US1019103A - Lubricating system and apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

F. W. VAN NESS.

LUBEIGATING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 2, 1910.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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ATTURNEYE COLUMBIA FLANOORAPH CO.,WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A FRANK W. VAN NESS, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 FRANK J.

MATCI-IETTE', OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

LUBRICA'IING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '5, 1912.

Application filed May 2, 1910. Serial No. 558,812.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANK V. VAN Nnss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricating Systems and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to lubricating systems and apparatus therefor, and the object of the invention is to provide a lubricating system and apparatus therefor whereby oil or other fluid lubricant is supplied to the parts to be lubricated as the result of differences of pressures existing at the source or sources of supply of the lubricant and the place or places of use.

While the lubricating system and apparatus therefor described in this specification are capable of use in combination with clifferent kinds of apparatus, they are of especial utility in combination with air or gas pumping or moving devices and for simplicity of description and clearness of illustration the invention is illustrated and described as combined with vacuum cleaning apparatus and devices without any intention, however, of limiting the invention solely to such a combination.

Additional objects of the invention are to provide arrangements of apparatus whereby the lubricant (hereinafter referred toas oil for the sake of brevity) is supplied as the direct result of the operation of the apparatus to be lubricated so that'oil is supplied automatically whenever the apparatus is put in operation and the supply of oil stops when the apparatus is stopped or is otherwise relieved from duty, to arrange the apparatus, if desired, so that when oil is not being supplied from the main source of supply there will be a reserve supply of oil for some parts of the apparatus, to so arrange the apparatus that the flow of oil can be readily controlled and proportioned so that neither flooding nor drying will occur, to so arrange the apparatus that oil will be supplied from a reservoir or source of supply to the parts to be lubricated and will same elements wherever they may appear in each of the several views and which drawings illustrate an embodiment of this invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of a vacuum cleaning plant; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the plant looking in the direction of the arrow marked a; Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the plant looking in the direction of the arrow marked 6 Fig. 1, the motor being omitted for clearness of illustration; Fig. 4:

is a vertical section on an enlarged scale of the combined oil reservoir, separator and muffler taken on the line 0-0, Fig. 1, and shows someof the associated parts; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a detail.

Referring specifically to the drawings,

the reference numeral 1 designates a base upon which the plant is mounted, 2 an electric motor, 3 a vacuum pump connected with and adapted tobe driven by said motor, 4 a stand pipe through which the air and dirt are drawn, 5 a dirt and dust separator supported by columns 6, 7 a removable dirt and a dust receptacle, 8 and 9 inlet pipes affording communication between separator 5 and vacuum or exhausting pump 3, 10 an unloading valve, 11 discharge pipe from the pump, 12 a combined oil reservoir, oil separator and mufi ler, 13 exhaust pipe and 14 bypass pipe. The function of unloading valve 10 is to place pipe 9 in communication with pipe 8 or to cut off such communication and place pipe 9 in communication with by-pass pipe 14 when a suflicient intensity of vacuum is established in separator 5 so as to relieve the load on the motor 2. The vacuum pump 3 is a positive displacement pump of a well known, rotary type and has bearings 15 and 16 at its ends which require lubrication. The pump 3' also requires lubrication 1n lts interior.

The discharge f th communicates with a centrifugal spiral pipe 17 extending from bottom closure 160 up into the combined oil reservoir, oil separator and muflier 12 and its open, upper extremity is preferably disposed in a horizontal plane and has its end cut off at an angle as'clearly shown by Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. This construction gives the air and oil, and whatever dirt may be discharged therewith, a whirling motion in separator 12 and causes separation in the well known manner. Separation is also assisted because the large volume of separator 12 as compared with spiral 17 causes a decreased velocity of flow of the air and furthermore the beveled end of spiral 17 permits a reduction of the velocity of flow of the air into the separator from pipe 17 by providing an enlarged area for the expansion and escape of the air from spiral 17. The exhaust pipe 13 is larger than inlet pipe 9 and discharge pipe 11 so that the periodic discharges of air from the pump 3 are merged as the result of the reservoir action of separator and muifier 12 causing a steady and comparatively noiseless exhaust through exhaust pipe 13. The pressure existing in separator 12 is, of course, always as high as atmospheric pressure and the excess pressure existing in separator 12 over the lower pressures which may exist in other parts of the apparatus is utilized to feed the lubricating oil.

