THE BETTER COMBUSTION OF $5
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Abbott, of Jacob Street, Dockhead, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "THE BETTER COMBUSTION OF
$5
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Abbott at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
June 1866.
I, JAMES ABBOTT, of Jacob Street, Dockhead, in the County of Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "THE BETTER COMBUSTION
OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER FURNACES," to be as follows:-
Firstly. I construct the fire-bars serrated and set sufficiently apart so that
the bars interlace each other, thus forming diagonal air spaces through the
length of the bars; or the same object may be obtained by making bars with
either square or rounded spaces so formed that one bar shall fit within the
other, leaving sufficient space between them for air to pass through.
Secondly. I construct the bars so that in some cases they may act with each
other to give a lateral motion, causing each bar to advance and recede, thus
breaking the clinkers, and allowing them to fall through. This is accomplished
by means of a lever attached to the bottom edge of the bars and passing out
of the front of the ash-pit. And when used for marine purposes I attach a
pendulum, which by the oscillation of the ship gives motion to the bars; or
I make the ends of the bars to fit into each other, so that by giving motion to
one it will cause the whole of the bars to move.

page_text: Thirdly. I construct a bridge as follows:-First, a tube or tubes is placed
through the fire-door frame, passing rather more than half way over the fire,
the end of which tube is stopped and attached to the boiler. About two
inches or more from the extreme end the tube is perforated with a number of
small holes; on this tube a bridge is suspended; this bridge is constructed
with an air space down the centre in such a way that when the bridge is back
in its place there will be a communication from the front of the boiler to the
bottom of the bridge; or the bottom edge of the bridge may be stopped and
the back perforated, the bridge being moveable. When the fuel is being
supplied to the furnace the bridge is pushed back, and as soon as the fire is
free from smoke the bridge is drawn to the front of the furnace, leaving the
whole surface of the fire in free communication with the chimney, the tube
passing out of the front of the boiler. I propose, where convenient, to intro-
duce a jet of steam to increase the volume of air passing through the tube and
bridge. This is accomplished by means of a small tube passing about haif
way through the larger or air tube on which the bridge is suspended, the small
tube being in communication with the boiler or the exhaust pipe of the engine,
the steam passing through the small tube, and being discharged into the large
or air tube, thus creating a draught.
Fourthly. As it will be necessary in some cases to make the bridge of the
furnace self-acting, I propose to do so by means of a weight, spring, or small
steam cylinder, the bridge being forced back to its extreme length, and then
gradually moved forward as the fuel becomes incandescent. In this instance
I cause the tube or air pipe to revolve, and this is done by means of a small
barrel on the end of the tube or air pipe, upon which a chain is wound, the
chain passing over a pulley some distance above the ground. On the end of
the chain is a weight. The man in stoking turns the barrel or air pipe, which
forces the bridge back, and at the same time raises the weight, which is then
held up by means of a catch. When the man has done stoking the catch is
disconnected, and the weight commences to descend, causing the air tube to
revolve in the opposite direction, by which means the bridge returns to its
former position near the fire door. Or I attach a cog or tooth wheel in the
place of the chain barrel, into which works a rack, the rack being attached to
the piston rod of a small steam cylinder. On the opening of the fire door the
steam is admitted to the cylinder, forcing the piston forward, thus causing
the air tube or pipe to revolve. Or any other fluid may be used instead of
steam to attain the same object.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Abbott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ABBOTT, of Jacob Street, Docklead, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Abbott, Her special licence that I, the said James Abbott,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Abbott, 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 "THE BETTER COM-
BUSTION OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER FURNACES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Abbott, my exccutors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Abbott, do hereby declare
The nature of my said Invention, and in what manucr the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates, firstly, to a novel arrangement of reciprocating fire-
bars for breaking the clinkers formed or forming thereon; and, secondly, to
a suspended travelling bridge or deflector, by which the smoke generated in
the furnace after a fresh supply of fuel may be deflected on to the fire and
consumed, and through which steam, or air, or both may be injected into
the firc.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in longitudinal sectional
clevation so much of a steam boiler furnace with my Invention applied thereto
as will serve to explain the manner of carrying the improvements into effect;
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan, shewing the construction and disposition of the

