JP2020172984A - Lubricant supply checking device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a lubricant supply checking device which enables a user to easily check a lubricant being supplied by visual inspection.SOLUTION: A lubricant supply checking device 1 is provided at a pipe, in which a lubricant formed by a viscous liquid flows, and checks flow of the lubricant to be supplied to the pipe. The lubricant supply checking device 1 includes: an inlet passage 5 into which the lubricant flows; an outlet passage 6 which extends in a direction intersecting with a direction where the inlet passage extends and is connected to an end part 5a of the inflow passage 5 and from which the lubricant is discharged; an indicator insertion port 7 which is provided in a direction where the outlet passage 6 extends at a portion where the inlet passage 5 and the outlet passage 6 are connected; and an indicator 4 which is inserted into the indicator insertion port 7. The indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion port 7 by a pressure of the lubricant flowing from the inlet passage 5 to the outlet passage 6 and retains the pushed-up state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a lubricant supply confirmation device for confirming the flow of lubricant flowing through a pipe.

Some distribution valves provided in the centralized lubrication system are provided with a pointer for finding a place where refueling is not possible. For example, in the distribution valve described in Patent Document 1, the pointer is connected to the main piston, and the pointer operates in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the piston. By confirming the operation of the pointer, it is possible to find out where the lubricant cannot be refueled.

Further, as in Patent Document 2, there is also a method of converting the operation of the pointer rod into an electric signal to detect the faulty part of the centralized lubrication device.

Jikkenhei 6-85995 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-120600

With the method using a pointer provided on the distribution valve as in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to confirm whether the lubricant is flowing normally in the piping from the distribution valve to the lubrication target portion, and it is possible to recognize the occurrence of an abnormality. There is a problem that it cannot be done.

Further, in the case of the method of converting the operation of the pointer into an electric signal and detecting the failure portion as in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that it is difficult to easily visually confirm the operation of the pointer.

The lubricant supply confirmation device of the present invention is a lubricant supply confirmation device provided in a pipe through which a lubricant made of a viscous fluid flows and confirms the flow of the lubricant supplied in the pipe, and is the lubricant supply confirmation device. An outlet flow path that extends in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the inlet flow path and an outlet flow path that is connected to the end of the inlet flow path and discharges the lubricant, and the inlet flow path. In the portion where the outlet flow path is connected to the outlet flow path, the indicator insertion port provided in the extending direction of the outlet flow path and the indicator inserted into the indicator insertion port are provided, and the indicator is the inlet flow. It is pushed up from the indicator insertion port by the pressure of the lubricant flowing from the path to the outlet flow path, and the pushed-up state is maintained.

According to the lubricant supply confirmation device of the present invention, it is possible to recognize the occurrence of an abnormality when a problem occurs between the distribution valve and the lubrication target portion by operating the indicator. In addition, the operation of the indicator can be easily visually confirmed.

It is a perspective view of the lubricant supply confirmation device of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the lubricant supply confirmation apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the state which the indicator of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1 is activated. It is sectional drawing of the state in which the indicator of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1 is reset. It is a figure which shows the modification of the lubricant supply confirmation apparatus of FIG.

(Background to the present invention)
A centralized lubricant is used to intermittently supply a lubricant consisting mainly of viscous fluid such as grease to roll shafts for continuous casting equipment, rolling roll shafts, or bearings for conveyors in sewage treatment plants at steelworks. Will be done. As in Patent Document 1, some centralized lubricators are provided with distribution valves for distributing a lubricant such as grease to a plurality of lubrication target portions. A piston is built in the distribution valve, and the lubricant is supplied to the lubricated portion by the reciprocating motion of the piston. A pointer is connected to one end of the piston, and the pointer operates in conjunction with the movement of the piston. The counter is driven according to the operation of the pointer, and it is possible to visually confirm whether or not the distribution valve is functioning normally by the numerical value of the counter.

However, although the pointer provided on the distribution valve can confirm the normal discharge of the lubricant in the distribution valve, an abnormality such as damage to the piping occurs in the piping from the distribution valve to the lubrication target portion. It is difficult to detect that the lubricant could not be supplied to the lubrication target portion. Therefore, the detection of the abnormality may be delayed, and a problem such as seizure of the lubrication target portion may occur. Further, it is necessary to compare the counts of the distribution valves in order to identify the defective portion in the distribution valve, and it is difficult to easily visually confirm the abnormal portion.