The lower part of separator 12 is utilized for an oil receptacle to hold a large quantity of oil so that frequent replenishing will not be necessary. A sight tube or oil gage 19 is in communication with the interior of separator 12 by means of a pipe 20 placed near the bottom of the separator and below a downwardly extending partition 22 therein and also by means of a pipe 21 located above said partition 22. Tube 19 is provided with a screw cap 23 which may be removed to allow oil to be poured into the oil reservoir. A pipe 24 leads from reservoir 12 at a point below partition 22 and preferably closely adjacent to the upper part thereof, as shown, and from pipe 24 depends pipe 25 from which pipes 26 and 27 lead to the pump bearings 16 and 15 respectively to supply said bearings with oil. A pipe 28 extends upwardly from pipe 24, is then bent downwardly and communicates with the interior of inlet pipe 9 at a point higher than pipe 24 to prevent siphoning. Valves 29 and 30 permit the quantity of oil flowing through pipes 28 and 25 to be regulated and a sight drop oil feed 31 is placed in pipe 28 so that the flow of oil can be readily observed and its quantity adjusted and proportioned by means of valve 29. A well 32 is provided in the bottom of the reservoir 12 to retain heavy particles discharged by the pump as scale from the pump and discharged with the oily air into separator 12.' Such dust will accumulate on the surface of the 011 1n the reservolr as a scum while any heavy particles such as pieces of scale, etc., which may find their way into separator 12 will sink through the oil and collect in well 32.

The function and operation of the system and apparatus illustrated by the drawings is as follows: The cap 23 is removed and oil poured into the reservoir until it fills the reservoir to say the line dd, Fig. 4. The cap is then replaced. WVhen the pump 3 is in operation a partial vacuum is created in pipe 9 (except when valve 10 is in its unloading position, or the position which cuts off communication between pipes 8 and 9 and establishes communication between pipes 9 and 14) and the greater air pressure existing in separator 12 will force the oil level inside of partition 22 down and the oil level outside the partition up, the partition 22 having an opening 34 in its bottom. For convenience the space between partition 22 and the shell of separator and reservoir 12 will be termed the oil supply chamber 'and is designated by the numeral 35, and

upon the specific gravity of the oil and the difference between the air pressures existing in pipe 9 and separator 12, but'this difference of pressure is suflicient to raise the oil level in oil supply chamber 35 so that the oil will flow out through pipe 24 and will then flow by gravity through pipes 25, 26 and 27 to bearings 15 and 16 of the pump 3. The quantity of oil flowing through pipe 25 is regulated by valve 30 for two reasons, first, so as not to supply an unnecessarily large quantity of oil to bearings 15 and 16, and second, so that all the oil which flows through pipe 24 will not How away by gravity through pipe 25 as it is desirable to, introduce some oil for lubrication into the interior of the pump, preferably by mixing oil with the air entering the pump through supply pipe 9. Pipe 28 is made of suflicient length, say 18 inches, so that the superior air pressure in reservoir 12 over the air pressure in pipe 9 will raise the oil to the bend at the top of pipe 28 so that the the top bend thereof and down into pipe 9. Asa very small quantity of oil is required for lubricating the interior of the pump, when the oil is mixed with the air as shown and described, valve 29 and sight drop feed 31 make it easy to properly adjust and proportion the supply.

As the surface of the oil in scum chamber 36, or inside of partition 22, is never intended to go as far down as aperture 34 (except when drain cook 33 is opened to drain the oil, etc., from thereservoir), partition 22 is in function and eifect a means to strain the oil so that the scum on the top of the oil cannot reach pipe 24 and only clean oil can get to the bearings and pump.

The lower part of the reservoir 12 is shaped like the frustum of a cone and partition 22 is similarly shaped and parallel therewith and projects from the cylindrical sideof reservoir 12 a short distance above the frustum-shaped, lower part. The effect of this construction is that the space within the oil chamber 35 above the line cZ-d, contracts upwardly, while the space in scum chamber 36, or within partition 22, contracts downwardly, so that only a small excess of oil will fill chamber 35 and only a small quantity of oil will be necessary within scum chamber 36 to seal the opening 34 at the bottom thereof.

