Lubrication – Lubricators – Force feed
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-11
2001-07-10
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Lubrication
Lubricators
Force feed
C184S006260, C239S464000, C239S490000, C239S499000, C239S548000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257370
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to an apparatus for the division of a viscous liquid conveyed by means of a gas flow into a plurality of component flows, having an inflow bore, which branches into a plurality of discharge bores. Apparatuses of the kind specified are used, for example, in the lubrication system of rolling mills or rail vehicles. Conventionally an oil meeting the particular requirements is conveyed as the lubricant by means of an air flow.
Due to a turbulent gas flow directed coaxially of the course of the lines, lubricant forms on the walls of the lines of such lubricated system a thin film which has an even, undulating structure. Due to the friction between the adjoining boundary layers of air and lubricant and also the impingement of the air flow on the wave crests, this film of lubricant is driven forwards without the air becoming mixed with the lubricant. The main advantage of such conveying of lubricant to the places for lubrication is that even very small quantities of lubricant can be conveyed independently of position, more particularly unaffected by gravity.
In view of the technical expense of lines to build up a distributing system of the aforexplained kind, there is a need to convey the required total quantity of lubricant via a single supply line to close to the lubricating places and to distribute said total quantity to a corresponding number of component flows corresponding to the particular lubricating places only shortly before they are reached. To this end European Patent 0 010 269 (79103935) suggests dividing the total flow of air and lubricant by making the supply line discharge into a cylindrical distributing chamber which has a plurality of symmetrically disposed discharge bores formed in its peripheral surface. According to this citation, the effect of gravity is compensated by the symmetrical subdivision of the discharge bores.
The prior art distributing device has not lived up to expectations, since practical tests have shown considerable fluctuations of the volume of the component flows flowing into the discharge bores. It was found that in spite of considerable technical expenditure, the uniform maintenance of the turbulent flow required for proper conveying in all the supply and discharge channels can only be approximately achieved. Moreover with the prior art apparatus there is the problem that due to the large overall space required for its production, it is very difficult to incorporate, more particularly subsequently in existing installations.
Starting from the aforeexplained prior art, it is an object of the invention to provide a distributing device by means of which at low cost the air/lubricant flow can be uniformly distributed unaffected by influences of gravity, while maintaining a turbulent flow in all the discharge bores, and which is suitable to be assembled in a problem-free manner, more particularly subsequently in existing installations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This problem is solved with an apparatus of the kind specified by the features that the inflow bore discharges into a distributing chamber widening in the direction of flow; a circularly extending tear-off edge is provided in the zone of the transition from the inflow bore to the distributing chamber; and structured on the wall of the distributing chamber opposite the end of the inflow bore is a rebound face which is aligned concentrically of the end opening of the inflow bore valve and whose diameter is larger than the diameter of the inflow bore and around whose periphery the inlet openings of the discharge bores are exposed distributed; and that it has a tubular casing, each of whose end faces is formed with a receptacle, the first of which is adapted to receive an inflow side connecting element and the second to receive a second connecting element.
According to the invention the turbulent gas flow flowing in the supply line is aligned on a rebound face positioned at the end of a funnel-shaped distributing chamber. The discharge bores are disposed around the rebound face. The gas flowing into the distributing chamber and impinging on the rebound face first forms thereon a radially redirected rebound flow, the main proportion of which is deflected into a sheath flow opposite to the entry flow. The remaining part of the gas flow penetrates in equal proportions into the discharge bores.
As a result of the sheath flow, first the viscous liquid flowing out of the inflow bore is dammed in the zone of the distributing chamber inlet, thus preventing its uncontrolled stria-like entry. The gas flow continuously flowing into the distributing chamber zone entrains liquid droplets from the damming zone. The liquid droplets impinge with the gas flow on the rebound face and are driven thereon in the direction of the discharge bores.
Since the energy of the gas flow entering the distributing chamber is available to a substantially unchanged extent for the damming of the liquid and also the movement of the liquid on the rebound face to the discharge bores is produced by the high-energy radially directed rebound flow, influences of gravity no longer play any part in the apparatus according to the invention. As a result, the distributing apparatus according to the invention can be mounted in any required position of incorporation with an unchanged satisfactory distributing result.
If the apparatus according to the invention is also equipped with a tubular, cylindrical casing, the apparatus can be inserted in a problem-free manner into a suitably dimensioned bore which can also be used for the protected extension of the supply and discharge lines. In this way the apparatus according to the invention can even be mounted at otherwise difficultly accessible or spatially limited places in a fairly large installation. Thus, for example, rolling mills or similar installations can also be equipped subsequently without great difficulties with the apparatuses according to the invention.
An apparatus according to the invention which is simple to produce by manufacturing techniques is characterised in that the distributing chamber is constructed conical and the rebound face flat and circular, and the diameter of the rebound face corresponds to a multiple of the diameter of the inflow bore.
A considerable enhancement of the uniformity with which the fluid is distributed to the discharge bores can be achieved by the feature that a sharp-edged throttling place is constructed in the zone of the transition from the rebound face to the discharge bores. This allows the preclusion of any effect of the flow resistances of the lines following the discharge bores, something which can be achieved by adjusting the throttling resistance higher than the maximum flow resistance of the lines. The exclusion of the effect of even the flow resistance of the lines ensures that the flows in the particular lines adjoining the discharge bores always remain stable independently of quantity and pressure.
With a view to a uniform division of the liquid, also advantageously the centres of the inlet openings of the discharge bores are disposed at regular intervals on a circle. With such a construction, moreover, a throttling place can be obtained in a simple manner by the feature that the diameter of the circle corresponds to the maximum diameter of the distributing chamber. In this case some of the discharge bores are covered by the end face edge of the distributing chamber wall, so that a sharp-edged throttling place is formed in the zone of the marginal edge.
Also advantageously in connection with the uniform entry of liquid into inlet bores, the discharge bores are constricted. Immediately downstream of such waisting a vacuum is formed which is advantageous for the regular entry of liquid in droplets into the discharge bores.
As regards the release of the gas flow from the liquid flow on entry into the distributing chamber, advantageously the conical face of the distributing chamber is angled in relation to its longitudinal axis by an angle of 30° to 90°, more particularly 60°.
A favorable effect can also be exerted on th
Rebs Alexander
Schwarze Herrmann
Bucci David A.
Kim Chong H.
Proskauer Rose LLP
REBS Zentralschmiertechnik GmbH
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