Year: 1886

page_text: I, EDGAR FRANK VAUGHN of 54 Monroe Street, Topeka in the State of Kansas
one of the United States of America, Locomotive and Marine Engineer and
Machinist 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:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ash-pan, showing the front
damper or hood partly open and the rear damper fully open. Fig. 2 is a
longitudinal section taken in a vertical plane through the centre of my improved
ash-pan. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the pan, taken in the line
indicated by xx on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom view..
This invention has relation to ash pits or pans for locomotives and stationary
furnaces; and it consists in the following-described devices, which will be herein-
after specified.
My objects are, first, to prevent setting fire on lines of railways by coals and
sparks from ash-pans of locomotives, and to accomplish the same result in stationary
engine-boilers; also, to afford means whereby the incandescent coals shall fall
between rails; also, to provide means whereby the ashes can be readily dumped
between the rails, the fire in the ashes being extinguished before so dumping.
These objects I accomplish in the following manner, reference being had to the
annexed drawings.
A designates an ash-pan, which is provided with a frame, A¹, forming a
rectangular flange bolted to the "mud-ring" section of a locomotive engine-
boiler, or a stationary engine-boiler. This frame may be formed entire, or it
may be formed of separate parts united by angle-irons, or. in any other suitable
manner,
The general form of my removable ash-pan or ash-bottom is this: Its sides a a
are tapered at their ends, as indicated at a¹ a¹, and suitably secured to a horizontal
bottom, b. The said rectangular flange forms the binding-cap for the frame A, and
it is, preferably as above-described, so that it will form a binder.
It will be observed by reference to the drawings that the ends of this ash box or
pan are inclined in opposite directions, and that I employ inside of the box a
sub-bottom consisting of two inclined planes or chutes, c c, starting above from the
ID 071
"

page_text: said rectangular frame and terminating at the longitudinal edges of an opening, d,
through the bottom 6 of the frame. These inclined chutes leave beneath them a
longitudinal passage which extends from the front to the rear of the ash-box, and
below the said frame I suitably unite to the said inclined chutes, and to the bottom
of the ash-box end-divisions, f f¹, which are preferably in practice, inverted
arches, which not only serve as lateral braces, but they also serve as end guards.
At the rear end of the ash-box I employ a strong, hinged and reticulated
diaphragm, g, which may be made of wire netting, my object being to break up the
live cinders under any strong blast and furthermore to give ready access at all
times to the inner portion of the ash-pan. At the opposite or front end of this
ash-box, which is removable, I employ breaker-bars h, which may be made of chilled
steel or of any other suitable material, and which are secured to the division f, and
to the front transverse portion of the top frame. In front of and in close relation
to these said breakers I use another netting, i, which is secured to the division f,
and also to the transverse division..
A.2017
It will thus be seen that while I allow a free escape of ashes and cinders from
the ash-box, when I disintegrate the same, on their outward passage, and that
I may employ the said cinder-breakers at the rear end as well as at the front end
of the ash-box.
In addition to and as supplementary for preventing the forward and backward
escape of incandescent cinders, I employ hinged dampers or hoods CC at both ends
of my improved ash-box. These dampers consist of imperforate plates, which are
hinged at to the ends of the flanged frame D, and provided with reticulated
hooding portions kk, a transverse re-enforcing-bar, l, and a hinged reticulated
apron; m. The reticulated fixed parts of the hoods form in éross-section a V with
the ends closed, and to the free edge of each hood the reticulated àpron is hinged
to said bar . This apron performs an important office in my improved ash-pan or
removable box, to wit: its lower edge impinges upon the bottom of the box beyond
the breakers and the netting above described, and wipes back the cinders and sparks
which may have passed the inner netting.
For the purpose of insuring the extinguishment of the live cinders I employ a
perforated pipe, G, which I prefer to connect with the steam-chamber of the boiler
below the water-line therein, if my invention is used with a locomotive or portable
engine, and to provide this pipe with a suitable valve, readily accessible to the
engineer. This pipe is carried around the ash-box, preferably in close relation to
the frame D, and from its numerous perforations steam and water will issue
downward under pressure, for the purpose above described.
I, will now describe the dumping attachment for my ash-pan. I have above
stated that the inner sides of the pan are inclined inward, so that the box becomes
a chute. Now, in the space between the lower termini of these inclined sides I
employ two or more slats or dumps, J J, which are journaled in the transverse end
pieces, and have bevelled edges adapted to form tight joints when they are closed.
By reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that I secure downwardly-turned plates
HH to the bottoms of the slats, which plates are slotted transversely at n n. It
will also be seen that I employ a rocking bar, L, having forked arms p p secured to
it, the ends of which are passed through said slots. This rocking or oscillating
bar L is journaled in bearings rr, secured to the bottom of the pan, and on one
end of this bar is keyed a lever, L, which, by a suitable connecting-rod, can be
vibrated by the engineer at his place in the cab. By this means the accumulated
cinders which are dead can be dumped and directed toward the centre of the track,
if the device be used on a locomotive.
It will be observed that the device herein described is reversible, and that I have
a hopper which will concentrate the débris that falls from the grate of the furnace.
Furthermore, it will be observed that leave air-circulating passages between the
outer side walls of the ash-pan and the chuting-walls, which will keep these walls
cool. By these means I can safely dump ashes and cinders while the engine is in
motion, and prevent fires.