Further, as in Patent Document 2, there is also a method of converting the stroke of the pointer rod into an electric signal for remote monitoring. However, in this case, it is difficult to easily visually confirm the operation of the pointer. Further, since the wiring equipment for transmitting the electric signal becomes complicated, there is a problem that the installation cost increases.

Therefore, the present inventor has studied a lubricant supply confirmation device for solving these problems, and has reached the following invention.

(Embodiment 1)
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the lubricant supply confirmation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the indicator of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1 is activated. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the indicator of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1 is reset.

The lubricant supply confirmation device 1 is arranged in a pipe to a lubrication target portion (not shown) such as a bearing of a rolling equipment, and the lubricant supplied intermittently is normally supplied to the lubrication target portion. It is a device for visually confirming whether or not it has been supplied. The lubricant is a viscous fluid, such as grease or oil. In the present embodiment, greases having consistency numbers 00 to 2 can be used as the lubricant.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 has a main body 2, a cover 3, and an indicator 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 includes an inlet flow path 5, an outlet flow path 6, and an indicator insertion port 7 inside. The indicator 4 is formed by an indicator shaft 8a and an indicator head 8b. A check valve 9 is provided in the outlet flow path 6. Further, a grease nipple 10 connected to the inlet flow path 5 is provided. The lubricant supply confirmation device 1 may be arranged between the distribution valve and the lubrication target portion, and may not be directly arranged on the lubrication target portion.

The pressure of the lubricant flowing from the inlet flow path 5 to the outlet flow path 6 pushes up the indicator 4 from the indicator insertion port 7, so that the user can visually confirm that the lubricant has flowed. The main body 2 and the cover 3 may be integrally formed. Further, the grease nipple 10 is not an indispensable configuration and may not be necessarily provided.

<Inlet flow path>
The inlet flow path 5 is a hole formed from one side surface of the main body 2 toward the inside, and is a flow path through which the lubricant flows into the lubricant supply confirmation device 1. By connecting the inlet flow path 5 to the piping or the like of the centralized lubricator, the lubricant is supplied to the lubrication target portion via the lubricant supply confirmation device 1.

<Outlet flow path>
The outlet flow path 6 is a hole formed inside the main body 2 so as to extend in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the inlet flow path 5 and connected to the end portion 5a of the inlet flow path 5. The lubricant discharged from the outlet flow path 6 is supplied to the lubrication target portion. The outlet flow path 6 is provided with a check valve 9 for preventing the backflow of the lubricant from the outlet flow path 6 to the inlet flow path 5.

<Indicator insertion slot>
The indicator insertion port 7 is provided in the extending direction of the outlet flow path 6 at the portion where the inlet flow path 5 and the outlet flow path 6 are connected. In the present embodiment, the portion where the inlet flow path 5 and the outlet flow path 6 are connected is the end portion 5a of the inlet flow path 5. The indicator insertion port 7 is formed on the opposite side of the outlet flow path 6 from the end portion 5a of the inlet flow path 5. That is, the outlet flow path 6 is formed so as to extend downward in FIG. 2 and the indicator insertion port 7 is formed so as to extend upward in FIG. 2 from the end portion 5a of the inlet flow path 5. Further, in the present embodiment, the indicator insertion port 7 is formed by communicating the through hole formed inside the cover 3 and the hole formed in the main body 2. Hereinafter, when referring to the through hole formed inside the cover 3, it is referred to as an indicator insertion port 7a, and when referring to the hole formed in the main body 2, it is referred to as an indicator insertion port 7b.

Two grooves 70a and 70b are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the indicator insertion port 7a, and elastic members 11a and 11b are arranged in the grooves 70a and 70b, respectively.

<Indicator>
In the present embodiment, the indicator 4 is formed by an indicator shaft 8a and an indicator head 8b provided at the other tip 80b of the indicator shaft 8a. The indicator 4 further has a decompression portion 12 provided at the tip 80a on the inlet flow path 5 side of the indicator shaft 8a. The shape of the indicator 4 is not limited to this, and may be any rod shape inserted into the indicator insertion port 7.

<Check valve>
The check valve 9 has a valve body 9a that closes the outlet flow path 6, an O-ring 13 that is arranged in the valve body 9a and seals between the valve body 9a and the outlet flow path 6, and an inlet flow of the valve body 9a. It has a spring 14 for urging toward the road 5 side. The check valve 9 closes the outlet flow path 6 by pressing the valve body 9a in the direction of the inlet flow path 5 by the urging force of the spring 14, so that the lubricant from the outlet flow path 6 to the inlet flow path 5 is supplied. Stop backflow. Further, by providing the O-ring 13 on the valve body 9a, it is possible to prevent the lubricant from leaking from the check valve 9. In the present embodiment, the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 is set to 0.6 MPa.

