JP7335581B2 - Lubricant supply confirmation device - Google Patents

Description

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

Some of the distribution valves provided in the centralized lubricating system are provided with an indicator rod for finding a location where lubrication is impossible. For example, in the distribution valve disclosed in Patent Document 1, the indicator rod is connected to the main piston, and the indicator rod operates in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the piston. By confirming the operation of the indicator rod, it is possible to discover locations where lubrication is not possible.

There is also a method of detecting a failure point of a centralized lubricating device by converting the operation of an indicator rod into an electrical signal, as in Patent Document 2.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-85995 JP-A-2-120600

As in Patent Document 1, in the method using an indicator rod provided in the distribution valve, it is difficult to confirm whether the lubricant is flowing normally in the piping from the distribution valve to the lubrication target part, and it is difficult to recognize the occurrence of an abnormality. I have a problem that I can't.

Moreover, in the case of the method of converting the operation of the indicator rod into an electric signal to detect the failure location, as in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that it is difficult to visually confirm the operation of the indicator rod easily.

A lubricant supply confirmation device of the present invention is a lubricant supply confirmation device that is 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, wherein the lubricant an inlet channel into which the lubricant flows; an outlet channel extending in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the inlet channel and connected to an end of the inlet channel, through which the lubricant is discharged; and the outlet channel, an indicator insertion port provided in the direction in which the outlet channel extends; and an indicator inserted into the indicator insertion port, wherein the indicator is connected to the inlet flow The lubricant is pushed up from the indicator insertion port by the pressure of the lubricant flowing from the passage to the outlet channel, 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 distributing valve and the lubrication object by the operation of the indicator. Also, the operation of the indicator can be easily visually confirmed.

1 is a perspective view of a lubricant supply confirmation device of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an indicator of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1 is activated; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lubricant supply confirmation device of FIG. 1 in a state in which an indicator has been reset; It is a figure which shows the modification of the lubricant supply confirmation apparatus of FIG.

(Circumstances leading to the present invention)
A centralized lubrication system is used to intermittently supply a lubricant consisting mainly of a viscous fluid, such as grease, to roll shafts for continuous casting equipment in steel plants, mill roll shafts, and bearings for conveyors in sewage treatment plants. be done. As in Patent Document 1, some centralized lubrication devices are provided with distribution valves for distributing a lubricant such as grease to a plurality of lubrication target portions. A piston is incorporated in the distribution valve, and the reciprocating motion of the piston supplies the lubricant to the lubrication target. An indicator rod is connected to one end of the piston, and the indicator rod operates in conjunction with the movement of the piston. A counter is driven according to the operation of the indicator rod, and it is possible to visually confirm whether or not the distributing valve is functioning normally based on the numerical value of the counter.

However, although the indicator rod provided on the distribution valve can confirm that the lubricant is being discharged normally from the distribution valve, it is possible that the piping from the distribution valve to the part to be lubricated has an abnormality such as damage to the piping. It is difficult to detect that the lubricant could not be supplied to the part to be lubricated. As a result, the discovery of the abnormality may be delayed, and problems such as seizure of the lubricated parts may occur. In addition, it is necessary to compare the counts of the distribution valves in order to identify the defective portion of the distribution valve, and it is difficult to easily visually confirm the abnormal portion.

There is also a method of converting a stroke of a pointing stick into an electrical signal and remotely monitoring it, as in Patent Document 2. However, in this case, it is difficult to easily visually confirm the operation of the indicator rod. In addition, since the wiring equipment for transmitting electrical signals becomes complicated, there is also the problem that the installation cost increases.

Accordingly, the inventors have studied a lubricant supply confirmation device for solving these problems, and have arrived at the following invention.

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

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

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

The indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion port 7 by the pressure of the lubricant flowing from the inlet channel 5 to the outlet channel 6, so that the user can visually confirm that the lubricant has flowed. Note that the main body 2 and the cover 3 may be integrally formed. Also, the grease nipple 10 is not an essential component and may not necessarily be provided.

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

<Outlet channel>
The outlet channel 6 is a hole that is formed inside the main body 2 so as to extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the inlet channel 5 extends and that is connected to the end portion 5 a of the inlet channel 5 . The lubricant discharged from the outlet channel 6 is supplied to the lubrication target portion. The outlet channel 6 is provided with a check valve 9 that prevents the lubricant from flowing back from the outlet channel 6 to the inlet channel 5 .

