US2060456A - Lubricating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

F. S. BARKS ET AL lLUBRICATING APPARATUS Nov. 10, 1936.

original Filed oct. '13, 1934 prov. lz. @MA1-W,

matted Nov. 1o, 193s PATENT oFFicE LUBBICATING APPARATUS Frank S. Barks, St. Louis, Alexander P. Fox, University City, and William Z. Linders, Normandy, Mo., assignors to Lincoln Engineering Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri riglnal application October 13, 1934, Serial No.

748,188, now Patent No.

2,010,174, dated August 6, 1935. Divided and this application August 3,

1935, Serial No. 34,494

3 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating apparatus, and with regard to certain more specic features, to a gun for forcing lubricant under pressure into receiving ttings and the like.y

This is a division of the invention disclosed in our application Serial Number 748,188, filed October 13, 1934, for Lubricating apparatus, eventuated into United States Patent 2,010,174, dated August 6, 1935.

Among the several objects ofthe invention may be noted the provision of a lubricator hand gun which may be conveniently and quickly guided on to and applied without substantial leakage to successive fittings, and quickly operated to provide a substantially high lubricant pressure, and which may be quickly removed; the provision of a lubricating gun of the class described, which has interchangeable nozzles, each particularly adapted for a given class of work but each of which may be operated with equal convenience in its respective class of work; the provision of a lubricating gun of the class described which is light and compact enough to be used with one hand, if desired, but not necessarily so, the same carrying a substantial charge of lubricant; and the provision of apparatus of this class which is convenient in form and economical to manufacture. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section taken through the apparatus, showing one form of nozzle;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one class of fitting to which the apparatus may be applied;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section showing an alternative form of nozzle; and,

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on line -t-t of Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at numeral I a barrel-shaped body in which is a main bore 3 for slidably accommodating a plunger 5, said bore 3 having an inlet 1 just ahead of the rearmost position of said plunger 5. The inlet 1 is covered by the plunger 5 when the latter is forced forwardly. Said inlet 1 widens out and slopes rearwardly and downwardly, the same being finally formed as an angular cap 9 which is integral with the body portion I.

The cap 9 is threaded to detachably receive I an angularly located lubricant supply cylinder Il. The cylinder II has a lower cap I3 through which is formed an opening I5. Within the cylinder II is a free piston I1. To load the supply cylinder I I, the free piston I1 is forced downwardly against the cap I3, thus covering the opening I5. The cylinder Il is then filled and screwed to the cap 9. Upon reciprocation of the plunger 5 and withdrawal of lubricant through the inlet 1, the supply in the cylinder is gradually exhausted and the piston I1, under atmospheric pressure through opening I5, follows the exhausting supply.

Rearwardly, the body I is provided with a stationary grip I9, the latter being held in place on the body I by means of a threaded bushing 2l. The rear end of the plunger 5 is fastened to a guide stem 23, the latter passing slidably through the opening of said bushing 2l and into `a rearward counterbore 25. The counterbore 25 is somewhat larger in diameter than said guide stem 23. A packing 21 is used between the guide stern 23 and said rearward counterbore 25 to seal against leakage.

At its rearward end the guide stem 23 is provided with a movable handle 29 which is similar in shape to the stationary handle I9. A spring 3l reacts between the bushing 2l and said movable handle 29. The handles I9 and 29 are of dome-like shape. They are so formed that when separated fingers are placed under the stationary handle I9, the palm of the hand may be used for pressing inwardly the movable handle 29. This permitsl of supporting and operating -the device with one hand. `Of course, if desired, the other hand may aid the operation by gripping the supply chamber II, although this is not necessary. The cylinder II then functions as a convenient grip.

At its forward end, the body I is provided with stepped counterbores 33'and 35, the former accommodating a relatively soft packing 31 and the latter a ball check valve 39, normally held in seated position by a spring 4I. 'I'he spring 4I reacts against said packing 31.

In the opening at the opposite end oi the packing 31 is positioned a cylindric extension I3 5i o! a delivery nipple 4l, said nipple havinga ilange 41 which has a :dat face where it engages the packing 31, but which is provided with a beveled portion-4I opposite the packing. The beveled portion provides a rocking edge 5I adapted to cooperate with the inner ilat surface of a metal retaining washer 53 heldv in place on the end of the body I by means of a threaded sleeve 55. The extension 43, ange 41 and nipple 45 are hollow to form a conduit.

