Lubricating Surfaces.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1888
Specification Accepted. 23rd Mar.. 1889
Lubricating Surfaces.
I, SAMUEL BANNER, of 10 Spark Terrace, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, in the
county of Durham, Marine 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 :—
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to the method of and
apparatus for lubricating surfaces and has for its object an arrangement to ensure
pneumatically the continuous and automatic action of stationary lubricators whether
arranged singly or as is more usual in groups. According to the present arrange-
ments in use for this purpose the several lubricators are either non-automatic
requiring the constant personal supervision of the attendant or automatic action
arranged in various ways has been in some cases applied separately in respect of each
lubricator so as to make the latter practically independent of one another's action but
according to my invention whether singly or in groups by a simple and economical
arrangement of parts I utilise air under pressure as the common motive power for
feeding or actuating the oil from the several lubricators to the surfaces to be lubri-
cated. This air pressure is utilised to effect differences of level of the oil in the
lubricator vessel or chamber and in order to fully explain my invention I will now
refer to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 represents a sectional elevation
of my improved lubricator the left and right hand portions of Fig. 2 showing
respectively an half plan and half sectional plan of the same.
Fig. 3 represents a sectional elevation more particularly hereinafter referred to and
throughout the following description similar letters of reference in the specification
and in the drawings designate corresponding parts.
a is the lubricator chamber which is furnished with a recessed cover-piece a¹
screwed into its upper end the lower end being provided with a screwed

page_text: projection for the purpose of fitting the lubricator to any required place
Traversing the chamber of the lubricator and preferably about the central axis of the
same 1 arrange two concentric pipes or tubes as a arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2
the upper ends of which open into the box or chamber af which is provided with a
hinged lid a in the usual way. For charging the lubricator chamber a with oil the
top of the tube a³ must be plugged so that the lubricant may pass down the annular
spaces a between tubes a³ a and thus obtain access to chamber a in which the oil or
other lubricant is free to rise and it is evident that under normal conditions the oil
will stand in chamber a and in annular spaces a' at the same level.
We will suppose now that a group of such lubricators have been filled with oil to
the requisite level and fitted to the various plummer blocks cylinders steam chests
etcetera of an engine the action of my apparatus is as follows:-
In order to cause an overflow of the oil in the lubricator an air pressure somewhat
exceeding that due to the atmosphere is brought to act on the surface of the lubricant
in a through the air conduit as which pressure depressing the oil in a causes it to rise
up the annular space a between the tubes as and at until it overflows and trickles
down the inside a of tube a³ to lubricate the required surfaces.
To obtain the requisite air pressure for working the lubricators I adopt as a
simple expedient the means shown in Fig. 3 in which is a tank fitted with a
water inlet pipe n¹ and an air outlet pipe a³. As stated water enters the tank n
through pipen either by pumping or gravitation and as it rises inside tank n it
compresses the air contained in the vessel which is thus expelled along the air
main as to work the various lubricators.
It will be observed that when the lubricator is full it will require less pressure
and when the lubricator is nearly empty it will require more pressure of air to effect
the difference of level necessary to produce an overflow of the lubricant into the tube a³
these variations of pressure being proportional to the varying heads of oil or lubricant
to be overcome. In practice these variations of pressure requisite to work the
lubricators efficiently are produced by regulating the feed water to the tank n by
means of a regulating cock n³ placed on the feed supply pipe n¹ any rise of level of
water in tank n of course producing a proportionately increased pressure of air
along the air conduit a and consequently in the lubricator chambers.
In order that the attendant may readily know the level of the lubricant in his
lubricators I place on the air conduit a" and at a point preferably between tank n and
the lubricators a self-registering gange n¹ one arm n of which is in connection with
the air conduit pipe as the other arm n being open to the atmosphere. The difference
of level of the oil or lubricant in the gauge glass is thus a measure of the difference
of level of the oil or lubricant in the lubricators and provided the capacities of the
several lubricators in the group are known the gauge glass will thus furnish a correct
means of measuring the consumption of lubricant throughout the system or group of
lubricators actuated by an air pressure common to the whole and it is evident that as
the difference of level in the arms of the gauge is the same as the difference of level
in the chambers of the lubricators so will this difference of level or head multiplied
by the combined areas of the lubricators indicate to the attendant the consumption
of lubricant. The gauge glass is further a measure of any leakages occurring in
the air conduits or mains any such leakage being shown by a reduction of the
differences of level or head in the legs of the
gauge.
In marine work I prefer to construct the lubricator tubes a³ a¹ on the central axis
of the lubricator chamber a in order to minimise any irregularity of level due to
the oscillations or changes of level inherent to any liquid in a ship at sea.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
(1) In lubricators for lubricating bearings and the like actuating the lubricant
feed by means of air pressure acting on the surfaces of the lubricant and depressing
the same so as to cause a portion thereof to rise up a tube or passage above the

page_text: level of the surrounding lubricant in such a manner as to overflow and thus lubricate
the required surfaces substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
(2) In lubricators for lubricating bearings and the like the combination with the
means hereinbefore described and illustrated in Fig. 3 for pneumatically actuating
the lubricant feed of tubes arranged concentrically within the lubricator for the
purpose of carrying off the lubricant to the required surfaces substantially as herein-
before set forth.
(3) The combination with lubricators actuated pneumatically and constructed as.
herein before set forth of the means employed for regulating the feed and registering.
the consumption of lubricant substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 27th day of December 1888
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle on
Patent Agent for Applicant.
Tyne,
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle on
Patent Agent for Applicant.
Tyne,