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

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

<Indicator>
The indicator 4 in this embodiment 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 depressurizing portion 12 provided at the tip 80a of the indicator shaft 8a on the inlet channel 5 side. The shape of the indicator 4 is not limited to this, as long as it is rod-shaped to be inserted into the indicator insertion opening 7 .

<Check valve>
The check valve 9 includes a valve body 9a that closes the outlet channel 6, an O-ring 13 that is arranged on the valve body 9a and seals between the valve body 9a and the outlet channel 6, and the valve body 9a as an inlet flow channel. and a spring 14 biasing toward the path 5 side. The check valve 9 closes the outlet channel 6 by pressing the valve body 9a in the direction of the inlet channel 5 by the biasing force of the spring 14, thereby preventing the lubricant from flowing from the outlet channel 6 to the inlet channel 5. Prevent backflow. Also, 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. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 is set at 0.6 MPa.

<Grease nipple>
A grease nipple 10 is arranged to be connected to the inlet channel 5 . For example, when the supply of 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 in the inner peripheral surface of the indicator insertion opening 7a, respectively. The elastic members 11a and 11b keep the indicator 4 pushed up after the indicator 4 is actuated, and prevent lubricant from leaking from the indicator insertion opening 7 and dust or water from entering from the outside. It has a sealing function for

O-rings made of nitrile rubber (NBR), for example, can be used for the elastic members 11a and 11b. The elastic members 11a and 11b may be made of elastic materials such as fluororubber (FKM), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and silicone rubber (VMQ). In addition, the material and wire diameter of the elastic members 11a and 11b and the dimensions of the grooves 70a and 70b are preferably set so that the elastic members 11a and 11b have a compression rate of 5% or more and 20% or less. For example, by setting the depth of the grooves 70a and 70b to 80% to 95% of the elastic members 11a and 11b, the compression rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b can be adjusted.

When the compression rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b is adjusted to 5% or more and 20% or less, the indicator 4 indicates the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 when the lubricant is grease with consistency numbers 00 to 2. can be activated before reaching Furthermore, the indicator 4 can be actuated and kept pushed up from the indicator insertion opening 7 . At this time, the indicator 4 operates at a pressure approximately 30% or more of the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 .

If the pressure at which the indicator 4 is activated is lower than the cracking pressure, the starting resistance of the elastic members 11a, 11b can prevent lubricant from flowing into the outlet channel 6 before the indicator is activated. Therefore, by setting the pressure at which the indicator 4 operates to approximately 30% of the cracking pressure, the indicator 4 can be reliably operated when the lubricant flows. Also, by adjusting the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 to bring it closer to the operating pressure of the indicator 4, the operating resistance pressure to the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 including the operating pressure of the indicator 4 and the cracking pressure can be lowered. . Also, if the operating pressure of the indicator 4 is low, it is possible to reduce the pump pressure. In the present embodiment, when the lubricant is grease, the compression rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b is such that the indicator 4 is activated by a pressure of approximately 0.2 MPa or more, which is approximately 30% of the cracking pressure of 0.6 MPa. is adjusted.

Further, when the crush rate is 5% or more and 20% or less, it is possible to prevent leakage of the lubricant from the elastic members 11a and 11b and contamination of dust and the like from the outside.

<Depressurization section>
The depressurizing portion 12 is provided at the tip 80a of the indicator shaft 8a on the side of the inlet flow path 5. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the depressurizing portion 12 is formed by arranging a bolt-shaped metal fitting at the tip 80 a of the indicator 4 . The shape of the depressurizing portion 12 is not limited to this. Any shape may be used as long as it has an elongated bar shape. Note that the depressurizing section 12 is not an essential component and may not necessarily be provided.

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

(1) Lubricant supplied from, for example, a centralized lubricating device 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 lubricant that has flowed in, and the pushed-up state is maintained. At this time, since the compression rate of the elastic members 11a and 11b provided in the indicator insertion opening 7a is set to 5% or more and 20% or less, the indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion opening 7 with a pressure of approximately 0.2 MPa. be done. This is about 30% of the check valve 9 cracking pressure (0.6 MPa). The indicator 4 is therefore activated before the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 is reached. The pressure at which the indicator 4 operates and the cracking pressure of the check valve 9 are numerical values when grease is used as a lubricant. The cracking pressure of valve 9 can be varied.

