Apparatus and method for application of lubricants to the surface of metallic sheet material
AssigneeCoral Chemical Company
InventorsDANIEL L. TRACY, W.J. AEXANDER HUGILL, ROBERT E. DEBLOIS
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Abstract
The invention provides an apparatus and method for applying a liquid lubricant to at least one surface of a moving metal sheet. The apparatus includes a wick and a liquid lubricant reservoir and at least one conduit in flow communication with the wick and reservoir. The liquid lubricant moves from the reservoir in controlled amounts, through the conduit or conduits to the wick by gravity flow and is moved by capillary action through the wick to the surface of the moving metal sheet without the application of an external mechanical force, such as a piston, to generate a pressure gradient through the wick to move the liquid lubricant therethrough.
Claims19
An apparatus for applying a liquid lubricant to at least one surface of a continuously moving metal sheet, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one wick;
- a reservoir;
- and
- at least one conduit effective for supplying the liquid lubricant from the reservoir to the wick, the wick supplying liquid lubricant to the metal sheet by capillary flow of the lubricant through the wick without the application of an external mechanical force to generate a resulting pressure gradient through the wick to move the liquid lubricant therethrough.
An apparatus for applying a liquid lubricant to at least one surface of a continuously moving metal sheet, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one wick;
- a reservoir of liquid lubricant located relative to the wick effective to supply lubricant to the wick by gravity flow;
- a plurality of conduits between the reservoir and the wick, the conduits disposed to direct the liquid lubricant flow from the reservoir to the wick, the conduits including at least one surface positioned to receive the lubricant flow thereon and to spread the lubricant flow relative to the wick;
- and
- at least one application/transfer roller which is in rolling contact with the wick, the application/transfer roller in combination with the wick being effective for moving the liquid lubricant from the wick to the metal sheet, the wick supplying liquid lubricant to the metal sheet by capillary flow of the lubricant through the wick without the application of an external mechanical force to generate a resulting pressure gradient through the wick to move the liquid lubricant therethrough.
A method for applying a lubricant to a moving metal sheet, the method comprising:
- supplying by gravity flow a liquid lubricant from a reservoir through a plurality of tubes to a wick;
- moving the liquid lubricant through the wick by capillary flow;
- and
- applying the lubricant to at least one application/transfer roller which is in rolling contact with the wick, the transfer roller in combination with the wick being effective for moving the liquid lubricant from the wick to the metal sheet, the wick supplying liquid lubricant to the application/transfer roller by capillary flow of the lubricant through the wick without the application of an external mechanical force to generate a resulting pressure gradient through the wick to move the liquid lubricant therethrough to the application/transfer roller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.