Improvements in and relating to the Lubrication of Journal Bearings.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 4th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1887
Improvements in and relating to the Lubrication of Journal
Bearings.
1, NATHANIEL Rix of London Colney, in the County of Hertford, Farmer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of lubricating Journal Bearings by
means of two complete self acting lubricators-one at each end of the Bearing:
Each lubricator consisting of a reservoir or cup for holding oil or other lubricant,
placed below the level of the floor of the Bearing-forming part of the Bearing itself
or of the block or chair in which it rests-or attached in any way to the Bearing or
the Block These cups may join or not.
In each cup or reservoir I place a pad or wick, formed of sponge wool, cotton-or
any other material that will absorb the lubricant and raiso it by capillary attraction-
An orifice or opening in the upper part of each cup communicates with a corresponding
opening in the interior of the Bearing.
Through this opening a portion of the pad or wick is made to extrude-so that the
shaft as it revolves-touches it and draws off the oil or other lubricant--which is
thus raised and distributed over the interior surface of the Journal.
Inside the Bearing-near to each end an annular space is grooved out which
prevents the exit of the oil-and in which the extruded portion of the pad or wick
has room to extend-being thus subject to slight pressure but not liable to wear.
The result is abundant lubrication without waste of oil.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Lubrication of Journal
Bearings.
I, NATHANIEL Rix of London Colney St. Albans in the County of Hertford
Farmer 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:-
My invention relates to an improved method of Lubricating Journal Bearings by
means of two complete self-acting Lubricators one at each end of the bearing.
Each lubricator consisting of a reservoir or cup for holding oil or other lubricant
placed below the floor of the bearing forming part of the bearing itself or of the block
or chair in which it rests or attached in any way to the bearing or the block, these
cups may join or not.
In each cup or reservoir I place a pad or wick formed of sponge, wool, cotton or
any other material that will absorb the lubricant and raise it by capillary attraction;
an orifice or opening in the upper part of each cup communicates with a corresponding
opening in the interior of the bearing.
Through this opening a portion of the wick or pad is made to extrude so that the
shaft as it revolves touches it and draws off the oil or other lubricant which is thus
raised and distributed over the interior surface of the Journal.
Inside the bearing near to each end an annular space is grooved out which prevents
the exit of the oil and in which the extruded portion of the pad or wick has room to
extend being thus subject to slight pressure, but not liable to wear.
The result is abundant lubrication without waste of oil.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 is a
transverse section on Z Z Fig. 1 of a bush for the bearing of a journal or shaft with
means of lubricating according to my invention. Near each end of the bush I form
in it an annular recess A and under it a cavity B to contain oil. The two cavities B B
may be separate as shewn in Fig. 1 formed in the bush, or they may be connected
thereto or they may extend under the body of the bush communicating with each
other as indicated by the dotted line B¹, in which case a screw plug should be provided
at each end of the reservoir of such size and in such positions as to give free access to
the reservoir for changing the wicks or cleaning. Over a bridge piece C of the
metal which separates the recess A from the cavity B I pass a wick D of fibrous or
porous material with its ends dipping down into the oil. By capillary attraction the
oil rises to the upper bend of the wick D and is thus brought in contact with the
revolving shaft or journal S. The lubricant distributes itself along the bearing, but
by the recesses A A it is almost entirely prevented from exuding from the ends of
the bearing, such portions of it as enter these recesses flowing down them to the
wicks D whence excess can pass into the oil vessels. The lubricant may be fed
through oil holes at O in the upper parts of the recesses A, or it may he introduced
at the sides of the cavities B by obliquely cut notches E which are formed partly in

page_text: screw plugs F. Each plug F can be turned into such a position as to bring its notch
into coincidence with the notch in the metal of the bearing giving passage for oil, or
it may be turned partly round so that the aperture is closed.
I am aware that bearings for journals or shafts have been made with annular
recesses in which revolve collars on the journals dipping into lubricant in the recesses,
as described in the Specification of my Patent No. 1058 of 1886; I therefore make
no general claim to the construction of bearings or their bushes with annular
recesses, but,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described method of lubricating a journal bearing by capillary wicks
dipping into oil cavities near each end of the bearing and presenting themselves to
the journal within annular recesses formed in the bearing.
2. A bush or bearing for a journal or shaft formed with oil cavities and recesses,
substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of Databen 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.