Improvements in Mechanical Stokers, and Apparatus connected therewith.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
Date of Application, 20th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanical Stokers, and Apparatus connected
therewith.
I, JAMES HODGKINSON of Woden Street, Ordsal Lane, Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in mechanical stokers on the ram and
coking principle and in self-cleaning furnaces employed in steam boilers and
consists in arrangements and constructions whereby more reliable and efficient
actions are obtained, which are equally applicable to stationary and marine steam
boilers and other furnaces. These I accomplish by attaching to the framework
carrying the door a ram box provided internally with a sliding ram or pusher
moved to and fro by means of a rack or racks and pinions or sectors, or by a
rotary or other cam or cams in which case the ram or pusher is fitted with fixed
and sliding stops. The pinions, sectors, or cams are fixed on a shaft mounted in
bearings on each side of the ram box. The shaft on which the pinions, sectors, or
cams are placed is provided with a lever or other equivalents and is reciprocated
or rotated by a connecting rod attached to an adjustable disc to regulate the
throw or movements of the ram or pusher, the said disc being mounted on a shaft
operated by ordinary worm or other gear driven by band or other pulleys. The
ram box is provided with a flange on which sits the hopper to receive the fuel to be
supplied as required. When the ram or pusher is making a backward stroke
the fuel from the hopper falls on a plate from whence it is pushed to a second
plate or coking shelf of peculiar form for distributing fuel equally to the sides
and middle of the furnace and is provided with refractory material to assist
coking; the next forward stroke of the ram or pusher moving the fuel to the fire.
This invention allows of a full size fire door being employed, which will allow of
the fire being fed by hand in the usual manner when desired or necessary.
My improvements in self-cleaning fire-bars cousists in a novel method of
constructing, arranging, and moving the same, and are disposed in a horizontal
position and parallel to each other. The flues of a boiler are provided
longitudinally on each side with side-bars having air spaces and distance pieces.
The chief feature consists in a novel method of operating the bars which is effected
by triple cams so arranged that when the leading portion is drawing out its bar
the third cam is acting as a stop to the bars not required to be moved. When the
leading cam has finished its throw and drawn out the bar the stop or third cam is
removed out of block position and the second cam is then free to operate the bar
that was held in check, thus securing a clear air space with every operation of the
bars, thus preventing the making up of the air spaces with ashes or clinkers and
the like; thus effecting complete combustion and efficiency and a better carrying
of the fuel by the movement of the bars. At the front end of the bars and above
the same I provide a stationary or coking plate to receive the fuel from the coking
shelf of the stoker, and to detain the fuel until properly coked. The usual clinker
or ash chamber is provided at the back end of the bars; the entrance of which is
closed by a door or ashes at or underneath the end of the bars, and which may be
cleaned out from time to time as required.
Dated the 19th July 1894.
EDMUND CHADWICK, F.I.C.P.A.,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanical Stokers, and Apparatus connected
therewith.
I, JAMES HODGKINSON of West High Street Machine Works, Pendleton, late of
Woden Street, Ordsal Lane, Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 mechanical stokers on the ram and
coking principle and in self-cleaning furnaces employed in steam boilers and
consists in arrangements and constructions whereby more reliable and efficient
actions are obtained, which are equally applicable to stationary and marine steam
boilers and other furnaces. These accomplish by attaching to the frame-
work or stoker front carrying the door, a ram box provided internally with a
sliding ram or pusher moved to and fro by means of a rack or racks and pinions or
sectors, or by a rotary or other cam or cams in which case the ram or pusher is
fitted with fixed and sliding stops. The pinions, sectors, or cams are fixed on a
shaft mounted in bearings on each side or inside the ram box. The shaft on which
the pinions, sectors or cams are placed is provided with a lever or other equivalents
and is reciprocated or rotated by a connecting rod attached to an adjustable disc to
regulate the throw or movenients of the ram or pusher for the purpose of regulating
supply of fuel; the said disc being mounted on a shaft operated by ordinary worm
or other gear driven by band or other pulleys. The ram box is provided with a
flange on which sits the hopper to receive the fuel to be supplied as required.
