Lubricating oil

“ The principal uses of petroleum are for burning as crude oil in furnaces and under boilers, particularly in locomotives. The refined products have various uses. Probably the most important is the lubricating oil. This is necessary in the development of all kinds of power. At least one-half pint of lubricating oil is used for every ton of coal consumed for power. All engines, all street and steam railways, steamships, sewing-machines, clocks, watches, and automobiles, in fact all operating machinery requires its use ”

“ Practically all of the parts of the engine and transmission are oiled by the Ford splash system, from the one big oil reservoir in the crank case. Cut No. 18 shows the principal points of lubrication, and specifies when replenishment should be made, according to mileage. This chart should be studied carefully and often. It is a good plan to frequently supply all oil cups with the same oil used in the engine (any good light grade lubricating oil will answer) and the dope cups with good grease. Be sure to see that the commutator is kept freely supplied with oil at all times. ”

“ In the earlier stages of the development of the manufacture of mineral lubricating oils, the residues were distilled in cast-iron stills, and the lubricating properties of the products thus obtained were injured by overheating. The modern practice is to employ horizontal cylindrical wrought-iron or steel stills, and to introduce steam into the oil. The steam is superheated and may thus be heated to any desired temperature without increase of pressure, which would be liable to damage the still. ”

“ Some oils are very defective in this respect, and leave large quantities of carbon deposit on the metal walls of the cylinder and the valves; others again are gummy or too viscous even at high temperatures. Such oils must be avoided equally with those which lose their viscosity too much under heat.
Splash System of Lubrication.—One method of lubricating the working parts is known as the splash system. In this system oil is poured into the crankchamber and the moving parts dip into it, splashing it all over the interior of the crankcase and the lower portions of the cylinder walls. ”

“ The lubrication of a gasoline engine must be carefully looked after, as on its thoroughness depends the continued delivery of power. The most usual method of lubricating the piston and cylinder walls is to keep the crank case filled with oil to such a point that the end of the connecting rod dips into it in turning. ”

“ The lubricating device may either be a gravity or force-feed oiler system with pipes leading to the various bearings, or the chief lubrication may be by the splash system, where a reservoir of oil is kept under the crank case from which it is pumped to oil pans under the cranks, being splashed by projections which dip into the oil and throw it all over the inside mechanism. ”

“ From these points it is distributed all over Russia in tank-cars. Some is exported to Germany and to Austria. Russian refined may not be as good an illuminant as the American, but it is made to burn well enough for all purposes and emits no disagreeable odor. After taking from crude thirty per-cent. illuminating distillate, about fifteen per-cent. is taken from the residuum. It is called “solar oil” and the lubricating-oil distillate is next taken off. From this distillate a very good lubricant is obtained, affected neither by intense heat nor cold. ”

“ But no matter how reliable a lubricating system may be in its operation, the driver must do his share and make certain that fresh oil of the proper quality is supplied when needed, and assure himself that all the passages are free from obstructions. ”

“ Fig. 4.—D. C. Stull's Watch Oil Factory, Provincetown, Mass.
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11. Mineral Oils have of late years taken immense strides in the popular and merited estimation of consumers, for general lubricating purposes. Their application in horology will be discussed in another part of this volume. They are obtained from the residuum of petroleum distillation, and vary so greatly in their properties that many of them are not applicable to delicate mechanism ”

“ We must be very careful to choose a suitable oil, one which is chemically pure and retains its lubricating properties at high temperatures. A considerable amount of oil finds its way into the cylinder, where it comes into direct contact with the hot gases. If an oil is heated a temperature will sooner or later be attained, when the oil will give off an inflammable vapour, i.e., one which will burn. This temperature is called the flash point of the oil. If the oil is likely to get into the cylinder of a petrol engine it should have a very high flash point ”

“ The magnitude of that branch of the depot might be guessed when I state that at the time of my 130 visit considerably over 2,000,000 2-gallon petrol tins were being either stored or filled for up country dispatch.
All kinds of lubricants were also essential for the purposes of war, for even motor spirit itself would be of little use for the internal combustion engines, if the engines could not secure their regular supplies of lubricating oils. ”

“ The various lubricating devices already explained supply sufficient oil to form a partial film, since experiments have shown that the friction of bearings lubricated in this way is akin to solid friction, thus indicating at least partial metallic contact. In order to supply enough oil to form and maintain a film with certainty the journal should be run in an oil bath, or oil should be supplied to the bearing under pressure sufficient to force it in between the surfaces against the load. A bearing to which forced lubrication and water cooling are applied is illustrated in fig. ”

“ Lieuvain’s needle lubricator. A loose wire (one end of which touches the revolving shaft and the other is in the oil) ; keeps the oil flowing as long as the shaft is running.
984. The pressure of steam enters the cup above the oil, which is fed through an adjustable small valve at bottom.
985. Plunger or ram and cylinder lubricator, with ratchet feed worked from some reciprocating part of engine.
Lubricating or inking rollers to evenly cover a flat surface are placed at an angle of about 10° to the direction of motion of the surface to be lubricated or inked. ”

“ Semi-solid Lubricants.—The contrast in lubricating properties between mineral and fatty oils exists also in the case of a pure mineral grease like vaseline and an animal fat such as tallow, the latter possessing in a far greater degree the property of greasiness. A large number of lubricating greases are made by incorporating or emulsifying animal and vegetable fats with soap and water; also by thickening mineral lubricating oils with soap. ”

