IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS AND FURNACES FOR HEATING WATER AND GENERATING STEAM, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Atkins, of Saint Albans, in the County
'
of Herts, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS AND
FURNACES FOR HEATING WATER AND GENERATING STEAM, AND IN APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 26th September 1871, and dated the 8th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Atkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th April 1871.
I, THOMAS ATKINS, of Saint Albans, in the County of Herts, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BOILERS AND FURNACES FOR HEATING WATER AND GENERATING STEAM, AND IN
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:―
The first part of these improvements relates to the construction of
boilers by arranging iron plates for carrying a series of vertical, hori-
zontal, or inclined tubes, the said tubes to be of any required diameter
or length, and carried a portion or length of the boiler. I prefer using
Buch tubes about four inches in diameter, and about 18 to 20 inches
long. When the said tubes are adjusted to their proper places the whole

page_text: structure of the boiler is calculated to resist great, pressure, and to give
ample elasticity to all the parts. The curved plates are bent to the
required form to admit of contraction or expansion, and from the
peculiar construction the said arrangement is capable of affording great
clasticity under extreme pressure, while the front and back parts of
the said tube chamber are rivited on the front and back of the boiler
in such manner as to give great elasticity to both ends, and thus avoid
the serious strain that has now to be borne by the front and back parts
of Cornish and other boilers.
Apparatus is employed for fixing and replacing the said tubes in the
fire chamber, for which purpose I use rotating sets and radial pressure
expanders. The same expanders may be adopted for cutting such
tubes in or outside, and may be capable of riviting the end of said
tubes in a superior manner, the object of the apparatus being to
supersede the present hand labour now required in fixing and removing
tubes.
The second part of these improvements in boilers relates to the
application of hollow tubes or chambers of any required diameter or
form to be fixed in the flues or passages beyond the fire grates, and
arranged as may be found most suitable for the form of boiler to which
they are applied. Tubes may be fixed inside the chambers to admit of
a free passage of air passing through them.
The third part of these improvements relates to the construction and
application of a novel arrangement of safety valve to steam boilers in
order to prevent explosion thereof. This safety valve consists of a
cylinder with a seat turned in it and a hollow plug to screw on the said
seat. Between the seat and the plug I fix thin plates of fusible metal,
each plate representing any number of pounds pressure on the square
inch, and the number of plates may be adjusted to any 'standard pressure
that may be necessary in working the boiler or steam chamber. These
safety valves may be fixed inside or outside the boiler or steam chamber,
or may be fixed over the fire-places of said furnaces.
.
In order to reduce the strain on steam boilers to the smallest possible
extent, I attach large receivers near the slide or throttle valves with a
view of maintaining an equilibrum of pressure on steam boilers.
The fourth part of this Invention relates to the application of a
mercurial regulator for regulating the supply of air to steam boiler and
other furnaces or combustion chambers, the object being to adjust the

page_text: supply of air when the respirator or other means of admitting air
furnishes too much or too little air for effecting combustion in the
furnaces. For this purpose I employ a long iron, brass, copper, or other
metal tube, in which I fix a glass tube of any required length or size,
the object being to expand the air to act on the mercury or compressed
air for opening or shutting the counterbalance tube for securing
regularity of combustion.
I.
The fifth part of this Invention relates to the arrangement and
application of a series of butterfly valves made of metal or fire-brick,
and fixed at any suitable distance within the flues or passages of steam
boiler and other furnaces. These valves I term radiators, and they may
be of any suitable form according to the form or character of the flues
to which they have to be applied, and they may be set at any required
angle for adjusting and regulating the draft through the flues.
connect lever arrangements to pass through the tubes with a connection
attached to each radiator or valve, by which the workman may adjust
the valve or valves to any required angle.. The valves or radiators may
be arranged during the time of firing, to prevent the cold air passing
through the flue. The rod for actuating the valves may pass through
stuffing boxes in the boiler and be actuated by a lever under the control.
of the engine-driver.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Atkins. in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ATKINS, of Saint Albans, in the County of Herts, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Atkins, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Atkins, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Atkins,. 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

