mprovements in Automatic Lubricators for Steam Engines.
Year: 1885

page_text: mprovements in Automatic Lubricators for Steam Engines.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN AUTOMATIC LUBRICATORS FOR STEAM ENGINES a communication to me
from abroad by Charles Couse Mechanical Engineer, of Belleville in the County
of Essex and State of New Jersey United States of America to be as follows:-
"
This Invention relates to lubricators or lubricating cups in which the oil is
arranged to rise and is transmitted by drops through a volume or body of water,
and the invention is designed to be applied to supplying the steam cylinder steam
chest or other steam ways of an engine with oil in small or measured quantities, to
mingle with the steam and so to lubricate the piston, valves or other steam exposed
parts of the engine.
It is mainly intended for use in marine engines which by the rolling or tossing
of the boat, are subject to considerable motion, and where there is always more or
less of wire drawing of the steam.
It may be used in connection with steam of both high and low pressures and the
draft upon which is either steady or irregular, that is either uniform or off and on.
A leading object of the invention is to avoid all premature evaporation of the oil
and consequent choking of the cup by its mixing with the steam therein and the
foaming incidental to such mixing.
To this and other ends, the invention consists in a novel method and certain
constructions and combinations of parts, including a single valve of a needle form
or character whereby the oil instead of being allowed to evaporate in the cup, is
flushed therefrom by the water of condensation of the steam, the sizes of the rising
drops of oil may be regulated at pleasure and the oil is prevented from coming in
contact with the sides of the glass tube or duct through which it rises and said
tube thereby kept clear for observing the action of the lubricator, substantially as
hereinafter described.'
Arranged above the oil receptacle and connected therewith by a pipe or pipes
leading down to near the bottom of the receptacle is an upright condenser within
which is a stand or overflow duct arranged to project to a given altitude therein,

page_text: This duct connects at its lower end with an enlarged and spread or tapering
shell like horizontal duct the front or outer end of which is intended to connect
with the valve chest or other steam space of the engine.
Said horizontal duct also connects by a vertical glass tube open at its upper end
with the top of the oil receptacle over a valve seat thereon. A conical valve is
arranged to fit or work within this valve seat from below and is provided with a
needle which projects centrally up within the glass tube.
The stem of said valve is extended downward through the bottom of the oil
receptacle, and stuffing box at such point and is provided with a screw thread
working in a screw box to allow of the adjustment of the valve as required.
The lower side of the horizontal duct has sloping surfaces forming a longitudinal
inner groove or channel.
Supposing the oil receptacle to be charged with oil and the lubricating cup
to be connected by its flushing horizontal duct with the engine as described steam
passing along said duct will be condensed therein and in the condenser and in due
course will cause the transparent tube to be filled and the condenser up to or
'slightly above the level of the overflow duct and the pipe connecting the condenser
with the oil receptacle and the lower portion of the said receptacle to be charged
with the water of condensation from the steam.
[
1.
The needle valve being adjusted as required the oil will be passed in small
quantities through the valve seat and up the needle and be delivered in drops at
intervals from said needle and rising through the water in the transparent tube
will settle or be delivered in the groove or channel in the bottom of the horizontal
duct from whence it will be flushed along with and by the water of condensation
from the condenser into the valve chest or other steam space of the engine.
This flushing prevents evaporation of the oil within the cup or till it reaches its
place of discharge where it will be volatilized or made to mingle with the steam
and so be transmitted to lubricate the steam exposed working parts of the engine
as required.
The needle valve serves not only to regulate to the greatest nicety the size of the
drops of oil delivered from the point or outer end of the needle and so to control
the supply of oil to the discharge tube of the lubricator but by the oil hugging the
needle, the transparent tube will be kept from being tarnished by the oil which
will be restrained from coming in contact with the sides thereof thus keeping said
tube clear to observe the working of the lubricator.
L
The condenser may have an opening in its top closed by a plug and serving
should the necessity arise to pass oil direct in any desired quantity to the parts to
be lubricated.
A lubricating cup constructed as described is what may be termed self adjusting
or has a balancing action as regards the supply and demand.
It will work under all pressures, any variation in pressure not affecting the
action of the cup inasmuch as the feeding of the oil is not dependent upon
the pressure of the steam but upon the head of water in the pipe connecting
the condenser with the oil receptacle.
The cup will commence working so soon as the transparent tube and connecting
pipe become charged with water and even before the condenser is so charged the
condensation in the horizontal duct then serving to effect the necessary flushing
which the overflow from the condenser will afterwards assist and keep up.
The groove in the horizontal duct causes the oil to have only a very narrow top
surface exposure to the steam which will restrict the evaporation of it in the cup.
..תנית
FAL 1
1007

