Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct, 1887
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 17th Aug, 1888
JOHN SANDERS STEVENS & CHARLES GEORGE MAJOR Engineers, Janus Works,
Queen's Road Battersea in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is the production of a Lubricator which will enable oil,
or other lubricant, to be readily introduced into any vessels or pipes containing water
or other liquids under pressure; and without allowing the water &c. to escape, or
disconnecting any portion of the apparatus.
To produce this result we utilize two natural and well known principles. 1st. The
lower specific gravity of oils, or mixtures containing oils, as compared with water.
2nd. The limited, but appreciable, elasticity of ordinary metallic containing vessels
under pressure; or the greater elasticity of specially designed vessels; or the elasticity
of substances which may be placed within such vessels.
We put our invention into effect as follows.
In the simplest case, viz. where oil is to be introduced into a vessel containing water
under pressure, we construct a small independent chamber or vessel, with two openings
at the top, & one at the bottom.
The first opening at the top is fitted with a stop valve with a funnel shaped mouth.
The second opening at the top is fitted with another stop valve, from which a pipe is led,
always in an upward direction, to the pipe or vessel into which the oil is to be
introduced. The opening at the bottom is fitted with a drain cock or valve.
To charge the lubricator, shut the valve leading from the top to the vessel to be
lubricated, thereby shutting off all pressure. Open the funnel mouthed feeding valve,
and fill with oil. Close the feeding valve, and open the valve leading to pressure.
The water by virtue of its superior gravity will flow down into the lubricator, dis-
placing the oil, which will gradually find its way upwards into the water vessel where
it is required. The discharge valve, i.e. the second on the top, may be used to
regulate the rate of transposition of the two liquids. For recharging, after closing
the discharge valve, and opening the feed valve, open the drain cock to draw off the
water from the lubricator, reclose it, and proceed as before.

page_text: A lubricator as described in preceeding; though suitable for many purposes, would
in some cases allow the oil to pass too quickly, and sometimes when not required, so
leading to waste. This is particularly the case in lifts and other intermittent hydraulic
machinery, where a slow minute feed is required, but at such times only as water is
being admitted to the machine; and when the machine is at rest the lubricator should
cease to feed.
For such cases the discharge pipe from the lubricator should be connected to the
hydraulic feed pipe of the machine, and the discharge valve should be kept nearly
closed, so as to oppose an obstacle to the free displacement of the viscous oil, the flow
of which may be stopped in this way so long as gravity alone is applied to its expulsion,
but yet allowed to proceed when a greater force is brought to bear. In the condition
described, the full pressure of the water will be transmitted past the partially, closed
valve to the oil in the lubricator, so long as the machine is quiescent, and the oil will
stand under the same static pressure as the water. But immediately water is drawn
off for use in the machine, the pressure in the feed pipe will fall below that in the
lubricator, and the elasticity of the body of the lubricator, augmented by the slight
elasticity of the water and oil contained therein, will then force out a few drops of oil,
which will be picked up by the current of water and carried to the slide valve, or
piston, which requires lubrication. Immediately the flow of water ceases, the pressure
again rises in the feed pipe and lubricator, and the cycle of operations may be
repeated.
In cases where the pressure is so low that the amount of natural elasticity brought
into play is insufficient for the purpose, we introduce artificial aids, by the use of an
air chamber in connexion with the body of the lubricator; or a chamber filled with
solid elastic substance such as cork; or the lubricator body is constructed with
corrugated, or otherwise irregularly formed sides, to give increased elasticity;―or the
body may be a cylinder closed by a piston held in position by a spring.
By the use of either of the modifications depending upon elasticity, we can feed in
any liquid having the same, or even higher specific gravity than the liquid to be
lubricated, provided that the two liquids will mix.
For instance, after the lubricator is charged the first contraction of its chamber
expels some portion of the lubricant, and the subsequent expansion allows a portion of
the outer liquid to enter the lubricator, and slightly dilute the lubricant. This process
is repeated until the dilution is so complete that the resulting mixture in the lubricator
is valueless for its purpose, when it may be drawn off, and the lubricator replenished
with a charge of fresh lubricant. Or if the lubricant be of such nature as to allow of
its introduction in a highly concentrated form, such as soda, soft soap, Glycerine, &c.,
the diluted mixture need not be drawn off, but will only require enriching from time
to time with the more concentrated material.
Dated this 14th day of October 1887

page_text: JOHN SANDERS STEVENS, and CHARLES GEORGE MAJOR, Engineers, of Janus
Works Queen's Road Battersea, in the County of Surrey do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of our invention is the production of a Lubricator which will enable
oil, or other lubricant, to be readily introduced into any vessels or pipes containing
water or other liquids under pressure; and without allowing the water, &c. under
pressure to escape, or disconnecting any portion of the apparatus.
To produce this result we utilise two natural and well known principles
1st. The lower specific gravity of oils, or mixtures containing oils, as compared
with water. 2nd. The limited, but appreciable, elasticity of ordinary metallic
containing vessels under pressure; or the greater elasticity of specially designed
vessels; or the elasticity of substances which may be placed within such vessels.
We put our invention into effect as follows. In the simplest case, viz. where oil is
to be introduced into a vessel containing water under pressure, we construct a small
independent chamber or vessel A Figs. 1 & 2, with two openings at the top, & one at
the bottom. The first opening at the top is fitted with a stop valve B with a funnel
shaped mouth C. The second opening at the top is fitted with another stop valve D,
from which a pipe E is led, always in an upward or horizontal direction, to the pipe F
or vessel into which the oil is to be introduced. The opening G at the bottom is fitted
with a drain cock or valve H.
To charge the lubricator, we shut the valve D leading from the top, to the vessel
to be lubricated, thereby shutting off all pressure. We then open the funnel mouthed
feeding valve B, and fill A with oil. Next we close the feeding valve B, and open
the valve D leading to pressure pipe F. The water by virtue of its superior gravity
will now flow down into the lubricator A, displacing the oil, which will gradually
find its way upwards into the water vessel or pipe F where it is required. The
discharge valve D-i.e. the second on the top, may be used to regulate the rate of
transposition of the two liquids. For recharging, after closing the discharge valve D,
and opening the feed valve B, we open the drain cock H to draw off the water from
the lubricator A, reclose it, and proceed as before.
A lubricator as described in preceeding, though suitable for many purposes, would
in some cases allow the oil to pass too quickly, and sometimes when not required, so
leading to waste. This is particularly the case in lifts and other intermittent hydraulic
machinery, where a slow ininute feed is required, but at such times only as water
is being admitted to the machine; and when the machine is at rest the lubricator
should cease to feed.
For such cases the discharge pipe E from the lubricator should be connected to the
hydraulic feed pipe F of the machine, and the discharge valve D should be kept
nearly closed, so as to oppose an obstacle to the free displacement of the viscous oil,
the flow of which may be stopped in this way so long as gravity alone is applied to
its expulsion, but yet allowed to proceed when a greater force is brought to bear.
In the condition described, the full pressure of the water will be transmitted past the
partially closed valve D to the oil in the lubricator A, so long as the machine is

page_text: quiescent, and the oil in A will virtually stand under the same static pressure as the
water in F. But immediately water is drawn off for use in the machine, the pressure
in the feed pipe F will fall below that in the lubricator A, and the elasticity of the
body of the lubricator, augmented by the slight elasticity of the water and oil
contained therein, will then force out a few drops of oil, which will be picked up by
the current of water through F and carried to the slide valve, or piston, which
requires lubrication. Immediately the flow of water ceases, the pressure again
rises in the feed pipe F and lubricator A, and the cycle of operations may be
repeated.
In cases where the pressure is so low that the amount of natural elasticity brought
into play is insufficient for the purpose, we introduce artificial aids, by the use of an
air chamber I fig. 3 in connexion with the body of the lubricator; or such a chamber
may be filled with solid elastic substance such as cork. We sometimes enclose the
cork or similar substance within a separate perforated case or bag placed loosely
within the lubricator. In other cases the lubricator body is constructed with
corrugated, or otherwise irregularly formed sides, Fig. 4, to give increased
elasticity; or the body A may be a cylinder closed by a piston held in position by a
spring; see Fig. 5.
By the use of either of the modifications depending upon elasticity, we can feed in
any liquid having the same, or even higher specific gravity than the liquid to be
lubricated, provided that the two liquids will mix. For instance, in the case of
injecting soda solution and oil into water, after the lubricator is charged the first
contraction of its chamber expels some portion of the lubricant, and the subsequent
expansion allows a portion of the outer liquid (water) to enter the lubricator, and
slightly dilute the lubricant. This process is repeated until the dilution is so
complete that the resulting mixture in the lubricator is valueless for its purpose,
when it may be drawn off, and the lubricator replenished with a charge of fresh
lubricant. Or if the lubricant be of such nature as to allow of its introduction in a
highly concentrated form, such as Soda, Soft Soap, Glycerine, etc., the diluted mixture
need not be drawn off, but will only require enriching from time to time with the
more concentrated material.
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
--
1. A lubricator for injecting liquid lubricant into water or other liquid while under
pressure, depending wholly or partly upon the force of gravity for its action, and
constructed as described.
2. A lubricator for injecting liquid lubricant into water or other liquid while under
pressure, depending for its action wholly or partly upon the elasticity of the casing
and of the lubricant, and constructed as described.
3. A lubricator for injecting liquid lubricant into water or other liquid while under
pressure, depending for its action wholly or partly, upon the elasticity of air, cork, or
other matter, placed within the lubricator, and constructed as described.
4. A lubricator for injecting liquid lubricant into water or other liquid while under
pressure, depending for its action, wholly or partly, upon the elasticity of a spring,
.and constructed as described.
5. A lubricator for purpose as hereinbefore described, combining any two or more
modes of action herein before described, and constructed as described.
Dated this 12th day of T11000
JOHN SANDERS STEVENS.
CHARLES GEORGE MAJOR.