IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPLYING HEAT THERETO
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry William Ripley, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax,
and Thomas Barker, of Bowling, near Bradford, both in the County of
York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND IN
APPLYING HEAT THERETO."
Sealed the 7th June 1867, and dated the 18th December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry William Ripley
and Thomas Barker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 13th December 1866.
I, HENRY WILLIAM RIPLEY, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, and THOMAS
BARKER, of Bowling, near Bradford, both in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
AND IN APPLYING HEAT THERETO," to be as follows:-
This Invention. has for its object improvements in steam boilers, and in
applying heat thereto, and is applicable to those classes of cylindrical steam
boilers which have one or more: flues of a circular or other section passing
through them longitudinally.
In place of applying the fire-box or furnace to such a boiler, interior
of the flue or flues, or under the forward end of the boiler as hereto-

page_text: fore, an auxiliary boiler is applied in front of the cylindrical steam boiler,
and is connected by a steam pipe and a water pipe to the steam and
water spaces thereof. The auxiliary boilers is in section like the boilers
known as half moon or saddle boilers, and it is of a length suitable for the
reception under it of a "Jukes" " or other self-acting grate or set of fires-bars.
It is preferred to employ a self-acting grate consisting of a series of parallel
rotating shafts, having toothed or plain, or toothed and plain discs or rollers of
fire-brick, or cast iron, or other suitable material upon them, by which the fuel
placed in a hopper and fed into the front end of the fire-place is by the
rotations of the shafts and discs or rollers carried progressively towards the
back end of the fire-place. Other forms of fire-bars may, however, be used
under the front boiler. The heat and products of combustion after heating
the front boiler pass into and through the longitudinal flue or flues which are
formed longitudinally through the hinder boiler. The longitudinal flue or
flues through the hinder boiler may, in order to increase the heating surface,
have inclined or other water tubes passing through them, as has heretofore
been practised. In place of the forward and hinder parts of a compound
boiler being two distinct structures, as above described, a boiler may be
constructed having its forward end of a half moon or saddle shape section
whilst the after part of the boiler is of a cylindrical section, and furnished with
one or more longitudinal flues as above described. The boiler so constructed
is set in combination with a Jukes' or other self-acting fire-place by which the
fuel which is constantly supplied is carried progressively towards the back end
of the fire-place. By such a combination of a steam boiler and self-acting fire-
place heat will be more advantageously applied in generating steam than
heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry William Ripley and Thomas Barker in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY 3
WILLIAM RIPLEY, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, and THOMAS BARKER, of
Bowling, near Bradford, both in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her 3

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,,
the said Henry William Ripley and Thomas Barker, Her special licence that
we, the said Henry William Ripley and Thomas Barker, our executors,.
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry William.
Ripley and Thomas Barker, 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 AND IN APPLYING HEAT THERETO," upon the;
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry William Ripley and
Thomas Barker, 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 we, the said Henry William Ripley and Thomas,
Barker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam boilers and in
applying heat thereto, and is applicable to those classes of cylindrical steam
boilers which have one or more flues of a circular or other section passing
through them longitudinally.
"
In place of applying the fire box or furnace to such a boiler interior of the
flue or flues or under the forward end of the boiler as is usual, an auxiliary
boiler is applied in the front of the cylindrical steam boiler, and is connected by a
steam pipe and a water pipe to the steam and water spaces thereof. The
auxiliary boiler is in section like the boilers known as half moon or saddle
boilers, and it is of a length suitable for the reception under it of a "Juckes'
or other self-acting grate or set of fire-bars. It is preferred to employ a self-
acting grate consisting of a series of parallel rotating shafts having toothed or plain
or tootlied and plain discs or rollers of fire-brick, or cast iron, or other suitable
material upon them, by which the fuel placed in a hopper and fed into the
front end of the fire-place is by the rotations of the shafts, and discs, or rollers
carried progressively towards the back end of the fire-place. Other forms

page_text: which is shown in side view at Figure 4; this carriage, is capable of running
in and out under the. boiler 6 in the same way as a set of Juckes' fire-bars
and as is well understood; d, d, are the side frames of the carriage with
their supporting wheels and they are connected together by cross frames as
is shown; e, e, e, are a series of axes mounted on this carriage, and, having
upon them dises of cast iron f,f; it is preferred that these discs should increase
in diameter in passing from the front to the back of the furnace as is shown,
and the discs are made plain by preference with the exception of those on
the axis nearest the bridge of the furnace, which may conveniently have teeth;
or in place of separate discs rollers with grooves in them for the admission of
air to the fire may be employed; these rollers may be of iron or they may be
of fire clay such as is used for gas retorts but iron is preferred. On the
end of each of the axes d a worm wheel d is mounted and these worm
wheels all gear with worms f¹ on the axis f' which is carried in bearings on
one side of the carriage and has fixed at its end the wheel f³ gearing
with another worm 9 on an axis 9 which is driven by a belt passing
around a 'belt cone upon it. By placing the driving belt on one or other of
the steps of the belt cone, the speed at which the fuel is fed forward along
the fire grate may be varied; h is a hopper at the front of the carriage to
receive the fuel, when at work it should not be allowed to become empty,
the back of the hopper is formed by the sliding fire-door h' which can be
raised or lowered by the racks and pinions as shown to allow more or less
fuel to pass out of the hopper into the furnace as may be required. A Juckes'
or other self-acting fire-grate may be used in this combination. In this
arrangement, the main boiler a being removed from the direct influence of
the fire will be subject to but little wear, and the small boiler which is exposed
to the immediate action of the fire can, when it becomes unserviceable, be
renewed at a comparatively small cost.
The boilers a and b may be constructed together, but for the reason above
given it is less convenient. A fire-grate consisting of revolving axes with
discs or rollers, as above described, may be used, although less advantageously,
without the half moon or saddle boiler the fire-box in that case being closed
at the top by a fire-brick arch or in other convenient manner, the heat and
flame passing on from the fire-box to the internal flues of a cylindrical boiler
as is shown.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
performing the same we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the exact details described, but what we claim is, the arranging

page_text: a self-acting fire-grate underneath a half moon or saddle boiler and combining
these with a cylindrical boiler so that the heat and flame from the fuel on the
fire-grate may pass through the internal flues thereof as described.
We also claim the arranging a self-acting fire-grate consisting of rotating
axes with discs or rollers upon them in front of a cylindrical boiler in such
manner that heat and flame from the fuel on the fire-grate may pass through
the internal flues thereof as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry William Ripley & Thomas
Barker, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of
June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
seven.
HENRY W. RIPLEY. (L.S.)
THOMAS BARKER.
(L.S.)
HENRY W. RIPLEY. (L.S.)
THOMAS BARKER.
(L.S.)