Improvements in the Means or Apparatus for Supplying Heated Air to Locomotive and other Furnaces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means or Apparatus for Supplying Heated Air
to Locomotive and other Furnaces.
1, NICHOLAS SWANSON HAWKS, of Eden Holme, Atherton Road, Forest Gate,
Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to supplying heated air to locomotive and other
furnaces. In a former Specification No. 1159 of 1889 I described an invention in
which air was caused by a fan exhauster or blower to pass through passages in a
chamber in the smoke box in contact with the exterior of tubes forming continuations
of the ordinary smoke or fire tubes so that the smoke and products of combustion
in passing through these continuation tubes on their way to the funnel or up-take
heated the air which was brought into contact with their outer surfaces. From the
smoke box chambers the heated air was conducted to the furnace or furnaces. It
has been found that this heating chamber and its contained tubes render it difficult
to get at the ordinary smoke or fire tubes in the boiler when they require attention
so as to stop leaks or for other purpose.
Now one part of this invention is intended to meet this difficulty and with this
object I so connect the said heating chamber to the end of the boiler that it can be
temporarily moved out of the way, together with its contained tubes, and this can
be effected by fitting it so that it will either turn on horizontal or vertical hinges or
slide on guide bars.
Another part of this invention consists in employing in lieu of a heating chamber
with tubes forming continuations of the ordinary smoke or fire tubes, a heating
chamber surrounding a smoke chamber into which latter the smoke and products of
combustion pass from the ordinary smoke or fire tubes. The air to be heated
enters the heating chamber at top and sides or bottom as may be arranged, and
traverses zig-zag or other passages in the space between the two chambers so that
it becomes heated before being conducted to the furnace or furnaces. The smoke
chamber may be formed with gills or have corrugated or zig-zag sides so as to
increase the heating surface. One side of this chamber has perforated plates
which while retaining a considerable proportion of the smoke within the chamber
allow the rest to pass into the smoke lox beyond, and thence to the funnel or
up-take. These perforated plates can at any time be opened on hinges so as to
permit of a more or less full passage of the smoke if required, or to allow the fire
tubes to be got at.
In applying my air heating chambers to locomotives, I lead the air inlet pipe
of same to the front of the locomotive and leave it open to the atmosphere, fitting
it with an enlarged or trumpet mouth if thought desirable. Consequently as the
locomotive travels its motion through the atmosphere will cause the air to enter
the open end of the inlet pipe and to pass into the heating chamber from which,
after being heated it will be conducted by a pipe underneath the locomotive to the
furnace. The greater the speed of the locomotive the stronger will be the in-
draught of air to the heating chamber and thence to the furnaces. A fan or
blower for causing a forced or induced draught is therefore unnecessary.
Dated this 30th day of April 1890
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means or Apparatus for Supplying Heated Air
to Locomotive and other Furnaces.
1, NICHOLAS SWANSON HAWKS, of Eden Holme, Atherton Road, Forest Gate,
Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My invention has reference to supplying heated air to locomotive and other
furnaces. In a former Specification No. 1159 of 18891 described an invention in
which air was caused by a fan exhauster or blower to pass through passages in a
chamber in the smoke box in contact with the exterior of tubes forming continu-
tions of the ordinary smoke or fire tubes so that the smoke and products of
combustion in passing through these continuation tubes on their way to the funnel
or uptake, hated the air which was brought into contact with their outer surfaces,
From the smoke box chambers the heated air was conducted to the furnace or
furnaces. It has been found that this heating chamber and its contained tubes
render it difficult to get at the ordinary smoke or fire tubes in the boiler when they
require attention so as to stop leaks or for other purpose.
Now one part of this invention is intended to meet this difficulty and with this
object so connect the said eating chamber to the end of the boiler that it can be
temporarily moved out of the way, together with its contained tubes and this can
be effected by fitting it so that it will either turn on horizontal or vertical hinges or
slide on guide bar.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section and
Figure 2 a front elevation partly in section, of a steam boiler furnace provided
with that modification of this part of my invention in which the heating chamber
is fitted on horizontal hinges so that it can together with its contained tubes be
moved out of the way when so required.
4
a, a, a are the furnaces or fire places of which there are three in the particular
construction shown. is the boiler, c, e the smoke or fire tubes, d the inner tube
plate of each furnace, and e the outer tube plate. is the smoke box, the funnel
or uptake, is the air heating chamber fitted in the smoke box immediately in
front of the tube plate. The chamber is fitted with horizontal tubes i, i forming
continuations of the smoke or fire tubes c, e and through which the heat and
products of combustion pass on their way from the tubes, to the funnel g.
There is of course an air-heating chamber to each of the three furnaces. To
the upper part of each chamber is connected an air inlet pipe & leading from
an air main pipe 4, through which air is forced by means of a fan m.
The air on
entering the chamber follows the zig-zag passage formed therein by the plates an
(Figure 2) and having become heated by contact with the tubes i, through which
the products of combustion pass, it leaves the chamber by the outlet pipe »
which conducts it to the corresponding furnace as shown: the pipe p may deliver
the air either below the fire bars as seen in the figures or at any other part or parts
as may be arranged. The air becomes partly heated in the pipes and before
entering the heating chamber because the products of combustion come in contact
with these pipes in the lower part of the funnel g. Instead of employing a fan m
to produce a forced draught of air through the heating chamber h, I can employ
a fan or exhauster to produce an induced draught and the fan or exhauster will in
this ease be preferably situated in the funnel y: or in the case of stationary boilers
a high chimney may be employed to create the necessary induced draught. In all
of these cases the air to be heated will preferably be admitted to the chambers
at the lower part as indicated by the arrow q, Figure 1, and the plates, for
forming the zig-zag passage for the air in this chamber will be vertical instead of
horizontal.
