US1954990A - Rail lubricator - Google Patents

Description

April 17, 1934. L, s, ELMER 1,954,990

RAIL LUBRICATOR Filed Nov. 25. 1930 Patented aan. i7, 1era i gpggpgg@ Unire eas 1,954,990 RAIL Lnnmoafroa Lewis s. Eimer, Baltimore, Ma. Application November 25, 1930, Serial No. 498,042 is claims. (c1. isi- 3) My invention relates to improvements in railway rail to which it is fitted, and of the enclosway track rail lubricators and has particular refing chamber shell, containing an electric heater. erence to devices for car Wheel actuated lubrica- Figure 2 is a sectional plan view, on the line r tors for street railways, especially of the grooved 2 2 of Figure 1, showing the arrangement of the type curved rail, but it is applicable to other rails adjustable plunger nozzle head, the position reand other locations. It may be applied to closely taining flexible stops, retaining 'set screw, lateral paralleled T rails where one of the rails is a check valve connections to auxiliary discharge guard, and the space between the parallel rails heads when needed, and to the duct leading to the is filled with suitable material, so as to leave only source of lubricant supply. a groove between the heads of the rails. Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig- 85 My invention embodies improvements develure 1. oped from the practical operation. on a railway, Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the plungerof a lubricating device based upon the principles nozzle head, operating through an opening in the of my invention of a rail lubricator for which apgroove of a railway rail,V and of a lubricant ab- 15 plication for patent was i'lled in the UnitedY States sorbent pad. 70 Patent Office on March 14th, 1930, Serial Number Figure 5 is a plan view of a thermal equalizing 435,861. member.

One of the objects of. my present invention is My improved lubricator comprises the plungerto provide a durable, adjustable, combined car nozzle dome-shaped head 1, provided with a wheel actuated reciprocating plunger and lubrigroove 4:, a duct 6 terminating at lJS upper GX- 75 cant discharge nozzle head, operating vertically tremiti in the mouth or orifice 5. The duct 6 is through a perforation in a groove of a railway rail, usually concentric with the plunger until near' and a piston type lubricant pump, preferably lothe '50p 0I' dome 0f Same, when il? S deeted, cated between the guard rail flange and the foot usually at an angle so as to emerge at the side 2 flange of the said rail, the said pump having an of the base of said domed part of said head and 80 intake connection to a lubricant tank or reservoir, in approximately the direction of the passage of which may be located between the parallel rails an actuating car Wheel flange over it. The mouth of the same track, or in any other convenient po- 5 of the duct 6 opens vertically on its inner side sition, and said reservoir may supply one or a and its outer edge coincides with the adjacent 3 multiplicity of my lubricating devices and said vertical surface of the head member l. Thus the 35 pump having its vertical piston rod held conmouth 5 forms a suitable entrance for a tool to centric with the rail perforation by the plunger be used to rotate the plunger head 1, even though head. the dome portion of said head be lowered below A further object of my invention is to provide the surface of the rail groove 11. The absorbent 30 means for easily adjusting and retaining the dismember 7 may be applied to retain a portion of 90 charge nozzle in any desired direction. the lubricant, after each discharge of same from Another object is to provide means for self the plunger-nozzle and to later transfer this adjustment of the length of the pump piston lubricant to other passing car wheel anges. stroke to compensate for changing degrees of The plunger-nozzle 1 moves reciprocally down- 49 iiuidity of the lubricant, coincident with changes ward when depressed by a car wheel flange 9 of temperature. passing over it, and upward when released, With- Another object is to provide means of uniformin the opening 1 of the rail flange 33 into the ly distributing the lubricant discharged, by a car rail groove 1l, the resilient member 27 of the p wheel actuated pump, to the groove surfaces of pump 3 being the actuating force to produce the 40 the raliway track rail, especially throughout the upward motion thereof. m0 curved portions thereof. The groove 4 of the plunger-nozzle head 1 is Another object is to provide an electrically engaged by the key 13 to the collar 12, so that the heated compartment enclosing the lubricant plunger-nozzle head rises and falls vertically in pump and supply to prevent congealing of the the position where held by the rotatable collar 12. lubricant during Cold Weathel- The collar 12 having the key 13 engaging the 05 I attain these objects by the mechanism illusgroove 4 of the plunger-nozzle head 1 secures trated in the accompanying drawing, in which said head member from rotation while said collar like numerals refer to like parts, and in whichl2 is secured in a fixed position by the set screw Figure 1 is an elevation of part and vertical 14 or by the resilient stop 16, thereby directing 5D section of part of the lubricator, and of the railthe mouth 5 of the duct 6 in a predetermined 110 temperature, to maintain radial position, while the member 1 is free to move reciprocally in a vertical direction.

