IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD LOCOMOTIVES PARTLY APPLICABLE TO FEED HEATERS AND STEAM BOILERS GENERALLY
Year: 1876

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to James Matthews, of Dunwear Villa, Bridgwater, in the
County of Somerset, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD
LOCOMOTIVES PARTLY APPLICABLE TO FEED HEATERS AND STEAM BOILERS
GENERALLY."
Sealed the 12th April 1876, and dated the 25th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Matthews at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th January 1876.
JAMES MATTHEWS, of Dunwear Villa, Bridgwater, in the County of Somerset.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD LOCOMOTIVES PARTLY APPLICABLE TO FEED HEATERS AND
STEAM BOILERS GENERALLY."
My improvements relate to the construction of the driving wheels, steam boilers,
and feed heaters for road locomotives, the two last-named improvements being
equally applicable to steam boilers and feed heaters generally.
I construct the tyres of the driving wheels of road locomotives with holes at
certain distances apart, through which project small rectangular frames that are
connected at their inner ends by bolts to plates secured to rings of angle iron fixed
to the spokes of the wheel, india-rubber or other springs being made to intervene
between the inner ends of the said frames and the plates to which they are
connected so that when by the revolution of the wheel the projecting frames are
brought on to the ground they can yield somewhat to the pressure by being forced
inwards against the action of the springs, and thus while they afford additional
grip to the wheels their yielding action prevents them from injuring the road. The
outer ends of the frames may be grooved or otherwise forned with edges to afford
additional grip, or in place of frames bars may be used with the projecting ends
pointed and with shoulders on their inner parts against which the before-mentioned
springs bear.
I construct the steam boilers of such road engines as also other steam boilers in
the following manner:-I form the shell of the internal flue or fire-box with one or
more shoulders projecting inwards in the course of its length, so that the flue
decreases in size as it recedes from the furnace, the outer surface thereof presenting
the form of one or more steps which may either be at right angles or at any other
angle to the shell, in such stepped part or parts I fix a number of flue tubes which
extend through the water space of the boiler outside the flue or fire-box to the
smoke box thereof, so that the flames and hot gases from the furnace will pass
[Price 6d.]

page_text: partially through such tubes which will thus afford additional effective heating
surface, in addition to which the hot gases being caused to strike against the
projecting shoulder or shoulders of the flue more heat will be taken up by the
surface of the latter than when the flue is formed in the usual manner.
In applying the Invention to vertical boilers the crown of the fire-box may either
be closed or it may be connected by a flue tube to the smoke box, and be provided
with an adjustable baffle plate in a manner well understood. The smoke box may
in this case be formed conical and be surrounded by a cylindrical chamber through
which the feed water for the boiler is made to pass, as described in the Specification
to my Patent No. 3586 of 1874.
According to another improvement I introduce into the internal flue of the before
described or other internal flued boilers fire-brick built so as to fill up the central
part of the flue, leaving passages between it and the sides of the flue whereby the
hot gases are brought more intimately in contact with the shell of the flue.
In some cases employ this arrangement in steam boilers of the locomotive type,
substituting a cylindrical flue with or without the before-mentioned steps and
external fluc tubes, and with the fire-brick structure in place of the ordinary flue
tubes communicating with the fire-box. The said cylindrical flue may either
.extend to the smoke box or it may be stopped short at some distance therefrom,
and made to communicate therewith by small smoke tubes passing through the
water space.
I stay the crown of the fire-box of such boilers or of other boilers
having flat topped fire-boxes by bolts to a cross plate fixed at the ends to the sides
of the boiler; this plate may either be straight with strengthening ribs above or
below it, or I curve the plate somewhat downwards and place on the upper surface
thereof bars, the under sides of which fit the curvature of the plate, while the upper
surfaces are straight so as to give a level bearing to the nuts of the suspending bolts
which pass through them. By the use of the said plates I dispense with the girder
stays usually employed, and thus avoid the accumulation of deposit among such
stays.
For heating the feed water of steam boilers such as I have described or of other
steam boilers, I employ an apparatus suited more particularly for double engines
such as those of a locomotive. It consists of a flat vessel having a semicircular
crown and tapering at the bottom to a mouth-piece to which is titted a blow-off
pipe and cock; within the vessel is formed a breeches pipe having at bottom two
mouths, one connected to the eduction or exhaust pipe of each of the cylinders.
The two branches from these mouths meet in one pipe which issues from the crown
of the vessel. The vessel is placed in the smoke box where its exterior is exposed
to the acton of the hot products of combustion passing from the boiler flues to the
chimney, and the waste steam from the cylinders blowing off through the breeches
or enclosed exhaust pipe heat its interior which is charged with the feed water.
The deposit from the feed water can be blown off from time to time by opening the
blow-off cock. I prefer to construct the vessel with a man-hole on the one side,
which when the heater is of cast metal gives facility of casting, and which
afterwards is useful for giving access to cleanse the interior.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said James Matthews in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 14th July 1876.
JAMES MATTHEWS, of Dunwear Villa, Bridgwater, in the County of Somerset.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD LOCOMOTIVES PARTLY APPLICABLE TO FEED HEATERS AND
STEAM BOILELS GENERALLY."
My improvements relate to the construction of the driving wheels, steam boilers,
and feed heaters for road locomotives, the two last-named improvements being
equally applicable to steam boilers and feed heaters generally.

