IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Green, of the Smithfield Iron Works, Leeds,
in the County of York, and Robert Mathers, of 2, Victoria Street, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS."
Sealed the 6th January 1863, and dated the 9th July 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Green and Robert
Mathers at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition
on the 9th July 1862.
We, THOMAS GREEN, of the Smithfield Iron Works,. Leeds, in the County.
of York, and ROBERT MATHERS, of 2, Victoria Street, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
BOILERS." to be as follows:-
STEAM
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam boilers. For these
purposes, in order that the steam passing from an upright boiler may be
superheated, a tubular passage arranged in a spiral direction and in a conical
form is applied above where the tubes or flues come through the boiler from
the fire-box, so that the heat and products of the fire as they rise to the
chimney may pass against the exterior surfaces of the tubular passage, and
highly heat all parts thereof. This will be the better insured by reason of
the coil being, as above stated, in a conical form, the apex or smaller end
being upwards or vice versa. The steam coming from the interior of the
boiler by preference enters the upper end of the highly heated spiral tubular
passage, and having passed downwards through the conical arrangement, it
passes through the steam pipe or passage leading from the coil to the cylinder
or cylinders, when such cylinder or cylinders are external of the smoke box;
[Price 8d.1

page_text: but if the cylinder or cylinders be within the smoke box, then the steam is
conducted to the valve box or boxes of the cylinder or cylinders. In order to
increase the heating surfaces of the fire-boxes of steam boilers, we fix bent
pipes to the top roof or sides of the fire-box. Each bent pipe is formed into
two similar limbs, and by preference of malleable cast iron, in order that near
the end of each limb there may be a collar to come against a plate of the roof
when the part which is beyond the collar has been passed through such roof
or top plate. The end of the two limbs are fixed by rivetting or upsetting the
part of the tubes which pass through the top roof or side plates. These bent
tubes may project into the water space, allowing the heat to circulate through
them, or they may project into the fire-box or furnace, so as to be surrounded
by the heat whilst the water circulates through them. In constructing the
regulating valves of steam boilers, we apply a steam box or chamber on a
steam boiler to which box or chamber the steam supply pipe is fixed. In this
box or chamber there is a rising pipe which is closed at the top, the lower end
being open, and provided with a suitable flanch or boss for connecting the
outlet pipe. When steam is admitted into the box or chamber, it passes
through openings made through the sides of the rising pipe, and the supply is
regulated by a valve, the upper part of which is spherical, the lower part is
tubular, so as to pass over and fit closely on the rising pipe which is within
the steam box or chamber. The closeness of the fitting of the valve is aided
by the lower part of the valve being made somewhat of less diameter inside,
than the outside diameter of the rising pipe; saw cuts or slits are made in the
lower part of the valve so as to admit of such lower end passing over the
upper end of the rising pipe. The elasticity thus obtained to the lower part
of the valve, and further aided by the pressure of the steam surrounding it,
will insure the valve fitting closely around the rising pipe. The valve is made
either to rise and fall or to rotate, in order more or less to cover the steam
passages at the sides of the rising pipe.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
GREEN, of the Smithfield Iron Works, Leeds, in the County of York, and
ROBERT MATHERS, of 2, Victoria Street, in the City of London, send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Green and Robert Mathers, Her special licence, that we, the said
Thomas Green and Robert Mathers, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Thomas Green and Robert Mathers, 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 Thomas Green and Robert
Mathers, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
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 Robert Mathers, on behalf of myself
and the said Thomas Green, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam boilers. For these
purposes, in order that the steam passing from an upright boiler may be super-
heated, a tubular passage arranged in a spiral direction and in a conical form
is applied above where the tubes or flues come through the boiler from the
fire box, so that the heat and products of the fire as they rise to the chimney
may pass against the exterior surfaces of the tubular passage and highly heat
all parts thereof. This will be the better ensured by reason of the coil being, as
above stated, in a conical form, and conveniently with the apex or smaller end
upwards. The steam coming from the interior of the boiler by preference
enters the upper end of the highly heated spiral tubular passage, and having
passed downwards through the conical arrangement it passes through the
steam pipe or passage leading from the coil to the cylinder or cylinders, when
such cylinder or cylinders are external of the smoke box; but if the cylinder
or cylinders be within the smoke box, then the steam is conducted to the valve
box or boxes of the cylinder or cylinders. In order to increase the heating