page_text: The breaker-bars h, which I have above referred to, protect the wire-netting from
being torn out by clinkers falling against this netting when the fire in a furnace is
being cleaned of cinders and other incombustible residue, and also when the fire is
being "knocked out" of the furnace.
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. An ash-pan for a furnace, having a bracing-frame, the longitudinal vertical
sides and internal inclined sides forming chutes and leaving air-circulating spaces,
substantially as described.
2. An ash-pan for a furnace, having a bracing-frame, chuting sides, air-circulating
spaces between these sides and the outer walls, and a dumping or tilting bottom,
as described.
3. The combination, in a furnace ash-pan, of the rigid top frame, the vertical side
walls inclined at their ends, as described, the chute-boards, a tilting bottom, and
the reticulated spark-arresters at the ends of the pan, substantially as described.
4. The combination, with an ash-pan for a furnace, of the means described for
dumping the ashes, and hinged reticulated dampers, substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
5. The combination of articulating dampers having reticulated angular walls
with an ash-pan constructed substantially as described.
6. An ash-pan or pit adapted for locomotive or stationary furnaces, provided at
one end with cinder-breaking bars, substantially as described.
7. An ash-pan adapted for furnaces, having at one end cinder-breaking bars and
a reticulated wall, substantially as described.
8. An ash-pan adapted for locomotive or stationary furnaces, provided at one end
with cinder-breaking bars and a reticulated spark-arrester, in combination with
spray-pipes inside of the pan, substantially as described.
9. The combination, in an ash pan, of a spray-pipe for extinguishing incandescent
cinders with reticulated spark-arresting walls suitably hinged in order to give ready
access to the inner portion of the ash-pan, and hinged dampers, substantially as
described.
10. The combination, in an ash box or pan, of tilting bottoms provided with
slotted plates, and the rocking bar provided with forks which enter the slots in
said plates, and operate by oscillating the bar to open and shut said bottoms,
substantially as described.
11. An ash-pan having the exterior vertical sides, the inclined or chute interior
sides, the tilting bottom, reticulated ends, and hinged dampers provided with
articulating aprons, substantially as described.
12. The combination, in an ash-pan, of the side walls bevelled at their ends,. the
rectangular frame, the internal inclined walls, leaving air-circulating spaces, a tilting
bottom, a cinder-breaker at the end of the pan, and a hinged damper, substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described, set forth and illustrated in the
drawings annexed.