Lubricating means for gas-operated cylinders
OwnerBernard J. Wallisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Lubricating means for a piston-cylinder unit operated by non-lubricated gas under pressure comprising a passageway in the piston-cylinder unit extending from the surrounding atmosphere to the cylinder chamber on the side of the piston opposite that to which the pressurized gas is directed. A lubricant-impregnated material is located in the passageway so that, as air flows into said chamber in response to movement of the piston in the cylinder, the lubricant is entrained in the air and is carried into the cylinder to lubricate the contacting surfaces of the piston and cylinder. In addition, a lubricant-impregnated wick is arranged within the piston rod and contacts the conventionally used lubricant-impregnated felt ring on the piston to prolong the supply of lubricant to the ring.
Claims30
In combination a cylinder, a piston movable axially in the cylinder and dividing the cylinder into a working chamber and an idle chamber which vary inversely in size in accordance with movement of the piston axially in the cylinder, means communicating said working chamber with a source of pressurized gas and permitting said gas to flow into and out of said working chamber, passageway means establishing communication between the surrounding atmosphere exteriorly of said cylinder and said idle chamber and permitting the flow of air into and out of said idle chamber, and air permeable means in at least one section of said passageway means impregnated with a lubricant, said air permeable means being disposed so that air flowing through said one section of said passageway means into said idle chamber is directed into intimate contact with said lubricant to entrain the lubricant in said air, whereby said piston and the internal walls of said idle chamber are lubricated by the lubricant entrained in the air flowing into said idle chamber.
In a die assembly of the type which includes a support, a die member movable toward and away from said support, and a fluid spring extending between said die member and said support, said fluid spring comprising a piston movable axially within a cylinder and having a piston rod extending through an end wall of the cylinder so that when a gas under sufficient pressure is directed to the end of the cylinder opposite the rod end thereof the rod and cylinder apply forces to the support and die member which tend to move them relatively away from one another and when the force on the die member is sufficient it overcomes the pressure in the end of the cylinder opposite the rod end thereof and causes the piston to move in a direction away from the rod end thereof and causes said die member and support to move relatively toward one another, the improvement which comprises, a passageway for admitting air from the surrounding atmosphere into the rod end of the cylinder in response to movement of the piston in a direction away from the rod end of the cylinder, and lubricant-impregnated, air permeable means in said passageway, said lubricant being of the type which is adapted to be entrained in the air flowing into the rod end of the cylinder through said passageway to thereby lubricate the piston, the piston rod and the interior walls of the cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.