page_text: surfaces of the fire boxes of steam boilers, we fix bent pipes to the roof or
sides of the fire box. Each bent pipe is formed into two similar limbs, and
by preference of malleable cast iron, in order that near the end of each limb
there may be a collar to come against the plate of the roof or side when the
part which is beyond the collar has been passed through such roof or side
plate. The ends of the two limbs are fixed by rivetting or upsetting the part
of the tubes which pass through the top roof or side plates. These bent
tubes may project into the water space, allowing the heat to circulate through
them, or they may project into the fire box or furnace, so as to be surrounded
by the heat whilst the water circulates through them.
In constructing the regulating valves of steam boilers we apply a steam box
or chamber on a steam boiler, to which box or chamber the steam supply pipe
is fixed. In this box or chamber there is a rising pipe, which is closed at the
top, the lower end being open and provided with a suitable flanch or boss for
connecting the outlet pipe. When steam is admitted into the box or chamber
it passes through openings made through the sides of the rising pipe, and the
supply is regulated by a valve, the upper part of which is spherical, the lower
part is tubular, so as to pass over and fit closely on the rising pipe which is
within the steam box or chamber. The closeness of the fitting of the valve is
aided by the lower part of the valve being made somewhat of less diameter
inside than the outside diameter of the rising pipe; saw cuts or slits being
made in the lower part of the valve so as to admit of such lower end passing
over the upper end of the rising pipe. The elasticity thus obtained to the
lower part of the valve, aided by the pressure of the steam surrounding it, will
insure the valve fitting closely around the rising pipe. The valve is made
cither to rise and fall or to rotate, in order more or less to cover the steam
passages at the sides of the rising pipe.
And in order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of an upright steam boiler with a steam engine con-
nected therewith; this boiler also has superheating apparatus combined with
it in accordance with our Invention; Figure 2 is a side view; Figure 3, a ver-
tical section; and Figure 4, a horizontal section of the same.
a, a, is the fire box of the boiler; b, the water space; c, c, the tubes or
flues; d. the chimney, which is enlarged at its lower end; e, e, the tubular
superheating passage, which is, as is shewn, coiled spirally into the form of a

page_text: cone, that is to say, the diameter of one end of the coil is greater than that of
the other; by giving to it this form it is more exposed to the current of
heated air and gases from the flues than it it would be if one convolution of
the passage were made to come immediately over the other. In the Drawings
the connections with the passage e are so made that the steam enters at the
bottom of the coil and passes out to the engine at the top thereof, but, as
before mentioned, we rather prefer to reverse this arrangement and to make
the steam to enter at the top or cooler portion of the coil, and escape at the
bottom or hotter portion thereof, as by this arrangement the steam will be
superheated to a somewhat greater extent; f is the steam pipe connecting the
superheating coil with the valve box of the cylinder g; h is the main shaft,
and i the connecting rod of the steam engine; 1, the eccentric with its rod;
k, the feed pump and its eccentric; and 1, the fly wheel.
We would remark that although we have shewn a steam engine in con-
nection with the boiler, this does not form any part of our Invention. The
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, also illustrate the means' we employ for increasing the
heating surfaces of the fire boxes of steam boilers. m, m, are bent pipes
formed of malleable cast iron, and each with two similar limbs; they are fixed
in the top or roof of the fire box and project into the water space; each pipe
m has collars on it at m¹, m¹, which rest on the top of the roof plate of the
fire box; the two ends of the pipe project through corresponding holes formed
in this plate, and they are rivetted or upset beyond, thus they are securely
fixed with a water-tight joint; the interior of the tubes forms then a part of
the fire box, and the water in the water space is in contact with their exterior;
n, n, are other similar bent tubes fixed in the same manner in the roof of the
fire box, but in place of projecting into the water space they project within
the fire box, and their exteriors are exposed to the heat therein, whilst
interiorly they are in connection with the water space, and contain water.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section, and Figure 6 is a vertical section of a
boiler in which the heating surface is increased by means of bent pipes pro-
jecting into the fire box as already explained, but in this case the pipes are
fixed to the sides of the fire box in place of to its roof. Figure 7 is a horizontal
section, and Figure 8 a vertical section of another similar boiler in which the
heating surface is increased by bent pipes projecting from the side of the fire
box into the water space. In the Figures 6 and 8 the chimney of the boiler
is not shewn.
Figure 9 is a side view partly in section, and Figure 10 is a vertical section
of the regulating valve of a steam boiler constructed according to our

page_text: a is a steam box or chamber attached to the boiler and communicating with
it by the passage a¹; b is the outlet or steam supply pipe of the engine or
machine; c is a rising pipe within the box or chamber; it is closed at the top
but holes are formed in it at the sides, it forms a continuation of the outlet or
steam supply pipe; d is the valve, it is attached to the lower end of the rod e,
which passes through a stuffing box at the top of the chamber, it is connected
with a lever f, by means of which the valve may be slidden longitudinally on
the rising pipe, or other means may be employed for effecting this end. The
valve dis cylindrical at its lower end and fits on the rising pipe c: at is upper
end the valve is globular or of some similar form, and, as is shewn in the plan
of the valve, Figure 11, it is notched at three, or it may be other number of
points of the circumference, and the cylindrical portion of the valve is split
vertically at corresponding points. The splits in the lower portion of the valve
enable it to spring to the rising pipe c, and make a steam-tight joint with it
without any very accurate fitting being necessary; the pressure of the steam
also on the exterior of the valve will tend to keep it steam-tight. In place of
arranging the valve d to rise and fall it may be made to regulate the flow of
steam by rotating on the rising pipe c, its rod e in this case having a hand
wheel or similar instrument fixed at its upper end; the cylindrical portion of
the valve d is then perforated to correspond with the openings in the rising
pipe, and when the valve is so turned that the holes in it correspond with
those in the said pipe, the steam passes freely, but when the valve is so turned
that the passages in it are opposite to the unperforated parts of the rising pipe
the steam is prevented passing to the outlet or steam supply pipe.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Mathers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
ROBERT MATHERS. (L.S.)