IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SUP- PLYING FUEL AND AIR TO FURNACES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Hacking, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SUP-
PLYING FUEL AND AIR TO FURNACES."
Sealed the 16th May 1856, and dated the 8th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Hacking at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
December 1855.
I, JOSEPH HACKING, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SUPPLYING FUEL AND AIR TO FURNACES, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improved combinations of parts for
supplying fuel and air to furnaces used in generating steam, and for other
purposes. The machinery for effecting these objects consists of a hopper into
which the fuel is placed; near the bottom of the hopper is a roller or rollers
having teeth placed in a spiral direction, so as to supply the fuel regularly to
a horizontal fan revolving below the roller or rollers. This fan distributes the
fuel on to the grate, and the direction in which the fuel is projected by the
fan is regulated by side plates and by a loose bottom in the casing. A slow
rotary motion is given to the feed rollers by a strap and cone pulleys, the
position of the strap and consequently the velocity of the rollers being increased

page_text: or diminished by varying the position of the strap. The quantity of air
admitted to the furnace is also increased or diminished in the same proportion
as the velocity of the feed rollers, by connecting the strap guide to sliding
doors which open or close the passages through which the air passes to the
furnace; these passages may either be in the furnace door, the casing under
the hopper, the framing of the door, the dead plate, bridge, or flue. The
position of the damper is also regulated according to the velocity of the
feed rollers by being in connection with the strap guide above mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Hacking in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPHI
HACKING, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Hacking, Her special license that I, the said Joseph Hacking,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Hacking, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SUPPLYING FUEL AND AIR TO FURNACES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Hacking, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Hacking; do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
(that is to say):
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in the application of a revolving
feed roller or rollers, having teeth or projections placed in a spiral direction
for supplying fuel from a hopper to the furnace or grate.
Secondly, in the application of a loose bottom, the position of which can be'
changed to alter the distance or direction of the fuel supplied on to the grate
by a fan or otherwise.
Thirdly, in connecting to the strap guide of the cone pulleys by which the
feed roller is driven, a lever for moving the slide by which air is admitted to
the fire, and a chain for regulating the opening and closing of the damper
between the flue and the chimney.
.. And, fourthly, in an improved combination of machinery for forcing air and
fuel on to or over the fire-grate.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me. - 5
Figure 1 of the said Drawings is a front elevation of an ordinary two-flued
boiler with my improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is a side elevation of
the same; Figure 3 is another side elevation in section; and Figure 4 is a
detached view of my improved feed roller.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, a, a, is a large box or hopper attached to the firing
end of the boiler b, into which the fuel is placed, and near to the bottom of
the hopper a are placed two rollers c, c, having teeth placed in a spiral or
screw form around their circumferences; these rollers are both fixed on the
same shaft. The object of these rollers is to supply the fuel regularly across
the hopper from side to side to the fans d, which project and distribute it
on to the grate d'; the fans d are keyed upon the shaft e, to which rapid
motion is communicated by a strap passing over the fast and loose pulleys e³, e'.
At the bottom of the casing f. f, see Figure 3, is the loose bottom g, hinged to
the casing for the more regular distribution of fuel on to the grate; this loose
bottom being raised and depressed alternately by an excentric e' keyed on the
shaft e, and connected by the rod e and lever e³ to the loose bottom g. A slow
rotary motion is given to the feed or fuel supplying roller c, as shewn by
Figures 1, 2, and 3; the pinion e' keyed on the shaft e, gears into the wheel j
keyed upon the shaft k, upon which is keyed the pinion 1, driving the wheel m
and the cone pulley h, the strap r giving motion to the cone pulley i, upon
whose shaft is keyed a worm, gearing into the wheel n; this wheel is keyed
upon the shaft o, upon which is keyed a worm p, gearing into the worm wheel
9, keyed upon the spiral or screw roller shaft c.
The strappassing around

