Improved Lubricating Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
[Communicated from abroad by PHINEAS SPAULDING WHITING, of Des Moines,
State of Iowa, U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer.]
Improved Lubricating Apparatus.
I, CHARLES AUBREY DAY, Chartered Patent Agent, of 321 High Holborn, in
the County of London 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 consists in an oil cup and apparatus for automatically distributing
oil to a plurality of oil cups and for regulating the flow of oil from a reservoir to
different parts of a machine which requires lubrication and also for regulating the
dropping of the oil from the oil cups so as to obtain a regular and sufficient feed
of oil to the machine without waste of oil.
The invention is illustrated on the drawings, which accompany the Specification,
and whereof
Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure
a vertical section of the oil cup.
Figure 3 is an elevation and Figure 4 a vertical section of the insulated tube
coupling adapted to prevent a current of electricity from passing through the oil
distributing tube to the oil reservoir and cups, in the case when my apparatus is
employed for oiling dynamos.
Figure 5 is a view of the apparatus adapted for practising the method of
distributing oil, and showing the relative positions in which the oil cups, insulating
tube couplings, oil reservoir, and pump may be placed in practical use.
A designates an elongated oil cup having a concave bottom, and a passage A',
said passage extending down through a shank A² that is externally screw threaded
for connection with a journal bearing or other portion of a machine that requires
oiling. As is a transverse passage in said shank A' which intersects the longi-
tudinal passage A' and is larger at the point of intersection than at its outer ends.
Air is admitted through said passage A³ to facilitate the dropping of oil through
the passage A¹ and also to render the drops of oil visible so that the quantity of
oil required to pass downward in a given time can be readily regulated.
In the lower portion of the cup A is a bearing B for the valve stem to be
hereafter described. B2 is a screw threaded cap adapted to be detachably
attached to the top of the cup A and provided with a tubular neck B³ externally
screw threaded and having a central hole which serves as a guide and bearing for
the valve stem.
C is a gland threading on the said extension B³ and provided with a screw
threaded central bore with which engages the threads on the valve stem C³, which
passes down through the bearing B and is provided with a pointed end which seats
on the top of the passage A¹. Thus the revolving of the stem C regulates the
flow of oil from the oil cup A. Said stem is provided with a head C³ to facilitate
the operation of the stem.
D is a screw plug in a vent at the top of the oil cup A to aid the operation of
the apparatus as will be hereafter described.
D is a tubular socket with which an oil conveying tube D³ is connected in any
suitable manner as by a coupling D' (Fig. 2).

page_text: F F are mating metal parts of an insolated tube coupling, and H is a rubber
tube adapted to be slipped on the ends of tubular sections J J2, and clamped
thereto by means of the said parts F F2 and bolts and nuts, as shown in Figures 3
and 4, in euch manner that oil can be conducted through the tube and an electric
current prevented from passing from one metal section to the other in the case
when my apparatus is used for oiling an electric generator.
K is an oil reservoir and L a pump connected therewith by means of a tube M
which has a branch M entering the lower part of the reservoir to convey oil,
and also a branch M³ entering the upper part of the reservoir to convey air, and
said branches M² M³ are respectively provided with valves N N².
P is a supply pipe which is adapted to be connected with an oil tank from
which oil is pumped into said reservoir K.
R is an oil conveying tube connected with the bottom of the reservoir K, and
R2 R3 are branched tubes extending therefrom to oil cups A to convey oil from
said reservoir K to said oil cups. In Figure 3 an oil cup A is represented as
attached to a journal bearing S. T is a gauge for indicating the amount of oil
in the reservoir K. X represents a pressure gauge connected with the top portion
of said reservoir K for determining the amount of air pressure required in the top
of the reservoir for regulating the distribution of oil from the said reservoir to
any number of oil cups. I prefer to provide each oil conveying tube that is
connected with an oil cup A with a cut off valve Y.
It is obvious that a plurality of oil cups can easily be connected with the oil
reservoir K and all the cups used simultaneously or any one or more cut off at
the will of the operator. In preparing the apparatus for automatically lubricating
one or more bearings, I connect the supply pipe P with the oil tank, open the cut
off valve N in the tube M2 and close the valve N2 in the tube M³, and then force
oil by means of the pump into the reservoir K, and partially fill said reservoir.
I then detach the supply pipe P from the tank, close said cut off valve N and
open the valve N³, remove the plugs D from the vents at the top of the oil cups A,
close the passages A' in the bottom of said cups by means of the valve stem C
then force air into the reservoir K above the oil by the pump L. The compressed
air in said reservoir K will distribute the oil from said reservoir through the
tubes into the oil cups A, filling said cups with oil, and expelling the air there-
from. After said oil cups A are filled with oil, the plugs D are replaced in the
vents at the top of the cups A and the passages A₁ are opened by the valve
stem C² to such a degree as is required to allow the oil to drop at a proper rate
from the cups to the bearings with which the cups are connected. When the
apparatus is thus put into operation, its action will be automatic and require no.
further attention until the supply of oil in said reservoir K is expended, excepting
that the valve stem C³ may require to be adjusted from time to time to regulate
the dropping of the oil according to the necessities of the several bearings.
It is obvious that when there is no air in the cups A the oil cannot descend
therein without creating vacuums in said cups, and as long as there is a sufficient
supply of oil in the reservoir K, the cups A will remain full. But, when the
supply of oil in said reservoir is diminished, and the air on top of the oil is
expanded, and its pressure force diminished, the oil in the cups A will descend
from the tops of said cups and create vacuums that will cause a suction to aid
the pressure of the air in said reservoir K to force the air from the reservoir
through the tubes R, R2, R3, into the oil cups until the reservoir is emptied of oil..
When said reservoir is thus emptied air will follow the oil from the reservoir
through said tubes into the oil cups A and press on the oil therein until the cups
are emptied.
The distribution of oil from the reservoir K and through the oil cups A can
be readily observed at any time by looking through the passage A³ at the bottom
of said cups, and the automatic lubrication thus accomplished can be readily
regulated to each bearing or cut off entirely therefrom if desired by proper
adjustment of the valve stems C².

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
In an apparatus for lubricating machinery the combination of the following
elements, viz. A reservoir adapted to contain oil and to receive and contain air
under pressure for forcing said oil to the parts to be lubricated, a closed oil cup
or oil cups and connections thereto from that portion of the reservoir containing
the oil, said oil cup or cups each having a shank at its lower end to adapt it to be
attached to the part to be lubricated, and having longitudinal passage through
said shank from said cup, and said cup having a vent and removable plug in the
upper portion thereof, and a bearing for a valve stem within and a stem adapted
to pass through an opening in the top of the oil cup and through said bearing, and
to control the exit passage from said cup, substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of May 1894.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.