Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 14th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 19th Apr., 1887.
RESERVE
We JAMES SMITH of Ferry Road Head, Yoker, in the County of Renfrew,
Engineer, and JOHN ANNAL of St. Margarets Hope, in. the County of Orkney,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to sight feed lubricators, more especially designed for the
cylinders and slide valves of large steam engines and other parts requiring to be
lubricated and which are far apart and difficult to get at, and the invention consists in
an arrangement whereby the lubrication of the various parts may be controlled from a
single convenient spot, and the employment of separate lubricators for each part obvinted.
The Invention consists of a series of sight feel tubes or glasses grouped together in
a frame, the tubes communicating with an oil supply and with a water supply common
to the whole, there being as many feed tubes as there are parts to be lubricated, each
controlled by a separate valve so that the supply of oil can be cut off from one
independently of the others.
Both the oil supply and the water supply are under boiler pressure.
The frame in which the tubes are arranged consists of bridges or rings in which the
tubes or glasses are mounted in glands or packings bolted together by columns which
serve as distance pieces and prevent pressure on the glasses. The oil passes to the
feed tubes through a longitudinal passage running along the lower bridge or ring and
communicating both with the oil and with the water supply.
The glasses communicate through the upper part of the frame with separate pipes,
connected with the parts to be lubricated.
Water for cleaning out the tubes is supplied under pressure by means of a coil
placed at a certain height above the boiler and connected with the lower part of the
frame where it is provided with a stop valve.
Steam from the boiler is admitted continuously to the coil in which it condenses
and the water of condensation fills the pipe leading to the lower part of the frame.
Suitable stop valves are provided to enable the supply of oil from the reservoir and
the water supply to be regulated.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lubricators.
We, JAMES SMITH of Ferry Road Head Yoker in the County of Renfrew,
Engineer; and JOHN ANNAL of St. Margaret's Hope in the County of Orkney,
Engineer; 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:-
Our Invention relates to sight-feed lubricators, more especially designed for the
cylinders, slide-valves, and other parts of large steam engines. Heretofore, it has
been usual to have a separate sight feed lubricator, each provided with a separate oil
chamber and condensing coil, for each part of the engine to be lubricated and these
are generally situated at some distance apart.
The Invention consists in combining two or more sight feed lubricators with a
single oil vessel and condensing coil, and grouping together the lubricators so that
the lubrication of the various parts of the engine may be effected and controlled from
a single convenient position.
The group or series of two or more sight feed tubes, or glasses, communicate on the
one hand by separate pipes with the different parts of the engine to be lubricated
rospectively, and on the other hand with an oil chamber and coil common to all, and
in connection with the boiler, the supply of oil to each sight feed tube being controlled
by a separate valve, so that the lubrication of any one part can be regulated or cut off
independently of the others.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of the group of sight feed tubes, partly
in section on line 1-1 figure 2. Figure 2 is a plan of the same, in section on
line 2-2 figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-section on line 3-3 figure 1, the sight feed
tube being partly in clevation. Figure 4 is a cross section, on line 4-4 figure 1, of
the lower part of the frame on which the tubes are fixed. Figure 5 is a vertical
section of the oil reservoir. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in
all the figures.
A, A, A, represent as many sight-feed tubes as there are parts of the machine to be
lubricated. They are made of glass, as usual, and are arranged side by side in a row,
or otherwise, so that the operation can be conveniently supervised and controlled.
The tubes are mounted in a suitable frame, composed preferably of a base B and top
bar C connected by pillars D which serve as distance pieces to prevent longitudinal
pressure on the tubes, the ends of the tubes being secured in the frame by means of
glands and stuffing boxes. The tubes A respectively communicate at their upper ends
with pipes A leading to the different parts of the machine to be lubricated. They
communicate at their lower ends with branches of a longitudinal channel b in the
base B, the communications with said channel b being independently controlled by
valves e of which there is one fitted in each branch channel 61 (as shewn in figure 3)
Each valve e is carried by a screw-spindle passing through a gland and stuffing box

page_text: and turned by a hand wheel E at the front of the chamber B. From each branch
channel 6 a conical nozzle a rises a short distance into the tube A above from which,
when the valve is open, the oil is emitted into the sight feed-tube. The channel -
communicates at the ends with the pillars D which are tubular, the communication
being similarly under the control of valve d. The pillars D communicate respectively
by pipes F and G with the chamber H, the pipe F connecting with the top of the said
chainber, and the pipe G connecting with a pipe I that descends nearly to the bottom
of the chamber. This chamber is closed, and is provided with a gauge-glass h to shew
the level of the oil and water therein, and is connected, by an upward prolongation K
of pipe I, with the steam pipe of the boiler and is provided at bottom with an outlet
pipe L. The pipes F, I, and L, are controlled by cocks f, i, and 1, respectively,
being a three-way cock. The pipe K is of sufficient length to afford surface for
condensation, and for this purpose it may be in the form of, or connected to, a coil
from which the condensed water flows to the chamber H, the operation being as
follows: The chamber H having been first filled with oil, and cocks i and fopened,
and the valves d d being closed, the valve d is opened in order to fill the sight feed
tubes A with water. Valve d is then closed and the other valve d' is opened to admit
oil from pipe F to channel b, the pressure from the boiler, admitted to chamber H
through pipes K, I, causing the condensed water to flow to the bottom of the chamber
and take the place of the oil as the latter flows out through pipe F and column D
to the channel and thence through the valves e, nozzles a, sight feed tubes A, and
pipes A to the parts to be lubricated, the streams of oil ascending through the water
in the tubes A in the usual manner.
By closing the oil valve d¹ and opening valve d, water may he blown through any
of the nozzles a and sight tubes A, for clearing thein out when required.
We would observe that our Invention is not limited to the particular arrangement
shewn and described, as the sight feed tubes may be otherwise arranged. For example,
they may be mounted directly upon or grouped directly around the oil and water
chamber, as will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed; we declare that what we claim is:-
1st. In a sight feed lubricating apparatus for the purpose specified, the combination
of two or more independent sight feed tubes controlled by separate valves with a
single oil and water chamber and condensation pipe or coil common to all the sight
feed tubes, substantially as specified.
2nd. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improved sight
feed lubricating apparatus for the purpose specified, consisting of a group of
independent sight feed tubes mounted side by side in a frame baving passages in
communication with the several sight feed tubes and with a single oil chamber under
the control of valves, substantially as described and illustrated in the drawing.