IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATORS
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN MCLEOWNAN M MURTRIE of the firm of John C. Wilson & Company
Brassfounders of 99 Portugal Street, Glasgow Lanarkshire do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATORS to be as follows:-
My invention consists of a novel organisation of parts forming an improved
lubricating apparatus in which are combined a displacement lubricator or device
from which the lubricant is supplied by displacement due to the condensation of
steam from the engine, and a lubricating device of the kind which is actuated by
suction of the actuating piston while steam is shut off and the engine continues in
motion. A combined apparatus of the kind referred to is mainly applicable to
locomotive engines as a means of automatically supplying lubricating fluid to the
valve chests and cylinders while the engine runs under steam and while the engine
runs down an incline or into a station with steam shut off but it is also applicable
to stationary steam engines.
In one modification the improved apparatus consists of a cylindrical or other
vessel divided by a partition into two compartments both of which are filled or
partially filled with oil or other lubricating fluid. The one compartiment is closed
air tight, an inlet closed by a valve being provided for the admission of oil and the
other compartment which is also covered is open to the atmosphere. Into this
latter compartment dips a long tube which communicates by a connection at its
upper end with the cylinder of the engine to be supplied with oil and at the upper
end of the dip tube is fitted a valve closing downwards on a seat formed for it in a
chamber at the top. The cover of the valve chamber forms a stop serving to
regulate the extent of movement of the valve which only rises to a very slight
extent. The valve is raised and a very small quantity of oil is pumped out of the
oil compartment at each stroke of the piston in the cylinder when steam is shut off
and a partial vacuum is formed in the cylinder but when the engine is operating
under pressure of steam the valve is pressed downwards on its seat and no oil
passes.
The other compartment of the apparatus communicates by a pipe or tube with
the steam chest or steam supply pipe of the engine and while the engine works
under steam the steam has access to this compartment. A portion of the steam
becomes condensed and in the form of water sinks under the oil a corresponding
portion of which it displaces; and the oil as it is displaced passes through the
CD

page_text: steam inlet tube to the steam chest or pipe and as it passes with the steam through
the valves to the cylinder serves to lubricate the working surfaces of the engine
while it works under steam the action of this part of the apparatus being similar
to that of the ordinary displacement lubricator.
A trap or valve is provided for drawing off the water which accumulates at the
bottom of the oil compartment. The steam inlet may be closed off by a tap or
valve on the inlet tube or the inlet orifice may be closed by a valve on a spindle
passing through the vessel and provided with a hand wheel outside. Or the steam
instead of entering directly into the oil chamber may be led from a tube provided
with a stop cock through a small separate chamber above in which it will condense
and the water thereby formed may be led by a tube to the bottom of the oil
chamber. The oil displaced will in this case pass by a separate tube to the steam
chest or cylinder the outlet tube being preferably provided with a small valve
opening.
In another modification a sight feed device is fitted in connection with the
displacement lubricator. In this case the oil displaced passes down by a tubular
outlet towards the bottom of the apparatus where it passes upwards through a
conical or pencil valve which is regulated by a hand screw to and through a
vertical glass tube or glass guage filled with water and thence it passes out at the
top through a small valve to a tube connected to the steam chest or pipe. The
outlet valve may however be dispensed with-The oil in rising through the pencil
valve may be seen passing upwards in drops through the water in the glass tube
as in the ordinary forms of sight feed lubricators.