page_text: fire-bars; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the boiler and furnace, taken at
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1, and showing the mode of mounting the fire-bars and
the means for imparting a lateral reciprocating motion thereto; and Fig. 4
is a similar view of the fire-bars, shewing them in a tilted position.
"
d, a, are the fire-bars, cast with equidistant wedge-shaped lateral projections
on either side thereof, and so disposed that the projections of one bar will
enter recesses formed by the projections of the adjacent bars, and leave suffi-
cient space between them to allow of a ready access of air from the ash-pit to
the fire between the bars. These bars are cast with rounded ends (as shewn
at Figures 3 and 4), which rest in sockets cast to receive them in a lip or
rebate of the hearth plate b, and in the cross bar c. The bars a, a, are
strengthened with webs as usual, and these webs enter sockets or recesses
cast in the face of a transverse bar d, which is supported upon bracket
slides e, e, bolted to the sides of the ash-pit. A slot is formed in this bar & to
receive a lever, which has its fulcrum at g, and extends to near the ash-pit
door. It will now be understood that when it is desired to give the fire-bars
a reciprocating motion in order to break up the caked coal lying thercon, and
prevent the formation of clinkers, or break them up if formed, it is only
necessary to move the lever fto and fro, and the bars will alternately take
the inclined position shown at Fig. 4 and a reversed inclination, and thus
effectually disturb and break up the superincumbent mass of ignited fucl.
Mounted in the upper part of the fire chamber is a hollow scrow shaft h,
which is intended to carry and operate the suspended bridge or deflector i.
The shaft is mounted in bracket bearings k, k, and it is capable of receiving
rotary motion by hand or otherwise through bevil gearing 1, 1. The pendent
bridge or deflector I make, by preference, of fire-clay, and pierce it as shown
at Fig. 1, forming thereby a channel for a jet of steam or air through it;
this channel communicates with the interior of the screw shaft by means of
lateral openings in that shaft, which when the deflector is in its backward
position (as shewn at Fig. 1) are one or more in direct connection with the
channel; thus steam or air, or both, supplied to the screw shaft will traverso
the centre of that shaft, and on arriving at the inner end, which is stopped,
will discharge down the channel in the deficctor on to the fire, or commingling
with the gases of combustion will induce a rapid combustion of any floating
particles of carbon contained therein. Before supplying fresh fuel the hanging
bridge or deflector is moved back to the position shewn at Fig. 1, and retained
there until the fire has become bright, and is free from smoke; the supply
of steam or air is then cut off, and the bridge is by the rotation of the screw
shaft brought to the front of the furnace, where it remains until a fresh supply

page_text: of fucl is required; a reversed axial motion is then given to the screw shaft,
and the bridge is thus traversed back to the position shewn at Fig. 1. The
hollow screw shaft I supply with steam through a steam pipe from the boiler;
and I so arrange the supply that an induced current of air may be obtained
in the way now commonly practised for purposes of ventilation; and I thus
obtain in the furnace a blast of mingled air and steam. If it be desired to
make the bridge traverse the screw shaft or air tube automatically I may
cause the tube to revolve by means of a small barrel on the end of the tube
upon which a chain is wound, the chain passing over a pulley some distance
above the ground, and carrying a weight at its pendent end. The duty of
the stoker will be to turn the barrel or air pipe which forces the bridge back,
and at the same time raises the weight, which weight must be held up by
means of a catch. When the man has done stoking the catch is to be dis-
connected, and the weight will commence to descend, thus causing the air
tube to revolve in the opposite direction, by which means the bridge returns
to its former position near the fire-door; or I may attach a cog or tooth wheel
in the place of the chain barrel, into which works a rack, the rack being
attached to the piston rod of a small steam cylinder. On opening the firc-
door the steam is admitted to the cylinder, when the piston will be forced
forward and caused to effect the rotation of the screw shaft or air tube and
the traverse of the bridge.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention for the better combustion
of fuel in steam boiler and other furnaces, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. The means above described for breaking up or keeping furnace bars
free of clinkers.
Secondly. The application to furnaces of the traversing suspended bridge or
deflector for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Abbott, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-six.
JAMES ABBOTT. (L.S.)