page_text: the cone pulleys h and i, is traversed by hand by means of a strap guide s' and.
screw s, mounted in suitable bearings, to vary the motions of the spiral roller c,
and the supply of fuel to the furnaces. To the traversing strap guide s¹ of the
cone pulleys h and i, are attached the various connections for increasing or
decreasing the supply of air to the fuel in process of combustion, and to regu-
late the position of the damper to increase or diminish the draught. The
slide doors or other valves may be placed either in the furnace door as shewn,,
or in the door framing, the casing, dead plate, bridge, or flue. The strap guide
s' is jointed to the lever t, whose fulcrum is at t¹; this lever is hinged to the
rod u, to which are jointed the lower ends of the levers u', the upper ends of
which are connected to the perforated plates u³. The holes in these plates
correspond with the holes in the furnace doors u³. To the lever t is also
connected the end of the chain t2, which after passing under a guide roller is
made fast to the pulley t, to which is affixed a larger pulley t', having a chain
passing around it; this chain is then taken over other guide pulleys (not
shewn in the Drawing) and secured to the damper. The Drawing represents
the various parts in the positions they occupy when the strap r is about in the
centre of the length of the cone pulleys h and i; the feed rollers c is therefore
revolving at its medium velocity, the damper is held about half open, and the
sliding perforated plates u² are held in the proper position for covering about
one-half of the holes in the furnace doors. When more fuel is required, the
attendant by turning the hand wheel s on the screw 's moves the strap r
towards the larger end of the cone h, thereby increasing the speed of the feed
rollers c, and at the same time opening the damper and moving the plates u² to
admit more air to the fire. When less fuel is required, the strap r is moved
in the contrary direction, and the reverse action takes place.
On Sheet 2, Figure 5 is a front elevation, in section, of a modification of the
above-described improvements; Figure 6 is a side elevation; and Figure 7, a
plan, also in section, of the same. As many of the parts in these views are
similar to those above described, they are marked with corresponding letters
of reference. The principal difference between the modification 1 am going
to describe and the one described above is, that by the machinery shewn in
Figures 5, 6, and 7, the air is forced into the fuel as the fuel is pressed
forward on to the fire grate, whereas in the former arrangement the air is
allowed to enter the furnace, and the fuel is projected on to the fire grates.
In Figures 5 and 6, h is the upper cone pulley, which is driven at a uniform
velocity by the steam engine or other motive power; to each end of the shaft
of the lower cone pulley i is fixed a crank v; these cranks are fixed at right
angles to each other, and they give motion to the pistons v' in the air cylinders

page_text: 3, by means of the connecting rods and piston rods shewn. The feed roller c,
which is similar to the one shewn in Figure 4, is fixed on the vertical shaft e,
to the lower end of which is keyed the fan d; the shaft e revolves slowly,
being turned round by the pinion I, wheel m, shaft o, worm and worm wheel n,
as seen best in Figure 5. The fuel which is contained in the hopper a is
forced downwards by the feed roller c to the fan d, by which it is gradually:
pressed forward along the casings f, f, to the grate bars d'; the loose bottom g
is raised or lowered to vary the angle at which the fuel is pressed forward.
The air from the cylinders is conveyed to the casings f, f, by the pipes v*.
In cases where a strong draught is obtained by the chimney the air cylinders
2.2
may be dispensed with, and the air requisite for combustion is then admitted
through suitable apertures in the casing.
By means of these improvements the fresh fuel is gradually supplied to the
grate, on which the int
el acmulates in the manner shewn ;
consequently the fresh
enters below a portion of that which is already.
partly consumed, and presses forward that which is on the grate; consequently
the air and gases rising from the fresh fuel must at all times pass over or
through and become ignited by the incandescent fuel before it arrives at the
bridge w. The velocity of the parts must be governed by the quality of the
fuel and the depth of the feed. The strap r is provided with an adjustable
strap guide, as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and the damper is connected to the
strap guide as before described. I prefer to leave a space between the end of
the grate bars d' and the bridge w, as shewn in Figure 6, to allow the
clinkers and ashes to drop into the flue, from whence they are removed
occasionally through the trap-door x.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood, that the application of
hoppers with rollers and fans and other machinery for supplying fuel and air
to furnaces are not new, and therefore, excepting as herein-after particularly
stated, I make no claim to such machinery, but that what I consider new and
therefore claim as of my Invention is,―
First, the revolving feed roller marked c, having teeth or projections placed
in spiral lines around its circumference for supplying the fuel regularly to the
grate or furnace.
Secondly, the application of the loose bottoms g for varying the distance
or direction in which the fuel is projected, distributed, or supplied by the fans.
Thirdly, connecting the damper and the passages for admitting air to the
grate or furnace to the strap guide of the cones pulleys, by which the feed
rollers are driven.

page_text: Fourthly, the improved machinery for forcing fuel from a hopper or other
receptacle through a casing on to a grate, in such wise, that the fresh fuel and
air shall enter below a portion of that which is already ignited, as described in
reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7.
And, lastly, the combination of the air cylinders with the other machinery
shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7, for supplying air to furnaces.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Hacking, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
JOSEPH HACKING. (L.S.)