“ Revolving wire lubricator; carries a drop of oil on to the shaft at each revolution.
973. Roller and pan lubricator. Can be employed also for gum, paste, paint, &c.
974. Screw ram lubricator, to force lubricant into a cylinder or pipe against pressure, with non-return valve.
975. Telescopic tube lubricating device, for reciprocating or revolving joints, such as crank pins.
976. Another tubular device for crank pins; a hollow cup on end of a tube stands opposite the centre of the shaft, and can be fed with oil while revolving, the oil running down the tube during the lower half revolution. ”

“ If the bearing is set so tight that there is no room for the interposition of an oil film, the shaft and journal will at once heat. The greater the pressure of the shaft in its box, the thicker, or heavier, should be the lubricant used, for a light oil would be squeezed out or "broken down" more easily than would one that possesses greater viscosity. ”

“ Liquid lubricants, such as sperm oil, or one of the products of petroleum, the latter medium being the class of lubricant most suitable for internal combustion engines, owing to its combining the qualities of a high flash-point with a comparative freedom from either acidity or causticity.
Oils of animal or vegetable origin should never be used with gas engine as the high temperatures encountered will char and render them useless. Tallow and lard oil are especially to be avoided, at least in a pure state. ”

“ The transmission and differential operate more successfully when a lighter grade of grease is used, such as a graphite compound, or a heavy oil known as 600 W.
Oils.—Great care should always be exercised in purchasing lubricants. None but the best grades should be considered under any circumstances. The cheaper grades of oil will always prove to be the most expensive in the end. The ordinary farm machinery oils should never be used in any case as an engine lubricant, for in most cases they contain acids, alkalies, and foreign matter which will deteriorate and destroy the bearings of the motor. ”

“ For this reason steam cylinders and valves should be lubricated with pure mineral oils of the highest viscosity, mixed with no more fixed oil than is necessary to ensure efficient lubrication. Gas and oil engines also should be lubricated with pure mineral oils wherever possible. ”

“ For the spindles of small machines such as clocks, watches and other delicate mechanisms, which are only lubricated at long intervals 89 and are often exposed to extremes of temperature, the lubricant must be a fluid oil as free as possible from tendency to gum or thicken by oxidation or to corrode metal, and must often have a low freezing-point. It must also possess a maximum of “oiliness.” The lubricants mostly used for such purposes are obtained from porpoise or dolphin jaw oils, bean oil, hazel nut oil, neatsfoot oil, sperm oil or olive oil. ”

“ Lubrication.—The rubbing surfaces of a gas-engine should be regularly and perfectly lubricated. The absence of lost motion and backlash in the bearings, guides, and joints is of particular importance not only because of its influence on steady and silent running, but also on the power developed and on the consumption. As we have already seen in the chapter on lubrication, a special quality of oil should be employed for the lubrication of the cylinder. ”

“ Lubricants Used for Turning.—A good grade of lard oil is an excellent lubricant for use when turning steel or wrought iron and it is extensively used on automatic screw machines, especially those which operate on comparatively small work. For some classes of work, especially when high-cutting speeds are used, lard oil is not as satisfactory as soda water or some of the commercial lubricants, because the oil is more sluggish and does not penetrate to the cutting point with sufficient rapidity. ”

“ If some of the bearings need a small quantity of oil, being otherwise in such good condition—because of never having been used, in fact "new"—that it is unnecessary to take all the mechanism apart and clean it, it is very important that the operator know what kind, or variety, of lubricant has been previously used, in order not to "mix oils;" ”

“ In a general way it may be stated that certain precaution must be taken to insure the satisfactory operation of all sight-feed lubricators. Use only the best of oil, one gallon of which is worth five gallons of cheap stuff and do far better service, as inferior grades not only clog the lubricator but chokes the ducts and blurs the sight-glass, etc., and the refuse of such oil will accumulate in the cylinder sufficiently to cause damage and loss of power, far exceeding the difference in cost of good oil over the cheap grades. ”

“ If possible, lubrication by oil should be substituted by grease lubrication through screw caps.
Particular attention should be paid to the back of the machines. None but the individual in charge of engines should be allowed to lubricate the machines, and he should be held responsible for any excess of lubricant.
As a rule oil-marks are restricted to the edges or the proximity of the edges of crepe, but sometimes the streak is to be found in the middle of the length. In such a case it is almost certain [227] that the oil or grease has been picked up by the rubber in the tray. ”

“ An oil having little viscosity is suitable for the escapement and lighter parts of the train, but is not a good lubricant for the bearings of the center pinion and barrel arbor and the mainspring, which require a more viscous lubricant ”

“ Insufficient lubrication may be caused by imperfect operation of the lubricators, or, particularly during cold weather, by too great a viscosity or congelation of the oil. If a lubricator be imperfect in its operation, the condition of its regulating mechanism should be ascertained, if it has any, and an examination made to discover any obstruction in the oil-ducts. Such obstructions are very likely to occur in new devices which have been packed in cotton waste or excelsior, with the result that the particles of the packing material often find their way into openings. ”

“ Oil is peculiar in that while the molecules seem to stick tightly together and to a metal like iron or steel, they roll around upon each other with the utmost ease. An ideal lubricator is one that sticks so tight to the journal that it forms a sort of cushion all around it, and prevents any of its molecules coming into contact with the molecules of the metal box. All the friction then takes place between the different molecules of oil, and this friction is a minimum. ”

“ Hence in the case of lubrication the velocities of the fluid at the surfaces of the solids are those of the solid. In as far as the presence of the lubricant is necessary, such properties as cause oil in spite of its surface tension to spread even against gravity over a bright metal surface, while mercury will concentrate into globules on the bright surface of iron, have an important place in securing lubrication where the action is intermittent, as in the escapement of a clock. ”