The threaded connection 15, joining the plunger-nozzle head l to the hollow piston rod l8 having the discharge duct 6, leading from the pump chamber 3 permits the plunger-nozzle member 1 to be adjusted upwardly or downwardly when rotated by a suitable tool inserted through the mouth 5 into the inclined portion of the duct 6. ThusV an upward adjustment of the head 1 permits a longer downward stroke when the head receives the impulse from a passing car wheel flange, resulting in a greater displacement of the lubricant contained within the pump chamber 3, and a greater quantity of lubricant discharged through the duct 6 and the mouth 5, and conversely a rotation of the head 1 on the thread l5 in the opposite direction, correspondingly reduces the quantity of lubricant discharged.

The thermal member 19, located beneath the collar 12, stops the upward movement of the piston 20.

The thermal member 19, comprises a suitable hollowmetallic ring-with its diameter in a horizontal plane, its interior and exterior vertical surfaces being corrugated to form a series of hori- Zontal circular ridges.y The ring 19, comprises a thin metallic shell filled with mercury or other suitable thermo-expandible substance, or the thermal member 19, may comprise any suitable shape or material capable of sufficient vertical expansion and contraction under influence of temperature variations, so as to permit a longer or shorter piston stroke and thereby an increased or decreased volume of lubricant to be pumped at each depression of the operating plunger 1. Thus as temperature changesl affect the fluidity of the lubricant simultaneous changes in length of piston stroke effect compensation of the amount of lubricant discharged through the mouth 5, of the plunger-nozzle 1. The spring 27, returns the piston and plunger to their normal elevated positions, after passage of the operating car wheel.

Attached to the lower side of the piston or plunger 20 is an extension which supports the discharge valve 26 and carries the grooved slide guides 24 which slide over the projecting fixed guides 25 rigidly attached to the body member or shell 21 of the pump, thus preventing the rotation of the piston 2O about its axis and permitting the thread l5 to function in adjusting the rotatable head 1 as described. heretofore.

The pump body comprises a top section 22, having a suitable gasket 3'7 to make a lubricant leak proof joint against the under side of the rail flange member 33, with the plunger-nozzle l passing downwardly into the member 22 and thereby retaining the pump in position with relation to the opening 1 of the rail 8.

The central pump member 21 is iirmly secured to the top section 22 and to the bottom section 23.

The bottom section 23 is further held in position with the base of the rail 8, by set screws 29 and by the intake duct 31, which leads to a Y suitable reservoir of lubricant.

The chamber 36 enclosing the lubricator within the upper and base or foot flanges of the rail 8, contains the electric heater 35, of any suitable type, for use during periods of low atmospheric the lubricant in a fluid or semi-fluid state.

The intake check valve 30 of the lubricator may have the lateral check valves and outlet ducts connected to any number of lubricators.

I claim:

1. rIhe combination of a chamber, having a girder track rail forming one side thereof and containing within said chamber, an electric heater in proximity to a pump and to a duct, leading from a reservoir of suitable lubricant, to the intake valve of said pump; a pump directly operable by 'an approximately vertical tubular plunger, comprising the discharge duct of said pump; said plunger-discharge member having a combined adjustable head and nozzle member protruding upward, through an orifice into the bottom-of the groove member of said rail; said head capable of being suitably directed and adjusted to cause the said pump to emit a suitable quantity of lubricant in a suitable direction into said rail groove and upon each car wheel flange, which depresses said plunger head, thereby operating the deice.

