CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN GRATES FOR FURNACES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Ryder, of the State of Massachusetts,
of the United States of America, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN GRATES FOR FURNACES."
Scaled the 12th February 1875, and dated the 28th December 1874.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Ryder at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 28th December 1874, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
RYDER, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention of "CERTAIN New
and Useful ImprOVEMENTS IN GRATES FOR FURNACES," and have petitioned
Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria to grant unto me, my exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the

page_text: series of movable grate bars, and machinery for moving the latter back
and forth longitudinally, but of rollers applied to the frame and to
support the grate bars while they may be at rest or in motion.
My Invention further consists in the grate rock shaft formed with a
recessed foot in combination with the foot bearing extended up into the
foot.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a top view,
Figuro 2 a longitudinal section, and Figure 3 a transverse section of a
furnace containing my Invention.
Figure is a top view of the furnace and the grate bars with the
inclined guards; Figure 5 is a top view of one of the said guards.
In such Drawings A denotes a common furnace or steam boiler fire-
place, having its grato composed of a scries a, a, a, of stationary bars
and a series b, b, b, of movable and shorter bars, all arranged horizontally
and in manner with respect to each other and an ash-pit P, as shown,
the movable bars being notched on their upper surfaces. Each of the
longer bars however is not quite so long as the distance between the end
walls of the furnace, the same being so as to allow of the proper
expansion of the bar lengthwise under the heat to which it may be sub-
jected. Bars of other furnaces have been so made, but at their ends
they have been left uncovered. When this has been the case cinders,
coal, or ashes have usually become packed or have gathered between the
ends of the bars and the next adjacent walls, and acted to prevent the
bars from expanding, causing them under the operation of the licat
tending to expand them to become curved, sprung out of shape, or
broken. Such derangement or breakage of a grate bar will be prevented
by the inclined guard plates B, B, which rest on the several grate bars
and against shoulders or abutments C, C, C, projecting up from some of
them, and also against the cuds d, d, of the furnace A. The plates B, B,
being inclined with respect to the grate bars in manner as represented,
and simply resting against the ends of the furnace, move with the grate
bars as they may expand or contract lengthwise. The plates thus cover
the spaces next the ends of the bars, and prevent them from becoming
choked by the ashes, cinders, or fuel, thereby enabling the grate bars to
expand without danger of being estopped so as to be bent or broken by
the force operating to expand them. The shorter bars are free to move

page_text: lengthwise on their supporting shelves,, each of said bars being
notched at its middle, as shown at e, to receive one of a series of arms f
projecting upward from a rocker shaft g, arranged across the ash-pit P
and going through one side wall of the furnace, and provided with a
lever or arm D, all as shown. By taking hold of the arm D and working
it up and down, reciprocating rectilinear motions will be imparted to the
movable grate bars b, whereby tho nshes will be caused to fall from the
grate and between its bars and into the ash-pit.
lengthwise on their supporting shelves 1, 1, each of said bars being
notched at its middle, as shown at e, to receive one of a series of armsƒ
projecting upward from a rocker shaft g, arranged across the ash-pit P
and going through one side wall of the furnace, and provided with a
lever or arm D, all as shown. By taking hold of the arm D and working
it up and down, reciprocating rectilinear motions will be imparted to the
movable grate bars b, whereby tho ashes will be caused to fall from the
grate and between its bars and into the ash-pit.
The movable bars are raised or extended a little above the stationary
ones so as to be sure to effect a proper distribution of the coal or fuel.
In the furnace shown in said Drawings of Sheet 1, I claim as of my
Invention as follows, viz. :-
I claim in the grate provided with two series or sets of grate bars a, b,
ilic bars of one set arranged with their upper edges extended somewhat.
above those of the bars of the other set, such being substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
I claim the combination of the two series of grato bars a, b, the fire-
place A, the inclined guards B, and mechanism for operating the movable
bars, all being substantially as specified.
In Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a top view;
Figure 2, a front end elevation; Figure 3, a longitudinal section of a
grate provided with my Invention; Figure 4 is a transverse section of
it taken through one of the cross bars of the frame; Figure 5 is a side
clevation; Figure 6, a bottom view; and Figure 7, a longitudinal section
of one of the stationary grate bars.
Figure 8 is a side elevation; Figure 9, a bottom view; and Figure 10,
a longitudinal section of one of the movable grate bars.
Figure 11 is a front elevation of the mechanism for operating or
moving longitudinally the movable bars.
In the Drawings shown in said Sheet 2, A, A, &c., are a series of
what for illustration may be termed " I stationary grate bars," while
B, 3, 3, are another series of grate bars having mechanism applied to
them for moving them simultaneously, or imparting to them a recipro-
cating longitudinal motion on their supports.
E

