Improvements in Sight-feed Lubricators.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 29th Feb., 1892-Accepted 2nd Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sight-feed Lubricators.
I, ROBERT WEATHERBURN, of 93 Highgate Road, in the County of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates to sight-feed lubricators for use upon locomotives and other
engines, the object of my invention being to simplify the construction of such
apparatus as well as to give more perfect control and prevent the clouding of the
sight glass.
In carrying out my invention I provide a suitable chamber or vessel for con-
taining the lubricating oil, such oil-vessel being in direct communication with the
steam supply pipe through a channel formed in a fitting adapted at one end to be
secured to the steam supply pipe. The said fitting is also provided with a cock or
valve for controlling the speed at which the oil shall pass from the said vessel, and
also with a sight glass.
In order to simplify and render easy the fixing of the sight feed glass, stuffing
glands and nuts are dispensed with, the bottom of the glass being pressed on a
Hexible washer in a groove by means either of a spring or a screw nut acting
against a collar or ring at its upper end and made tight by a flexible washer,
the said spring being held under compression by the plug closing the orifice
above.
I dispense with the ordinary condensing coil or vessel usually used at the top
and convey the steam direct, or if needs be and preferably as in the case of
a hot engine room through a channel formed in the walls of the oil vessel itself
thence into a separate chamber or jacketted space on the sides and bottom of the
oil vessel without causing any disturbance to the oil. The outer casing is so
arranged that freezing and bursting of the apparatus when not in use in frosty
weather is avoided.
A drain tap or cock is provided at the bottom of the outer casing which extends
into a hole in the inner bottom the said hole being of larger diameter than the
extension to allow the water of condensation to pass into the oil- vessel and, when
drawing off the same from the oil vessel, to leave the outer jacket partly charged
and thus prevent the oil from backing up the wrong way which is usually the case
when the taps are mismanaged.
The mixing of the oil with the steam is effected in the upper fitting by a
difference in the sectional areas of the steam passage alone of which there is one
controlled by a stop valve the said passage communicating directly with the,
delivery pipe and the top of the sight glass chamber.
Dated the 29th day of July 1891.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sight-feed Lubricators.
I, ROBERT WEATHERBURN, of 93, Highgate Road, in the County of London,
Engineer, 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 relates to sight-feed lubricators for use upon locomotives and
other engines, the object of my invention being to simplify the construction of such

page_text: apparatus as well as to give more perfect control and prevent the clouding of the
sight-glass.
In carrying out my invention I provide a suitable chamber or vessel for con-
taining the lubricating oil, such oil-vessel being in direct communication with the
steam supply-pipe through a channel formed in a fitting adapted at one end to be
secured to the steam-supply pipe. The said fitting is also provided with a cock or
valve for controlling the speed at which the oil shall pass from the said vessel, and
also with a sight-glass.
I dispense with the ordinary condensing coil or vessel usually used at the top
and convey the steam direct, or if needs be and preferably as in the case of a hot
engine room through a channel formed in the walls of the oil-vessel itself and
thence into a separate chamber or jacketted space on the sides and bottom of the
oil-vessel without causing any disturbance to the oil.
A drain tap or cock is provided at the bottom of the outer casing.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a lubricator constructed according to my inven-
tion; and,
Figure 2 is a plan :
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation looking in the direction of the arrow,
Figure 1 and,
Figure 4 is a section on the line a a, Figure 3:
Figure 5 is a section on the line y y, Figure 3; and,
Figure 6 is a section on the line z 2, Figure 4:
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4 but illustrating a slight modification in
the construction of the apparatus.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a indicates the chamber or vessel for containing the lubricating oil, b the fitting
to which the said chamber is connected, for instance, by means of screw-threads c
as shewn in the drawings, and d the channel establishing communication between
the interior of the said vessel and the steam passage e. f is the sight-feed glass
carried by the projecting portions g, g₁ of the fitting o; this sight-feed glass at its
lower end rests on a flexible washer h in a groove in the lower projecting portion g'
of the fitting band, at its upper end, it is surrounded by a flexible washer /' having
bearing upon it a collar or ring 2 acted upon by a spring h³ in such a manner that
when the screw-plug , which closes the aperture through which the sight-glass is
introduced into the fitting, is screwed down, the said spring will be compressed and
so cause the compression of the washer hat the lower end of the glass and of the
washer at the upper end of the glass, thereby forming tight joints without the
use of stuffing-glands and nuts.
