Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1888
1, AUGUSTE JEAN VAN ALSTEIN, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved machinery or apparatus for testing lubricants,
for ascertaining the lubricating capacity of oils, and various fatty matters in ordinary
use.
The improved apparatus is constructed with a suitable framing the upper part of
which is provided with bearings which support a transverse shaft to which rotary
motion may be imparted by means of a pulley and band or in any other suitable
manner.
A part of the shaft between the said bearings is borne upon either directly or by
the intervention of a half bearing by a top or principal lever, which is arranged trans-
versely of the shaft, passes between the said bearings thereof and carries at a part
above the said shaft a reservoir of the oil or fat to be tested and a thermometer.
From the said lever there depends on each side of the shaft a set of levers
descending to below a graduated scale hereinafter referred to, and from one end of
the said lever there depends a rod which is connected to and actuates a lower lever
which is adapted with a counter weight and with a tappet which has thus transmitted
to it the movements of the said principal lever and by suitable connections is effective
according to its position in starting and stopping an arrangement of frictional and
toothed gearing to which motion is directly imparted from the said shaft, and which
by a cord or band passing round pulleys or by other suitable means in connection
with a runner sliding on the said graduated scale and carrying a predetermined
depending weight, causes such runner to assume a position on the said scale in
accordance with the movements of the parts, and to thus indicate the limit of the
lubricating power of the fatty matter being tested when the said tappet disengages
the said arrangement of gearing from the said shaft, the action of the said weight
depending from the runner being transmitted to the said principal lever by the said
sets of levers depending therefrom under the said graduated scale.

page_text: To prevent the said principal lever from gripping the said shaft the latter is capable
in a certain position of automatically stopping its motion by acting upon a clutch by
means of a conveniently arranged set of levers.
Dated this 13th day of March 1888.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C..
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Testing Lubricants.
I, AUGUSTE JEAN VAN ALSTEIN of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The present Invention relates to a machine which is arranged to automatically
determine the lubricating power of a sample of any oil or fatty matter and to indicate
the saine on a scale.
The machine is illustrated on the accompanying Drawings in side elevation in
Fig. 1. and in front elevation in Fig. 2.
The construction of the machine is characterized by a lever adapted with an under
bearing resting freely upon a rotating testing bearing-neck or roller, and upon which
the gravity of a weighted runner indicating the lubricating power exerts an action
augmented by a series of intermediary levers in proportion as the test advances, the
weighted runner being arrested at the time of the limit of the lubricating power
being reached by the automatic disengagement of mechanism actuating the weight at
the time the said lever suddenly bears the action of the resistance due to the friction,
and the machine being arrested at the moment when the oil or the fatty matter being
tested has completely lost its lubricating power.
Within opposite housings, B, is supported a shaft, W, on which is keyed the
testing bearing-neck or roller, A, in such a manner as that it turus between the
housings. The roller, A, also turns in a semi-circular under bearing, C, of the
lever, D, which bears freely upon the upper half of the roller, A. Under these
conditions it will be easily understood that the greater the pressure exercised on the
lever the greater the lubricating power of the fatty matter between the lever and the
roller proves to be.

