CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, AND ALSO IN BOILERS AND IN FURNACES USED FOR THE GENERATION OF STEAM, OR OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1837

page_text: SLATER'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SLATER, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eleventh day of November, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-seven, in the first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Slater, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Slater,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said James
Slater, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no other, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and all
Her Majesty's Colonics and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, AND ALSO IN BOILERS AND IN FURNACES USED FOR
THE GENERATION OF STEAM, OR OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James Slater, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Slater do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in Drawings hereunto annexed, and by the following explanation
thereof, that is to say :-
propose
My improvements in steam engines, and also in boilers and in furnaces used
for the generation of steam or other useful purposes, consist, firstly, in the
novel arrangement and construction of stationary and marine steam engines, and
the application of a compensating valve thereto, in order to allow the steam
employed to be used with the greatest possible economy and effect. In many
situations it is found advisable to work such engines expansively, even at the
loss of equality of action and power, which defect will be entirely obviated by
the application of such compensating valve as will be hereafter explained.
to construct such engines with two cylinders, and to use the steam
first at high pressure, which after its exit from the high pressure cylinder of the
engine is to be received into an intermediate vessel or steam chamber, which
serves as a low pressure boiler to the condensing cylinder, and there expanding
is immediately conveyed to the condensing cylinder of the engine; thus
by the application of my compensating valve each engine is rendered separate
and distinct from the other, the combined effective power of the pair of
engines is equalized, and their action perfectly regulated. This valve will also
keep the steam in the intermediate vessel at the required pressure when the
engines are standing or in readiness to start, so that both may work at full
power. The application of this valve is also calculated to compensate or adjust
any difference which may arise either in the irregular generation of the steam
or in the respective diameters of the high and low pressure cylinders. Secondly,
my improvements consist in the effectual application of ordinary tubular or
locomotive engine boilers to stationary or marine or boat engines by the
employment of a self-acting apparatus in connection with and actuated by the
working parts of the engine, and by which means the boilers are kept entirely
free from any obstruction which might otherwise be occasioned by the crystal-
lization of the brine or sea waters, or from any other detrimental secretion
Thirdly, my improvements consist in the novel and particular construction of
furnaces to bo employed for the generation of steam, either in connexion
with stationary or marine engines, but which are more particularly applicable
to the bilers of locomotive engines, and in such furnaces I am enabled to bur
ordinary coal instead of coke, as hitherto practised, as they are so constructed
as to consume the smoke produced in the decomposition of coal, and thereby
considerably reduce the expense of fuel usually employed. In order that thes

page_text: my improvements in steam engines, boilers, and furnaces may be fully explained
and more particularly understood, I have attached to these Presents five Sheets
of Drawings, in which my several improvements are respectively exhibited as
applicable to stationary, marine, and locomotive steam engines, with their
boilers and furnaces, and have similar letters of reference marked upon cor-
responding parts in the various Figures. In Sheet 1, Figure 1 represents a side
elevation of a stationary steam engine. a, a, is an ordinary high pressure
cylinder, into which steam is conducted direct from the boiler through steam
passages formed in the framing of the engine, and from which it is discharged
into the intermediate vessel or steam chamber b, b; this vessel is for the purpose of
allowing the steam to expand previously to its entering the condensing cylinder
of the other engine (and acting as an independent low pressure boiler for the
same), which is supposed to be working in connexion with and at right angles to
the one represented. The compensating valve for regulating and equalizing the
effective power of the two steam cylinders is (shewn at d, being placed in the
valve box or chamber e, e, (seen in section); this valve opening upwards from its
seating f, f, allows the steam to pass from the high pressure boiler to the steam
chamber b, b, which is also charged with the exit steam from the cylinder a;
this steam chamber 6 must also be furnished with a proper safety valve. The
greater pressure of steam coming direct from the boiler acting upon the smaller
surface of the valve, and the lesser pressure being upon the larger surface, the
valve will necessarily rise or fall until the pressure is compensated, and each
cylinder enabled to work at its full power, and as distinct and separate engines,
each being as it were furnished with its own boiler. Figures 2 and 3 are
sectional representations of a similar description of compensating valve, but
modified in its construction. In these Figures it will be seen that the valve
opens downwards, as the greater pressure of steam there exerts itself in the
reverse direction. Sheet 2 represents a side elevation, and Sheet 3 a plan or
horizontal view of a pair of marine or boat engines, constructed as above
proposed, and with my improvements attached. a is the high pressure cylinder;
6, the intermediate or steam chamber. c is the steam pipe leading from the
boiler direct to the cylinder a; and d is a branch pipe to the steam chamber b.
My improved compensating valve as applied to this pair of engines is shewn
at e. fis the steam pipe from the intermediate vessel 6 to the low pressure
or condensing cylinder g; and h is the cranked or paddle-wheel shaft. The
second feature of my improvements, which relates more particularly to the
effectual application of high pressure, tubular, or common locomotive engine
boilers to stationary, or marine, or boat engines, is illustrated by Figures 1 and
2, in Sheet 4; of the Drawings, Figure 1 being a plan or horizontal view of

