US2116249A

US2116249A - Rail lubricator

Info

Publication number: US2116249A
Application number: US150689A
Authority: US
Inventors: Munford Thomas Albert Sprake
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-02-02
Filing date: 1937-06-28
Publication date: 1938-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 1955-05-03

Description

May 3, 1938. T. A. .s. MUNFORD RAIL LUBRICATOR Filed June 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Luz El.

ICE-n 1| Inuefitu'r T-H. F1. MIJNFDR'I] v J g f 1: nrfleg Afs. MUNFORD RAIL LUBRICATOR Filed. June 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 3, 1938 PATENT OFFICE RAIL LUBRJCATOR Thomas Albert Sprake Munford, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application June 28, 1937, Serial No. 150,689 In Canada May 8, 1937 7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in rail lubricators of the kind described and claimed in my United States Patent No. 2,082,414 issued June 1, 1937 and an object of the invention is to devise an improved shoe adaptedto be propelled along the tread of a railroad rail which will more readily accommodate itself to varying widths of rail tread which occur due to the wear on the inner side face thereof caused by contact with the rolling stock wheel flanges.

A further object is to provide improved means for more evenly distributing the lubricant from the dispensing element on the shoe upon the inner side face of the rail tread.

. 'With the above and other objects in view which will become apparent as the specification proceeds, my invention consists, in its preferred embodiment, of the construction and arrangement all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents aside elevation of the device (partly in section) showing it applied to a track rail.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

3 is a vertical cross-sectional View of the shoe taken on the line 3-3 (Fig. 1).

Fig. .4 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a similar section to Fig. 3 taken on the line 5'51(Fig. 1), and

. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of shoe in which the lubricant feed to the dispensing element is through the operating handle and its connection with the shoe.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the diiferent views.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings the shoe comprises a substantially rectangular frame i in which transverse rollers 2 are journalled adjacent to its ends by means of spindles 3' extending freely through the rollers and the side members of the frame.

Laterally adjustable depending elements are provided on the frame I which in the embodiment of the invention as illustrated may take the form of discsd and 5 freely rotatable and movable longitudinally on the spindles 3 respectively outside the side members of the frame, the side member adjacent the discs 5 being offset to receive such discs. Spiral springs 6 are provided on the spindles 3 between the discs 4 and washers or other enlargements T on the ends of the spindles 3 overlying the outer side of the rail. The inner or rail tread engaging faces of the discs 4 and-5 are bevelled or made conical with their inclination corresponding to the inclination of the side faces of the rail tread with which it engages.

The side member of the frame overlying the inner side of the rail tread portion is provided 5 with 2. depending abutment 8 adapted to engage such rail tread portion side and the abutment includes a lubricant dispensing element 9 having a vertical here I ll communicating with lateral orifices H extending to the surface of the abut- 10 ment which engages the side of the rail tread portion.

The abutment is recessed rearwardly and forwardly of'the dispensing element to accommodate U-shaped lubricant spreading members l2 com- 15 posed, for instance, of leather. These members l2 straddle the abutment and are held in. place by small bolts I 3.

The lower portion of the operating handle is provided witha T-shaped lower end which is transversely fulcrumed to the frame I by means of the bolt I5 and the upper end of the portion M is secured to-lubricant containing cylinder l6 mounted concentrically therewith and provided with a reciprocable plunger IT. The upper portion ill of the handle which is in the form of a tube extends upwardly from the upper end of the cylinder I6 and is concentric therewith. The upper end of the handle portion I8 is closed by a cap I 9 and a sleeve 20 extends downwardly therethrough and through the portion l8 being rotatable with respect to both. The lower end of the sleeve 20 is provided with an internally threaded shouldered bushing 2| into which is threaded a plunger rod 22 secured at its lower end to the plunger I1. The upper end of the sleeve 20 has secured to it an operating knob 23 which abuts the cap 19. A -fiexibl'e tube 24 connects a cock 25 in the bottom of the lubricant containing cylinder with 40 the bore ID of the dispensing element 9 in the shoe.

A lubricant level indicator for the lubricant in the cylinder l6 may be provided. As illustrated it consists of a rod 25 secured at its lower end to the plunger I1 and extending freely through the topof the cylinder Hi, the upper end of the rod being in the form of a ring extending around the upper portion l8 of the handle.

The apparatus actuates as follows: 50

When the shoe is pushed along a rail by the handle, the knob 23 having previously been turned the required amount and with it the sleeve 20 and the attached bushing 2| wherein the plunger rod 22 and the attached plunger will be forced 55 downwardly, upon opening of the cock 25 lubricant will be forced through the tube 24, dispensing element 9, orifices ll onto the side of the tread portion of the rail in the form of beads. The member I2 following the abutment and. also the disc will smear the grease or other lubricant upon such tread portion side.

