Dosing device for feeding lubricant to friction couples

A dosing device for feeding a lubricant to friction couples, comprising:

• a valveless head section;
• a plurality of distributing sections;
• a valveless end section, said sections being successively interconnected in the direction of the lubricant flow;
• a central supply duct provided in said valveless head section;
• each said respective distributing section having its respective housing;
• a through-going cylindrical chamber made in said housing of each said distributing section;
• a distributing slide valve with reduced-diameter relieved areas, accommodated for reciprocation in said through cylindrical chamber made in said housing of each said distributing section;
• two closures closing from the ends each said through cylindrical chamber, limiting the reciprocation of said distributing slide valve and defining therewith two respective metering-out end chambers, each one of said two metering-out end chambers communicating with one of the relieved areas of said distributing slide valve of the preceding upstream one of said distributing sections in the direction of the lubricant flow;
• a central through-going duct made in said housing of each said distributing section, extending normally to the axis of said cylindrical through chamber and intersecting it;
• outlet ducts made in said housing of each said distributing section;
• the inlets of said outlet ducts connected to said through cylindrical chamber made in said housing of each respective one of said distributing sections;
• the outlets of said outlet ducts adapted to supply the lubricant to the friction couples, opening onto the lateral surface of said housing of each respective one of said distributing sections;
• means for rotating one of said distributing slide valves about the axis thereof through a predetermined angle and for retaining it in the thus rotated position, mounted on one of said distributing slide valves and provided in at least one of said distributing sections;
• at least one intermediate valveless section interposed between two said distributing sections of which at least one accommodates said distributing slide valve provided with said means for rotating it about the axis thereof through a predetermined angle for retaining it in the thus rotated position, adjoining the junction surfaces of said last-mentioned two distributing sections;
• a central through-going duct made in said at least one intermediate valveless section, coaxial with the central through duct of said distributing sections;
• two connection ducts made in said valveless head and end sections and in said at least one intermediate valveless section, each one of said two connection ducts connecting said end chamber of the downstream one of said distributing sections to the relieved area of said distributing slide valve of the upstream one of said distributing sections, in the direction of the lubricant flow;
• other outlet ducts made in said housing of at least one of said distributing sections with said distributing slide valve provided with said means for rotating it about the axis thereof through a predetermined angle and for retaining it in the thus rotated position;
• the inlets of said other outlet ducts belonging to a single plane and being uniformly angularly spaced about the perimeter of the cross-section of the wall of said respective through cylindrical chamber, with the geometric axes of said inlets dividing the circumference of the cross-section of said respective cylindrical chamber into the predetermined angles;
• some of the outlets of said other outlet ducts communicating with said connection ducts and opening onto the external lateral surface of said valveless section adjoining said distributing section with said distributing slide valve provided with said means for rotating it about the axis thereof through a predetermined angle and for retaining it in the thus rotated position;
• other outlets of said other outlet ducts opening onto another external lateral surface of said housing of said distributing section;
• two distributing passages made each in the shoulder portion of at least one of said distributing slide valves provided with said means for rotating it through a predetermined angle and for retaining it in the thus rotated position, facing the respective one of said two metering-out end chambers;
• the inlet of each one of said two distributing passages communicating with the relieved area of said respective distributing slide valve;
• the outlet of each one of said two distributing passages opening onto the external surface of the shoulder portion of said respective distributing slide valve;
• said outlet of one of said distributing passages communicating with one of said inlets of said outlet ducts when said respective distributing slide valve is in the extreme position of its reciprocation, while said outlet of the other one of said distributing passages is situated intermediate said inlets of said outlet ducts in the same aforementioned position of said respective distributing slide valve;
• means for monitoring the axial and angular position of said distributing slide valve, mounted on one of said distributing sections and operatively connected with said distributing slide valve.