2. A car wheel operable railway rail lubricator comprising a cylindrical dome-shaped plunger head having an internal passage for conveying lubricant from a pumpito aport for said-head suitable to discharge lubricant into a rail groove for distributiony therein by the operating car wheel flange, said plunger head being in operable adjustable connection through a vertical perforation of a rail groove by a threaded non-rotatable hollow piston rod with the lubricant pump mounted'beneath the rail groove perforation, said port being suitable as a socket to receive-a tool capable of quickly rotating the plunger head for adjustment of the volume of lubricant discharged from its port when operated by a man standing over the rail, a collar rotatably mounted within a recess of the upper portion of a lubricant pump housing and encircling the plunger head and loosely keyed to a vertical groove therein so as to permit vertical movement of the plunger -to operateithe connected pump and to prevent rrotation of the plunger head within the collar, a Vresilient stop suitable to check rotation of the collar so as to direct the lubricant discharged from the port into the rail groove, and suitable connection of the pump with a source of lubricant supply.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, having a vertical expandible thermostatic member with a central opening suitable to permit the movement of the pump piston rod and connected plunger head, said thermostatic member suitably mounted to serve as a stop for the pump piston when risingso that expansion of the thermostat downward will check the piston to reduce the volume of lubricant pumped and contraction of the thermostat will increase the volume of lubricant at each impulse.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, having thermostatic means of varying the volume of lubricant discharged into the rail groove as temperature varies the viscosity of the lubricant.

5. In a railway rail lubricator comprising a vertical piston type pump secured operably beneath a perforation of a rail groove and having a nonrotatable hollow threaded piston rod and combined discharge duct, a rotatable plunger head loosely threaded thereto, operable within a rail groove perforation by a car wheel flange, a duct within the plunger head connecting the discharge duct of the pump with a port at the-side of the dome-shaped head of the plunger, a port in the plunger head suitable to discharge lubricant into a rail groove, and adapted to receive a tool for rotatably adjusting the plunger head from above the rail surface, means of securing the plunger head from accidental rotation by the employment of a vertical groove in the plunger head with a loosely fitted key therein, the key being rigidly attached to a collar surrounding the plunger head, the collar being rotatably mounted within a recess of the pump housing and checked from rotation at a predetermined point by a resilient stop, means of supplying lubricant to the pump, and resilient means of restoring that piston and plunger head to their normal elevated positions.

6. A car wheel operable railway rail lubricator comprising a cylindrical dome-shaped plunger head having an internal passage for lubricant discharged from a pump, a port for the lubricant passage at the side of the dome of the head suitable to discharge lubricant into a rail groove and adapted to receive a portion of a tool to manually rotate the head from above the rail as means of adjustment of the lubricant pump, said plunger head having an internally threaded passage being in operable threaded and adjustable connection through a vertical perforation of a rail groove with a non-rotatable combined piston rod and dicharge duct of the lubricant pump, means of adjusting the pump by a collar encircling the plunger head and loosely keyed to a vertical groove therein to permit vertical movement and to prevent rotation of the plunger head, said collar being rotatable within a circular recess of a lubricant pump housing, a resilient stop suitable to check rotation of the collar at a predetermined point so that the port will discharge lubricant into the rail groove and prevent accidental rotation of the plunger head, and suitable means of securing the pump in operable position beneath the perforation of the rail groove, means of supplying the pump with lubricant, and means of restoring the plunger head to its normal position.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, having a thermostatic vertically expandible member lying immediately under the collar which surrounds the plunger head said thermostate being suitable to vary the volume of lubricant discharged from the pump by checking the pump piston at varying points as the thermostat expands or contracts and thereby to compensate for changing viscosity of the lubricant caused by changing temperatures.

8. A device as claimed in claim 5 having a thermostat operable between the pump piston and the collar surrounding the plunger head, and having a central opening suitable to permit movement therein of the pump plunger head and piston rod, and being adapted to check the pump piston at various points, to thereby vary the volume of lubricant pumped and to compensate for the changing viscosity of the lubricant, caused by changing temperatures.

9. A car wheel actuated rail lubricating de- -vice comprising a vertical cylindrical plunger head having a dome shaped top protectively located below a rail tread and projecting through a perforation of a rail groove in position to be operated by a ange of a passing car wheel, said head having a port suitable to discharge lubricant into the rail groove and adapted to receive a tool for rotatably adjusting the plunger head from above the rail, means of securing the plunger head from accidental rotation by the employment of a vertical groove in the plunger head with a loosely fitted key therein, the key being attached to a collar surrounding the plunger head, the collar being rotatably mounted Within a recess of a pump housing and checked from rotation at a predetermined point by a resilient stop,

