cylinder but which have hitherto been open to the
objection that it has been impossible to know or to indicate what quantity of
lubricant was being from time to time fed to the engine.
The improvements consist in so arranging such lubricators in connection with
a glass gauge, that such gauge shall be capable of performing the double functions
of indicating the height or level of the lubricant in the reservoir or cistern
portion of the lubricator and also at will of indicating the speed at which the
lubricant is being fed to the engine.
In carrying out my Invention I so arrange the passages communicating between
the cistern and glass gauge, and also between the cistern and feed pipe that by
means of cocks or valves I can either permit the lubricant to fall from the cistern
in which case the height of the lubricant is indicated by the glass gauge or if I
require to see the rate of feed I then close the communication between the cistern
and glass gauge and draw only from the latter.
In this manner by drawing the lubricant from the small confined space enclosed
by the glass gauge, I obtain a reliable indication of the speed and quantity of
lubricant passing to the engine and which ascertained I again draw from the
cistern direct
A modification of this apparatus is also useful for introducing anti-crustation in
boilers, composition into steam boilers, and for other analogous purposes.
I also employ a similar glass gauge but which is by preference hermetically
closed at one end in the construction of a pressure gauge. In carrying out this
portion of my Invention I employ a corrugated steel diaphram which is acted
upon on the one side by the fluid or gas whose pressure it is desired to ascertain
and on the other by a coloured liquid (as hereinafter described) rising into the
glass tube or gauge arranged against a suitably divided scale. The deflections of
the diaphram under the varying pressure causes the liquid to ascend or descend
in this glass tube or gauge and so indicate the pressure in a very sensitive manner
and this without the use of any mechanical means as heretofore.
The improvements lastly described are equally applicable in the construction of
barometers, weighing and other analogous apparatus. The colored liquid which
I prefer to employ in the before mentioned apparatus is made by dissolving
"fluores ceine" in alcohol after which a little alkali is added to increase the
florescence.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John James Royle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th August 1882.
JOHN JAMES ROYLE of the City of Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING
STEAM AND GAS ENGINES AND FOR OTHER LUBRICATING PURPOSES AND FOR
INTRODUCING BOILER COMPOSITION INTO STEAM BOILERS WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESSURE GAUGES,
VACUUM GAUGES, BAROMETERS, WEIGHING AND OTHER ANALOGOUS APPARATUS
"
This invention refers firstly to improvements in a lubricator for which Letters
Patent No 4909 were granted to me on the first day of December one thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine to render such lubricator capable of feeding
Graphite or black lead (or other lubricating powder) to Engine cylinders and
consist in employing the steam jet described in the specification of my said Letters
Patent to exhaust or partially exhaust a vessel containing the powdered graphite
or other lubricant in powder so inducing a current of air to act upon or through
the graphite and by thus agitating it a portion of the graphite is carried along
with the air passing to the steam jet and is so fed into the cylinders. A valve is
arranged to prevent the return of the powdered lubricant at the period of high
pressure in the cylinder. These improvements are equally applicable to apparatus
for lubricating the cylinders of air compressors.
Secondly. This invention refers to the use of Graphite (or other lubricant in a
powdered state) as a lubricator for Gas Engines and air compressors and to a
modification of the foregoing for feeding it to the cylinder of such engines. I
employ the same method of agitating the Graphite by placing the lubricator on
some part of the engine where the charge of air and gas or air alone is drawn into
the cylinder and so that a portion of the air may pass through the lubricator and
by agitating the graphite carry some portion of it into the cylinder at each
indraught.
