SABB diesel Norsk traktor og motormuseum Stokke

Splash lubrication is a rudimentary form of lubrication found in early engines. Such engines could be

external combustion engine An external combustion engine (EC engine) is a reciprocating heat engine where a working fluid, contained internally, is heated by combustion in an external source, through the engine wall or a heat exchanger. The fluid then, by expanding an ...

s (such as stationary steam engines), or

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal c ...

s (such as petrol, diesel or paraffin engines).

Description

An engine that uses splash lubrication requires neither oil pump nor oil filter. Splash lubrication is an antique system whereby scoops on the big-ends of the connecting rods dip into the oil

sump A sump is a low space that collects often undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers. Sump can also refer to an area in a cave ...

and splash the lubricant upwards towards the cylinders, creating an

oil mist Oil mist refers to oil droplets suspended in the air in the size range 1~10 μm. Formation of Oil Mist Oil mist may form when high pressure fuel oil, lubricating oil, hydraulic oil, or other oil is sprayed through a narrow crack, or when l ...

which settles into droplets. The oil droplets then pass through drillings to the bearings and thereby lubricate the moving parts. Provided that the bearing is a

ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

or a

roller bearing In mechanical engineering, a rolling-element bearing, also known as a rolling bearing, is a bearing which carries a load by placing rolling elements (such as balls or rollers) between two concentric, grooved rings called races. The relative m ...

, splash lubrication would usually be sufficient; however,

plain bearing A plain bearing, or more commonly sliding contact bearing and slide bearing (in railroading sometimes called a solid bearing, journal bearing, or friction bearing), is the simplest type of bearing, comprising just a bearing surface and no roll ...

s typically need a pressure feed to maintain the oil film, loss of which leads to overheating and seizure. The splash lubrication system has simplicity, reliability, and cheapness within its virtues. However, splash lubrication can work only on very low-revving engines, as otherwise the sump oil would become a frothy mousse. The Norwegian firm, Sabb Motor, produced a number of small marine diesel engines, mostly

single-cylinder A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ( ...

or twin-cylinder units, that used splash lubrication.

Modern use of splash lubrication

Splash lubrication is still used in modern engines and mechanisms,Lubrication systems https://learnmechanical.com/lubrication-system/ such as: * the

Robinson R22 The Robinson R22 is a two-seat, two-bladed, single-engine light utility helicopter manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company. It was designed in 1973 by Frank D. Robinson, and has been in production since 1979. Development The majority of fl ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

uses splash lubrication on some

bevel gear Bevel gears are gears where the axes of the two shafts intersect and the tooth-bearing faces of the gears themselves are conically shaped. Bevel gears are most often mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at othe ...

s. * all BMW

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s with shaft drive use splash lubrication in the final drive hub. * British pre-unit and

unit construction : ''For the vehicle design where the vehicle's skin is used as a load-bearing element, see Monocoque.'' Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes ...

s, (such as

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

, BSA and

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

) used splash lubrication in their gearboxes. * Cars and lorries invariably still use splash lubrication in their differentials.

References

External links

International Council for Machinery Lubrication

Machinery Lubrication magazine
Lubrication Tribology Lubricants {{automotive-stub

Description

Modern use of splash lubrication

See also

References

External links