(3) When the pressure of the lubricant that has flowed in 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 passage 6 to the lubrication target. At this time, the lubricant flows in from the inlet channel 5 and is discharged from the outlet channel 6 as indicated by arrow A in FIG.

(4) After visually confirming that the indicator 4 has been activated, the indicator 4 is reset by manually depressing it. As shown in FIG. 2, when the indicator 4 is not in operation, that is, when the check valve 9 is closed and the depressurizing section 12 is in contact with the check valve 9, the cover 3 and the indicator head 8b is provided with a margin d. When the indicator 4 is pushed back into the indicator insertion port 7, as shown in FIG. open. In this way, since the check valve 9 can be opened when the indicator 4 is reset, the lubricant that has flowed into the indicator insertion port 7 flows in the direction of the inlet flow path 5 when the indicator 4 is actuated and pushed up. Backflow can be prevented.

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

[effect]
According to the embodiment described above, when the lubricant is normally supplied to the lubrication target portion, the indicator 4 is pushed up from the indicator insertion opening 7 and maintained in that state. Therefore, it is possible to easily visually confirm that the indicator 4 is pushed up. In addition, since the lubricant supply confirmation device 1 can be arranged at any position between the distribution valve and the lubrication target part, if the indicator 4 does not operate, an abnormality between the distribution valve and the lubrication target part can be detected. can recognize the occurrence of Since the pushed-up state is maintained after the operation of the indicator 4, it is possible to easily discriminate between a portion where the lubricant was normally supplied and a portion where the lubricant was not normally supplied. Further, by pushing down the indicator 4 into the indicator insertion opening 7, the indicator 4 can be reset to the initial state. At this time, the check valve 9 can be opened by the depressurizing portion 12 , and the backflow of the lubricant from the indicator insertion port 7 to the inlet flow path 5 can be prevented.

[Modification]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification 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 in the end surface 3a of the cover 3. As shown in FIG. Using the elastic member 11c having a U-shaped cross section in this way increases the contact area between the elastic member 11c and the indicator 4 compared to the case of using an elastic member having a circular cross section, thereby further improving the sealing performance. As a result, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the lubricant from the indicator insertion port 7 and the entry of dust, water, etc. from the outside into the lubricant supply confirmation device 1a.

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

1 Lubricant Supply Confirmation Device 4 Indicator 5 Inlet Channel 6 Outlet Channel 7 Indicator Insertion Port 9 Check Valve 10 Grease Nipple 11a, 11b Elastic Member 12 Depressurizing Part 13 O-ring 14 Spring

Claims (4)

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,
an inlet channel into which the lubricant flows;
an outlet channel extending in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the inlet channel, connected to an end of the inlet channel, and discharging the lubricant;
an indicator insertion port provided in a direction in which the outlet channel extends at a portion where the inlet channel and the outlet channel are connected;
an indicator having an indicator shaft inserted into the indicator insertion port and a head provided at an end of the indicator shaft;
a grease nipple connected to the inlet channel;
with
The indicator is pushed up from the indicator insertion port by the pressure of the lubricant flowing from the inlet channel to the outlet channel and holds the pushed-up state;
A margin is formed between the head and the indicator insertion opening when the indicator is not in operation.
Lubricant supply confirmation device. Further comprising a check valve provided in the outlet channel for preventing reverse flow of the lubricant from the outlet channel to the inlet channel,
The check valve is
a valve body that closes the outlet channel;
an O-ring disposed on the valve body and sealing between the valve body and the outlet channel;
a spring that biases the valve body toward the inlet channel;
has
2. The lubricant supply confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the indicator operates before reaching the cracking pressure of the check valve. The indicator has a depressurizing portion at a tip on the inlet channel side,
When a force is applied in a direction in which the indicator is pushed down into the indicator insertion port so that the margin disappears, the depressurizing portion moves the valve body in a direction opposite to the urging force of the spring, thereby moving the check valve. The lubricant supply confirmation device according to claim 2, wherein the valve is opened to depressurize. Further comprising a plurality of elastic members respectively arranged in a plurality of grooves provided on the inner peripheral surface of the indicator insertion port,
The lubricant supply confirmation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of elastic members has a compression rate of 5% or more and 20% or less.

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