Thirdly. This invention refers to improvements in that class of enclosed
lubricators for Steam Engines used to introduce the lubricant into the steam pipe
or valve chest and which are also applicable to other motive power engines. The
employment of a glass gauge affixed to the cup or enclosed part containing the
lubricant is a well known device for indicating the amount of lubricant contained in
the said cup and also the rate at which the lubricant is being fed to the engine in so
far as the falling of the lubricant in the glass is an indication. This device however
is open to the objection that the falling of the lubricant in the cup and consequently
in the gauge is so slow that it is of little use as a guide for adjustment and is con-
sequently useful only to indicate whether the cup is empty or full. Now these
improvements consist in providing means whereby the said gauge may be
temporarily shut off from the cup and the adjustment of the feed effected by the
gauge only. Diagram Fig A will best explain the essential feature of this
part of my invention A is the cup or resevoir containing the lubricant and
which is connected to the steam pipe or valve chest of the engine by the
screw end B. Steam is conveyed to the upper part of the cup by pipe C
so that the lubricant may be free to gravitate through the passages hereinafter
mentioned. D is a gauge glass connected to the upper part of the cup by the
arin F and to the lower part thereof by the arm F in which latter arm is a
tap G capable of closing the passage through such arm. H is a pipe provided
with a tap I leading into the lower steam way of the lubricator. Now it will be
obvious that if tap I is closed and tap G opened the lubricant will stand at an

page_text: equal level in the glass gauge and in the cup and give a true indication of the
amount of lubricant in the cup but if tap G be closed and tap I gently opened
the lubricant will descend in the glass in proportion to the extent of opening and
as there is an equal "head" of liquid both in the glass and in the cup if tap a be
now opened the lubricant will again rise in the glass to the same level as that in
the cup and will continue to flow through the pipe H at the rate indicated by the
falling of the lubricant in the glass as hereinbefore described. At any time by
closing tap G the state of the feed may be tested. The gauge glass therefore
performs the double function of indicating the total quantity of lubricant in
the cup and the rate of feed. Having thus stated the essential feature of this part
of my invention I will now proceed to describe more fully my method of carrying
it into practical effect. Fig 3 is a front sectional view and Fig 4 an exterior view
of my improved lubricator. In both views H is the body of the cistern or reservoir
filled by means of the cup S closed by the handle and valve R. I is the gauge
glass connected to the upper and lower part of the body H as illustrated. J is a
plug tap operative by the hand wheel K which wheel (see front view Fig 3ª) is
provided with an indicator K¹ to indicate the various positions of the plug as
hereinafter described. The plug J has passages formed through it one of which (L)
conveys the steam to the upper part of the cup H as illustrated. Another passage N
communicates with passage M from the bottom of the cup and allows the lubricant
free access to the gauge I. The regulation is effected by the screwed spindle P
closing more or less the passage O. In the position in which the plug J is illustrated
in Fig 3 and in section Fig 3b the lubricator is supposed to be working and the
pointer of the indicating wheel will be opposite the word "Feed" as seen in Fig 34.
Supposing now it is desired to ascertain the amount of lubricant passing to the
engine the band wheel K is moved to the position marked "Test" that is half a
revolution to the left this will bring the passages into the position shewn in section
Fig 3. The passage through it will be observed is closed and hence the lubricant can
only fall from the glass I indicating the rate of feed as horeinbefore explained. The
rate of feed can be varied by the screwed spindle P To fill the cup the hand
wheel K is turned to the position marked “ Fill” this brings the passages into the
position shewn in section Fig 32 viz: the main steam passage L is closed and all
steam thereby cut off from the lubricator. The handle R may therefore be opened
and new lubricating material introduced. In this last position it will be observed
that an additional port or passage V at this time puts the passage M in
communication with the gauge glass and allows the gauge to indicate the rate of
filling
H
In Fig 5 which represents a side sectional view of a modification of my
invention the movements are substantially the same as in the previous arrange-
ment. A plug cock is replaced by a screwed spindle and piston end e. The
rotary movement giving the position and the longitudinal movement the adjust-
ment, all being effected from one hand wheel (see front view in Fig 6) with all the
positions marked thereon forming a very compact arrangement. In the position
illustrated the steam is shut off from the cup by the end B of the spindle closing
the passage G. at the same time the split sliding collar D which is loose on the
spindle covers the passage c and the passage N is in communication with the cup
and through the hollow spindle E and holes f with the gauge glass I thus shewing
the height of the lubricant in the cup. The mode of operation is as follows. The
hand wheel is turned to the left so bringing the valve b off its seating and
admitting steam to the upper part of the lubricator through the passage L. Con-
tinuing the turning to the left the collar d comes in contact with the opposite side
of passage L as seen in fig: 7 and exposes the passage C allowing the lubricant to
escape the amount of opening varying the feed. Meanwhile the passage N owing
to the rotary movement of the spindle has passed from under passage M so shutting
off the communication with the cup H and allowing the lubricant to fall from the
gauge only thus indicating the rate of feed. The position on the wheel marked
Regulate" corresponds to this position. Having thus adjusted the feed the hand

page_text: wheel is returned to the position marked "Feed" as seen in Fig: 8 where a
second port V see section Fig 7* has been formed in the spindle as hereinbefore
described to establish a communication with the cup H. It will be observed that
as there is considerable play on each side of the ring d this return movement will
not affect the adjustment previously effected. A position midway between this
last and the first position and marked "Test" on the hand wheel h is marked when
the passage M is closed so corresponding to the same position in Figs. 3 and 30.
