A New or Improved Method of Treating Oils used for Lubricating and Tempering Purposes, to render the same Incombustible or Fireproof.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Treating Oils used for Lubricating
and Tempering Purposes, to render the same Incombustible or
Fireproof.
I, ROBERT RUDOLF GRAF of 402 South Parrish Street, Baltimore, Maryland,
United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 more particularly to lubricating oils for railway car axles,
dynamos and electric motors and other fast running machinery where the axle or
shaft revolves with great speed in its journal or bearings, and has for its object to
render the lubricating material practically fire-proof and incombustible. As is
well known owing to such great heat generated in journal boxes of such fast
running machinery, the oil will frequently become heated to such an extent as to
take fire, and especially is this the case where the oil is used in combination with a
packing of waste which has been saturated with the oil-as, for example, in the
journal-boxes of locomotives and railway cars. By my improvement this danger is
entirely obviated by making the lubricating material practically fire-proof and
incombustible without in the least detracting from its lubricating qualities, which
remain the same as before fire-proofing.
The character of the oil to be fire-proofed will of course depend upon the purposes
for which it is intended to be used, and, as an example, I will describe my method
of fire-proofing any ordinary lubricating-oil the proportions of oil and other
ingredients used being given by weight.
I mix together in the form of a powder thirty-two parts of sodium tungstate,
thirty-two parts of sulphate of ammonia, eighteen parts of phosphate of ammonia,
twelve parts of sal-ammoniac, and twenty-four parts of monocarbonate of soda.
These several ingredients being reduced to powder and thoroughly mixed, this
mixture or composition is triturated in small quantities at a time in a mortar with
a suitable quantity of linseed oil, so as to form a stiff paste of a smooth and even
consistency, which is mixed gradually and by thorough stirring with five-hundred
and twenty parts of any suitable heavy oil adapted to the purpose. The mixture
will readily form an emulsion with the oil without leaving any sediment, and it will
be found that the oil so treated is practically fire-proof and cannot be ignited even
by thrusting a red hot poker into it. At the same time the oil will be found not to
have lost any of its lubricating qualities, it being in all respects just as good as
before treatment, with the additional advantage that it cannot burn.
For railway purposes this oil is used with waste by saturating the waste with it,
as usual.
It will be obvious that I do not limit or confine myself to the treatment of any
particular kind of oil, and I have found by experiment that all kinds of lubricating
oils may be made fire-proof by this treatment, the quantity of the fireproofing
mixture varying somewhat according to the nature of the oil which is to be
treated.
In the treatment of "tempering cils" for imparting a so-called "oil temper" to
steel tools my method will also be found to possess important advantages from an
economic point of view, as it prevents undue consumption by burning of the oil
through its becoming ignited by immersing into it the heated articles which are to
be tempered

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
A fire-proof lubricating oil consisting of a mixture of an ordinary lubricating-
oil with sodium tungstate, sulphate of ammonia, phosphate of ammonia, sal-ammoniac,
and monocarbonate of soda, in about the proportions substantially as herein
specified.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1891
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.