Improvements in Water Indicators and Alarms for Steam Boilers.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Indicators and Alarms for Steam Boilers.
We, LEOPOLD STEIGERT, of Main Street, Machinist, and PETER ADOLPH KECK,
of Race Street, Physician, both of Cincinnati, State of Ohio, United States of
America, 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:-
Our invention relates to devices for use in indicating the height of water in
steam-boilers, including also the sounding of an alarm for either high or low.
water, and consists in the novel features of construction and arrangements of parts
hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the float and the
rock-shaft on which it is rigidly mounted, both embodying a part of our invention
herein; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional elevation taken on the dotted line of
Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a transverse sectional elevation taken on the dotted line y y of
Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a cross-section, partly in elevation, of the float-chamber and a
steam-whistle alarm device surmounting the same; and Fig. 5, a broken or frag-
mentary front elevation of the indicator device, showing the hinged angle-arm
connection of the rock-shaft with the alarm device, the latter in this view being
an electric contact mechanism for use in ringing bells or gongs instead of
sounding whistles.
(2.
A represents an ordinary shell or chamber, which is duly attached to the side
of a steam-boiler, having water communication therewith by means of pipe
and steam communication therewith by means of pipe a¹, said pipes tapping the
bottom and top, respectively, of said shell and being shown broken off, (it is
deemed unnecessary to illustrate the boiler,) as seen in Fig. 4.
B represents a hollow ball or float having a hollow rod or stem connection C
with the coupling or cap D, the latter in turn being mounted at the inner end
of the transverse rock-shaft E.
The outer end of the shaft E passes through a suitable stuffing-box in the outer
side of shell A and has connected to it a right-angled hinged lever connection or
coupling F (see in Fig. 5) with a short shaft b, suitably mounted on the top of
the shell. is an upright arm on the shaft 6 and disposed between automatic
pistons or stems c and c¹, respectively, which latter actuate the valves of the
whistles or alarms d and d, respectively, the whistle being a large one and
indicating by its low sound or intonation nominally-corresponding low stages
of water, and the other whistle being a small one and indicating by its shrill
sound or intonation nominally-corresponding high-water stages in the boiler. It
is obvious that instead of whistles being used the upright arm b¹ could be used
to act between electric alarm-contacts e e¹, (see Fig. 5), which would ring large
and small bells, respectively, and sound alarms to suit the several low and high
stages of the water. Upon the float B rising or falling the shaft E will be corre-
spondingly rocked, whereby the lever F will move the arm b into contact with
the stem c (or c¹) or contact e (or e¹) & so give an alarm.

page_text: F is an indicator device attached to the shell, the hinged lever F being attached
to its index f and the latter to the outer end of the rock-shaft E for due operation.
It will be clearly seen in Fig. 4 that we construct the top of our auxiliary
shell A and mount and arrange the valve devices and the lower nipples of the
steam-whistles above the usual level or stage of water in the shell, and thus any
scale, foam, bubbles, or other foreign matter floating on the water cannot reach
the entrances to the whistles, which arrangement obviously keep said entrances
to the whistles and the passage-ways in the top of the shell constantly free from
clogging up and open to the steam-pressure, so that the whistles are always sure
to respond to the valve-actions and just as certain to be promptly sounded for
the several extreme or danger lines of the water.
It has been found in extensive practice heretofore that hollow ball-floats are
more or less defective, owing to what is termed "sweating" of the ball internally
and the accumulation of water resultant therefrom within, thus destroying its
practical effect as a float. In order to rectify this difficulty we provide the stem
or arm C of the float with an internal hollow extension C¹, which preferably
curves, gooseneck fashion downwardly to the center of the bottom of the ball.
One end of this extension is screw-threaded and taps the end of the said stem
where the latter makes connection with the ball, and the other or lower end has
preferably one or more notches C2 made therein, whereby any accumulated water
within the ball, resulting from either condensation, sweating, or leakage, or all
these causes, may drain or pass off, down to the very last drop, while the boiler
and float are in use in the steam-generating operation. In order that the accumu-
lations within the ball may pass off automatically therefrom, thence through the
hollow arm or stem, and thence through the cap or coupling D and shaft E to
the atmosphere, we provide a short longitudinal passage-way D' in the inner end
of said shaft E, said passage-way having a minute transverse outlet or orifice E¹,
which opens to the air at a point outside the wall of shell A and is amply sufficient
in area to carry off all accumulations from within the ball, leaving the latter in a
light, buoyant, and unhampered condition at all times (while the boiler is in use)
for due operation as a float, riding on the water accurately. and performing its
work positively on the alarm and other desired indicator or regulator devices.
In the operation of our float the accumulated moisture or fluid in the ball
(however it got in) becomes evaporated by the transmission of the heat from the
boiling water and steam proceeding into the auxiliary shell or chamber from the
boiler. The steam thus generated in the ball soon has a pressure of its own, of
course, and forces the said moisture or water through the internal gooseneck
extension, thereby automatically draining it (even to the last drop, as herein-
before stated) into the hollow arm or stem and thence through the passage-way
in the rock-shaft to the atmosphere, where it discharges in a tiny jet or spray.
Thus the ball, instead of being practically a dead one and a heavy load on the
alarm and indicator devices, now becomes a live and very active one and really a
float in fact as well as in name, performing the function of rocking said shaft E
with even the slightest variation in the height of the water in the boiler and
chamber A, so that the alarm and indicator devices may be duly actuated while
the boiler is in use. The presence of our drain-tube and passage-way therefore
prevents to a great extent any accumulations of moisture or fluid within the ball,
and should any occur they are very readily and quickly withdrawn by said means
and in the manner stated.
:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
In a steam-boiler alarm, the combination, with a shell or chamber connected
with the boiler, of two alarm devices thereon, a rock-shaft between the alarms
provided with an arm at one end and with an upright between the alarms and
adapted to
engage with either one of them, a rock-shaft journaled in the shell or

page_text: casing, the inner end of which is provided with a float and the outer end is pro-
vided with an indicating-finger, and a pivoted rod connecting the finger with
the arm on the first-mentioned rock-shaft, substantially as set forth.
001
1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.