When the ram or pusher is making a backward stroke the fuel from the hopper
falls on a plate whence it is pushed to a second plate or coking shelf of peculiar form
I for distributing fuel equally to the sides and middle of the furnace and is provided.
with refractory material to assist coking; the next forward stroke of the ram or
pusher moving the fuel to the fire. This invention allows of a full size fire door
being employed, which will allow of the fire being fed by hand in the usual manner
when desired or necessary.
:
My improvements in self-cleaning fire-bars consists in a novel method of.
constructing, arranging, and moving the same, and are disposed in a horizontal
position and parallel to each other. The flues of a boiler or furnaces are provided
longitudinally on each side with side-bars having air spaces and distance pieces.
The chief feature consists in a novel method of operating the bars which
is effected by triple cams so arranged that when the leading portion is
drawing out its bar the third cam is acting as a stop to the bars not required
to be moved. When the leading cam has finished its throw and drawn out the
bar the stop or third cam is removed out of block position and the second cam is
then free to operate the bar that was held in check, thus securing a clear air space
with every operation of the bars, thus preventing the making up of the air spaces
with ashes or clinkers and the like; thus effecting complete combustion and
efficiency and a better carrying of the fuel by the movement of the bars. At the
front end of the bars and above the same I provide a stationary or coking plate to
receive the fuel from the coking shelf of the stoker, and to detain the fuel until
properly coked. The usual clinker or ash chamber is provided at the back end of
the bars; the entrance of which is closed by a door or ashes at or underneath the
end of the bars, and which may be cleaned out from time to time as required.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

page_text: mechanical stoker and fire-bars.
Fig. 3 is an end view showing cams, shaft and bars.
Fig. 4 a side view of movable fire-bars.
7
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are front view, plan view and section respectively of the fuel
distributing plate from which the fuel is pushed upon the coking plate.
Fige. 8 and 9 are views of the triple cam.
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are views of the end of the movable fire bars.
In all the figures the same letters are employed to indicate corresponding parts.
The framework or stoker part A carrying the door B is fitted with the ram box
or boxes C which are each provided internally with the sliding ram or pusher D
moved to and fro by means of the rack E and the pinions, sectors, or cams F fixed
on the shaft G mounted in the bearings H on each side of the ram boxes C. The
shaft G on which the pinions, sectors or cams F are placed is provided with the
slotted lever J shown in side view in Fig. 1A and is reciprocated by the connecting
rod K attached to the disc L. By shifting the connecting rod in the slotted
lever J, I can regulate the throw or movements of the ram or
pusher D for the
purpose of regulating the supply of fuel. The disc L is mounted on the shaft M
operated by the worm gear N driven by band or other pulleys O. Each ram box
is provided with the flange P on which sits the hopper Q to receive the fuel to be
supplied as required. When the ram or pusher D is making a backward stroke
the fuel from the hopper Q falls on the plate R whence 18. pushed to a second
distributing plate or coking shelf S.
The next forward stroke of the ram or pusher D pushes the fuel over the edge
of the plate S. upon the coking plate Y¹ from which it is drawn forward by the
movement of the fire bars T to the fire. The plate or coking shelf S may be made
hollow as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 to allow either water or steam being passed
through the same to prevent destruction or burning away, the said steam or water
being employed in lieu of refractory material. When I employ steam I provide
an outlet S in front of the coking shelf S to form or act as a jet of superheated
steam which assists combustion as well as preserving the plate or shelf S. The
conical hump on the face of the plate S causes the fuel to spread over the whole
length of the plate as it is pushed forward so that the delivery to the coking plate Y¹
is more even...
..
This invention allows of a full sized fire-door B being employed, which will
allow of the fire being fed by hand in the usual manner when desired or necessary.