page_text: I construct the tyres of the driving wheels of road locomotives with holes at
certain distances apart, through which project small rectangular frames that are
connected at their inner ends by bolts to plates secured to rings of angle iron fixed
to the spokes of the wheel, india-rubber or other springs being made to interveno
between the inner ends of the said frames and the plates to which they are
connected, so that when by the revolution of the wheel the projecting frames are
brought on to the ground, they can yield somewhat to the pressure by being forced
inwards against the action of the springs, and thus while they afford additional grip
to the wheels their yielding action prevents them from injuring the road.
outer ends of the frames may be grooved or otherwise formed with edges to afford
additional grip, or in place of frames bars may be used with the projecting ends
pointed, and with shoulders on their inner parts against which the before-mentioned
springs bear.
The
I construct the steam boilers of such road engines as also other steam boilers in
the following manner:-)
:-I form the shell of the internal flue or fire-box with one or
more shoulders projecting inwards in the course of its length, so that the flue
decreases in size as it recedes from the furnace, the outer surface thereof presenting
the form of one or more steps which may either be at right angles, or at any other
angle to the shell; in such stepped part or parts I fix a number of flue tubes which
extend through the water space of the boiler outside the flue or fire-box to the
smoke box thereof, so that the flames and hot gases from the furnace will pass
partially through such tubes, which will thus afford additional effective heating
surface, in addition to which the hot gases being caused to strike against the
projecting shoulder or shoulders of the flue more heat will be taken up by the
surface of the latter than when the flue is formed in the usual manner.
In applying the Invention to vertical boilers the crown of the fire-box may either
be closed or it may be connected by a flue tube to the sinoke box, and be provided
with an adjustable baffle plate in a manner well understood. The smoke box may
in this case be formed conical and be surrounded by a cylindrical chamber through
which the feed water for the boiler is made to pass, as described in the Specification
to my Patent No. 3586 of 1874.
According to another improvement I introduce into the internal flue of the
before described or other internal fluid boilers fire-brick built, so as to fill up the
central part of the flue leaving passages between it and the sides of the flues,
whereby the hot gases are brought more intimately in contact with the shell of
the flue.
In some cases I employ this arrangement in steam boilers of the locomotive type,
substituting a cylindrical flue with or without the before-mentioned steps and
external flue tubes, and with the fire-brick structure in place of the ordinary flue
tubes communicating with the fire-box. The said cylindrical flue may either extend
to the smoke box or it may be stopped short at some distance therefrom, and made
to communicate therewith by small smoke tubes passing through the water space.
I stay the crown of the fire-box of such boilers or of other boilers having flat
topped fire-boxes by bolts to a cross plate fixed at the ends to the sides of the
boiler; this plate may either be straight with strengthening ribs above or below it,
or I curve the plate somewhat downwards and place on the upper surface thereof
bars, the under sides of which fit the curvature of the plate, while the upper
surfaces are straight so as to give a level bearing to the nuts of the suspending bolts
which pass through them. By the use of the said plates 1 dispense with the
girder stays usually employed, and thus avoid the accumulation of deposit among
such stays.
For heating the feed water of steam boilers such as I have described or of
other steam boilers I employ an apparatus suited more particularly for double
engines such as those of a locomotive. It consists of a flat vessel having a semi-
circular crown and tapering at the bottom to a mouth-piece to which is fitted a
blow-off pipe and cock; within the vessel is formed a breeches pipe having at
bottom two mouths, one connected to the eduction or exhaust pipe of each of the

