IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING FEED APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Routledge, of Salford, near Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-ACTING FEED APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS,"
Sealed the 21st December 1860, and dated the 25th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Routledge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th June 1860.
I, WILLIAM ROUTLEDGE, of Salford, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING FEED APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS," to be
as follows:-
My arrangement consists of a cast or wrought-iron cistern containing a
float, which is set in motion by the rise and fall of the water. This motion
being communicated to the float wheel moving loosely upon a small horizontal
shaft,
upon which shaft is placed a tumbler lever, and by means of two studs
in the float wheel coming in contact with the said tumbler lever, causes the
opening of the water supply valve. When the cistern becomes full of water
the opposite stud in float wheel reverses the tumbler, closing supply valve,and
opening the steam valve to the surface of the water in the cistern; underthese
circumstances the water will flow into the boiler to be fed. This action
becomes continuous, and is self-acting.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Routledge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROUTLEDGE, of Salford, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Routledge, Her special licence that I, the said William Routledge,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Routledge, 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
SELF-ACTING FEED APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Routledge, 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 William Routledge, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formned, to bo particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to that description of the feed apparatus of steam
boilers in which the boiler is fed without the assistance of a pump. A closed
vessel or cistern is placed above the boiler, provided with a water supply pipe
and a feed pipe to the boiler, and also a pipe communicating with the boiler
for the admission of steam; these pipes are provided with the necessary cocks
and valves, but they have been worked by hand.
My improvements consist in causing the water supply and steam pipes to
communicate with the top of the closed cistern, and placing the valves on the
top of the cover, the said valves being kept tight without any packing by
grooving the rods of the valves within the boxes,which grooves hold the water

page_text: or condensed steam, and form a water lute in each groove, which arrange.
ment, is not only of great simplicity and economy, but prevents the escape
of water or steam, and diminishes the friction of the rods.
.
Instead of working the valves by hand, 1 employ certain self-acting
movements for making the feed continuous, and attach a register for
denoting the number of feeds supplied in a given time.
I also improve the working of the apparatus by placing within the closed
cistern a distributor plate riddled with holes, in order to divide the supply
water into numerous jets, and procure a quicker 'condensation of the steam,
and also to deaden the shock of the steam when it is again admitted to the
cistern.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an end
elevation of a self-acting feed apparatus for steam boilers having myimprove-
ments attached, a part of the cistern being represented as broken off, in order
to shew the interior; Fig. 2 is a plan thereof; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the
same, with the exception of the cistern, which is shewn in section; and
Fig. 4, the grooved part of one of the valve rods drawn enlarged. A part of
the boiler is represented at a, having a stand 6 for supporting the closed
cistern c, which has in the interior the float d of any suitable material. To
the top of the float is jointed the rod or wire e, which passes through the
metallic stuffing box f, and is connected to the chain g, which is passed over
the float wheel h, and has at its end the balance weight i. The float wheel
works loose on the study, bored to form one of the bearings of the shaft k; on
which is fitted so as to move freely a tumbler lever, with a weight m. The
said tumbler lever is turned over from one side to the other by two adjustable
studs n and o attached to the float wheel, and the arm of the lever each time
it turns over either way comes in contact with a projection on the quadrant p,
which is fixed to the shaft k,and gives simultaneous motion to the two leversq
and F.
The lever q is attached by the rods to the water supply valve t, the
Beating being fitted to the water supply pipe uone end of which communicates
with the top of the cistern c, so that when the valve is open the cistern is
supplied with water. The other lever is attached by the rod v to the steam
valve w, the box of which is fixed to the cover of the cistern, and also con-
nected to the steam pipe provided with a cock y, and fixed to the boiler, so
that when the valve and cock are open the steam communicates with the
boiler and cistern, giving to both an equilibrium of pressure: Near the top of
the cistern, below the cover,I place a distributor plates,perforated with holes,
which divide the supply water into-numerous jets, similar to rain, thereby

page_text: causing a more sudden condensation of the steam in the cistern; and also
when the steam is admitted the plate prevents any shock or disturbing action
upon the float.
At the lower part of the cistern is the feed pipe a¹, pro-
vided with the back pressure valve 61, which allows the water to pass to the
boiler, but prevents its roturn to the cistern.
In the aforesaid Figures the steam valve is open, and the water supply
valve shut, in which condition the water, by its gravity, descends through
the feed pipe a' into the boiler. As the water is lowered in the cistern
the float falls with it, moving the float wheel h, and causing the stud n to
turn over the tumbler lever 1, which acts upon the quadrant p, which shifts
the levers 2 and r so as to shut the steam valve and open the water supply
valve to the cistern, and supply it with water; and when the float has risen
to a certain height, the stud o reverses the tumbler lever, which shifts the
quadrant, causing it to reverse the levers 9 and r, and shut the water supply
valve and open the steam valve, when the water descends as before, which
operations are continuous and self-acting.
The great advantage of placing the water supply valve on the top of the
closed cistern is, that when the valve is opened the steam and air rushes
through the supply pipe to the supply cistern or water, and by becoming
condensed, allows the supply water to return, passing through the holes of
the distributor plate, when a vacuum is speedily obtained in the closed
cistern. by which means, when required, water can be raised from a depth
of about twenty feet.
In Fig. 4, c² represents part of the rod of one of the valves, having in it a
number of grooves d'. When the apparatus is working the grooves hold the
water or condensed steam, so as to form a water lute, and prevent any escape,
and enable the rod to move freely in its guide. To the float wheel is attached
an additional stud or pin e', connected to which is a rod f¹, on which are two
adjustable collars g¹ for working the lever h¹ of the register or counter k³,
so that the volume of water at one feed being known, and the number of
movements denoted by the register in a certain given time, the exact quantity
of water fed to the boiler can be calculated with exactness.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the mauner
in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly understood
that I claim as my Invention in the feed apparatus of steam built-
First, the placing of the valves of the water supply and steam pipes on
the cover of the closed cistern.
Secondly, the grooving of the rods of the valves for forming water lutes,
which keep the rods tight without friction.

page_text: Thirdly, the self-acting mechanism for working the valves, such as the
adjustable studs in the float wheel, the tumbler lever, the quadrant, and also
the two levers attached to the valve rods.
Fourthly, the distributor plate within the closed cistern for dividing the
supply water and deadening the shock of the steam.
Fifthly, the application of a register or counter for denoting the number
of feeds to the boiler in a given time.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Routledge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the
year of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM ROUTLEDGE. (L.S.)
igned, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named William Routledge, in the presence
of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent.
Manchester.