Improvements in Automatic Oilers.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
DEMOTIVATION.
Improvements in Automatic Oilers.
A communication from JOHN THOMPSON SMITH, of the City and County of San
Francisco, State of California, United States of America, Shipwright.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 has reference to an automatic oiler specially adapted to the lubri-
cation of stationary or marine engines lines of shafting, loose pulleys and vehicles
of all kinds.
The object of this invention is to provide an oiler which will not only be effective
as a lubricating device but one which may be manufactured at low cost and readily
applied to the parts to be lubricated.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which form part of this Specification,
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of an oiler for engines ;
Fig. 2 is a similar view of a shaft or machine oiler;
Fig. 3 is a partly-sectional elevation of a loose pulley oil-cup;
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a hub-oiler;
Fig. 5 is a top-view of the hub-oiler cap; and
Fig. 6 is a broken elevation giving an enlarged view of the interior tube and oil-
conductor used in connection with the lubricator.
A represents a cup or vessel containing oil. This vessel may be made of any
suitable material such as brass, zinc, iron or glass with brass mountings, and it may
be given any required shape as circumstances may suggest.
Within the oil-vessel is a tube B which starts from a point near the inner bottom
of the oiler and extends upwards above the oil-line and then circling in at the
under side of the cover passes downwards through the centre of the oiler to the
parts to be lubricated. For convenience, this tube is made in two pieces tele-.
scoping one into the other as at b. The interior of B is filled with an oil-conductor
composed of packing C of permeable material such as wool or cotton twisted around
or intertwined with a metallic core D (preferably made of two or more strands of
copper wire) and tied with or wrapped in small wire E wound in spiral form
throughout its length. The packing rests lightly upon the shaft or other part of
machinery lubricated and is kept in contact therewith by the stretching or
lengthening out of the wire E which is closely wound about its lower end. A
spring F (Fig. 3) interposed between two separate lengths of the core D and
of the wire E is used in the case of loose pulley oilers to insure this contact
of the packing with the bearing notwithstanding the revolving of the oilers with
the pulleys.
The tube B properly constitutes a siphon while the conductor lodged therein
affords a convenient means for drawing the cup of its contents by capillary.
attraction. The siphonic action of the tube is tempered by the capillarity of the
conductor and both elements taken together ensure a more constant evener and
better regulated feed than could be otherwise obtained. However the flow of oil
is stimulated only when the machinery to which the oiler is applied is in motion
owing to the contact of the conductor with the parts lubricated, for if the machinery
is at rest, the end of the packing touching the lubricated part clogs up the outlet
of the oiler so as to practically check the flow of oil thereby preventing waste
and effecting a great saving of lubricant as compared with other modes of
oiling. The packing besides acts as a strainer for the oil so that no foreign

page_text: substances can be conveyed to the bearing and all sediment settles at the bottom of
the oil-vessel.
The flow of oil is regulated by twisting or untwisting the packing but this is not
quite sufficient in some cases. It is best therefore to use a thumb-screw G which is
set, within easy reach, into the upper curved end of the tube B and is adapted to
compress the conductor therein as well as reduce the size of the oil-passage. One
is thereby enabled to gauge the feed of the oiler to suit.
The oiler represented at Fig. 1 is made of glass with brass mountings. The top
and bottom castings A' A³ are connected and drawn firmly against the ends of the
glass globe (pressing upon suitable washers) by means of a yoke or connecting
link H the bottom end of which is screwed to a boss h projecting upwardly from
the lower casting A' and the upper end passes up through the top casting A¹ and
is engaged by a large hollow nut I provided with a flange i which affords a hold
for the fingers in screwing it down and drawing the parts together. The glass
globe is filled with oil through this nut. Within the nut also runs the compressing
screw G which is made to project beyond its upper part and is covered with a
hollow stopper J overtopping the oil-vessel. This glass oiler is commonly used on
steam-engines and as it may happen to be emptied of its contents before an
opportunity is had to stop the engine, it is provided with a supplementary
reservoir A³ designed to supply oil until such time as the larger vessel A may be
refilled. A³ is secured to A by a clamp K encircling the main vessel and com-
municates with the oil-duct below the latter through a tube L. The oil-passage
presented by this tube is normally stopped however by a stop-cock L' projecting
upwardly from the upper part thereof. The reservoir is by preference filled
with the thicker kind of oil which may be poured into it by lifting the hinged
cover a.
The loose pulley and shaft or machine oilers Figs. 2 and 3 do not differ
materially in construction excepting that the loose pulley oiler is provided with a
square or polygonal nut M by means of which the cover of the cup may be screwed
down firmly. This nut also forms a passage through which the oil may be poured
into the cup. This passage is stopped by a screw N.
Fig. 4 illustrates an oiler adapted to lubricate the axles of vehicles. This oiler
is screwed down through the hub of the vehicle near the spokes of the wheel where
it is embedded in white lead or glue the inside tube B touching lightly the axle as
in the case of the other bearings. The interior of this tube is also filled with an
oil-conductor similar to the one previously described. The oil is confined within
the exterior shell or vessel A as in the other oilers by a cap or cover which is
provided with a slot d and side holes of affording a hold for a wrench when the
hub-oiler is adjusted in place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an oiler the combination of an oil-vessel a siphon within said oil-vessel and
passing through the lower end of the same, a metallic core within said siphon a
permeable packing twisted around or intertwined with said core running the length
of the siphon and contacting with the part to be lubricated and a wire wound about
the surface of said packing substantially as set forth.
2. In an oiler the combination of an oil-vessel a siphon within said oil-vessel and
passing through the lower end of the same separate lengths of a metallic core
within said siphon a permeable packing twisted around or intertwined with said
core running the length of the siphon and contacting with the part to be lubricated
separate lengths of wire wound about the surface of said packing and a spring
interposed between said separate lengths of core and wire substantially as set
forth.
3. In an oiler the combination of an oil-vessel a siphon within said oil-vessel and
passing through the lower end of the same a metallic core within. said siphon a

page_text: permeable packing twisted around or intertwined with said core running the
length of the siphon and contacting with the part to be lubricated a wire wound
about the outer surface of said packing and a thumb-screw working through the
upper part of the siphon and adapted to compress the packing therein substantially
as set forth.
4. In an oiler the combination of a glass oil-vessel A upper and lower
castings A¹ A at each end of said oil vessel a yoke or link H connecting the
same a nut I adapted in connection with said yoke to bind the said vessel and
castings together a siphon within the oil-vessel and passing through the lower
casting and an oil-conductor in said siphon running the length thereof and con-
tacting with the part to be lubricated substantially as set forth.
5. In an oiler the combination of an oil-vessel a supplementary reservoir secured
to the side thereof a tube leading from said reservoir to the oil-duct below said
vessel and a stop-cock controlling the passage of oil through said tube substantially
as set forth.
Dated this 21st day of September 1891
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.