Improvements relating to Self-oiling Bearings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Self-oiling Bearings.
We, P. R. JACKSON & Co., LIMITED, Steel Manufacturers, and Joseph
SLATER LEWIS, Engineer, both of Salford Rolling Mills, Hampson Street,
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to self-oiling bearings of the kind or class in which oil is
carried by the rotating shaft into a receptacle above the bearing from a reservoir
below the shaft.
With bearings of this description when the level of the oil in the reservoir falls
the shaft fails to carry up sufficient oil to lubricate the bearing properly so that
the shaft runs hot.
The chief object of the present invention is to provide means for raising the
level of the oil in the reservoir when necessary without the addition of more oil to
such reservoir. A further object of our invention is to provide for indicating the
level of the oil in the reservoir. We may further arrange, if desired, that when
the level of the oil in the reservoir falls below a certain height so as to impair the
efficiency of the lubrication, a bell shall ring or other alarm be given. A feature
of this part of our invention is that the alarm is given before the bearing gets hot
and before any damage is caused by the failure in the supply of lubricant.
According to our invention we connect to the oil reservoir below the shaft an
auxiliary receptacle the capacity of which can be altered within limits. The
reservoir and auxiliary receptacle are filled with oil when the latter has its
maximum capacity and in order to maintain the level of the oil in reservoir the
capacity of the receptacle is reduced as may be necessary. To indicate the level
of oil in the reservoir we provide a suitable float in the auxiliary receptacle and, if
desired, we arrange that the movement of the float which indicates a lowering of
level of the oil in the reservoir shall operate to close or open an electric circuit and
so ring a bell or otherwise give an alarm which calls attention to the position
of the float.
In one method of carrying our invention out in practice the auxiliary receptacle
takes the form of a cylinder provided with a piston or plunger which can be moved
so as to vary the available oil space in the cylinder. On the top of the oil in the
cylinder is a float having an index which points to a datum mark when the level in
the oil reservoir is correct. The index may be arranged to make an electric
circuit whenever it is in a position not opposite to the datum mark and so give
warning that the level of the oil requires adjustment.
Danombor 1805
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
31, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements relating to Self-oiling Bearings.
We, P. R. JACKSON & Co., LIMITED, Steel Manufacturers, and JOSEPH
SLATER LEWIS, Engineer, both of Salford Rolling Mills, Hampson Street,
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, 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:-
Our invention relates to self-oiling bearings of the kin! or class in which.oil is
carried by the rotating shaft into a receptacle above the bearing from a reservoir
below the shaft.
With bearings of this description when the level of the oil in the reservoir falls
the shaft fails to carry up sufficient oil to lubricate the bearing properly so that
the shaft runs hot.
The chief object of the present invention is to provide means for raising the
level of the oil in the reservoir when necessary without the addition of more oil to
such reservoir. A further object of our invention is to provide for indicating the
level of the oil in the reservoir.
We may further
arrange if desired that when the
level of the oil in the reservoir falls below a certain height so as to impair
the efficiency of the lubrication, a bell shall ring or other signal be given. A
feature of this part of our invention is that the signal is given before the bearing
gets hot and before any damage is caused by the failure in the supply of
Lubricant.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood we will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawing which shews by way of example a
sectional elevation of a bearing having our present improvements applied thereto.
A is the reservoir for oil, B the receptacle above the bearing into which receptacle
the oil is carried for distribution. In the bearing shewn the transport of the oil
is effected by a disc mounted on the shaft and rotating in a cavity C the bottom
portion of the disc dipping below the level of the oil in the reservoir. To secure
the transport of a proper quantity of oil the level in the reservoir should be
maintained at or about the line D, D. E is a piston or plunger passing through a
bushing E and F is a float the stem F of which passes through a bushing F and
carries at its upper end a bead or knob F³ or an indicating pointer so as to shew
the level of the oil in the reservoir. G is a contact piece secured to but insulated
from the bearing having two contact stops which limit the travel of the knob F³.
The contact piece G is connected to one terminal of a source of electricity by
wire G the other terminal of said source being connected to the stem of the float
by a wire F4. A bell or other signal apparatus is also included in the circuit.
The operation of the device is as follows:-The plunger E is withdrawn to its
uppermost position and oil poured into the reservoir through a filling orifice until
the float knob F indicates that the level of the line D, D is reached. As the oil
is transported from the reservoir the level falls as shewn by the descent of the
knob F. The plunger E is then pushed in so as to raise the level of the oil in the
reservoir until the float knob indicates that the correct level is attained. If
through inadvertence or otherwise the level of the oil falls below. the bottom of the
oil carrying disc the knob F³ makes contact with the lower stop completing the
circuit and causing the bell to ring, or a signal to be given to call attention to
the bearing.
In another form of bearing the plunger E is adapted to move in a cylinder or
receptacle connected by a tube with the reservoir, such a receptacle would be
formed by placing a partition as shewn in dot-and-dash lines at H in the drawing,
and the float may be placed inside the cylinder if desired. We prefer, however,

page_text: shewn.
to make the receptacle for the plunger to form one vessel with the oil reservoir as
Instead of using a float to indicate the level of the oil in the reservoir a glass
window may be provided in the side of the reservoir or an ordinary gauge glass
be fitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A self-oiling bearing of the kind described and provided with means whereby
the level of the oil in the reservoir may be raised without addition of oil thereto,
for the purpose specified.
2. A self-oiling bearing of the kind described provided with an electrical device
for giving an alarm or signal when the level of the oil in the reservoir is lowered
to such an extent as to impair the efficiency of the lubrication.
3. A self-oiling bearing of the kind described having a plunger adapted to be
pressed into the oil reservoir or into a receptacle connected therewith, and with or
without a float for indicating the level of the oil in the reservoir and with or
without an electric signalling device, as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 30th dor of Sentember 1896
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicants.