US2951557A - Oil applicator - Google Patents

Description

States This invention appertains to devices for automatically applying a film of-oil to moving parts, such as drive l nk chains, gears, slide plates and the like, whereby to eliminate wear, friction etc. and more particularly for insuring the correct delivery of the oil to the moving parts.

' It has been proposed to utilize bristle brush applicators for the moving parts. Such brushes wear quickly and unevenly and soon become spread and distorted, and hence require frequent replacement. Also the oil does not spread uniformly through the bristles, resulting in an uneven oil film application.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide an oil film applicator which insures the correct even application of oil to a chain or other moving parts, one which will not become distorted in use, and one which will efiectively resist wear.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide an oil applicator which can be readily cut or trimmed to the shape of a moving part or to a width to suit the width of a chain, without over hanging, thus eliminating the side oil dripping and eliminating the necessity of providing a number of diflerent shapes and widths of applicators.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of an oil film applicator embodying a holder with a nipple for connection with an oil reservoir or manifold leading from an oil reservoir, a flexible wear plate and a flexible pressure plate received therebetween and a flexible porous oil distributing pad, the wear, pressure plate and pad being all clamped together by the holder, the wear plate and the pressure plate functioning to produce an alternating pressure and release action on the pad as the chain knuckles or pivots pass under the applicator, thereby producing a desirable pumping action on the distributing pad to insure the proper delivering of the oil film to the chain.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an oil applicator of the above character, which will be durable and eificient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing my applicator applied to an oil distributor and in use on a chain, parts of the figure being shown broken away and in section to illustrate structural detail;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the applicator;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, the view showing more particularly the arrangement of the flexible oil distributing pad, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the applicator showing the relation thereof relative to the 1 form a pocket 17 in which p t tedsept.

reservoir can be of any desired type, but preferably of the gravity feed style with means for regulating the flow of oil therefrom. While I have shown the applicator A connected directly with the reservoir, it is to be understood that where surfaces are to be oiled having a greater width, that a plurality of applicators can be arranged edge to edge and connected with a manifold leading from an oil reservoir.

Now referring more particularly to my applicator A the same embodies a holder 5 preferably formedfrom sheet metal. The holder 5 includes companion side walls 6 and 7 and a connecting top wall 8. The top wall 8 has rigidly secured thereto a threaded nipple 9, which communicates with an oil outlet opening 10 fiormed in the top wall 8. -The nipple 9 can be threaded directly into a fitting 11 carried by the oil' reservoir R or into threaded openings in a manifold according to the use of the applicator.

Disposed centrally within the holder and depending therefrom is an oil distributing pad 12. This pad 12 is of a porous nature and can be made from various flexible materials, but preferably felt. The extreme lower edge of the pad is preferably serrated, as at 13, to form depending points 14. Arranged in facial relation to the opposite sides of the oil distributing pad 12 are flexible sheets 15 and 16. These plates possess a certain resiliency and one of the plates, namely, the plate 16, in the present instance, constitutes a wear plate and the plate 15 constitutes apressure plate. The plates 15 and 16 can be made from various kinds of material and neoprene rubber is preferred. The upper ends of the plates 15 and 16 with the pad 12 therebetween are placed between the walls 6 and 7 of the holder after which the walls are brought toward on another to firmly clamp the two plates and the pad in position. It is also preferred to have the pad extend to the connecting wall 8 of the holder, so that the oil flowing through the opening 10 will readily saturate the pad. The lower serrated edge 13 of the pad extends below the lower edges of the pressure and wear plates 15 and 16 so as to insure the engagement of the pad with the surface to be oiled.

In order to further insure the quick uniform saturation of the pad, the pad at its upper end can be cut away to the oil can drip.

To illustrate one use of the applicator, I have shown the same employed in conjunction with a moving chain C.

The chain can be of any desired type or width, and as illustrated, the same includes side links 18 and connecting knuckles or pins 19. It is, of course, important to properly lubricate the knuckles and pins. The sides of the applicator can be trimmed with a knife or a pair of scissors to the exact width of the chain with which the applicator is to be used, and hence there will be no over hang or side drip. The applicator is adjusted so that the lower edge of the pad 12 will have a wiping engagement with the knuckles or pins. Thus, the wear plate 16 will engage and wipe over the knuckles as well as the lower edge of the felt pad 12. The plate 16 functions to protect the pad against the effects of undue wear and distortion. In actual practice, the applicator approaches a knuckle or hinge pin, wipes over such knuckle or pin and is moved thereby to a flexed inclined position and upon movement of the knuckle past the applicator, the applicator autw j 2,951,557. 7 r r matically springs back to avertical position, as shown in F full lines in Figure 1. The flexed position of the applicator is shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. During the alternate flexing and straightening ofv theapplicator, a desirable pumping action takes place and during the flexing of the applicator, the pad 12 is squeezed between the wear plate 16 and the pressure plate 15. This causes a desired application of oil directly at the required point of use;

In actual marketing conditions, two sizes of applicators are made, namely, a narrow and a wide'width. If greater widths are desired, then a plurality of applicators are placed edge to edge and the nipples of such applicators are connected to a manifold pipe. 7

As heretofore brought out, the applicator can 'be trimmed to any desired shape and also trimmed to a desired width. In Figure 3, I have shown one size of applicator in use with a relatively wide chain. In Figure 4, I have shown this applicator with its sides trimmed and in use with a relatively narrow chain.

Changes in details may be made, without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

An applicator for supplying a film of oil to a moving part comprising a flexible porous pad for receiving the oil to be distributed, a flexible resilient wear plate engaging one side of the pad, a flexible resilient pressure plate engaging the other side of the pad, said pad terminating with its lower end beyond the end terminations of said plates and having a pocket formed in its upper end for receiving oil from the oil supplying means, a holder receiving and clamping the plates and pad together, said holder having an oil receiving nipple communicating with the interior of the holder, the wear, plate being adapted, to engage the moving part, ,the pressure plate being adapted to'bear firm against the other side of said pad, whereby relief of pressure on the wear plate will cause an alternate squeezing and releasing action by said plates on the opposite faces of the pad, said projecting lower end of said pad being provided with spaced teeth.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 933,938 'Windle et a1. Sept. 14, 1909 946,149 Newman Jan. 11, 1910 2,330,491 Huck Sept. 28, 1943

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