Improved Spark Extinguishing Apparatus for Locomotive Engine and other Smoke Stacks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1895-Accepted, 8th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Spark Extinguishing Apparatus for Locomotive Engine
and other Smoke Stacks.
I GEORG SOMMERSBERGER of Warth, Bavaria, Mechanical Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus to be fitted to the smoke
stacks of steam engine or other boiler furnaces, especially of locomotives, which is
intended to prevent any sparks or glowing particles of the fuel from being carried
away through said stack, extinguishing the same by means of a finely divided water
jet or spray.
This improved device is constructed as follows: A cast iron or other vessel, upon
which the movable parts of the apparatus are mounted is connected to a slide box,
into which steam is admitted through a pipe from the boiler; the inlet of steam is
regulated by means of a slide valve.
The same device which operates the slide valve also moves another valve to open
and close the vessel, which latter valve during the time steam is admitted, is held
in its closing position by means of a spring.
The vessel together with the moving parts of the device arranged thereon is
placed in the bottom of a water tank, arranged in the smoke box; the feeding of
this tank is effected by a pump through an inlet pipe, whilst an outlet pipe serves
for passing the water, thus heated in the said water tank, into a reservoir for
feeding the boiler, if desired thus dispensing with separate boiler feed. From the
vessel a pipe passes into the chimney, which is enlarged at its lower part, so as to
form a widened chamber; said pipe ends above the widened chamber in the form
of a cup shaped orifice or rose. During each complete rotation of the slide rod
eccentric or other operative part, the valves of the vessel are opened twice, so that
water is allowed to enter out of the water tank into the vessel and so that steam
is allowed to enter the vessel or the water tank, thus water and steam being
admitted twice alternately. The inlet of water through the valve into the vessel
can be suitably regulated by appropriate adjustments. The water mixed with
steam is then forced out of the vessel into the pipe leading to the smoke stack,
where it issues in finely divided condition. Thus all sparks or glowing flakes,
carried forth with the gases out of the smoke-chest are extinguished.
Dated this 8th day of August 1894.
R. HADDAN,
Agent to Applicant.
Improved Spark Extinguishing Apparatus for Locomotive Engine
and other Smoke Stacks.
I, GEORG SOMMERSBERGER of Warth, Bavaria, in the Empire of Germany,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus to be fitted to the smoke

page_text: stacks of locomotive engine, and other boiler furnaces to prevent any burning
particles of the fuel from leaving the smoke stack and it consists in an
arrangement by means of which the said burning particles before leaving the
chimney, are extinguished with the aid of water.
In the annexed drawings this apparatus is represented as applied to a locomotive
or traction engine. Fig. 1 is sectional side elevation or diagram thereof. Fig. 2, 3
and are detail views on a larger scale of a modified form shown in diagrammatic
side elevation in Fig. 5.
The apparatus is of the following construction.
a is a cast iron vessel on which are arranged the movable parts of the apparatus ;
connected with this vessel is a slide valve case b which receives steam through a
pipe branching off from the steam boiler, the admission of the steam being
regulated by a slide in the box 6. Said slide is actuated by a rod d sliding in the
guides e which rod receives its movement through the lever gear and from the
excentric attached to the fly wheel shaft. The lever g which is loosely joined to
the excentric strap by means of the pin i, is at the other end pivotally connected
with the arm of a T shaped lever m swinging about point l.
The two horizontal arms of the lever m rest on two adjustable set screws n' n²
which latter alternately effect the raising of a valve attached to above mentioned
vessel, said valve being kept in its locking position by the spring o.
Vessel a together with all movable parts connected with it, is placed on the
bottom of the water box which has its place above the smoke box the supply to
said water box being effected and regulated by the pump j by means of the
pipe s. ¹ is a pipe through which the feed water for the boiler after being heated
in the water box is let into a supply tank. A draw off pipe s², is also provided for
entirely emptying the box r.
From vessel a a pipe leads through the chimney the lower part of which is
enlarged to form a chamber u said pipe terminating above chamber u in an
extension of the shape of an inverted truncated cone e ending in a rose head.
The apparatus acts as follows:-
=
When by turning the excentric of the pump the levery is set in reciprocating
motion the two levers and m movably connected with the rod g, move at the same
time, in such a manner that at a full revolution of the eccentric, causes the slide
in the box to complete one up and downward movement thereby effecting the
periodical inlet of steam to the vessel a, whereas the triple lever m alternately
presses down the two set screws n¹³. In pressing down a' the lever arm y and
the spring respectively follow the movement, and valve popens, set screw then
causes a pressure on the arm . Consequently during a full revolution of the
eccentric, the valve popens twice that is to say, as often as i reaches the extreme
limits of its horizontal travel. This renders possible, the admission of water from
box r to the vessel u. At each revolution the slide in box is also correspondingly,
moved up and down the same number of times that is to say it completes one up
and downward movement, thereby opening twice the steam inlet port in the slide
valve case and so admitting the steam twice at each revolution of the eccentric to
the water box r. Consequently, each complete turning of the eccentric disk causes
water and steam twice in succession to alternately be admitted to the water box r.
The admission of water through the valve p to the vessel a can be regulated by
correspondingly adjusting the set screws n n². The water admitted through
valve p, in consequence of the pressure of the steam is driven from the vessel a
into the pipe t, from there through the rose head w in an atomized state into the
chimney o. This operation causes all sparks carried away from the smoke box,
together with the gases if not already intercepted in the enlarged part n of the
chimney, to be extinguished before they pass out into the air. When the engine
stops, the lever g should be so adjusted that the valve remains closed.
P
accomplished by turning the fly wheel until the pin i has reached either the highest
or lowest possible position.
This is
A variation of this apparatus simpler in its arrangement is represented in

