Improvements in the Construction of Mechanical Stokers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Mechanical Stokers.
I JAMES PROCTOR of Hammerton Street Iron Works, Burnley, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to machinery for mechanically supplying fuel to furnaces,
and the object of the invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction of
such mechanism and to cover the fire with the fuel more effectually.
My improved mechanism consists mainly of a rain or rams working in the same
box with the shovel or shovels, and in a direction parallel with the throw of the said
shovel or shovels, which is effected by a spring or springs and a suitable lantern wheel
or tappet or lantern wheels or tappets or other suitable means.
The shovel may be in the form of a sliding spring shovel or a radial shovel but in
either case it works at the bottom of the shovel box and beneath a feed plate.
This feed plate does not extend so far inwards as the bottom of the shovel box and
its inner edge is preferably inclined back from the centre to the sides so that the
central part extends furthest inwards.
Above this feed plate I mount a ram of suitable width working in and out in a
direction parallel with the line of motion of the shovel.
Fuel from a suitable hopper (or other supply) falls upon this feed plate and is
prevented from falling (when not required) over the inner edge of the same by a
weighted flap pressing upon or against the coal, the said flap being preferably curved
inwards at its lower edge.
This weighted flap is pushed inwards by the forward motion of the aforesaid
ram, which thus forces a certain quantity of the fuel over the inner edge of the
fuel plate, such fuel owing to the form of the inner edge of the said feed plate
falling evenly over the whole width thereof upon the bottom of the shovel box on
the inner side of the shovel, which at this moment is being withdrawn by the
lantern wheel or tappet before named overcoming the resistance of a spring or
springs.
The face of the shovel is made V shaped and when the said shovel is released
by the tappet or lantern wheel and thrown inwards suddenly, and with suitable
force, by the said spring the fuel will not only be thrown on the fire but will be
scattered over the surface thereof and thrown well to the sides of the furnace in
consequence of the V shape of the shovel.
If required two rams and two shovels may be applied to work side by side in one
furnace for example in the case of wide furnaces.
In the case of a radial shovel the feed plate is made narrower than the shovel
box, or is slotted so as to allow of the motion of radial arms to which the shovel is
attached.
The feed plate is also provided with flanges or side plates and the radial arms above
named work between these side plates and the sides of the shovel box.
I propose to actuate each ram by a bowl or finger fixed thereto and passing
through an inclined slot in a transversely sliding bar actuated by a crank or its
equivalent driven from a bevel wheel fixed to the lantern wheel, or by other
suitable means.

page_text: It will be understood from the above description that the ram and the shovel work
in the same box, and thus the mechanism is very simple in construction, and occupies
as small a space as possible.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1896
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Construction of Mechanical Stokers.
1 JAMES PROCTOR, of Hammerton Street Iron Works, Burnley, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to machinery for mechanically supplying fuel to furnaces,
and the object of the invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction of such
mechanism and to cover the fire with the fuel more effectually.
The invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings,
Fig. 1 being a front elevation Fig. 2 a sectional elevation of a stoker with radial
shovel having my improvements applied thereto.
Figs. 3, 34, and 4 are detached views hereafter more particularly referred to.
According to this invention I employ a ram r or rams working in the same
box B with the shovel s or shovels, and in a direction parallel with the throw of
the said shovel s or shovels, which is effected by a spring or springs s and a
suitable lantern wheel or tappet or lantern wheels t³ or tappets as usual or by
other suitable means.
The shovels may be in the form of a sliding spring shovel or a radial shovel
as shown but in either case it works at the bottom of the shovel box B and
beneath a feed plate P.
This feed plate P does not extend so far inwards as the bottom of the shovel
box B and its inner edge may be inclined back from the centre to the sides so that the
central part extends furthest inwards.
Above this feed plate I mount the ram r or rams of suitable width.
Fuel from a suitable hopper H (or other supply) falls upon the feed plate P and is
prevented from falling (when not required) over the inner edge of the same by a
pivotted weighted flap pressing upon or against the coal, the said flap F being
preferably curved inwards at its lower edge, as seen at Fig. 2.
This flap F may hang by its own weight or be weighted and is pushed inwards by
the forward motion of the aforesaid ram r, which thus forces a certain quantity of the
fuel over the inner edge of the feed plate P, such fuel owing to the form of the inner
edge of the said feed plate falling evenly over the whole width thereof upon the
bottom of the shovel box B on the inner side of the shovel s, which at this moment is
being withdrawn by the lantern wheel 3 or tappet before named (or its equivalent)
overcoming the resistance of a spring or springs s¹ in the usual manner.
The face of the shovel is or may be made V-shaped (see detached plan Fig. 4) and
when the said shovel s is released by the tappet or lantern wheel and thrown inwards
suddenly, and with suitable force, by the said spring the fuel will not only be thrown
on the fire but will be scattered over the surface thereof and thrown well to the sides
of the furnace in consequence of the V shape of the shovel.
If required two rams and two shovels may be applied to work side by side in one
furnace for example in the case of wide furnaces.

page_text: I propose to actuate each ram r by a bowl or finger, fixed thereto and passing
through an inclined slot t* (see detached plan Fig. 3) in a transversely sliding bar t
actuated by a crank t1 or its equivalent driven from a bevel wheel 2 fixed to the
lantern wheel t 3 as shewn, or by other suitable means, but I prefer to actuate the
sliding bar from the lantern wheel as this arrangement is most convenient for
regulating the quantity of fuel to be supplied to the fire.
Or the bar t may be cranked as seen at Fig. 34, and the cranked ends t** work
between bowls r 11 fixed to the rams r.
Or in some cases the sliding bar can be so made as to actuate the tappet arms T or
to otherwise work the spring shovels.
It will be understood from the above description that the ram and the shovel work
practically in the same box, and thus the mechanism is very simple in construction,
and occupies as small a space as possible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination with a spring shovel of a ram or rams working over a feed
plate above the said shovel and actuated by a sliding bar having inclined slots or
equivalent inclines at such an angle as to give the necessary traverse to the rams,
the said bar being actuated by the lantern wheel which works the shovels, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
2. The improved sprinkling stoker with radial shovel constructed and operating as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
Dated the 2nd day of January 1897
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.