IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATORS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills of the firm of Harris
and Mills of 23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATORS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Omar H. Jewell, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois
and United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th June 1882.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATORS." A communication from abroad by Omar
H. Jewell of Chicago in the State of Illinois and United States of America.
This Invention relates to that class of lubricators actuated intermittingly by a
connection with a working part of a machine, so as to feed a limited amount of oil
with each stroke of the engine or revolution of a shaft. Such lubricators here-
tofore were provided with a valve that opened intermittingly by the motion of a
machinery-part. Such an arrangement however has the disadvantage; first, that
the machinery might stop just in the position where the valve is held open, when
all oil will run out of the lubricator, and second, that such a lubricator will not
feed oil into a chamber filled with steam or compressed air. Now it is the object
of the present invention to produce a lubricator provided with a small plunger
that is reciprocated in a cylinder and that operates like a pump to force auto-
matically by the action of the machinery a certain quantity of oil with each stroke
through one or several check valves placed between this pump and the part or
parts to be lubricated. Therefore this invention consists in the peculiar devices
and combinations of devices employed for this purpose as fully hereinafter
described and specifically claimed.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a sectional view of the improved lubricator as attached to
the head of an upright air pump or steam cylinder. Figure 2 is a sectional plan
on line 1, 1, in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the pump
portion of the lubricator. Figures 4 and 5 are an elevation and a section of the
crank and connecting rod of an engine having the lubricator attached. Figures 6
and 7 shew two methods of shaping the crank pin heads for reciprocating the
lubricator plunger; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a locomotive or stationary
engine cylinder having the lubricator attached so as to be operated by the
reciprocating movement of the cross head; and Figure 9 is a cross section through
the guides of such locomotive or stationary engine.
Corresponding letters in the several figures of the drawing designate like parts.
A, denotes the cup shaped base of the lubricator having a screw threaded stem a.
A vertical oil hole b extends centrally through the base A, and screw stem a and
is counter-sunk on its bottom end to form a seat for a conical check valve n.
Above this oil hole b and concentric therewith the base A, has a tubular extension c
which is bored to form the oil pump cylinder, and this extension is perforated near
its lower end by two small holes d.
the
C, is the cup shaped cap of the lubricator and D, the glass tube clamped between
cap and base. This glass tube rests against packing rings, and the base and
cap are connected outside of the glass tube by screw-rods E.
•
F, is the plunger rod which passes through a stuffing box e on the top of the
cap C, down through the centre of the lubricator and its enlarged end f, enters the
tubular extension c of the base A, and is turned to fit close therein and so as to
form the plunger head. The upper end of the plunger rod above the stuffing box
is screw threaded and passes through the end of a horizontal arm G, being provided
with adjusting or clamping nuts g above and below said arm. At its outer end
the arm G, is formed with a socket having a set screw h. Another arm H, is
secured upon the operating rod I, by means of clamp nuts i and its inner cylin-
drical end is inserted into the socket of the arm G, and is secured in the desired
position by the set screw h. By this arrangement as will be noticed the length of
the arm connection G, H, can be varied to accommodate it to the exact distance
between the rods F, and I
The operating rod I, is guided by means of two eyes j, j¹ which project from the
cap and base.
Below the eye ja spiral spring J, is sleeved on the operating rod I
and is held up against the eye j by a collar / secured adjustably upon the rod I
by set screws -This spring forces the operating and plunger rods downwardly.
A thin metal diaphragin L, is clamped in the upper joint of the lubricator
between the cap C, and glass tube D, and prevents the splashing of the oil into
the cap as would be the case when the lubricator is attached to the stub end of a
pitman or connecting rod and a perforated diaphragm M, is clamped in the lower
joint of the lubricator and is to act as a strainer for the oil before such oil can
enter the perforations d, in tubular extension c so as to prevent these holes from
being clogged by solid matter that might be contained in the oil.
The cap C, has a screw plug m which is removed when it is desired to fill the
lubricator with oil. Through this screw plug may be formed a small vent opening
for admitting air, so that the oil can flow from the lubricator and by reason of its
connection with one side of the chamber above the diaphragm L, the oil will not
be splashed through the same. The opening in the diaphragm L, around the
plunger rod F, has to be large enough to allow the oil when poured in the filling
opening to run down into the body of the lubricator. The stem a of the base A,
of the lubricator is screwed into the thimble N, which forms the chamber for a
conical check valve n that is pushed against its seat in the bottom of stem a by a
spiral spring o. This thimble N, has a screw neck to its bottom end which enters
a screw threaded socket in the casing O, of an auxiliary check-valve p that is held

page_text: to its seat by a spiral spring r and which will insure a perfect operation even if the
valve n should leak.
