IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, air and feed pipes, reservoirs, smoke boxes, venetian
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Scott, Engineer, Robert Brough,
Engineer, James Ranoe, Boiler Maker, all of Brighton, and
Thomas Mann, Engineer, of Stroud, Rochester, for the Inven-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Scott,
Robert Brough, James Ranoe, and Thomas Mann at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
7th February 1853.
We, WILLIAM SCOTT, Engineer, ROBERT BROUGH, Engineer,
JAMES RINOE, Boiler Maker, all of Brighton, and THOMAS `MANN,
Engineer, of Stroud, Rochester, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES" to be as follows
(that is to say):-
Our Invention has reference to improvements in locomotive,
marine, and stationary engines as concerns the fire boxes, furnaces,
and boilers, partitions or water spaces, hollow stays or tubes, flues,
chambers, air and feed pipes, reservoirs, smoke boxes, venetian

page_text: dampers, blast pipes, slide valves and spindles, expansion links,
eccentric shieves, back pressure off the pistons, and link on piston
motions. The principal improvements consist in the fire box or
furnace having a longitudinal partition full of hollow stays or
tubes. Secondly, passing a partition or water space from the bottom
of the boiler to the back of the fire box or furnace full of horizontal
or diagonal tubes or hollow stays; the flames passing through these
tubes or hollow stays into a flue or chamber above the fire box or
furnace, the flames then passing through the longitudinal tubes
in the boiler, and acting on the reservoirs on each side of the
smoke box, heating the water before entering the boiler; the chamber
or flue having a manhole in the back of the fire box or furnace.
There is an air pipe passing through each side of the fire box
into the chamber or flue, with a bell mouth working universally.
The boiler has a venetian damper placed horizontally in the smoke
box, and above the tubes a skeleton slide valve on blast pipe or
exhaust pipe in the smoke box or chimney. In diminishing or dis-
pensing with the lap on the slide valves and back pressure on the
pistons we connect a curve or sweep expansion link to.the slide valve
spindle placed horizontally so as to cause the valve to stand instead of
traversing the lap, by which the exhaust ports are kept open until
nearly the end of the stroke. The lead of the valve may be greater
or less as required according to the class of engine to which it may
be applied, by having the backway shieves with less throw than the
foreway shieves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters 2
Patent, filed by the said William Scott, Robert Brough, James
Ranoe, and Thomas Mann in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th August 1853.

page_text: Boiler Maker, all of Brighton, and THOMAS MANN, Engineer, of
Stroud, Rochester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said William Scott, Robert
Brough, James Ranoe, and Thomas Mann, Her special licence- that
we, the said William Scott, Robert Brough, James Ranoe, and
Thomas Mann, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said William Scott, Robert Brough, James Ranoe,
and Thomas Mann, our 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 STEAM ENGINES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Scott, Robert Brough, James Ranoe, and Thomas Mann, by an in-
strument in writing under our 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 we, the said William Scott, Robert
Brough, James Ranoe, and Thomas Mann; do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement (that is to say):
Our Invention for improvements in steam engines which has refer-
ence to locomotive, marine, and stationary engines consists, firstly, in
the construction of locomotive boilers, by which the greater economy
in fuel and heating surface is obtained, and greater strength and du-

page_text: rability given to the parts most subject to wear and tear. Secondly,
in the construction of safety valves, having the twofold advantage
of being quickly acted upon by any excessive pressure of steam
and of precluding the possibility of being overloaded, or of any
interference from the engine driver or man in attendance. Thirdly,
in the mechanical arrangement of the several working parts in
connection with the slide valves, by means of which the said valves
are rendered more perfect in their action, and the resistance or
back pressure upon the pistons when in motion diminished.
.
But in order that these our said improvements may be more readily
understood, and easily carried into effect, we proceed to describe
our said Invention more fully by the aid of the accompanying
Drawings, reference being had to the several letters and figures
thereon marked, that is to say: Fig. 1, Sheet 1, represents an end
elevation of a locomotive boiler; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the
same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section; and Fig. 4, a transverse section
taken through the fire box. In each Figure the same letters of refer-
ence denote similar corresponding parts. A, A, smoke box; B, B,
boiler; C, C, fire box or furnace; D, D, partition obliquely dividing
the same at a constant angle in the longitudinal section as seen at
Fig. 2; E, E, hollow stays or tubes through which the heat and flame
ascend in escaping to the smoke box through the tubes of the
boiler; F, F, water spaces; G, G, furnace door; H, H, manhole for
clearing or repairing the tubes or the fire box.
It may here be necessary to observe in the event of the tubular
partition being fixed at a greater elevation than is here represented
as in the position indicated by the dotted lines, it will then be in
all cases desirable to form or construct the manhole in or on either
of the outer or inner sides or surfaces of the fire box, instead of
adhering to the usual practice or custom of having it above the
furnace doors. The partition aforesaid may be of any convenient
size or form suitable for the purpose, and contain any number of
tubes or stays in order to increase the extent of the surfaces or
water spaces so as to accelerate the generation of steam.

