IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE FIRE GRATES OF LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1859

page_text: the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th April 1859.
I, JOHN LEE STEVENS, of No.. 1, Fish Street Hill, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE FIRE GRATES OF LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER FURNACES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the fire grates of loco-
motive, marine, and other furnaces, and consists in so arranging the fire bars
forming the fire grate that they may be free to vibrate or swing with a
pendulous motion on their points of support, to prevent the adhesion of clinkers
to the bars. I prefer that these points of support should be at the end of the
bars, and that such ends should be of an oval or cylindrical form, to rest in
semicircular or curved grooves formed in the cross bearing bars. The centre
of gravity of each bar should be considerably below its points of support, so
[Price Gd.]

page_text: that the oscillating motion of the locomotive while travelling, if the furnace
be that of a locomotive, or the rolling of the vessel if the furnace be that of a
marine boiler, may keep the bars in constant motion, and so prevent the
adhesion of clinker to them. When using bars arranged in this manner in
connection with stationary furnaces, the necessary motion may be communi-
cated to the bars by an instrument worked by hand or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Lee Stevens in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEE STEVENS, of No. 1, Fish Street Hill, in the City of London, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Lee Stevens, Her special licence that I, the said
John Lee Stevens, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Lee Stevens, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FIRE GRATES OF LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER
FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Lee
Stevens, 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 John Lee Stevens, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the fire grates of

page_text: locomotive, marine, and other furnaces, and consists in so arranging the fire
bars forming the fire grate that they may be free to vibrate or swing with a
pendulous motion on their points of support, to prevent the adhesion of clinker
to the bars. I prefer that these points of support should be at the end of the
bars, and that such ends should be of an oval or cylindrical form to rest in
semicircular or curved grooves formed in the cross bearing bars. The centre of
gravity of each bar should be considerably below its points of support, so that
the oscillating motion of the locomotive while travelling, if the furnace be that
of a locomotive, or the rolling of the vessel if the furnace be that of a marine
boiler, may keep the bars in constant motion, and so prevent the adhesion of
clinker to them. When using bars arranged in this manner in connection
with stationary furnaces, the necessary motion may be communicated to the
bars by an instrument worked by hand or otherwise.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood, and
readily carried into effect, 1 will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side view of a fire bar constructed according to my Invention,
and the same Figure also shews a transverse section of the cross bearing bars
for the same; Figure 2 is an end view of three similar fire bars, and also a
side view of a portion of one of the cross bearing bars; Figure 3 is a plan of
portions of the bars and of one of the cross bearing bars; Figure 4 is a side
view of one of the cross bearing bars complete, shewing the manner in which
it is supported on each side of the furnace, and also three of the fire bars in
section. In all these Figures, a, a, are the fire bars; b, b, the cross bearing
bars; and c, c, the oval ends or projections formed at the extremities of the
fire bars.
At Figure 5 is shewn a side view, and at Figure 6 a transverse section of a
fire bar a, also arranged according to my Invention; but its construction is
somewhat different from that of the bars shown at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4. It is
made of sheet iron, cut and bent to the form shewn; the cross bearing bars b
have studs d, d, fixed on their sides, which enter the hollow necks c, c, of the
fire bars.
Figures 7 and 8 show similar views of an arrangement slightly differing
from that shown at Figures 5 and 6, the cross bearing bars being formed
with elevations e, e, on their upper edges, to receive the necks of the fire bars.
Figures 9 and 10 show a similar arrangement for a solid in place of a hollow
fire bar.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same. I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the exact details described: but what I claim is, the arranging of fire bars
to form a fire grate so that they may be free to vibrate or swing with a
pendulous motion on their points of support, as herein described.
In witness whereof, 1, the said John Lee Stevens, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. LEE STEVENS. (L.S.)