said plunger Vhead having an internal lubricant passage from its port to the discharge duct of the pump, means of adjusting the stroke of the pump by the plunger head being loosely and rotatably threaded to a non-rotatable hollow piston rod and combined discharge duct of the pump, said pump being secured beneath the rail perforation with the plunger head assisting in retaining it in position, resilient means within the pump of restoring the plunger head to its normal position after each operation, and means of supplying lubricant to the pump.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9 having a thermostat operable between the piston of the pump and the collar surrounding the plunger head, said thermostat having an opening .suitable to permit movement therein of the pump plunger head and piston rod, and being adapted to stop the rising of the pump piston at various points as changing temperatures cause expansion or contraction of the said thermostat, thereby effecting compensation of the volume of lubricant pumped by increasing or decreasing the length of the stroke of the piston as changing temperatures vary the viscosity of the lubricant,

l1. A car wheel actuated rail lubricating device comprising a vertical plunger head having a dome shaped top and an internal passage for lubricant discharged from a pump and having a port for the lubricant passage at the side of the dome of the head, suitable to discharge lubricant into a rail groove and adapted to receive a tool to manually rotate the head from above the rail as a means of adjusting the stroke of the lubricant pump and thereby regulating the volume 1 of lubricant discharged into the rail groove for distribution therein by passing car wheell flanges, the plunger head being in operable threaded and adjustable connection through a vertical perforation of a rail groove with a non-rotatable 1 combined piston rod and discharge duct of the lubricant pump, a collar encircling the plunger head and loosely keyed to a longitudinal groove therein to permit reciprocating movement and to prevent rotation of the plunger head, said 1 collar being rotatable within a recess of the lubricating pump housing, a resilient stop suitable to check rotation of the collar at a definite point to permit the port of the plunger head to discharge lubricant into the rail groove and to 1 prevent accidental rotation of the plunger head, the plunger head being in position to be depressed by the ange of each passing car wheel but protectively located below the rail tread to avoid interference of vehicular trailic, suitable 1 means of securing the pump in operable position beneath the perforation of the rail groove and aligned therewith by the plunger head, means of supplying the pump with lubricant, and means of restoring the plunger head after each operal tion to its normal elevated position.

12. A railway rail lubricator comprising a cylindrical dome shaped plunger head being in po'- sition to be actuated by a passing car wheel ange and having an internal passage for lubricant and l a port for the same at the side of its dome and protectively located below the crown thereof being suitable to discharge lubricant into a rail groove and adapted to receive a tool to manually rotate the plunger head from means of adjusting the stroke of lubricant pump, said plunger head being in operable threaded and adjustable connection through a perforation of the rail groove with a non-rotatable combined piston rod and discharge 1 a connected above the rail as a duct f the Said pump, 2 Collar MOU-11d the plunger and discharge duct of a lubricant pump, said head and loosely keyed to a longitudinal groove. pump beingsecured in operable posi-tion beneathV therein to permit reciprocal motion and to prea rail groove perforation, a port for the plunger vent rotation of the head, the collar being rohead duct at the side of the dome of the head 5 tatable Within a rrecess of the lubricant pump suitable to discharge lubricant into the groove of 80 housing, a resilient stop suitable to check rotathe rail when the head is depressed by a passing tion of the collar at a iixed point so as to secure car Wheel flange, said port being adapted to rethe port in a desired position. and to prevent acceive a tool for rotatably adjusting the head and cidental rotation of the plunger head, means of thereby adjusting the stroke of the pump from lo compensation for the varying volume of lubricant"`above the rail, means of securing the plunger head 85 discharged as temperature changes affect the from accidental rotation by the employment of VSCOS'Y thereof by the BmplOVment 0f a thermO- a Vertical groove in the plunger head with a loosestat interposed between the plunger head collar ly tted key therein, the key being rigidly at# and the pump piston, means of securing a suittached to a collar surrounding the plunger head l5 able pump beneath arail perforation, in operable and the collar being rotatably mounted Within 90 l position withV the plunger head, and means of a recess of the pump housing and checked from supplying the pump With lubricant. accidental rotation at a predetermined point by 13. A car Wheel flange actuated rail lubricator a resilient stop, means of supplying lubricant to comprising a dome shaped plunger head operable the pump, and means of restoring the plunger 2o through -a grooved rail perforation and having a head to its normal position. 95 I threaded internal lubricant duct adjustably and rotatably connected with an externally threaded LEWIS S. ELMER;Av non-rotatable hollow combined pump piston rod y y 13o 50 y i 135v

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