page_text: Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, where the entire lever mechanism is dispensed with, and
replaced by a pipe in connection with a simple valve running from the slide valve
box of the engine. This apparatus as hereinafter described is preferable to
others since it can easily be applied to engines without requiring much repair.
Fig. 5 shows the mode of applying this apparatus, Fig. being a front view,
Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, Fig. 4 a plan of the valve arrangement in the
water box.
Said arrangement substantially consists of a casing a which is suitably fastened
in the water tank r. A clack valve a movably attached beneath the socket c
divides the interior of the casing a into two separate chambers the one of which
is by means of a pipe connected with the main slide valve of the engine, whereas
the other communicates, through the pipe t, with the rose head win the chimney.
On the clack valve a' rests the guide piu i of a valve h, which latter closes the
chamber e of the casing a against the water reservoir r, said valve itself resting on
the valve seat g of the valve casing C which is solidly connected with the casing a
and, which communicates with the front chamber of the latter, pin i, sliding in a
tube attached to the bridge serves as a guide for the valve which by the
pressure of the water is usually kept closed whereby at the same time the pin i
acting on the clack valve al insures a tightly closing of the latter.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The main slide valve of the engine corresponds with the slide 6 of the first form
of this invention so that the steain is caused to enter through the pipe a from the
main slide to the rear chamber of the casing a. The valve al is thus alternately
opened and closed, and by a simultaneous actuation of the valve the water is
enabled to enter the casing c of that valve into the chamber of the casing a.
The water which so enters is at the next period of steam admission carried away
through pipe t and the rose head into the chimney as above described.
The apparatus has the following advantages
1. In starting the fire it is no longer required to open or close the slide
ventilator of the ash box, in order to prevent an escape of burning particles;
therefore a uniform draught being obtained a considerable quantity of fuel may
be saved.
2. A separate feed water heater may be dispensed with, as the pipes cau
without danger be connected with the boiler feed tank.
3. The simplicity of the arrangement and solidity of construction imply no
danger in the application of this invention.
4. The danger to neighbouring objects, forests etc. of conflagration, in con-
sequence of burning particles being carried away through the chimney of such
locomotives is prevented.
5. The apparatus may, with slight alterations be applied to railway loco-
motives.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. Apparatus for extinguishing burning particles to be applied to the boiler
furnace smoke stacks of locomotive traction, or other engines etc., comprising a
horizontal lever g attached to the eccentric of the pump which lever at each
revolution of said eccentric partly by the action of a triple armed lever m movably
connected with said lever alternately opens the valve of a vessel a which is
placed in the water tank r thereby effecting the admission of water partly by
moving up and downward a slide in a slide-valve-case fed with steam from the
boiler and which communicates with the vessel a periodically causes the steam to
be admitted to the vessel a whereby at the same time the water in said vessel is
driven through a pipe to terminating in the chimney thereby extinguishing any
burning particles that may be carried away from the smoke box.
l

page_text: 2. An apparatus as described in which the periodical admission of steam is
accomplished by the main valve slide of the engine for the purpose set forth.
3. An apparatus as described in which the opening of the inlet valve h is
simultaneously with the periodical opening of the inlet valve a effected by the
latter, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 1st day of May 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.