page_text: In the furnace shown in Sheet 2 the mechanism for operating the
movable grate bars is not arranged underneath the middles of them,
but at or near one end of the supporting frame and outside thereof, in
order not to be any impediment to the free escape of ashes and cinders
from the grate, and also to be more accessible in operating said bars by
the lever through the ash-pit door.
In the Drawings the mechanism is shown as consisting of a horizontal
shaft a provided not only with short pivotal legs b, b, b, extending down
from it, but with a series of arms c, c, c, projecting up from it. It also
has a socketed and bent arm & extending downward from it at or near
its middle, as shown, such arm being to receive a lever or bar c. The
short legs b, b, b, are stepped into bearings f. f. f. projecting, as repre-
sented, from the front cross bar g of the frame C for supporting the
grate.
Each of the movable grato bars B, B, is provided near its front end
with a notch h to receive one of the arms c of the shaft a. By taking
hold of the lever e and moving it up and down a reciprocating rectilincar
motion will be imparted to all the movable grate bars B at once, the
other grate bars A being stationary at the time.
'
Each of the cross bars 9, g, of the frame O is provided with a series
of tenons i, i, to enter mortices h, k, made in the stationary grato bars A,
such serving to preserve the said grate bars in parallelism with cach
other and with the intermediate or movable bars. The grate bars A
rest directly upon the tops of the cross bars g, g.
Each movable grate bar near cach of its ends is supported on one of
a series of friction rollers 7. Each of the said rollers consists of a tubo
arranged to revolve freely on a short shaft or axle m resting in suitablo
bearings in the cross bar, and being capable of revolving freely in such
bearings. At its middle the friction tube or roller has a cylindrical
extension or tenon O to go around it and project up into one of the
slots p, p, of the movable grate bar B. Not only can the roller revolve
freely on its axle, but the latter can revolve in its bearings independently
of the roller. This diminishes the chance of the roller not revolving
while the bar is in motion.
Each of the grate bars A or B is slotted lengthwise, as shown at 8, s,
there being between the slots an intermediate portion or connection t.
I have found in practice that the bars so made are much more durable

page_text: than narrower but unslotted bars, as they are not so liable to break or
bend down or twist at their middles under great heat.
The inclined guards to extend over the ends of the several grato bars
arc shown at D, D. Each of them, instead of being a solid plate, is
perforated with slots "", "", as shown; thereby it becomes like a grate and 5
lets through it any ashes that may be raked or get upon it. It suffi-
ciently covers the space through which the ends of the grato bars move
to prevent such space from becoming clogged by large cinders or pieces
of coal so as to prevent the longitudinal movements of the bars.
Figure 12 denotes an elevation; and Figure 13, a transverso section 10
exhibiting another mode of making one of the legs of the shaft a and
also the bracket for supporting such leg, the log b being represented as
formed with a groove a' in its foot to receive and straddle a circular
head or tenon ' projecting up from the bracket or bearing f.
.
By having the foot of the leg to turn on the part 6', and to straddlo 15
and cover it, as shown, ashes will be prevented from getting between
the rubbing surfaces of the parts a¹, b'.
I claim as my Invention in the mechanism shown in Sheet 2, and
herein-before described, as follows, viz. :-
1. The combination of a shaft a, having arms c and legs & not only 20
with a grate fram C provided with bearings for the fect of the said
logs, but with a series of grate bars B having notches or recesses / to
receive the arms at their ends, all being substantially as specified.
2. The combination of the stationary and movable grate bars A, B,
and the operative mechanism of the movable bars B with a series of 25
friction rollers applied to support the said movable bars, and to them
and the grato frame.
3. The combination of a friction roller and a separate axle m going
through and supporting it with each movable grato bar B and the
support frame O thereof.
4. Friction rollers provided with cylindrical extensions O and tho
grate bars B provided with grooves or slots p to receive such extensions,
all being substantially as shown and described.
"
30
5. The grate support frame C provided with stationary tenons i in
combination with the stationary grate bars A provided with grooves, 35
slots, or notches to receive such tenons.

page_text: 6. Not only in a grate support frame C, a series of movable grate
bars B, machinery for moving the latter back and forth longitudinally,
but rollers applied to the frame and to support, as described, the grate
bars while in motion, all being essentially as specified.
7. The shaft a having each foot grooved, as shown at a¹ in Figure 13,
in combination with the bearing f, provided with the curved projection 6'
to enter said foot, all being essentially as shown.