Untitled record

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lubricator.

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United States Patent Office.

JOHN B. SEES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED LUBRICATOR

Siiecifieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,433, dated October 27, 18G3; antedated October 10, 18C3.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John B. Sees, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Grease-Cup for Lubricating the Valves of Locomotives and other Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, said drawings representing a central vertical section of the cup.

This invention consists in a novel system of valves applied in combination with a tube occupying a fixed position within the cup, whereby every time the steam is shut off from the engine a certain accurately regulated or measured quantity of grease, and no more, is automatically supplied to the steam-chest by being displaced by condensed steam, thus insuring proper lubrication of the valve as often as and at the very time required without any waste.

It also consists in furnishing the cup with an independent screw - socket, which enables it to be adapted to any steam-chest without putting the cup in a lathe to cut a screwthread upon its bottom.

To enable others to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A B 0 is the body of the cup, represented as composed of a thick cylinder, B, of glass, and a bottom, A, and top 0 of brass; but it may be made entirely of brass. The parts A, B, and 0 are held together by means of a central tube, D, and nut a, the central tube screwing tightly into a hole in the bottom A, and passing through a fixed bridge, b, formed across the top C, and the nut a being screwed onto the tube above the bridge &amp; and brought down tight upon the bridge. A vulcanized india-rubber or other soft packing, c, is used between A, C, and B. The top C is fitted with a movable cap, E, to provide for the filling of the cup with oil or tallow.

F and G are two valves connected by a stem, d, passing through the tube D, one fitted to a conical seat in the bottom A of the cup and closing in an upward direction, and the other fitting to a seat on the top of the tube D and closing in a downward direction. The stem d is made in two pieces, screwed together at e, to provide for its being lengthened or shortened, and thereby regulating the amount of movement of the valves. The lower valve, F, fits perfectly tight to its seat when closed; but the seat of the upper valve is notched, as shown at f f, so that the said valve is never perfectly closed, its duty being to serve as a stop to regulate the opening movement of the lower valve, and to prevent the oil or tallow from running into the tube D, as it is being poured into the cup, and were it not required to serve the latter purpose, the upper part of the stem might be simply furnished with lugs or have a pin inserted transversely through it as a substitute for the upper valve.

H is a valve, which I call the “atmospheric” valve, fitted into the cap E, and closing with an upward movement. This valve has astop, g, at the top of its stem to limit its opening movement; but the top of the cap is so notched externally, as shown at It h, that the said stop does not close the opening therein when the valve drops.

I is a cock in the bottom of the cup for emptying it.

E is a socket, which has screwed into it a nozzle, i, provided on the bottom A of the cup, and which is itself provided with a nozzle', j, screwed into a tapped hole in the steamchest or steam-chest cover J.

To set the cup in operation, it is filled with oil or tallow up to the level of the top of the tube D. While the steam-chest is open to the boiler and filled with steam, the pressure of the steam keeps the valve F closed; but the valve H is kept open by the pressure of the atmosphere aided by its own weight. Whenever,in the running of the engine,the steam is shut off from the steam-chest, the valve F is opened by the pressure of the atmosphere aided by its own weight and the weight of the stem d and valve G. When steam is again admitted to the steam-chest it closes the valve F again; but before it can close the valve some escapes through the tube D into the upper part of the cup and closes the valve H, which prevents its escape from the cup. This steam, being shut into the cup by the closing of the valve, soon condenses, and the water of condensation sinks below the grease which floats on its surface and rises above the level of the tube D, down which it flows by gravitation, remaining in the said tube, or the passage in

49,433 the bottom A below it, until the steam is again shut off, when the valve F being again opened the grease runs into the steam-chest. The valve H opens when the steam has been condensed, or partially condensed, in the upper part of the cup, and so admits the pressure of the atmosphere upon the grease at all times but while the steam is uncondensed in the cup, it being desirable to catch or trap all the steam admitted to the cup, as it is by the water resulting from the condensation of such steam that the grease is raised above the level of and caused to flow into the tube D. If, in the ordinary running of the engine, the steam is not shut off as often as it is desirable to lubricate the valve, the lubrication may be effected by simply shutting off and letting on the steam again very quickly. The quantity of oil supplied at a time is regulated by the quantity of steam admitted to the cup, and this is regulated by the amount of movement permitted to the valves F G by the adjustment of their stem at e, a longer movement not allowing the valve F to close so quickly when steam is admitted to the steam-chest, and so allowing more steam to pass into the cup and a shorter movement allowing the said valve to close more quickly and less steam to pass into the cup. This operation continues so long as any grease remains in the cup, the grease floating on the top of the water as the cup fills up with the latter. When all the grease is out, which may be easily seen when the body B of the cup is made of glass, the water is drawn off by opening the cock I, and the cup is refilled with grease by taking off the cap E, and pouring it in.

The independent screw-socket J enables the cup to be adapted, to any steam-cliest. The screw-thread on the nozzle / of this socket need not be cut until the cup is to be applied,when the socket may be chucked in a lathe and the said thread be cut to fit any hole that may be tapped in the steam chest for its reception, and the cup is thus enabled to be adapted to any steam-chest without putting it in a lathe and running the risk of breaking the glass or otherwise injuring or marring it.