By intermittently operating the knob 23 continuous pressure can be exerted by the plunger H on the lubricant in the cylinder l6 and thus there will be a continuous feed of lubricant onto the rail as the apparatus is propelled along the same.

Moreover, by simply swinging over the handle the shoe can be actuated along the rail in either direction.

The provision of the

discs

4 and 5 and the springs 6 resiliently holding such discs in engagement with the sides of the tread portion of the rail permit of the shoe accommodating itself to rail treads of varying widths as will occur where new and worn rails are alternatively encountered, thus holding the dispensing element outlet in contact with the rail.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6 the tube 24 is dispensed with and the lubricant from the cylinder I6 is fed through the handle portion M, which in this case is hollow, through its T- shaped lower end into the hollow bolt 21, which is the counterpart of the bolt l5 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, into the bore of the dispensing element which communicates therewith and thereafter is dispensed onto the rail as above described. If desired the portion [4 may be provided with a cock (not shown) for controlling the flow of lubricant from the cylinder Hi.

What I claim as my invention is: g

1. In a rail lubricator, in combination, a shoe adapted to be moved longitudinally along the rail and comprising a substantially rectangular frame, spaced apart transverse rollers disposed in such frame, spindles extending freely through the rollers and the side members of the frame and constituting means for journalling the rollers in the frame, discs rotatably and slidably mounted on the spindles exteriorly of the frame and adapted to engage the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread, and resilient means on the spindles for causing the discs to contact the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread irrespective of variations in the width of such rail tread.

2. In a rail lubricator, in combination, a shoe adapted to be moved longitudinally along the rail and comprising a substantially rectangular frame, spaced apart transverse rollers disposed in such frame, spindles extending freely through the rollers and the side members of the frame and constituting means for journalling the rollers in the frame, discs rotatably and slidably mounted on the spindles exteriorly of the frame and having their inner faces bevelled to correspond in inclination with the inclination of the side faces of the rail tread with which they engage, and resilient means on the spindles for causing the discs to contact the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread irrespective of variations in the width of such rail tread.

3. In a rail lubricator, in combination, a shoe adapted to be moved longitudinally along the rail and comprising a substantially rectangular frame, spaced apart transverse rollers disposed in such frame, spindles extending freely through the rollers and the side members of the frame and constituting means for journalling the rollers in the frame, discs rotatably and slidably mounted on the spindles exteriorly of the frame and adapted to engage the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread, resilient means on the spindles for causing the discs to contact the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread irrespective of variations in the width of such rail tread, and a depending abutment including a lubricant dispensing element on the side member of the frame overlying the inner side face of the rail tread and adapted to substantially abut such inner side face of the rail tread, said abutment being positioned between the discs disposed exteriorly of the aforesaid side member of the frame.

4. In a rail lubricator, in combination, a shoe adapted to be moved longitudinally along the rail and comprising a substantially rectangular frame, spaced apart transverse rollers disposed in such frame, spindles extending freely through the rollers and the side members of the frame and constituting means for journalling the rollers in the frame, discs rotatably and slidably mounted on the spindles exteriorly of the frame and having their inner faces bevelled to correspond in inclination with the inclination of the side faces of the rail tread with which they engage, resilient means on the spindles for causing the discs to contact the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread irrespective of variations in the width of such rail tread, and a depending abutment including a lubricant dispensing element on the side member of the frame overlying the inner side face of the rail tread and adapted to substantially abut such inner side face of the rail tread, said abutment being positioned between the discs disposed exteriorly of the aforesaid side member of the frame.

5. A construction as claimed in claim 4 wherein the inner face of the abutment is inclined to correspond with the inclination of the inner faces of the discs between which it is positioned and with the inclination of the inner side face of the rail tread with which it is adapted to abut, and the aforesaid side member of the frame is offset to receive such discs and bring their inner faces in alignment with the inner face of the abutment.

6 In a rail lubricator, in combination, a shoe adapted to be moved longitudinally along the rail and comprising a substantially rectangular frame, spaced apart transverse rollers disposed in such frame, spindles extending freely through the rollers and the side members of the frame and constituting means for journalling the rollers in the frame, discs rotatably and slidably mounted on the spindles exteriorly of the frame and adapted to engage the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread, resilient means on the spindles for causing the discs to contact the inner and outer side faces of the rail tread irrespective of variations in the width of such rail tread, a depending abutment including a lubricant dispensing element on the side member of the frame overlying the inner side face of the rail tread and adapted to substantially abut such inner side face of the rail tread, said abutment being positioned between the discs disposed exteriorly of the aforesaid side member of the frame, and lubricant wiping elements disposed on the abutment between its lubricant dispensing element and the aforesaid discs.

7. A construction as claimed in claim 6 Wherein the lubricant wiping elements comprise depending U-shaped strips of material straddling the abutment and secured thereto.

THOMAS ALBERT SPRAKE MUNFORD.