Improvements in Tube Cleaners.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tube Cleaners.
I, HARRY ALVAI RUGGLES, of 664, Potter Avenue, in the City of Milwaukee,
County of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, United States of America,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
-
This invention relates to improvements in flue cleaners.
The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of flue
cleaners and to provide a simple, inexpensive and efficient device, adapted for
cleaning either water tubes or smoke flues without injuring the same, and
capable of being operated either by hand or by steam.
The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrange-
ment of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying
drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.
In the drawings-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a flue cleaner constructed in accordance with this
invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views on lines and y-y of
Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the head to which the blades are
secured.
Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures
of the drawings.
1 designates a shaft provided with inner and outer threaded portions 2 and 3,
the outer threaded portion 3 being reduced to form a shoulder 4, and receiving
a cap nut 5, which clamps a head 6 against the shoulder 4. The head 6, which
is constructed of brass or copper similar to the shaft, has a general circular
shape and tapers towards the outer end of the shaft slightly. The central
opening of the head 6 is threaded to engage the threads of the shaft, and the
periphery of the head is provided with an annular series of flat blade supporting
faces 8, arranged at an angle to the shaft and converging towards the front end
of the same to cause an annular series of blades or knives 9 to diverge rear-
wardly. The convergence of the faces 8 form tapering intervening portions 10,
and the inclination of the said faces provides radially arranged shoulders 11.
The front ends of the knives or blades 9 are secured to the flat faces of the head
by screws 12, or other suitable fastening devices, and their outer longitudinal
edges, which are bevelled at the inner faces of the knives or blades, to form
cutting edges, project beyond the outer edges of the said faces 8, while the inner
edges of the knives or blades are supported by the radial shoulders 11.
cap or nut 5 which operates in the nature of a jam nut, has a tapering outer
portion to facilitate the introduction of the device into a tube or flue.
The
The knives or blades, which are constructed of steel, are arranged at an angle

page_text: to the central shaft, and are slightly curved laterally, the curve increasing to-
wards their rear ends, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings, and the rear terminals of the blades are curved inward. By this
construction, a tapering cleaner is provided, and the blades or knives are set
at a sufficient angle by the head, to throw the cutting edges outward
The blades or knives are adapted to be sprung outward and drawn inward to
vary the diameter of the cleaner to correspond to the size of the tubes or flues
to be cleaned, and they are adjusted inward and outward by means of an
annular series of toggle arms 13, which have their outer ends pivotally con-
nected with the blades and their inner ends similarly secured to a sliding
sleeve 14. The arms 13 are slightly curved to offset their outer ends laterally
from the points of attachment of their inner ends, owing to the lateral curve
of the blades, and the latter are provided at their inner faces with plates 15,
having perforated ears, and preferably constructed of brass or similar metal.
The sliding sleeve is provided with a series of radial slots 16, in which the inner
ends of the arms 13 are arranged, and the said inner ends of the arms are per-
forated and are secured to the sliding sleeve by means of a wire 17, arranged
in an annular groove 18, which intersects the slots, but any other form of pivotal
connection may be employed, if desired.
The sliding sleeve is provided at its inner end with an annular groove 19,
which is engaged by arms 20, of an adjustable nut 21, and the latter, which is
arranged on the inner threaded portion 2 of the central shaft, is adapted to be
rotated to slide the sleeve inward and outward. The inner threaded portion of
the shaft, also receives a bell 211, having a threadled opening and presenting an
inner concave face and an outer or rear convex face to center the device and
guide it into a tube or flue, after it has been pushed entirely through the same,
thereby preventing any liability of the inner ends of the blades striking
or sheet of a boiler.
a wall
The flue cleaner, which is designed to be operated by hand or steam, is adapted
to clean either water tubes or smoke flues, and in cleaning the latter, it is only
necessary to move the cleaner backward and forward through the flues without
rotating it, as it will touch the flues at all points. In removing the crust or
scale from water tubes, it is rotated, and it will thoroughly cut the said crust
or scale from the tubes, leaving their inner faces perfectly clean. The shaft 1
may be connected with a rigid shaft or rod, but when it is desired to clean
curved tubes and flues, a cable may be attached to the device.
The invention has the following advantages:
The flue cleaner, which is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construc-
tion, is adapted to be operated either by hand or steam and may be employed
for cleaning either water tube boilers or smoke flue boilers. The knives or
blades, while being rigidly supported, have sufficient flexibility to enable them
to conform to the configuration of a tube or flue and shave the scale or crust
completely off the same. By constructing and supporting the blades in this
manner, the device is also adapted to operate on boilers having welded flues.
The bell, which is adapted to push the accumulation of crust or scale ahead of it,
insures the safety of the cleaner in drawing the same backward into a tube or
flue. By constructing the cleaner of both brass and steel, as described, two
steel parts do not come in contact with each other, and the liability to rust is
reduced to a minimum.
Changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be
resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages
of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. A device of the class described comprising a central shaft provided at its

page_text: outer end with a head having a series of peripheral blade-receiving faces, a
series of longitudinal blades rigidly secured at their outer ends to the faces of
the head, and means for spreading and contracting the inner portions of the
blades, substantially as described.
2. A device of the class described comprising a central shaft, a head arranged
at the outer end of the shaft and provided with a series of converging peripheral
faces, arranged at an angle to the shaft, a series of longitudinal blades rigidly
secured at their outer ends to the said faces, and means for adjusting the inner
ends or portions of the blades, substantially as described.
3. A device of the class described comprising a shaft, a head arranged on the
shaft and provided with an annular series of flat peripheral faces converging
towards the outer end of the shaft to form tapering intervening portions 10,
said faces being arranged at an angle to the shaft to provide inner radial
shoulders 11, the blades rigidly secured to the faces of the head and supported
by the shoulders 11, said blades being provided at their outer sides with cutting
edges and means for adjusting the blades, substantially as described.
4. A device of the class described comprising a shaft, an annular series of
longitudinal blades arranged at an angle to the shaft and curved laterally, said
blades having their inner or rear ends curved inward, and means for supporting
and for adjusting the blades, substantially as described.
5. A device of the class described comprising a shaft provided with inner
and outer threaded portions, a threaded head arranged on the outer threaded
portion of the shaft, a tapering cap nut mounted on the shaft and engaging the
head, longitudinal blades rigidly secured at their front ends to the head, a slid-
ing sleeve mounted on the rear portion of the shaft and provided with an
annular groove, a uut engaging the rear threaded portion of the shaft and pro-
vided with arms interlocked with the said groove, and the toggle arms pivotally
connected with the blades and similarly secured to the sleeve, substantially as
described.