My improvements in self cleaning fire bars consist in a novel method of con-
structing, arranging and moving the same, the bars being disposed in a horizontal
position and parallel to each other. The flues W are provided longitudinally on
each side with fixed side bars the heads b of which appear in Figs. 1 and 3.
The movable bars T form the self feeding furnace grate. The front ends of the
bars are mounted on a bearer a, the back ends on another bearer a¹. The chief
feature consists in a novel method of operating the movable fire bars T which
is effected by the cams Y so arranged that when the leading portion is drawing
out its bar the third cam is acting as a stop to the bars not required to be
moved.
When the leading cam z has finished its throw and drawn out the bar, the third
or stop cam z is removed out of block position and the second cam y is then
free to operate the bar that was held in check. This motion will be easily
understood by referring to Figs. 8 to 11 (which illustrate the triple cam Y and
the end of one of the bars). For example suppose that the bars have all been
pushed inwards. As the cam Y revolves in the indicated direction the leading
surface of each cam will first come in contact with the surface "1" of each second
bar of the series.
66
Thus every second bar of the series will be drawn out. The other alternate
bars remain in and are prevented from accidental movement (by friction or binding)
by the curved shoulder z, which revolves in contact with the curved back of the

page_text: bar. When the first series of alternate bars have been drawn out the second
surface y comes in contact with the part "1" of the bars which have been left behind
and begins to move them out, the curved shoulder z at the same time revolving out
of its blocking position and allowing the bar to be advanced.
The whole of the bars are thus drawn out in two successive series of alternate
bars. The return stroke is effected by the part of the cam striking the curved
back of the jawed bar head which has been first moved out. Thus the alternate
bars first drawn out are pushed back, and as I forin the front of these bars with an
overlapping part "2," which covers the end of the next bar, the alternate bars are
all moved back at the same time. Thus the bars are all returned to their original
starting place. By this arrangement I not only feed the fuel forward but also
secure a clear air space with every operation of the bars, and prevent the making
up of the air spaces with ashes or clinkers and the like, by which complete
combustion and efficiency and a better carrying of the fuel by the movement of the
bars T will be effected. At the front end of the fire bars T and above the same,
I provide the stationary or coking plate Y' to receive the fuel from the coking
shelf S of the stoker and to detain the fuel until properly coked. The usual
clinker or ash chamber is provided at the back end of the fire bars T, the entrance
of which is closed by a door or ashes at or underneath the ends of the bars and
which may be cleaned out from time to time as required. As already said the
outer ends of the fire bars T are supported on the plate a attached to the side
bar heads b in any convenient manner, and the inner ends of the bars are carried by
the bearer a².
In another method for working the bars by a cam on each end of the cam shaft
I place a broad cam or cams as in Figs. 3 and 4 to act upon the bar or rod a' held
across the front of the bars; the said rod or rods being mounted in the hooks
or projections z¹ on the outer ends of the said bars by which the cycle of operations
is performed as previously described. It will be understood that one rod a'
operates one set of the bars T from one cam, while the other rod a' operates the
other alternate set of bars T from the other cam. By this arrangement I can
dispense with a number of cams.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The general arrangements, constructions, and combinations of parts composing
the improvements in mechanical stokers and apparatus connected therewith as
herein before described and as illustrated in the annexed drawings.
2. Operating the rain or rams D by means of a toothed rack or racks, pinions,
sectors, or cams F mounted on the shaft G in combination with the coking shelf,
substantially as described.
3. The position, form, and method of working ram or rams for supplying fuel
to furnace which acts as distributor of fuel as well as coking same, substantially as
described.
4. The use and form of coking plate of special form made hollow and supplied
with steam or water, or cast solid and supplied with refractory material for
prolonging life of same, substantially as described.
5. The special form, mounting, and mode of operating the cams and arrangement
of same for operating the fire-bars, substantially as described.
Dated the 27th A1005
EDMUND CHADWICK, F.I.C.P.A.,
Agent.