The oil which enters the pump through inlet pipe 9, and the oil which seeps into the pump from the bearings 15 and 16, is discharged into the separator 12, where it is separated from the air and is circulated over and over again in a continuous cycle, but it is only circulated when a difference exists between the pressures existing in the separator 12 and the part of the vacuum system, as for example, pipe 9, with which pipe 28 communicates.

It will be readily seen that oil is supplied to the interior of pump 3 only when the pump is creating or maintaining a vacuum or partial vacuum in pipe 9 and that when pipes 25, 26 and 27 have once been filled with oil, they contain a reserve supply of oil which will lubricate the bearings 1.5 and 16 of the pump 3, even though the vacuum is broken in pipe 9 by the unloading valve 10, or from some other cause, and the oil level in oil chamber 35 falls below pipe 24.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a vacuum system of a pump for creating a vacuum therein, an oil supply chamber the upper part of which is in communication with the vacuum system, and an oil reservoir which is in communication with said oil supply chamher and in which reservoir the oil is subjected to a greater pressure than the pres sure which exists in the vacuum system when the pump is in operation.

2. The combination with a vacuum system of a pump for creating a vacuum therein, an oil supply chamber the upper part of which is closed, an oil reservoir which is in communication with the lower part of said oil supply chamber, and a pipe extending upwardly from said oil supply chamber and in communication with the vacuum system.

3. The combination with a vacuum system of a pump, provided with bearings, for creating a vacuum therein, an oil supply chamber the upper part of which is in communication with the vacuum system, an oil reservoir which is in communication with the lower part of said oil supply chamber and in which reservoir the oil is subjected to a greater pressure than the pressure which exists in the vacuum system when the pump is in operation, and a pipe leading from the upper part of said oil supply chamber to supply oil to the bearings of the pump whereby the flow of oil from said oil supply chamber to said pipe is automatically established whenever a vacuum is created in the vacuum system and is stopped when the vacuum in the system is broken.

4. The combination with a vacuum system of a pump, provided with bearings, for creating a vacuum therein, an oil supply chamber the upper part of which is in communication with the vacuum system, an oil reservoir which is in communication with the lower part of said oil supply chamber and in which reservoir the oil is subjected to a greater pressure than the pressure which exists in the vacuum system when the pump is in operation, and a pipe leading from the upper part of said oil supply, chamber and I extending downwardly to the pump bearings whereby the flow of oil from said oil supply chamber to said pipe is automatically established whenever a vacuum is created in the vacuum system and is stopped when the vacuum in the system is broken and whereby a reserve supply of oil will be retained in said downwardly extending pipe when the fiow of oil thereinto is stopped.

5. The combination with a vacuum system of a pump for creating a vacuum therein, an oil supply chamber the upper part of which is closed, an oil reservoir which is in communication with the lower part of said oil supply chamber and in which reservoir the oil is subjected to a greater pressure than the pressure which exists in the vacuum system when the pump is in operation, and a pipe extending upwardly from said oil supply chamber and then downwardly and communicating with the vacuum system at a higher point than it communicates with the oil supply chamber.

6. The combination with a vacuum sys tem of a pump for creating a vacuum therein, an oil reservoir into which said pump exhausts, an oil supply chamber in communication with said oil reservoir at its lower end and a communication from said oil supply chamber to said vacuum system whereby the oil supplied to said system and pump is used again in a continuous cycle.

7 The combination with a Vacuum system of a pump for creating a vacuum therein, a combined oil separator and exhaust muffler into which said pump exhausts, said separator being provided on the interior thereof with a depending partition forming an oil reservoir and scum chamber and a clean oil supply chamber, said separator being in communication with the atmosphere whereby the oil in said oil reservoir and scum chamber is exposed to a pressure at least as high as atmospheric, and a communication between said clean oil supply chamber and the vacuum system.

In witness whereof I hereto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK w. VAN NESS.

l/Vitnesses:

CHAS. L. Gross, FRANK E. DENNETT.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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