i is the passage through which the oil passes from the chamber a to the sight-
feed glass into which it issues through a nozzle i, and j is the passage which
conveys the oil from the top of the sight-feed glass to the steam-passage e (as
indicated most clearly by the dotted lines in Figure 5) where it mixes with the
steam and is carried thereby to the cylinder to be lubricated. k is a screw-valve
which serves to control the flow of oil from the chamber a to the sight-glass f
and is another valve which serves for regulating the flow of steam through the
steam-passage e when charged with oil. m is the plug which normally closes the
aperture in the chamber a through which the lubricant is introduced into the latter.
In the lubricator illustrated by Figures 1 to 6 the channel d is formed partly in
the wall of the vessel a, as shewn most clearly in Figures 4 and 6, and at its lower
end communicates with a space n formed around the bottom and lower portion of
the sides of the chamber a by means of the jacket or cup o which is screwed onto
the vessel a, as shewn.
p is the drain-cock placed at the lower end of the chamber a, as shewn in
Figures 3 and 4, where the shank of the said cock projects into a hole in the inner
bottom of the chamber a; the said hole being of larger diameter than the shank

page_text: to allow the water of condensation to pass into the oil-vessel: also by thus
extending the shank into the inner bottom, the space n remains charged with water
when the vessel a is emptied and thus prevents the oil from backing up the wrong
way as is frequently the case with lubricators as hitherto used. This cock also
enables the vessel a to be emptied in frosty weather when not in use and thus
prevents the apparatus from bursting.
In order to effect the thorough mixing of the oil with the steam a portion of the
steam-passage e which which the passage communicates is made smaller than the
outer portions thereof, as shewn in Figure 5, so that the velocity of the steam
through this portion will be greater than through the other portions; and in order
to prevent the globules of lubricant from being dissipated too rapidly, whereby
some of the steam is surcharged with lubricant and some undercharged (as in some
other sight-feed lubricators) 1 in some cases arrange, for instance in the delivery
end of the passage e, a coil of fine platinum or other wire or a layer of some meshy
substance which serves to more or less retard the travel of the oil so that the latter
is taken up gradually by the steam which is thus more uniformly charged with
lubricant than heretofore.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figure 7 the construction is sub-
stantially the same as that herein before described, except that the channel d instead
of being formed in the walls of the apparatus is carried down through the interior
of the same, and that the jacket or cup o is dispensed with.
The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows, that is to
sayAs steam flows through the channel e a portion thereof, owing to the con-
traction of a part of the said channel as hereinbefore described, flows down into
the passage d and during its flow through this passage it is condensed and enters
the chamber a in the form of water: the chamber a being filled with oil, it is
obvious that each drop of water entering the said chamber displaces a corresponding
quantity of oil which thus rises through the channel i into the feed-glass which is
filled with liquid in a well known manner, so that the globules of oil rise through
this water and pass through the channel j into the contracted part of the passage e,
where they mix with the steam as herein before described and are conveyed by the
latter to the cylinder to be lubricated.
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 :-
1. In a sight-feed lubricator the employment of a channel or passage such as
described, wherein the steam is condensed without the use of a separate condenser,
substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
2. A sight-feed lubricator having a condensing passage in the walls of the oil
chamber and a jacket at the lower part of the said oil chamber, in combination
with a cock, the shank of which extends through the inner bottom of the oil
chamber, substantially as described.
3. In a sight-feed lubricator the means for mixing the lubricant with the steam,
substantially as described.
4. In a sight-feed lubricator of the kind hereinbefore described the employment
in the oil delivery passage of a coil of wire or its equivalent, substantially as
described for the purpose specified.
5. The improvements in sight-feed lubricators hereinbefore described with
reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The modified form of lubricator constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 29th day of February 1892.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.