<Grease nipple>
The grease nipple 10 is arranged so as to be connected to the inlet flow path 5. For example, when the supply of the lubricant is stopped due to a failure of the distribution valve or the like, a grease gun or the like can be connected to the grease nipple 10 to manually supply the lubricant.

<Elastic member>
The elastic members 11a and 11b are arranged in two grooves 70a and 70b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the indicator insertion port 7a, respectively. The elastic members 11a and 11b hold the indicator 4 pushed up after the indicator 4 is activated, and prevent the lubricant from leaking from the indicator insertion port 7 and dust or water from the outside. Has a sealing function for.

For the elastic members 11a and 11b, for example, an O-ring made of nitrile rubber (NBR) can be used. Further, the elastic members 11a and 11b may be made of an elastic material such as fluororubber (FKM), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and silicone rubber (VMQ). Further, the elastic members 11a and 11b may have the material and wire diameter of the elastic members 11a and 11b and the dimensions of the grooves 70a and 70b set so that the crushing rate is 5% or more and 20% or less, respectively. For example, by setting the depths of the grooves 70a and 70b to 80% to 95% of the elastic members 11a and 11b, the crushing rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b can be adjusted.

When the crushing rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b is adjusted to be 5% or more and 20% or less, the indicator 4 is the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 when the lubricant is grease of consistency numbers 00 to 2. Can be activated before reaching. Further, the indicator 4 can be activated to maintain the state of being pushed up from the indicator insertion port 7. At this time, the indicator 4 operates at a pressure of about 30% or more of the cracking pressure of the check valve 9.

When the pressure at which the indicator 4 operates is lower than the cracking pressure, the starting resistance of the elastic members 11a and 11b can prevent the lubricant from flowing into the outlet flow path 6 before the indicator operates. Therefore, by setting the operating pressure of the indicator 4 to about 30% of the cracking pressure, the indicator 4 can be reliably operated when the lubricant flows. Further, by adjusting the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 to approach the working pressure of the indicator 4, it is possible to reduce the working pressure of the indicator 4 and the working resistance pressure to the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 including the cracking pressure. .. Further, when the operating pressure of the indicator 4 is low, the pump pressure can be lowered. In the present embodiment, when the lubricant is grease, the crushing rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b is such that the indicator 4 operates at a pressure of about 0.2 MPa or more, which is about 30% of the cracking pressure of 0.6 MPa. Has been adjusted.

Further, when the crushing rate is 5% or more and 20% or less, leakage of the lubricant by the elastic members 11a and 11b and mixing of dust and the like from the outside can be prevented.

<Decompression part>
The decompression unit 12 is provided at the tip 80a of the indicator shaft 8a on the inlet flow path 5 side. In the present embodiment, the decompression portion 12 is formed by arranging a bolt-shaped metal fitting at the tip 80a of the indicator 4. The shape of the decompression portion 12 is not limited to this, and as will be described later, from the tip 80a of the indicator shaft 8a toward the check valve 9 so that the check valve 9 can be opened when the indicator 4 is reset. Any rod-shaped shape that extends may be used. The decompression unit 12 is not an essential configuration and may not necessarily be provided.

[motion]
The operation of the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

(1) For example, the lubricant supplied from the centralized lubricator flows into the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 from the inlet flow path 5.

(2) As shown in FIG. 3, the indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion port 7 by the pressure of the inflowing lubricant, and the pushed up state is maintained. At this time, since the crushing rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b provided in the indicator insertion port 7a is set to 5% or more and 20% or less, the indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion port 7 with a pressure of about 0.2 MPa. Be done. This is about 30% of the cracking pressure (0.6 MPa) of the check valve 9. Therefore, the indicator 4 operates before the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 is reached. The operating pressure of the indicator 4 and the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 are numerical values when grease is used as the lubricant, and the operating pressure of the indicator 4 and the check valve are determined according to the viscosity of the lubricant used. The cracking pressure of the valve 9 can be changed.

(3) The pressure of the inflowing lubricant exceeds 0.6 MPa, which is the cracking pressure of the check valve 9, the check valve 9 opens, and the lubricant is supplied from the outlet flow path 6 to the lubrication target portion. At this time, as shown by the arrow A in FIG. 3, the lubricant flows in from the inlet flow path 5 and is discharged from the outlet flow path 6.