In order to allow the smoke or fire tubes c, a to be realily got at when they

page_text: require attention so as to stop leaks or for other purpose, I mount the chambers h
so that they can be temporarily moved out of the way together with their tubes i, i
and this effect by fitting the chambers so that they will turn on horizontal or
vertical hinges. Figures 1 and 2 show the chambers fitted on horizontal
hinges r, so that they can be lifted into the position seen at h', Figure 1, the
smoke box door s being first opened and the air pipe & and the joint with the pipe p.
disconnected.
Figures 3 and 4 show how the chambers can be fitted so as to be capable of
moving out on guide bars, in accordance with the other modification of this part
of my invention. The sides of the chambers have near their back edge, pins to
which cuter, as shown in Figure 3, inclined slots in angle bars, the inclination of
these slots having the effect of keeping the chambers close against the tube plates e.
are other pins or projections on the sides of the chambers. When it is
required to move out a chamber, the smoke box doors is opened, the air pipe k
and the joint with the pipe pare disconnected from the chamber; then portable
guide bars are placed with their inner ends in sockets in the bars and with their
outer ends in supports . Portable screw-lifting devices A with anti-friction
rollers are then placed in position that is to say with their rollers on the guide
bars and with the loops or stirrups 2 which are at their lower part engaging with
the pins or projections. The screws of the devices A are then turned so as to
reduce the distance between the rollers 1 and the loops 2, the result of which is that
the chamber is lifted sufficiently to clear its pius o from the inclined slots in the
bars æ.
The chamber can then be moved along the bars so as to give access to
the tubes c.
Another part of this invention consists in employing in lieu of a heating chamber
with tubes forming continuations of the ordinary smoke or fire tubes, a heating
chamber surrounding a smoke chamber into which latter the heat and products of
combustion pass from the ordinary smoke or fire tubes. The air to be heated enters
the heating chamber at top and sides or bottom as may be arranged and traverses
zig-zag or other passages in the space between the two chambers so that it becomes
heated before being conducted to the furnace or furnaces. The smoke chamber
may be formed with gills or have corrugated or zig-zag sides so as to increase the
heating surface.
One side of this chamber has a perforated plate which while retaining a consider-
able proportion of the smoke within the chamber, allows the rest to pass into
the smoke box beyond and thence to the funnel or uptake. This perforated plate
can at any time be opened on hinges so as to permit of a more or less full passage
of the smoke if required, or to allow the fire tubes to be get at.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate this part of my invention. The air to be heated enters
the chamber at top as shown (or at any other part as may be arranged) and
traverses zig-zag or other passages in the space between the two chambers and i
so that it becomes heated before being conducted to the furnace or fire place by the
pipe p. The smoke chamber i may be formed with external gills as shown or
have corrugated or zig-zag sides so as to increase the heating surface, and with the
same object it may also have internal gills or conducting plates v³, which are
preferably vertical as shown. The front of the chamber is composed of or is
fitted with a perforated plate or door which while retaining a considerable propor-
tion of the smoke within the chamber allows the rest to pass on into the smoke
box beyond and thence to the funnel g. The plate is hinged at top as
shown (or it may be hinged at the side or bottom) so that it can at any time be
more or less opened to permit of a more or less full passage of the smoke if required
or to allow the fire tubes c, e to be got at. Figure 6 is a front elevation of the
chamber and its smoke chamber i.
In applying my air heating chambers whether of the construction shown in
Fgures 1 and 2 or of that shewn in Figures 5 and 6 to locomotives I lead the
air inlet pipe from the front of the locomotive as shown in Figure 7 and
leave it open to the atmosphere, fitting it with an enlarged or trumpet mouth n if

page_text: thought desirable. Consequently as the locomotive travels its motion through the
atmosphere causes the air to enter the open end of the pipe and to pass into the
heating chamber from which it is conducted in a heated state by the pipe
to the furnace. The greater the speed of the locomotive the stronger will be the
indraught of air to the heating chamber hand thence to the furnace. A fan or
blower for causing a forced or induced draught is therefore unnecessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim in respect of means or apparatus for supplying heated air to locomotive and
other furnaces is:-
1. In apparatus such as is described in my Specification No. 1159 of 1889,
mounting the air heating chamber (4) on hinges so that it can be temporarily
moved out of the way together with its tubes (i, i), substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described.
2. In apparatus such as is described in my Specification No. 1159 of 1889,
mounting the air heating chamber (4) so that it can be temporarily moved out of
the way together with its tubes (i, i) on guide bars, substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described.
3. An arrangement, substantially as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 6³, consisting of
an air heating chamber (h) situated in the smoke box and containing a smoke
chamber (7) into which the heat and products of combustion pass from the smoke
or fire tubes, the outlets from the said smoke chamber being of such proportions
that a considerable quantity of the smoke is normally retained within the chamber
the rest passing into the smoke box beyond as set forth.
Dnted this 20th day of January 1891
J. C. MEW BURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.