US506442A - Henry bitter and edmund h - Google Patents

Description

H. 'RITTER- an E. H. .LUNKEN. LUBRIGATOR (No Model.)

Patented Oct. 10, 1893.

NITED STATE-s PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BITTER AND EDMUND I-I. LUNKEN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE LUNKENHEIMER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LU BRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,442, dated October 10, 1893. Application filed March 3] 1893. Serial No. 468,530. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY BITTER and EDMUND H. LUNKEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Graphite Lubricators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specificat- 1011.

Our invention relates to apparatus for automatically supplying, to steam cylinders or pipes, finely pulverized graphite as a lubrican't, and it has for its object the carrying out of such process with simple and novel mechanism.

The novelty of our invention will be hereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1, is a central sectional elevation of our graphite lubricator. Fig. 2 is a broken view of the same partly in section and looking in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a sectional detail plan view of the feed valve and feed passage. Fig. 4, is acorresponding view with a different form of valve.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

The tendency of the present time among boiler and engine builders is toward very high pressures of steam, and oils for lubricating the engines under such high pressures will not answer because they become volatilized immediately upon entering the cylinder and so lose their efliciency as a lubricant. Powdered graphite, however, is not efiected by these high pressures and answers perfectly as a substitute for the oils. Graphite, while long known as a lubricant for journals and occasionally placed in steam cylinders after removing the head, has never been fed antomatically to the cylinders while the engine was running and it is the latter purpose that our present invention accomplishes.

We provide a steam tight cup or vessel A with a conical or tapering bottom having through it, at its lowest part, a discharge opening a. The upper end of the cup is provided with a filling plug b, a threaded pipe opening 0 extending into a horizontalchamber d, and a central stem e which is passed through a stuffing box f, the chamber d, and

has a threaded portionengaging the diaphragm under the chamber d. The stem 6 extends down into the cup directly over the opening a and is hollow from the chamberd with which it communicates by an opening g. The lower end of the stem e is beveled or tapering so that when screwed down it completely cuts off communication between the opening a and cup A, and the upper end of the stem is provided with any suitable handle h. Secured to the lower end of the cup, or integral therewith if desired, isasight feed chamber B of any suitable construction in this instance having two opposing circular threaded openings into which are screwed rings 1' in which glass disks j are packed and secured, as seen in Fig2. A discharge tube C is secured in the lower end of the opening a and,'extending down into the chamber B, has its lower end bent to bring the discharge opening close to the inner side of one of the glasses j above its middle. The lower end of the sight feed chamber terminates in a shank D with a discharge passage is through it which is preferably triangular in cross section, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. In the shank D is a valve or cockE for regulating the discharge of the graphite from the sight feed chamber. In Fig. 1, this valve is shown as a straight way or gate valve constructed in accordance with E. H. Lunkens patentof April 4., 1893, while in Fig. 4, it is shown as an ordinary turning plug-cock and here the discharge opening just above the plug is diamond shaped in cross section as shown by the dotted lines. The lubricator thus constructed has its shank D suitably connected to the steam chest, or a pipe leading to the steam chest, and has a second pipe, not shown, extending from the steam pipe which leads from the boiler to the steam chest and connected with the opening 0. A

valve, not shown, is applied to this second pipe for cutting ofi steam from the lubricator when it is desired to fill the cup A through the opening of the plug b.

The operation is as follows: The valve E being slightly opened and the stem e slightly IOO raised, the current of steam and water of con densation passes from the pipe communicating with the opening 0 through said opening and chamber d and down through the hollow stem e and carries with it, at the end of the stem 6, the particles of graphite col-, lected around said stem, whichlattcrarecan ried down through the opening a and nozzle 0 and are discharged into the sight feed chamber where the graphite is plainlylvisible as it leaves the mouth of the nozzle 0. It then passes on through the sight feed chamber and opening of the valve E into the passage 70 and is carried into the-steam chest to dothe Work of lubrication. By raising and lowering the stem 6 and regulating the valve ...E, the desired rate of feed can be adjusted ,toa nicety. Should the tubeO and opening eat, any time become clogged with graphite, itis only necessary to screw down the stem e to its seat at the mouth of the opening aland then open -the valveE whereupon fiull'steam pressure will be appliedthrough the stem e which will at once clear the opening a and tube 0. Upon reclosing the valve E the'feed can then again be regulated. 'Byhaving the discharge opening kangular in.cross section with the angle next to the opening side of the valve,the size.of the discharge opening can be regulated to a nicety, and where a plugcock is used-as in-FigA, whichcan be turned in either direction, thisangle is formed on both sides, asshown by the dotted lines.

By the above construction and modetof operation the graphite is fed into ,thezsteam chest mixed with the water of condensation so that it properly acts as a lubricant 'to all partsiof the cylinder and steam chest.

The discharge through valve E can be so minutely regulated that the sight feed cham- 4o berwill remain filledwith water from condensation, which occurs when the discharge below the sight feed glass is not in excess of the rate of condensation above same. In this case the graphite can be, plainly seen descending automatically; according tothe regulated of a'steamttight receptacle for the graphite having a discharge opening at its lower end,

a valve for closing and regulating said opening with relation to .theflreceptacle a sight feed chamber below said receptacle with which said openingcommunicatcsby means of.,a nozzle havi-nga lateral dischargemsteam passage extending .into saidhopening a valve below said sight .feed lchamber and steam connections with said .qlubri-cator, substantiallyas described.

2. The herein described lubricatorconsisting of the cup A withopening c and chamber d at its upper end and opening a ,atitslower end, the =sight .feed chaniberB belowlopening a with tube .0 therein, the .screwistem etextending throughthe culpuA and hollow from thechamber d. to openingta, the valveE below the sight feed chamber, and discharge passage 70, substantially as described.

HENRY RITTER.

EDMUND H. LUNKEN. Witnesses:

OWEN N. KINNEY, BERNARDJ. HAUSFELD.

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