page_text: Our improvements in steam engines next described under the
second head of this our said Invention are represented by Sheet 2, of
the Drawings, in which Fig. 1, is a side elevation of our improved
double acting safety valve as applied to the boilers of locomotive,
marine, portable, or stationary steam engines; Fig. 2, a longi-
tudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical front view; Fig. 4,
a top or plan view; Fig. 5, a horizontal section through the dotted
lines shewing the valves and valve seats; and Fig. 6, a separate
view of a double-mitred ring, safety valve, separately shown. In
each Figure I, I, represents the top of the boiler or shell; J, J, the
valves; K, K, the valve covers; L, L, the valve seats; M, M,
pressure rods; N, N, counterbalance pressure spring, acting against
the spring balance on the outer end of the lever; O, O, screw headed
standard bearings, against which the valve spring takes its pressure;
P, P, cross headed guide for the valve spindle; Q, Q, spring balance
leyer. The great novelty and advantage to be derived from the
employment of our improved. safety valves consists in the effect
of placing two safety valves, side by side, together, acting inde-
pendantly, but taking effect simultaneously, the one being fitted,
as in lock valves, with a spiral spring counterpoising the balance
spring power in connection with the outer end of the lever, by
which means it will be seen that when the end in. connection with
the lock valve is depressed the spring will yield to the pressure,
and cause the one valve to open, giving to the other at; the same
time a corresponding action, the effect of which will be to open a
greater passage for the escaping steam than is afforded by the
present arrangements. In place of the ordinary single mitred
valve we propose to employ double mitred ring valves as seen at
Fig. 6, by which means we are enabled to dispense with unnecessary
strong springs, and the great superficial force or pressure upon the
valve covers, while the exit of the steam will be greatly increased.
As a modification of the above improvements, we propose to place
the valve B within the boiler, and to do away with rod J, J,
substituting in place thereof a small bell crank lever firmly secured

page_text: to the valve opening within the boiler, while the other receives
motion from and moves with the valve motion K, K. We may
further remark, that the said valves may be placed within the
steam dome, so as to be under ordinary circumstances entirely out
of the way of being trifled with or disordered.
.
Our Invention having reference, thirdly, to a mode or modes of di-
minishing the back pressure or resistance upon the pistons, consists in
dispensing with the lap on the slide valves by connecting horizontally
or vertically a curve or sweep expansion link to the slide valve
spindles, by which arrangement the valve is caused to stand, in
place of traversing the lap, and the ports are kept open until
nearly the end of the stroke; the lead of the valve at the same time
admitting of any regulation suitable to the class of engines to
which it may be applied by giving to the backway or foreway
shieves the necessary throw, and adopting such other modifications
as may be found necessary in practice.
In the annexed Drawings Sheet 3, Fig. 1, represents a longitudinal
section of a locomotive engine with our improvements; and Fig. 2, a
sectional plan view taken through the cylinders of one half of the
engine; and at Figs. 3, 4, and 5, 'detached views of the curve or sweep
expansion link described under the third head of this our said Inven-
tion. A, A, smoke box; B, B, boiler; C, C, fire box; D, D, oblique
partition; E, E, hollow stays; F, F, water spaces; G, G, furnace door;
H, H, manhole; I, I, boiler plate or shell; J, J, safety valves; K, K,
valve covers; L, L, valve seats; M, M, pressure rods; N, N, pressure
springs; 0, 0, standards; P, P, cross heads; Q, Q, spring balance;
R, R, steam cylinders; S, S, slide valves; T, slide valve rods; U, U,
curve or sweep expansion links oscillating from a fixed centre
V, V, secured to the framing of the engine; W, W, horizontal rod
with friction rollers X, X, working in guides X1, X¹, direct from
the eccentric gear Y, Y, upon the driving shaft Z.
In concluding our description of this portion of the Invention, which
relates to our mode of dispensing with back pressure upon pistons, it
may be further stated, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6,

page_text: that the expansion link aforesaid is constructed with an inner curved
slot or channel into which friction rollers work on each side in such
a manner that supposing the valve to have admitted steam on one
side of the piston; and to be exhausting on the other, the exhaust
ports by reason of the peculiar form of the said channel in the
expansion link will be free to act, and remain standing or open
until nearly the end of the stroke, an arrangement whereby a consi-
derable saving in the wear and tear of the valve and valve gear is ef-
fected, and the steam by being worked expansively to the end of the
stroke greatly economised. The action of the link is as follows:-On
motion being given to the guide rod W, direct from the eccentric arms,
a horizontal backward and forward motion is produced, the effect of
which is to make the curved link rock or oscillate from its centre
V, and the valve and valve rod moving with it to be actuated or
regulated by and subject to the change of motion requisite to the
stand and traverse of the valve as aforesaid.
Having now fully described the nature of this our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed or carried into effect,
we would have it clearly understood that we do not by any means
confine ourselves to the precise details herein-before given, as the
same might be varied without departing from the general principle
of our said improvements; but that which we do claim as new and
of this our said Invention is,-
Firstly, the construction and employment of fire boxes or furnaces
for locomotive and other boilers, having oblique partitions, furnished
with hollow stays or tubes as set forth and described under the first
head of our Invention.
Secondly, the construction and employment of two safety valves
placed together side by side, acting on one lever only, in manner set
forth and described; also the arrangement and application of the ring
mitred safety valves, as above described, for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly, and lastly, we claim the construction and employment of
the curve or sweep expansion link for reducing the back pressure on
the pistons by obtaining intervals of rest during the action of the slide

page_text: valves, by which means a saving of steam is effected by its being
used expansively in the manner set forth and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Scott, Robert Brough,
James Ranoe, and Thomas Mann, have hereunto set our hands
and seals, this Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
WILLIAM SCOTT. (L.S.)
ROBERT BROUGH. (L.S.)
JAMES RANOE.
THOMAS MANN.
'
(L.S.)
(L.S.)