(4) After visually confirming that the indicator 4 has been activated, the indicator 4 is reset by being manually pushed down. As shown in FIG. 2, when the indicator 4 is not operating, that is, when the check valve 9 is closed and the decompression unit 12 is in contact with the check valve 9, the cover 3 and the indicator head A margin d is provided between the 8b and the 8b. When the indicator 4 is pushed back to the indicator insertion port 7, as shown in FIG. 4, by pushing the indicator head 8b to the portion of the margin d, the tip of the decompression portion 12 comes into contact with the valve body 9a to push the check valve 9. open. In this way, since the check valve 9 can be opened when the indicator 4 is reset, when the indicator 4 is operated and pushed up, the lubricant flowing into the indicator insertion port 7 flows in the direction of the inlet flow path 5. It is possible to prevent backflow.

(5) After the indicator 4 is pushed down and reset, the valve body 9a is pushed up by the urging force of the spring 14, and the indicator 4 returns to the state shown in FIG.

[effect]
According to the above-described embodiment, when the lubricant is normally supplied to the lubrication target portion, the indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion port 7 and the state is maintained. Therefore, it can be easily visually confirmed that the indicator 4 is in the pushed-up state. Further, since the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 can be arranged at an arbitrary position between the distribution valve and the lubrication target portion, the indicator 4 does not operate, resulting in an abnormality between the distribution valve and the lubrication target portion. Can be recognized. Since the pushed-up state is maintained after the operation of the indicator 4, it is possible to easily distinguish between the portion where the lubricant could be normally supplied and the portion where the lubricant could not be normally supplied. Further, the indicator 4 can be reset to the initial state by pushing the indicator 4 down to the indicator insertion port 7. At this time, the check valve 9 can be opened by the decompression unit 12, and the backflow of the lubricant from the indicator insertion port 7 to the inlet flow path 5 can be prevented.

[Modification example]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modified example of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. In the lubricant supply confirmation device 1a of FIG. 5, an elastic member 11c having a U-shaped cross section is provided in a groove 71a provided on the end surface 3a of the cover 3. As described above, when the elastic member 11c having a U-shaped cross section is used, the contact area between the elastic member 11c and the indicator 4 is larger than that when the elastic member having a circular cross section is used, so that the sealing performance is further improved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent leakage of the lubricant from the indicator insertion port 7 and mixing of dust, water, etc. from the outside into the lubricant supply confirmation device 1a.

The lubricant supply confirmation device of the present invention can be used when supplying a lubricant made of a viscous fluid to a bearing or the like of a rolling equipment.

1 Lubricant supply confirmation device 4 Indicator 5 Inlet flow path 6 Outlet flow path 7 Indicator insertion port 9 Check valve 10 Grease nipple 11a, 11b Elastic member 12 Decompression part 13 O-ring 14 Spring

Claims (5)

It is a lubricant supply confirmation device provided in a pipe through which a lubricant made of a viscous fluid flows, and confirms the flow of the lubricant supplied into the pipe.
The inlet flow path into which the lubricant flows and
An outlet flow path that extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the inlet flow path, is connected to the end of the inlet flow path, and discharges the lubricant.
In the portion where the inlet flow path and the outlet flow path are connected, an indicator insertion port provided in the extending direction of the outlet flow path and an indicator insertion port.
An indicator inserted into the indicator insertion slot and
With
The indicator is pushed up from the indicator insertion port by the pressure of the lubricating fluid flowing from the inlet flow path to the outlet flow path, and holds the pushed-up state.
Lubricant supply confirmation device. Further, a check valve provided in the outlet flow path to prevent the backflow of the lubricant from the outlet flow path to the inlet flow path is provided.
The check valve is
A valve body that closes the outlet flow path and
An O-ring that is placed on the valve body and seals between the valve body and the outlet flow path,
A spring that urges the valve body toward the inlet flow path side,
Have,
The lubricant supply confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the indicator operates before the cracking pressure of the check valve is reached. The indicator has a decompression portion at the tip on the inlet flow path side.
When a force is applied to the indicator in a direction in which the indicator is pushed down by the indicator insertion port, the decompression portion opens the check valve by moving the valve body in a direction opposite to the urging force of the spring to depressurize the check valve. The lubricant supply confirmation device according to claim 2. Further, a plurality of elastic members arranged in a plurality of grooves provided on the inner peripheral surface of the indicator insertion port are provided.
The lubricant supply confirmation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of elastic members has a crushing rate of 5% or more and 20% or less. The lubricant supply confirmation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a grease nipple connected to the inlet flow path.

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