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me
from abroad by Charles Couse Mechanical Engineer of Belleville in the County of
Essex and State of New Jersey United States of America) 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 to lubricators or lubricating cups in which the oil is
arranged to rise and is transmitted by drops through a volume or body of water,
and the invention is designed to be applied to supplying the steam cylinder, steam
chest or other steam ways of an engine with oil in small or measured quantities to
mingle with the steam and so to lubricate the piston, valves or other steam exposed
parts of the engine.
It is mainly intended for use in marine engines which by the rolling or tossing
of the boat, are subject to considerable motion, and where there is always more or
less of wire drawing of the steam.
It may be used in connection with steam of both high and low pressures and the
draft upon which is either steady or irregular, that is either uniform or off and on.
A leading object of the invention is to avoid all premature evaporation of the oil
and consequent choking of the cup by its mixing with the steam therein and the
foaming incidental to such mixing.
To this and other ends, the invention consists in a novel method and certain
constructions and combinations of parts, including a single valve of a needle form
or character, whereby the oil instead of being allowed to evaporate in the cup, is
flushed therefrom by the water of condensation of the steam, the sizes of the rising
drops of oil may be regulated at pleasure and the oil is prevented from coming in
contact with the sides of the glass tube or duct through which it rises and said tube
thereby kept clear for observing the action of the lubricator substantially as herein-
after described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this speci-
fication in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
figures.
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a lubricating cup embodying the
invention.
Figure 2, a horizontal section of the same on the line x, x, in figure 1 and
Figure 3 a section in part, on the line y, y in Figure 1.
A is the oil receptacle provided with a filling plug b and emptying cock c.
Arranged, above this receptacle and connected therewith by a pipe or pipes d.
leading down to near the bottom of the receptacle is an upright condenser B within
which is a stand or overflow duct C arranged to project to a given altitude.
This duct C connects at its lower end with an enlarged and spread or tapering.
shell like horizontal duct D the front or outer end of which is intended to connect
with the valve chest or other steam space of the engine.
1

page_text: Said duct D also connects by a glass tube E open at its upper end with the top of
the receptacle A over a valve seat e thercon. A conical valve G is arranged to fit
or work within this valve seat from below, and is provided with a needle f which
projects centrally up within the tube E. The stem of said valve is extended down-
ward through the bottom of the receptacle A and stuffing box at such point, and is
provided with a screw-thread g arranged to work in a screw box or projection h
to allow of the adjustment of the valve as required. The duct D is constructed
in its base with sloping surfaces, forming a longitudinal inner groove or channel i.
Supposing the receptacle A to be charged with oil k and the lubricating cup to
be connected by its flushing duct D with the engine as described; steam passing
along said duct will be condensed therein, and in the condenser B and in due course
will cause the transparent tube E to be filled, and the condenser up to, or slightly
above, the level of the duct C. and the duct d and the lower portion of the
receptacle A to be charged with the water of condensation from the steam. The
valve G being adjusted as required, the oil will be passed in small quantities
through the valve seat, and up the needle f and be delivered in drops, at intervals,
from said needle, and rising through the water in the tube E will settle or be
delivered in the groove or channel i in the bottom of the duct D from whence it
will be flushed along with and by the water of condensation from the condenser B,
into the valve chest, or other steam space of the engine. This flushing prevents
evaporation of the oil within the cup, or till it reaches its place of discharge where
it will be volatilized, or made to mingle with the steam and so be transmitted to
lubricate the steam-exposed working parts of the engine as required. The needle
valve G, f, serves, not only to regulate to the greatest nicety the size of the drops
of oil delivered from the point or outer end of the needle, and so to control the
supply of oil to the discharge tube of the lubricator; but, by the oil hugging the
needle, the transparent tube E. will be kept from being tarnished by the oil which
will be restrained from coming in contact with the sides thereof thus keeping said
tube clear to observe the working of the lubricator.
The condenser B may have an opening in its top, closed by a plug b¹ and serving
should the necessity arise to pass oil direct in any desired quantity to the parts to
be lubricated.
A lubricating cup, constructed as described is what may be termed self-adjusting,
or has a balancing action as regards the supply and demand. It will work under
all pressures, any variation in pressure not affecting the action of the cup, inasmuch
as the feeding of the oil is not dependent upon the pressure of the steam but upon
the head of water in the pipe dor pipe d and condenser B. The cup will commence
working so soon as the tube E, and pipe d become charged with water, and even
before the condenser B is so charged, the condensation in the duct D then serving
to effect the necessary flushing, which the over flow from the condenser B will
afterwards assist and keep up. The horizontal groove i in the duct D causes the
oil to have only a very narrow top surface exposure to the steam which will restrict
the evaporation of it in the cup.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The method herein described of passing the oil from the lubricating cup to
mingle with the steam in the engine where the oil is required to be used, which
consists in flushing the oil from the cup by water of condensation as derived from
the steam, substantially as, and for the purposes, specified.
2. The combination with the oil receptacle A and the tube E. arranged to connect
with an upper combined steam passage, and oil discharge duct and provided with a
lower valve for the admission of oil, of the elevated condenser B. having a stand, or
condensed water supply duct, in connection below with said steam passage and oil

page_text: .
discharge duct, and a duct or pipe extending from said condenser down into the oil
receptacle A, essentially as described.
3. In an automatic lubricator constructed to operate substantially as described,
the combined steam passage and oil discharge duct D of tapering or spread con-
struction, and provided with a lower longitudinal channel or groove i whereby said
duct serves both as a condensing device and flushing passage for the oil, substan-
tially as specified.
4. In an automatic lubricator the combination with the transparent tube E. valve
sent e and oil receptacle A of the adjustable conical valve G provided with a needle f
arranged to extend up into said tube, essentially as, and for the purposes, herein set
forth.
5. The combination of the oil receptacle A, the condenser B. fitted with a stand
or over flow duct C. the duct d the transparent tube E, with its adjustable needle
valve G. f and the duct D provided with a lower longitudinal passage i substantially
as shown and described.