From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Reprint from the Society of Automotive Engineers journal describing a Central-Point Chassis-Lubrication System.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 72\1\ scan0060 | |
| Date | 1st March 1925 | |
| Reprinted from THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS for March, 1925. The Central-Point Chassis-Lubrication System By JOSEPH BIJUR¹ DETROIT SECTION PAPER Illustrated with DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS ABSTRACT DISAGREEABLE jobs are put off by most persons as long as conscience will permit or the necessities of the case will allow. Oiling of the chassis of an automobile is probably the most unpleasant task in connection with keeping a car in good running condition, because it usually involves a preliminary washing of the mud and is at best a dirty job and one that requires the contortions of a gymnast. These facts account in a large measure for the many squeaky cars and the poor condition of wearing parts of used cars offered for sale. If the whole chassis could be lubricated as easily as the engine, as by pouring oil into a single receptacle and letting the car itself do the rest, most motorists would feel that the automobile millennium was approaching. This condition is closely approached in the central lubricating system which is described by the author and which has been in successful use for a considerable period on several cars that have been lubricated by it while covering mileages ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 miles. The author states that these cars did not develop squeaks nor show any appreciable wear during this test period. In this system the 50 or more lubrication points on the chassis are supplied with oil from a central lubricator or oil reservoir on the dash under the hood. A hand-operated pump or gun supplies approximately 50 lb. of pressure to force the oil through all parts of a copper-tube pipe line to control outlets located at the points requiring an oil supply. Normally the system is solidly full of oil and the oil is not under pressure but whenever it is desired to oil the chassis the pump handle is pulled out and released. It is retracted by a coil spring that supplies the necessary pressure, which is uniform throughout the system and causes a uniform rate of oil flow to all bearing surfaces for approximately 3 min., which is the time required for the pump piston to return to its normal position and for all points to be oiled, but in cold weather it may take 10 times as long, owing to the greater viscosity of the oil. Control outlets called drip-plugs are located at the oiling points to regulate the quantity of oil discharged. The rate of flow through these is regulated, for bearings needing large or small quantities of oil, by the tolerance between annular channels in the drip-plugs and pins inserted in the channels. The rate of flow of ordinary oil at room temperature ranges from 3 drops per min. with a 0.061-in. pin in a 0.063-in. hole to 30 drops per min. with a 0.056-in. pin in a hole of the same size. Pipe lines are concealed and protected within the chassis frame and behind the splash aprons, wheels and springs. Oil is conveyed from the lines on the frame to unsprung parts on the axles through piping formed into helical bridges that absorb the stresses due to flexure of the springs. The oil line can be disconnected at any point or a portion can be removed for replacement with but slight loss of oil since there is no pressure on the oil. ¹ M.S.A.E.—President, Bijur Lubricating Corporation, New York City. [Diagram Labels] Cross Shaft Bearing Hand-Brake Equalizer Lever-Left Foot Brake Cross Shaft Bearing Equalizer Lever-Right Foot Brake Rear-Axle Wheel Bearing Rear-Spring Shackle Upper Bolt Rear-Spring Shackle Lower Bolt Rear-Axle Pinion Shaft Rear-Spring Hinge-Bolt Hand-Brake Cross Shaft Rear Rear-Spring Shackle Upper Bolt Rear-Spring Shackle Lower Bolt Rear-Axle Wheel Bearing Rear-Spring Hinge-Bolt Hand-Brake Foot-Brake Pull Rod Clevis Equalizer Bar-Left Hand-Brake Pull Rod Clevis Equalizer Bar-Right Foot-Brake Cross Shaft Bearing Lever Clevis-Front Lever Clevis-Rear Toggle Shaft Bearing Cross Shaft Bearing Lever Clevis-Front Lever Clevis-Rear Operating Lever Pin-Upper Operating Lever Pin-Lower Rear-Spring Hinge-Bolt Front Universal-Joint Rear Universal-Joint Clutch-Shaft Bearing Clutch Pull Rod Clevis Brake Pedal Rod Clevis Brake Pedal Rod Shaft Steering-Gear Case Steering-Arm Clevis Drag-Link Rear Front-Spring Shackle Upper Bolt Front-Spring Shackle Lower Bolt Top Bearing Steering-Knuckle Bottom Bearing Thrust Washer Drag-Link Front-End Tie-Rod-Left Front-Spring Hinge-Bolt Front-Spring Hinge-Bolt Fan Bearing Water Pump Starter Clutch Pinion Shifter Front-Spring Shackle Upper Bolt Front-Spring Shackle Lower Bolt Steering-Knuckle Top Bearing Bottom Bearing Thrust Washer Tie-Rod-Right PLACES OILED 64 DRIP PLUGS USED 26 FIG. 1—PLAN OF CHASSIS SHOWING 64 PLACES OILED BY THE CENTRAL SYSTEM Heavy Black Lines Represent Copper Tubing 1/8 in. in Diameter Which Is Normally Full of Oil from a Reservoir on the Dash. The Oil Is Not Under Pressure Until a Pump Handle in Front of the Driver Is Pulled Out and Released. Then a Uniform Pressure of 50 lb. Is Imposed by a Compression Coil Spring in the Pump, Forces Oil to Control Outlets, Indicated by Lines Drawn to the Legends 1 | ||