page_text: I, JOHN MCLEOWNAN MCMURTRIE of 99 Portugal Street, Glasgow in the County
of Lanark Brassfounder, 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 consists of a novel organisation of parts forming an improved
lubricating apparatus in which are combined a displacement lubricator or device
from which the lubricant is supplied by displacement due to the condensation of
steam from the engine, and a lubricating device of the kind which is actuated by
suction of the actuating piston while steam is shut off and the engine continues in
motion. A combined apparatus of the kind referred to is mainly applicable to
locomotive engines as a means of automatically supplying lubricating fluid to the
valve chest and cylinders while the engine runs under steam and while the engine
runs down an incline or into a station with steam shut off but it is also applicable
to stationary steam engines.
The accompanying drawings illustrate several modifications of the lubricating
apparatus constituting my invention, figure 1 being a sectional elevation, figure 2
a vertical section and figure 3 a horizontal section, figure 4 a vertical section;
figure 5 a vertical section and figure 6 a plan and figure 7 a vertical section.
As represented in figures 1, 2 and 3 the improved apparatus consists of a
cylindrical or other vessel A divided by a partition A¹ into two compartments a
and a both of which are filled or partially filled with oil or other lubricating
fluid. The one compartment a is closed air tight an inlet closed by a valve B
being provided for the admission of oil and the other compartment a¹ which is also
covered by a cap b on the valve spindle is open to the atmosphere. Into this latter
compartment a dips a long tube C which communicates by a connection C¹ at its
upper end with the cylinder of the engine to be supplied with oil an at the
upper end of the dip tube is fitted a valve c closing downwards on a seat formed
for it in a chamber at the top. The cover c¹ of the valve chamber forms a stop
serving to regulate the extent of movement of the valve which only rises to a very
slight extent. The valve c is raised and a very small quantity of oil is drawn or
pumped out of the oil compartment at each stroke of the piston in the cylinder
when steam is shut off and a partial vacuum is formed in the cylinder but when
the engine is operating under pressure of steam the valve is pressed downwards on
its seat and no oil passes, the action of this part of the apparatus being similar to
that of the well known "Furness" or suction lubricator.
The other compartment a of the apparatus communicates by a pipe or tube D
with the steam chest or steam supply pipe of the engine, and while the engine
works under steam the steam has access to this compartment. A portion of the
steam becomes condensed and in the form of water sinks under the oil a corre-
sponding portion of which it displaces; and the oil as it is displaced passes through
the steam inlet tube D to the steam chest or pipe and as it passes with the steam
through the valves to the cylinder serves to lubricate the working surfaces of the
engine while it works under steam, the action of this part of the apparatus being

page_text: :
similar to that of the ordinary "displacement" lubricator. A tap or valve E is
provided for drawing off the water which accumulates at the bottom of the oil
compartment. The steam inlet may be closed off by a tap or valve on the inlet
tube D or the inlet orifice may be closed by a valve on a spindle F passing through
the vessel and provided with a hand wheel F¹ outside. Or as represented in
figure 5 the steam instead of entering directly into the oil chamber a may be led
from a tube d provided with a stopcock through a small separate chamber G above
in which it will condense and the water thereby formed may be led by a tube g to
the bottom of the oil chamber. The oil displaced in this case passes by a separate
tube h to the steam chest or cylinder the outlet tube being preferably provided with
a small valve H. The tube d may pass through the apparatus as shown in full
lines or outside of it as shown by the dotted lines.
As represented in figures 4, 5 and 6 a sight feed device may be fitted in
connection with the compartment a forming the displacement lubricator. In this
case the oil displaced passes down by a tubular outlet I towards the bottom of the
apparatus where it passes upwards through a conical or pencil valve J which is
regulated by a hand screw J¹ to and through a vertical glass tube or glass gauge K
filled with water and thence it passes out at the top through a small valve to the
tube h connected to the steam chest or pipe. The outlet valve 7 may however be
dispensed with. The oil in rising through the pencil valve may be seen passing
upwards in drops through the water in the glass tube as in the ordinary forms of
sight feed lubricators. Instead of passing the oil through water it may be dropped
through steam from a pencil valve at the top of the glass tube K. As indicated
by the dotted lines at fin figure 5 a stop cock may be provided to control the
admission of steam and the outflow of oil in substitution for the separate valves F
and H. As means for indicating the level of the oil in the suction lubricator a
glass gauge K may be fitted thereto as shown in figure 7 and connected to a
cavity a² formed in the bottom of the vessel a', water being poured into said cavity
to fill it and the oil with which the chamber a¹ is afterwards filled driving the
water up the gauge K until the levels in both are equalized.
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. The combination of parts constituting the improved lubricating apparatus
herein described and illustrated under the several modifications.
"
2. The combination in a single apparatus of a "suction lubricator with a
displacement lubricator substantially as herein set forth.
3. The combination with suction and displacement lubricators of glass gauges
or sight feed devices substantially as herein described with reference to the
drawings annexed.
Dated this Fifteenth day of June 1886
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Agents.