page_text: Two rods, D², are sensibly suspended by means of knife edges from the lever, D,
equidistant from the centre of the shaft, W, and at their lower ends similarly sup
port a curved bar, D³. On the top edge of this bar is supported a beam or unequal
lever, D', in like manner as a steelyard, this beam is jointed in an adjustable
manner at one end, whilst at the other end it is connected by two links, D³, to a
similar lever, D.
At the end of the lever, De, is suspended by the middle and by means of other
links, D', a lever, D³, which supports the weighted runner, Q. Both sides of the
lever, D, are formed as rails on which roll the rollers of the runner, Q', which is pro-
vided with an index finger and carries the weight, X'. The lever, D, is of about the
same length as the machine, at one end it is arranged upon a pivot on the frame
of the machine and is guided at the other end by a fork likewise fixed upon the said
frame and provided with a rod designed to indicate the level of this lover, the same
being centrally supported by the arrangement of levers, D, D, D, as described,
which causes the considerably multiplied pressure or rather gravity of the weight, X'
to be transmitted to the lever, D.
It follows that this pressure increases in proportion as the weighted runner advances
from the right to the left. According as the runner advances from the right to the
left the weight increases and the left end of the lever ascends.
In order to maintain this lever in a level position so as to be able to ascertain
accurately the real weight applied upon the bearing, the fly wheel, V', is used and
imparts by means of an endless screw gearing with a toothed wheel, V, a motion to
the fulcrum of the lever, D. When the weight, X', is placed in its initial position,
it is equilibrated or counterpoised at the same time with the lever by the counter-
weight, X, so that in such a position the pressure is equal to zero. If, however, the
weight is placed in the mean position, that is to say just before the system of
levers, D, D, De, the lever, D, with its bearing, C, sustains the pressure of the
weight, X, multiplied as aforesaid by transmission through the system of said levers.
This pressure naturally increases until the weight arrives at the end of the lever, D.
The weight, X, is suspended from the runner, Q', which, provided with its index,
passes before the graduated scale Q, and thus indicates the lubricating power.
For actuating the runner Q', with its weight, X, the former is provided at its
rear side with a nut through which passes a screw turning between points by means
of gear wheels set in rotation by another grooved pulley, Q³, actuated by a couple of
gear wheels, 1, 9', to which a rotary motion is imparted by a friction disc, Q, directly
actuated by the main shaft, W. The friction disc, Q, rotates at the end of a crank
lever, Q, oscillating upon the frame and maintained in the desired position by a suit-
able counterweight. The lower end of this counterweight is provided with an
adjustable rod bearing upon the bracket or piece, V. The latter is fixed to the crank
lever, D', which oscillates upon an axis, W, mounted between points. The end of the
horizontal arm of the lover, D', is connected by the traction rod, t, with the corre-
sponding end of the bearing lever, D, while the end of the vertical descending arm
is provided with a counterweight, X. The rod, E¹, suspended to the crank lever, E,
and furnished with a counterweight is provided at a suitable place with an adjustable
bar, e, fixed between two nuts and which when stopped at a suitable height has its
free extremity projecting beyond the upper edge of the crank lever, D¹, so that
should the latter when raised strike the said bar, e, the latter will transmit to the
crank lever, E, a corresponding oscillation. The crank lever, E, oscillates upon a
bracket of the frame and its vertical arm embraces the anterior part of a bevil
gearing, E, engaging with the hub of the actuating pulley, P, and thus tightly con-
necting the latter with the actuating shaft, W. The upper bearing lever, D, is
provided at the opposite end to that of the rod, t, with a counterweight, k, in order
that the whole arrangement should be properly counterpoised.
The oil or the fatty matter to be tested is poured in the grease cup, R, screwed on
the bearing, C, so that the oil can be drawn by the movement of rotation between
the bearing, C, and the roller, A. The lever, D, also carries a thermometer, T, in order
to determine the temperature at which the oil is tested.

page_text: The machine operates as follows:-It is actuated directly by the pulley, P, which
causes the testing roller, A, to rotate in the bearing of the lever, D. In this manner
the mechanism, Q, Q, Q, is also caused to directly transmit the movement to the
weighted runner, Q', by means of the screw put in rotation by the pulley, Q³, in such
manner as to cause the runner to advance from the right to the left which gradually
increases the pressure exerted upon the bearing lever and the position of the latter
being gradually shifted under the influence of the resistance due to friction. Should
the pressure be so strong as to prevent the oil from exercising any further its lubrica-
ting action, the lever, D, will follow the motion due to friction and will thus raise by
means of the traction rod, t, the crank lever D', which by its bracket or bar, V, dis-
connects the mechanism, Q, Q, Q, while causing the lever, Q, to oscillate and the
friction disc to move away from the shaft, W. In this manner the runner, Q1, stops
while indicating on the scale the degree of lubricating power of the sample which is
being tested.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,-
In a machine for ascertaining the lubricating power of fatty or greasy matters,
the bearing lever or cover, D, placed over the testing roller or journal, A, strongly
loaded by the weight, X, suspended to the runner, Q, and the action of which is
intensified by the multiple transmission of the levers, D', D, D, this lever D, oscil-
lating at the time of the resistance developed by the friction of the testing roller
journal, A, as aforesaid, and disconnecting the mechanism, Q, Q, Q, by means of
the traction rod, t, the crank lever, D¹, and the bar or bracket, V, while arresting
the runner, Q, which at such time indicates the limit of the lubricating power of the
sample tested, while at the same time the bar, e, disconnects the motor pulley, P, and
stops the machine at the moment when the oil has exhausted its lubricating power either
owing to the heat produced or to the maximum pressure being reached for this oil at
a time when there will be a danger of tight gripping.
Dated this 10th day of October 1888.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.