IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR CONSUMING SMOKE THEREIN
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Braddock, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING
FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR CONSUMING SMOKE THEREIN,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Braddock at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th September 1878.
JAMES BRADDOCK, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster. “IM-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR CONSUMING
SMOKE THEREIN."
I employ an ordinary hopper with a pair of crushing and feeding rollers at tho
bottom, such rollers being either plain, toothed, grooved, or otherwise corrugated, as
may be preferred, and actuated by worm or other gearing. These rollers crush and
deliver the fuel into a shallow box beneath, which has longitudinal partitions
extending from front to back, and dividing it into a series of compartments lying
side by side, and having their rear ends open to the furnace above the bars. Along
the front of this box lies a steam pipe which is perforated with a hole opposite to
cach compartment, so that upon opening a steam valve a jet of steam is admitted
into each compartment and forces the fuel therein forwards on to the fire, at the
same time that the jet of steam entering the furnace with the fuel causes an
increased draught, improves the combustion, and assists greatly in consuming the
smoke.
The periodical opening of the steam valve is caused by tappets fixed on the axles
of the feeding rollers, which act upon weighted levers connected with the valves.
I prefer to use two steam pipes and two valves, and to actuate them alternately,
so as to feed only one side of the furnace at a time, so that one side of the furnace
is always red-hot whilst the fuel is being supplied to the other.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Braddock in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th March
1879.
JAMES BRADDOCK, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster. "IM-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR CONSUMING
SMOKE THEREIN."
I employ an ordinary hopper with a pair of crushing and feeding, rollers at the
bottom, such rollers being either plain, toothed, grooved, or otherwise corrugated, as
may be preferred, and actuated by worm or other gearing. These rollers crush and
deliver the fuel into a shallow box beneath, which has longitudinal partitions
extending from front to back, and dividing it into a series of compartments lying
side by side, and having their rear ends open to the furnace above the bars. Along
the front of this box lies a steam pipe which is perforated with a hole opposite to
each compartment, so that upon opening a steam valve a jet of steam is admitted
into each compartment and forces the fuel therein forwards on to the fire, at the
same time that the jet of steam entering the furnace with the fuel causes an
increased draught, improves the combustion, and assists greatly in consuming the
smoke.
The periodical opening of the steam valve is caused by tappets fixed on the axles
of the feeding rollers, which act upon weighted levers connected with the valves.
I prefer to use two steam pipes and two valves to each furnace, and to actuate
them alternately, so as to feed only one side of the furnace at a time, so that one
side of the furnace is always red-hot whilst the fuel is being supplied to the other.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings, and have marked the same
with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof:-
-
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is an end view of a two-flued boiler with my
Invention shown as applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the
same.
a, a, is part of the shell of the boiler; b, b, the flues; and c, c, the furnace door;
d, d, are the hoppers for the fuel; and e, e, the crushing rollers, which are driven
by the worm gearing f, f, actuated from a shaft g, g, above by the pair of mitre
wheels h, h.
At the bottom of each hopper is fixed a box i, i, divided into two compartments
by a partition k, k, each compartment being open at its rear end by a passage 1, 2,
into the furnace.
Inside cach compartment is a short steam pipe m, m, perforated on the rear side
opposite to the passage l, and provided with a valve n, n, opened at intervals by
means of tappets o, o, keyed on the axis of one of the crushing rollers.
The pipes m, m, are all connected by branches with a main steam pipe p, p, and
the tappets are so placed each side that each furnace is fed alternately by means of
the jets of steam, as before described, or the tappets may be so placed as to work
both furnaces together.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the adaptation
beneath the hoppers and crushing rollers of a box or boxes open at the rear into