Further details in regard to the rocking action of the flange 41 on the inner face of the member 53 may be obtained romLthe United States Patent 1,947,208 of William Z. Linders (see Fig. 3 therein). In general, the edge of the flange 41 clears the bore 33 enough to permit rocking of V the edge 5I on said washer 53. There is enough clearance between the hole through the washer 53 and the nipple tip 45 to permit of this action. It is to be understood that the rocking action is 0f a magnitude which, relative to the purpose in hand, is enough to permit of some angularity of the body I with respect to the nipple 45. Since the nipple 45 may rock slightly in the end of the iltting 56, the angle of the body I, with respect to the ntting 56, is the sum of the angle of the body I with respect to the nipple 45 and that of the 'nipple 45 with respect to the tting 56.

Hence a smaller nipple angle is required for a given body angle, both measured with respect to the fitting 56.

The ntting comprises a hexagonal portion. 51 back of which is a screw threaded portion 59 for screw connecting the fitting to passages which are to be lubricated. Ahead of the flange 51 extends a cylindric receiving tip 6i, grooved as shown at 63 and provided with an inlet portion 65 which is' substantially semi-spherical or convex in form. The groove 63 constitutes a reduced neck portion. An inlet bore 61 communicates with a central counterbore 69, and said counterbore 69 communicates with a rearward and larger bore 1I. -A ball checkfvalve 13 seats against the end of the counterbore 69 and is normally held in position by means of a coil spring 15 reacting from an inwardly directed ange 11.

It will be seen that the symmetrical guide sleeve 55 is hollow interiorly and is provided endwise with an inwardly extending flange 19. 'I'his ange is preferably beveled as at 82 on its inward side. The groove 63 is beveled on its forward side, as shown at numeral 8l and may be beveled at 83, as shown, although the latter bevel is not important. The bevels 8l and 82 cooperate to provide clearance as will appear.

'Ihe clearance between the opening through ilange 19 and the base of the spherical portion 65 of the ntting 56 is such as to provide a loose or i'ree, guiding nt. The opening through the ange is substantially equal to the tting diameter at the bottom of the convex head portion but slightly larger for free clearance. Thus, as the gun is pressed on the fitting 56, the flange 19 eifects a guiding action over the portion 65. A nicety of aim in applying the gun to the iltting is not necessary. As the nipple 45 enters the opening 61 in the ntting 56, a seal is effected and the guiding action of the flange 19 ceases, be` cause said flange 19 comes opposite the groove 43. Hence, thereafter, considerable free rocking ot the body I may be effected with respect to the iltting 56 without tending to loosen the lubricant-tight pressure seal between the nipple 45 and the interior of the opening 61.

Merely to provide a guide for sending the nipple 45 into the opening 61 is not enough. This is because alter the nipple has been guided home, the ordinary guiding structure will effect a second point of rocking which will loosen the nipple 45 from that with which it engages, when the body I is inadvertently rocked, as when eilecting a pumping action on the handle 29. With the present invention, full guiding action is obtained in applying the apparatus for attachment to the iltting and after it has been contacted, the guiding action ceases and permits ample rocking about one center only at the end of the iltting Without prying action about some other center, which would loosen the sealing contact. The bevels 8| and 82 cooperate to insure proper clearance between flange 19 and groove 63.

It is to'be understood that as the boch' I rocks (inadvertently) angularity is eiected between the nipple 45 and said body and also angularity is eiected between the nipple and the iltting. As above shown, the purpose of allowing the angularity between the nipple and the body is to reduce the angularity between the nipple and the iitting, with an overall angularity between the body I and fitting 55 which. is of the order of that which obtains when a pumping action goes on. The flange 19 and groove 63 take care of this overall rocking without prying the nipple 45 from the opening 61.

In operation, assuming the chamber II to be filled, the operator grasps the separated handles I9 and 29 and applies the sleeve 55 to the tting 56. The ange 19 cooperates, rst with the spherical end 65 of the fitting. Only an approximate alignment is necessary because, as the gun is further pressed to the-fitting, the ange 19 rides toward the cylinder 69 over the end 65 and guides the nipple 45 into the opening 61. After this has occurred, the ange 19 comes opposite the groove 63. The operator then presses the handle 29 toward the handle I9 repeatedly, thus eiecting ejection of lubricant from the nipple 45 and into the fitting 56. Any rocking action of the body I, engendered by the pumping action between handles I9 and 29 is provided for without eiecting a. disconnection between nipple 45 and tting 55, for the reason above given. As the supply in the chamber II is reduced, the piston I1 follows under atmospheric pressure to maintain a supply at the inlet 1.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the barrel I is alternatively provided with a threaded sleeve 85 which holds in position a split sleeve 9| having a head member 81. Howeven instead of using the inwardly extending ange 19 of Fig. 1, the outer end of the sleeve 85 is bored straight for receiving the inner split sleeve 89 whereby the sleeve 89 and said head 81 may be held in place at the end of the body I and spaced around the nipple 45.