page_text: the boiler with the self-acting apparatus for clearing the same attached, and
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same taken at the dotted line A, B, in
Figure 1. a, a, represents the furnace (which will be particularly detailed
hereafter); b, b, b, b, an ordinary tubular boiler; to this boiler is attached a
float chamber c, c, containing the float d; it will be seen that the boiler is
furnished with a proper space or passage e, e, in order to allow the salt or other
deposit to fall into the lower compartment or reservoir f, f, through the space
or passage e, e; the boiler is also supplied with water by means of the valve g.
Now in order to clear the boiler from salt or any other deposit the self-acting
apparatus is put in motion, as follows:-Upon the main or paddle wheel
shaft h, h, are represented two modes of effecting the same, but quite inde-
pendent of each other, as either the simple or combined mode may be used as
occasion may require. As the paddle shaft / revolves, it communicates rotary
motion to the small horizontal shaft i, i, by means of the worms and wheels k, k,
(by changing which the water may be drawn off at any time and in any quantity)
and cross shaft l; upon the shaft i is mounted the cam wheel m. This cam
wheel is formed of two discs or plates, the plate 1 being fast upon the horizontal
shaft i, i; and the plate 2 being fast upon the tube n, which surrounds part of
the shaft i, i; these two plates forming the cam are represented detached at
Figures 2 and 3 for the purpose of showing their interior. Upon the plate 1
there is fixed a snail piece o, and in the plate 2 is fixed the centre pin or
fulcrum of the tappet lever p; it will now be seen that when these two plates are
put together, and the plate 1 and its snail piece o, revolving with the shaft i,
the tappet lever will rise or fall upon the edge of the snail piece, owing to the
plate 2 being fixed upon the tube surrounding the shaft i loosely, and not
revolving with it, and whenever the tappet p is projected beyond the periphery
of the plates 1 and 2, it forms a cam which acts against the roller upon the
longer arm of the bent lever q, and thus opens the valve r, and allows the
water to run from the lower compartment of the boiler in order to clear it by
drawing off the heavier part which has fallen, and with it any deposit that may
have been made. In those cases, when the water is required to be drawn off
only, and without being previously agitated, the mode just described will have
the desired effect, but in the event of great sediment the agitator will have to
be used just before and during the operation of drawing off the water, in
which case I should recommend the following method, which combines both
operations, and is a distinct apparatus, the other being represented upon
the same Figure merely for illustration. In order to agitate the sediment
and admit of it flowing with the water there is an eccentric s placed
upon the paddle shaft, which communicates a vibratory motion to the

page_text: bell crank levert through the rod u, and this lever sliding the horizontal
bar backwards and forwards gives an oscillating motion to the agitator
wo, w, (just prior to the valve being opened, and during its continuance, with
which it is connected,) and at the same time the roller a turning upon the
fulcrum of the bell crank lever t, having a strap passed around it, and twice
round the drum y, will communicate a rotary motion to the cross shaft, worm
wheel and horizontal shaft i, as before explained. In the event of the water
getting low in the boiler, or the engines stopping, the float & will act upon the
bell crank lever 3, and diagonal rod 4, the lower end of which being fixed
upon a plate at the other end of the tube carrying the plate 2 of the cam
wheel, will drive it round so far as to allow the tappet p to fall between
the plates, no longer presenting itself to the bent lever 2, and consequently to
allow the closing of the discharge valve r, to prevent the water getting too
low in the boiler. The third feature of my improvements, which consists in a
novel construction of furnace for the generation of steam or other useful
purposes, is represented in section in Sheet 5 of the Drawings, and there shewn
as attached to an ordinary locomotive engine boiler. It consists of two distinct
chambers or compartments, the one forming the feeding hopper and grate, and
the other the furnace or fire chamber. a, a, a, represents the boiler, and b, 6, 6,
the fire box of an ordinary locomotive engine. It will be seen that the lower
compartment or chamber of the furnace c, c, forms a feeding hopper, and is:
charged with coal through the fire door d; these chambers are divided by the
partition of fire bricks e, e, (or by a water space in the same situation,) which
forms the roof of the hopper, and also keeps the coal from falling into the
furnace or fire chamber f,f; this partition must descend into the furnace at least
three inches below the bottom tube in the boiler; the grate bars are shewn at
9,9, which are formed as the segment of a circle or arched, and must be placed
obliquely. h, h, is a plate or scries of bars, and is for the purpose of forming
the furnace bottom; this may be removed in case of need, or in cleaning out
the furnace, by sliding aside the catch piece i, and allowing it to fall. There
is a wind chest or air chamber k, k, placed within the fire box underneath the
grate bars for the purpose of heating the air, which arises from the open
bottom of the fire box. The current of air is received into the chamber k, k,
through the longitudinal orifice or opening made at 7; after it has become heated
it rushes through the pipes m, m, one passing on cach side of the fire box, and
returning into the furnace or chamber upon opposite sides at o, where the
heated air blowing upon the smoke just arising from the surface of the coals
furnishes the oxygon requisite for combustion, and converts the smoke into a
strong flame, thus effecting its consumption previously to entering the tubes of
the boiler. There is an aperture formed in the bearers of the fire bars at p