To prevent the condensed water made in the cup mingling with the lubricant and
having to pass away with the lubricant and which in cold or draughty situations
might interfere with the regularity of the feeding, I sometimes isolate the lubricant
from the sides of the vessel by employing an inner jacket or casing as seen in fig: 9
and marked X and thus I permit the condensed water which falls between the inner
and outer casing to pass away by the steam inlet L which in this case opens into
the annular space thus formed. It will be obvious that the results obtained by
means of ports and passages arranged through the plug of a tap or hollow spindle
as hereinbefore described might be obtained by means of separate taps or valves
such as in Diagram Fig: A but these would be less convenient ways of arriving
at the same result and I should regard the same as being modifications of
my invention. I wish it to be here understood that I make no claim to the use of
a glass gauge in connection with a lubricator save and except when capable of being
temporarily disconnected therefrom as and for the purposes herein before described.
A modification of this apparatus constructed of iron and upon an enlarged scale is also
useful for introducing anti-crustation composition into steam boilers and for other
analogous purposes. In fig 9a I represent a front exterior view and in Fig 10 a
side sectional view of my improved pressure gauge (a) is a metallic flanged casing
formed in two halves and enclosing a space c across the centre of which a corru-
gated steel diaphragm d is stretched and which is held in position by extending
between the flanges which are screwed together by set screws as illustrated. The
under side of this diaphragm d is acted upon by the fluid or gas whose pressure it
is desired to ascertain, whilst in the spice in the top side a colored liquid (herein-
after described) is introduced which rises into the glass tube b (hermetically closed
at the top) at the back of which is a suitably divided scale. The deflections of the
diaphragm under the varying pressure causes the liquid to ascend or descend in
this glass tube b and so indicates the pressure in a very sensitive manner and this
as will be observed without the use of any mechanical means as heretofore. These
improvements are equally applicable in the construction of barometers and other
analogous apparatus. In Figs 11 and 12 I illustrate a plan and front sectional
view respectively af a platform weighing machine constructed with a series of
diaphragms casings (g) similarly fitted to the one just described but having the
liquid underneath and all such casings communicating together through the pipes h
and having a branch leading to a similar gauge and devided scale to that
illustrated in Figs 9 and 10. The platform e of this weighing machine is provided
underneath at each of its four corners with a stud which rests on its respective
diaphragm.
It will be apparent that any weight placed upon the platform will exercise an
influence upon one or more of the diaphragms and that these being all connected
together and communicating with a gauge as aforesaid the column of liquid in the
gauge will rise in exact proportion to the weight and that thus an indication of
such weight can be obtained.
The colored liquid which I prefer to employ in the glass gauge of the before-
mentioned apparatus is made by dissolving fluoresceine in alcohol after which a
little alkali is added to increase the florescence.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention together with the best methods with which I am acquainted for carrying
the same into practical effect I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
inyself to the precise details relative proportions or dimensions of the various parts

page_text: of the improved apparatus hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accom-
panying drawings as the same may be considerably varied without deparating from
the invention but what I claim is.
First The improvements in the invention for which Letters Patent N° 4909 were
granted to me in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy
eight for introducing Graphite or other powdered lubricant into engine cylinders
and air compressors substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawings.
Secondly The improved construction of Lubricators for introducing Graphite or
other powdered lubricant into Gas Engine cylinders substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly The "essential feature" in lubricators for steam and other motive power
engines substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated
by Figs A. and Figs 3 to 8ª of the accompanying drawings.
Fourthly Constructing Lubricators for steam and other motive power engines
with a glass gauge or its equivalent which can be temporarily disconnected from
the main supply or cistern of lubricant to indicate the rate of feed substantially as
herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
Fifthly The improvements in pressure gauges, barometers, weighing and other
analogous apparatus and employment therein of the florescent liquid substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated on tho accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John James Royle have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty fourth day of August in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.