US1640176A - Lubricating-oil heater - Google Patents

Description

g R. w. BERGSTROM LUBRICATING-OIL HEATER Filed April' 17'. 1925' ogi i atentecl Aug. 23, 1927.

DEED STTES i eti fifi PATENT OFFifiE.

RALZH \V. BERG-STROKE, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

LUZBRICATING-OIL HEATER.

App1ication filed April 17, 1926. Serial No. 102,810.

inis invention relates to a means for heating the hihricating oil which is circulated to various bearings of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly is concerneo with a device for this purpose which may be conveniently installed and connected up for operation.

It is common practice in the design of an automobile engine to employ a pump for circulating oil to various hearings or other points where lubrication is needed. For this purpose an intake pipe is arranged in the crank-case usually close to its bottom, for taking oii therefrom to the pump. In order to keep out impurities which may have gotten into the oil a fine mesh screen is commonly provided adjacent the intake where' by to filter the oil entering thereinto. These severai components in a lubricating system may perform satisfactorily under ordinary conditions, but in cold weather the operation is not so good. This is due to the tendency of oil to congeal and even freeze at low temperatures, with a consequent failure or inability to flow. Freezing usually results from the presence in the oil of an appreciable amount of waterwhich must always be reckoned with. It is my object in this invention to provide adjacent the intake within the crank case a heater which will quickly raise the temperature of the surrounding oil to a point at which it will readily flow to the pump, thus assuring a proper lubrication for the engine. Such a heater, as I have designed it, is inexpensive to make, is unitary in character and hence easy to install, and requires no attention in service.

An eXemplific-ation of my invention in a preferred form is set forth in the accompanying drawing in the manner following:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section adjacent the crank case bottom of an internal combustion engine:

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section therethrough taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation looking toward the outer end of the heater unit as it appears when applied in place; and

Fig. 4 is a view showing the location of the heater appliance relative to certain associated parts of an automobile engine.

My heater per se may be in the form of a casting having a head plate 5 adapted to overlie an opening of suitable size in one wall 6 of the crank case relatively close to its bottom. Extending inwardly from this opening is a strainer element which, as shown, consists of a tube 7 having at its outer end an outturned flange 8 which may be fitted between the wall 6 and casting head 5. Interposed between this flange and the crank case Wall 5 is a gasket 9 providing a seal when the casting is tightened in place as by means of stud bolts 10. The strainer element is formed in part of a screen material 11 through which oil in the crank case may be filtered.

Extending inwardly from the head of the casting is a U-coil 12 which occupies space interiorly of the strainer element. The casting head also provides a mounting ior an intake pipe 18 which lies intermediat-ely of the two branches of the U-coil. These parts -the intake pipe and U-coilare mutually s *mmetrical to each other and to the strainer element by which they are enclosed, and this relationship is assured by the fixed mountng of the pipe and coil on the head plate which in turn occupies a fixed position upon the crank case wall which also affords a mounting for the strainer.

Upon the outer side of the plate connection may be made to the intake and coil, the former being joined by a tube 14 to an oil circulating pump 15. To one end of this coil a connection 16 leads to the engine eX- haust pipe 17, while the other coil end may have a connection (not shown) which leads the exhaust back into the pipe 17, or which discharges the exhaust directly into the a mosphere. If desired a valve 18 may be placed in the connection 16 to shut off the heater when temperature conditions render its operation unnecessary.

Among the advantages which inhere n my invention is a high efficiency in operation due to the fixed position of its components in a structure of unitary character. The heat is delivered close to the intake and to the surrounding strainer whereby oil in the immediate vicinit is thermally affected quickly. In a very s iort space of time any frozen oil will be thawed out with the consequence that proper lubrication is assured to the engine. At no time need any attention be paid to the heater. lts installation is simple indeed, and requires only the insertion through a hole of proper size in the crank case of the heating coil and intake together with the usual strainer-the device may then be operated with knowledge that iii its components interiorly of the crank case are in proper relationship for all time.

I claim:

1. A combined oil heating reservoir and strainer for the crank case of aninternal combustion engine comprising, a head plate adapted for attachment to the crank case, an oil intake and an exhaust heater coil mounted on said plate, an impertorate cylindrical reservoir carried by said plate and surround ing said oil intake and exhaust heater coil, and a strainer carried by and enclosing the free end of said cylindrical reservoir.

2. A combined oil heating reservoir and strainer for the crank case of an internal combustion engine comprising, a head plate adapted for attachment to the crank case, an oil intake and an exhaust heater coil mounted on said plate, an imperforate cylindrical reservoir surrounding the major portion of said oilintake and exhaust heater coil, and a cylindrical strainer member carried by the free end of said reservoir. and enclosing the remainder of said oil intake and exhaust heater coil.

R. W. BERGSTROM.

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