IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward Tenney Bousfield, of
the same Place, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM BOILERS."
Sealed the 17th September, 1872, and dated the 25th March 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 25th March 1872.
We, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agri-
cultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
:-
Our Invention relates to that class of steam boilers for improvements
in which Letters Patent have been granted to us at various times, the
Hitherto the
> most recent bearing date May 1st, A.D. 1871, No. 1163.

page_text: end connections of the tubes have been such as to present disadvantages
when the sections of tubes are connected at both ends, and are of con-
siderable length. To allow for the variable expansion of the tubes due
to the different degrees of heat to which the tubes are exposed in the
furnace chamber, which variable expansion has a tendency to break the
connections and destroy the joints, we provide by the first part of our
present Invention a connection between tube and tube that will allow
for any such differential expansion or contraction of the tubes. It further
provides wide water and steam ways, and also permanent metallic joints
between the connections and tubes not liable to fracture from undue
strain. These advantages we attain by the use of a zig-zag tubular
connection of the tubes at one or both ends.
The tubes to be connected have fitted to their ends cap pieces which
have openings at their opposite sides to receive branch pipes which
couple the adjacent tubes together, the inlet and outlet being arranged
alternately on opposite sides of the tubes. Any number of tubes may
thus be connected together to form a section or group. This mode of
connecting the tubes has the advantage of leaving a free access to the
ends of the tubes for cleaning the caps that close, their ends being easy
of removal from there being no connecting pipes in front.
The second part of our Invention relates to the plates which are laid
in between the horizontal tubes to guide the traverse of the flame and
heated gases among the tubes; hitherto these plates have served the
purpose merely of directing the course of the flame and heated gases
from back to front of the furnace, and vice versa. We now propose to
form these plates with pendent stops placed at intervals along their
length, and so shaped as to check and break up the flame and heated
gases passing between the tubes, and to deflect the same upon the tubes.
By this means the steam generating powers of the boiler will be
materially increased.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Engineer,"
and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield,
Her special licence that we, the said James Howard and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, 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 BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 Edward Tenney Bousfield, on
behalf of myself and of the said James Howard, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates to that class of steam boilers for improvements
on which Letters Patent have been granted to us at various times, the

page_text: most recent bearing date the First of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, No. 1163. Hitherto the
end connections of the tubes have been such as to present disadvantages
when the sections of tubes are connected at both ends, and are of con-
siderable length. To allow for the variable expansion of the tubes due
to the different degrees of heat to which the tubes are exposed in the
furnace chamber, which variable expansion has a tendency to break the
connections and destroy the joints, we provide by the first part of our
present Invention a connection between tube and tube that will allow
for any such differential expansion or contraction of the tubes, and will
ensure wide water and steam ways, and also joints not liable to fracture
from undue strain.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a
furnace fitted with our improved steam boiler, the section being taken in
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2, which Figure is a transverse section of the boiler
and furnace taken in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end elevation
of a section of one of the groups of tubes composing the boiler;
Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent in side and end elevations and in plan the
end couplings of the tubes, the same being drawn on an enlarged scale
the better to illustrate their construction; A, A, are the horizontal or
slightly inclined tubes connected in groups at the back, with their re-
spective tubes B.
The tubes A have fitted to their front ends cap pieces C which have
openings at their opposite sides to receive branch pipes D which couple
the adjacent tubes together. These openings form the inlet and outlet
openings for the water as it circulates through the system or series of
tubes. Any number of tubes A may thus be connected together to form
a section or group.
The cap pieces C are threaded at their inner ends as shown in the
detached views, Figures 4 and 6, to allow of their being screwed into
the tapped ends of the tubes A. All the cap pieces except those used for
the highest and the lowest rows of the tubes A are formed with openings
at their upper and under sides. The edges of the side openings in the
cap picces C are so shaped as to form seats for the spherical ended branch
pipes D which are inserted between the adjacent cap pieces, and the
tubes are then held together by means of tie rods E, E, which extend
from end to end of the series, and are themselves secured in place by
means of cross heads and nuts, as shewn in Fig. 3.
This mode of con-

page_text: D
necting the tubes has the advantage of leaving a free access to the ends
of the tubes for cleaning, the caps that close their ends being secured by
tic bolts F, and being easy, of removal from there being no connecting
pipes in front of the sections. It will be obvious also that any partial
contraction or expansion of the sections of tubes will be allowed for by
the facility with which the coupling pipes will adjust themselves to the
varying strains of the coupled tubes.
20:
+
10
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of a tubular steam boiler and furnace,
shewing a modification of the above described improvement.. "This
Figure illustrates a mode of, connecting the tubes together to allow for
the variable expansion when they are of sufficient diameter to admit of
being rivetted to the coupling pipes. In this example the tubes A are
connected together by corrugated flanged coupling pipes G which are
secured in place by rivetting. The forward ends of the tubes A are to
be closed by inserted covers, the removal of which covers will without
any further displacement of parts give access to the interior of the tubes
for the purpose of cleaning the same.
The second part of our Invention relates to the plates which are laid
in between the horizontal tubes to guide the flame and heated gases
among the tubes.
Hitherto these plates have served the purpose merely of directing the
course of the flame and heated gases from back to front of the furnace,
and vice versa. We now propose to form these plates with pendent
stops placed at intervals along their length, and so shaped as to check
and break up the flame and heated gases passing between the tubes, and
to deflect the same upon the tubes. This improvement is illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2, where H, H, are the plates for directing the course of
the flame and heated gases through the furnace, and I, I, are conically
shaped stops for deflecting the flame and heated gases on to the sides of
the tubes. These plates, with their pendent stops, we make of cast iron,
and we place them between adjacent sections, as shewn at Fig. 2. The
stop I, besides deflecting the flame, will absorb a portion of the heat of
the passing currents, and retain it for use in the furnace. By this
means the steam generating powers of the boiler will be materially
increased.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of improvements in
steam boilers, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,

page_text: we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent we claim,-
First. The means above described for allowing for the variable ex-
pansion of the tubes of steam boilers.
Secondly. Providing the plates which direct the course of the flame
and heated gases with deflecting stops, in the manner and for the purpose
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-two.
EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)