This valve casing O, forms part of a block P, that is bored to form a guide for
the lower end of the operating rod I and is screwed into the head Q of a cylinder R
(as shewn) in Figure 1.) The block P, is provided with a stuffing box 8 and the
operating rod projects into the cylinder sufficiently to be pushed upward by the
piston S, when arriving at the end of its stroke. In this case an annular channel
is formed around the operating rod I, below the stuffing box s that communicates
with the port in the valve casing O, and with the interior of the cylinder. This
device is particularly intended for the air pumps on locomotives that work in
connection with the air brake but it may as well be used for upright steam or gas
engines; when with the former the reciprocation of the slide valve can be utilized
for forcing oil into the steam chest.
8
The piston S, with each stroke will push the operating rod I, upward whereby
the plunger is raised in the tubular extension c and a partial vacuum is created
in the space between the plunger f and the check valve n, which will draw a
certain quantity of oil into said space through the perforations & and as soon as
the operating rod I is released again the spiral spring J, will push it downward
and also the plunger f which in its downward motion will close the perforations d
and will force the oil through the check valves n and p into the cylinder.
In Figures 4 and 5 the lubricator is secured in the upper portion of the strap t
of a connecting rod T, the opening that receives it being extended through to the
crank pin U. To the head of this crank pin may either be secured a bevelled
lifting plate u as shewn in Figure or such head may be notched as shewn in
Figure 7. The end of the operating rod I, being adjusted either to be lifted by
the bevelled plate u or to ride upon the periphery of the crank pin head, such
rod I, will be reciprocated with each revolution of the crank when the plunger will
force a small quantity of oil downwards to the crank pin.
In Figures 8 and 9 the lubricator has a base plate a¹ with which it is secured
by screws upon a plate W, that is rigidly fastened by screws upon the frame X of
the locomotive and upon the inward guide Y; Y¹ is the outward guide and
between the guides Y, and Y' reciprocates the cross-head Z which forms the
connection between the piston rod and pitman.-Against the inward wing of the
cross head Z is secured a plate z having an inclined flange, which flange at the end
of each stroke will come under the operating rod I, of the lubricator and will lift
such rod to the intended height and therewith the plunger and as the cross head
recedes and the inclined flange of the plate z slides from under the operating rod
the spring on the lubricator will push such operating rod and plunger downward
again, thus causing a reciprocating movement of the plunger with each full stroke
of the cross head.
A pipe connects the lubricator below its check valves with the steam chest
through which pipe the oil is conducted from the lubricator into the steam chest of
the cylinder.
The great advantage gained by the above arrangement is that wherever the
machine stops, no matter in what position, no oil will flow from the lubricator and
that when the machine is running the supply of oil will be fed automatically in
proportion to its speed.
This lubricator being thus reliable and economical, its construction simple, and
its arrangements such that it cannot get out of order, while any one of its parts is
easily accessible for repair when it becomes necessary.
I have shewn and described a few of many devices for attaching this lubricator
to and operating it by parts of machinery but it is not desired to restrict the
invention to the particular arrangements shewn, since they are manifold and may
be different for every class or style of machinery.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and the mode in which
the same may be carried into effect I would have it understood that what I
claim is:

page_text: First. In a lubricator the cylindrical base A, having vertical oil hole b extending
centrally therethrough and through the screw stem a, said base being countersunk
on its bottom to form a seat for a conical check valve and having a tubular
extension c bored to form the oil pump cylinder and provided with perforations d, d,
Dear its lower end, the rod F, with plunger head f the check valve n with spring o
and auxiliary valve p with spring r all constructed and arranged substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
Second. A lubricator composed of a base A, having a cylindrical extension c
with perforations d screw stem a and perforated diaphragm M, of glass tube D,
cap C, with stuffing box e and screw plug m of plunger rod F and check valve n
with spring o thimble N, check valve p and spring r all constructed and arranged
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
:
Third. A lubricator composed of a base A having a cylindrical extension c with
perforations d screw stem a and perforated diaphragm M, of glass tube D, cap C,
with stuffing box e screw plug m and diaphragm L, of plunger rod F and check
valve n with spring o all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Fourth. In a lubricator the plunger rod F passed through a stuffing box e and
having a socketted arm G, in combination with the operating rod I guided in
eyes, having spring J screw collar k and arm H that enters the socket in arm G
and is adjustably secured by set screw h all constructed and arranged substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth. In a locomotive or steam engine the lubricator having a plunger rod F,
a check valve n and an operating rod I in combination with the inclined or
bevelled plate z secured to the cross head of the engine in such a manner that with
each stroke of such cross head the plate z will reciprocate the operating rod I, the
same being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.
Sixth. In a locomotive or steam engine the lubricator having a plunger rod F,
check valve n and operating rod I and being secured over the guides of the engine
and connected with the steam chest by a pipe x in combination with the inclined
or bevelled plate z secured to the cross head of the engine, the whole to operate
substantially in the manner described and shewn.
Seventh. The lubricator as described having plunger rod F, that reciprocates in
a cylindrical extension, operating rod I, and check valve n when attached to the
strap of a pitman or connecting rod T and actuated by a bevelled lifting plate u
or a notch of the head of crank pin U all substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
In witness whereof I the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills have hereunto
set my hand and seal this fourteenth day of June in the year of our Lord