The bore through the split sleeve 89 and the outside diameter of said sleeve 85 are arranged, for example, as follows:

Assuming that the outside diameter of 'the cylindric portion 6I and base of head 65 of the tting is .249 inch, the sleeve 89 is formed with a bore in its unstrained condition which is .250 inch. The sleeve is then closed in so that its final inside dimension is .249 inch. It is then hardened. This leaves no clearance between the split sleeve 89 and tting 56. The clearance between the outside diameter of the sleeve 89 and the inside diameter of the sleeve 85 is .002 inch.

The result of the above relationship is that tnere is an accurate sliding t between the split sleeve 89 and the cylindric portion 6I of fitting 58 which effects a definite alignment, so that the cylinder I cannot be rocked under any condition to any degree which would loosen the nipple 45 from its position in the receiving opening 81, after permanent set and thereby become loose. If it were tightly backed up there would be no spring at all and the snug application could not, in practice, be brought about in the nrst instance. While it is not desired that we be limited to the above dimensions, they are given as being exemplary of the proportions desired. The functions to be effected by the proportions are a snug, sliding, frictional fit interiorly between the split sleeve 89 and the tip of the fitting and at the same time a backing of the split sleeve by a rigid member at such a distance that some springing may be effected without the split sleeve taking a permanent set, that is, without being stressed beyond its elastic limit.

The sleeves 55 and 85 and included parts are interchangeable. The sleevev 85 of Fig. 3, which maintains a rigid alignment between fitting and gun, is most useful in applications where it is desired to be able to attach a gun to the tting and have it remain there temporarily while the operator effects maneuvers. For instance, if the car which is being lubricated is not jacked up, this form of sleeve is preferable because an attachment to the nipple may be made and then the v operators body placed in an advantageous position to effect pumping. Analogous situations will suggest themselves.

The form of the sleeve shown in Fig. 1 is preferable where the car is raised and the operator can get beneath it, such that application of the gun and a pumping stroke may be made simultaneously but at somewhat various angles with respect to the tting. 'I'he sleeve of Fig. 1 is also somewhat preferable for use with power pumps having flexible outlets reaching up to the ball check 39, instead of the hand pump. This is because the outlets of power guns are not rigid and it is therefore more diiilcult to maintain a Furthermore. the parts associated with the power coupler and hose'are ordinarily so heavy that a sleeve such as shown at Fig. 3 would have an undue bending moment applied to it. However, it is not to be understood that the structure of Fig. 3 is notA applicable to` power. guns, because under proper conditions of design it is also useful for the purpose.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying `bination with a tting having a substantially cylindric contour behind its forward end, an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve within said outer sleeve, said vinner sleeve being splitv and interiorly cylindric and being springingly engageable with the cylindric contour of said fitting to eiect a snug and aligned attachment without supplemental pressure on the split sleeve, the clearance between theinner and outer sleeves being fixed and of an orderv adapted to permit outward springing action of the inner sleeve but limiting its expanding movement to a degree which will avoid permanent strain under repeated applications.

2. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a fitting having la substantially cylindric contour behind its forward end, an outer sleeve, and a separate, inner sleeve within said outer sleeve, said inner sleeve being split and interiorly cylindric and being springingly engageable with the cylindric contour of said tting to eiect a snug and aligned attachment without supplemental pressure on the split sleeve, the

' clearance between the inner and outer sleeves being fixed and of an order adapted to permit springing action of the inner sleeve but limiting its movement toa degree which will avoid permanent strain under repeated applications, the split inner sleeve and outer sleeve being relatively fixed longitudinally.

3. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a iitting having a receiving opening with a. substantially cylindric contour behind its forward end, an outlet nipple adapted to cooperate interiorly with said opening in the fitting, an

outer sleeve positioned about said nipple, and a separate inner sleeve within said outer sleeve,

' said inner sleeve being split and being springingly engageable with said fitting, the clearance between the inner and outer sleeves being of an order adapted to permit springing action of the inner sleeve but limiting its expanding movement to a degree which will avoid permanent strain under continued application, and means mountk-ing the nipple in connection with lubricant supply means so that there is angular movement between the two without leakage, whereby the angular movement between the supply means and the tting may be greater than that between the nipple and the fitting.

FRANK s. nanas. ArnxANDim P. rox. l wnmau z. maas.

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