page_text: -
cylinders. The two branches from these mouths meet in one pipe which issues
from the crown of the vessel. The vessel is placed in the smoke box where its
exterior is exposed to the action of the hot products of combustion passing from
the boiler flues to the chimney, and the waste steam from the cylinders blowing
off through the breeches or enclosed exhaust pipe heat its interior which is charged
with the feed water. The deposit from the feed water can be blown off from tinie
to time by opening the blow-off cock. I prefer to construct the vessel with a
man-hole on the one side, which when the heater is of cast metal gives facility of
casting, and which afterwards is useful for giving access to cleanse the interior.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a front view; Fig. 2, a vertical section, and Fig. 3, a plan of a
wheel for a road locomotive according to my Invention. The tyre A is slotted at
numerous points in its periphery to admit the passage through it of small frames or
blocks B, which are attached to an internal ring C by bolts b that can slide inwards
through holes in the said ring, but are prevented by nuts from sliding beyond a
certain distance outwards. Between the frames or blocks B and the ring C are
placed springs D, which may be blocks of caoutchouc as shewn. When the wheel
inoves along the road the flames or blocks B as they come successively round to the
bearing point are pressed inwards in opposition to the springs, giving a grip for
propulsion without damaging the road.
Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal section of a boiler for a road locomotive according
to my improved construction; Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the fire-box,
and Fig. 6 is a like transverse section shewing a modified construction of stays for
the crown of the fire-box. Referring to Fig. 4 the flue E is made with one or more
shoulders as at c by which its diameter is reduced, and tubes F are led therefrom
as well as from the end of the flue G to the smoke box. A like construction is
shewn as applied to a vertical cylindrical boiler in Figs. 7 and 8, which represent
vertical sections of such a boiler, the shoulders c of the flue in Fig. 7 being sloped
or oblique, and those in Fig. 8 being at right angles to the shell of the fire fluc E.
In Figs. 4 and 5, H represents a mass of fire-brick or refractory material built
into the fire flue so as to occupy most of its central space, and to compel the hot
products of combustion from the furnace to pass along the passages h closo to the
surface of the flue.
In Figs. 7 and 8, the fire-brick or refractory filling H rests on the fire-bars, and
air passages may be formed through it.
In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the crown K of the fire-box is shewn to be stayed according
to my Invention by bolts to a plate or frame L, which is secured to the outer shell
of the boiler. The plate or frame L may either be hollowed down as shewn in
Figs. 4 and 5, and provided with ribs or bosses on its upper side to give a flat
bearing for the stay bolts, or it may be flat as shewn in Fig. 6 with curved ribs on
its under side.
Fig. 9 shews a transverse section of my improved feed heater, which is shewn in
longitudinal section in Fig. 4. It consists of a flat vessel M placed in the smoke
box and having within it a breeches pipe N, through which passes the waste steam
from the two cylinders, heating the feed water which is transmitted through the
vessel M on its way to the boiler. The vessel M tapers down at bottom to a blow-
off pipe O, by which sediment from the feed can from time to time be blown off,
and it is preferably made with a man-hole m on one side to facilitate the casting of
the vessel and to give access to its interior for cleansing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim generally the use
of fire-brick in the flues of boilers, but I claim,-
First. Constructing the tyres of the wheels of road locomotives with slots
through which project frames or blocks pressed outwards by springs or elastic
bedlings resting on an inner ring, substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth,

page_text: Second. Constructing the fire-boxes or flues of boilers with shoulders projecting
inwards in which are fixed tubes leading to the smoke box, substantially as herein
described.
Third. Partly filling the fire flue of a boiler with blocks of fire-brick so formed
with channels or passages as to bring the hot products of combustion intimately
into contact with the flue surface, substantially as herein described.
Fourth. Staying the crowns of boiler fire-boxes by bolts to a plate or framing
secured to the boiler casing, substantially as herein described.
Fifth. The use for heating the feed water of boilers of a vessel through which the
water is transmitted, the said vessel containing a breeches pipe through which the
waste steam from a pair of cylinders passes, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Matthews, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
JAMES MATTHEWS. (L.S.)