page_text: 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
BOILERS AND FURNACES FOR HEATING WATER AND GENERATING STEAM, AND IN
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Atkins, 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 Thomas Atkins, 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 :-
The first part of these improvements relates to the construction of
boilers by arranging iron plates for carrying a series of vertical, hori-
zontal, or inclined tubes, the said tubes to be of any required diameter
or length and carried a position or length of the boiler. I prefer using
such tubes about four inches in diameter and about eighteen to twenty
inches long. When the said tubes are adjusted to their proper places
the whole structure of the boiler is calculated to resist great pressure
and to give ample elasticity to all the parts. The curved plates are
bent to the required form to admit of contraction or expansion, and from
their peculiar construction the said arrangement is capable of affording
great elasticity under extreme pressure while the front and back parts
of the said tube chamber are riveted on the front and back of the boiler
in such manner as to give great elasticity to both ends and thus avoid
the serious strain that has now to be borne by the front and back
parts of Cornish and other boilers.
And in order that my improvements may be clearly understood and
readily carried into practice I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Th

page_text: a, a, are a series of vertical tubes which connect the top and bottom
plates a¹, a', of the furnace and flues; b, b, are a series of horizontal
tubes which connect the plates 61, 61, of the furnace and flues, the
plates a¹, b¹, being connected together by the curved plates c, c, in order
to admit of sufficient contraction and expansion to resist great pressure
and afford elasticity to the parts thus combined. Apparatus is employed
according to this part of my improvements for fixing and replacing the
said tubes in the fire chamber or furnace and flues, for which purpose
I use rotating sets and radial pressure expanders, as shewn by Figures 5,
6, and 7 of the Drawings. d is a rod which is passed through the
tubes, one end being formed with arms d¹ resting against the boiler
plates to resist the pressure caused by screwing down the revolving
head at the opposite end of the rod d. The arms d³ of the revolving
travelling head are furnished with circular cutters d' which form a
groove in the boiler plate around the tube, thus expanding and closing
the metal upon it to form a tight joint; e, e, are a series of tubular
clips which are secured by bolts e¹ around the tube, the central pair of
clips e³ acting by means of inclined surfaces e' to force the clips e, e,
apart in order to support the edges of the boiler plate around the tube
whilst the head is being screwed down. The same construction of
expanders may be readily adapted according to my Invention for cutting
such tubes in or outside, and may be arranged so as to be capable of
riveting the ends of the said tubes in a superior manner, as will be readily
understood by a competent mechanic, the object of the apparatus being
to supersede the present hand labour now required in fixing and
removing tubes.
The second part of these improvements in steam boilers relates to the
application of hollow tubes or chambers f,f, as shewn in Figures 3 and 4
of the Drawings, of any required diameter or form, so as to afford
increased heating surfaces to the boiler being fixed in the flues or
passages beyond the fire-grates for absorbing otherwise waste heat and
arranged as may be found most suitable for the form of boiler to which
they are applied. Tubes f¹ may be fixed inside these chambers to admit
of a free passage of air passing through them.
The third part of these improvements relates to the construction and
application of a novel arrangement of safety valve to steam boilers in
order to prevent explosion thereof. This safety valve consists of a
cylinder g, with a seat g' turned in it and a hollow plug / to screw on the

page_text: said, seat, as shewn by Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawings. Between the
seat g¹ and the plug I fix thin plates of fusible metal i, each plate
representing any number of pounds pressure on the square inch, and
the number of plates i may be adjusted to any standard pressure that
may be necessary in working the boiler or steam chamber. These safety
valves may be fixed inside or outside the boiler or steam chamber, or
may be fixed over the fireplaces or furnaces of the boiler. In order
to reduce the strain on steam boilers to the smallest possible extent,
according to this part of my improvements I attach large receivers
near the slide or throttle valves with a view of maintaining an equilibrium
of pressure on steam boilers. The form and size of these receivers may
be varied to suit the boiler or purpose to which they are applied.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to the application of a
mercurial regulator for regulating the supply of air to steam boiler and
other furnaces or combustion chambers, the object being to adjust the
supply of air when the "respirator". (described in the Specification of a
Patent granted to me dated 31st day of August 1871, No. 2377,) or other
means of admitting air furnishes too much or too little air for effecting
combustion in the furnaces. For this purpose, according to this part of
my improvements, I employ a long iron, brass, copper, or other metal
tube j, as shown at Figures 10 and 11 of the Drawings, in which I fix a
glass tube of any required length or size. The metal tube j passes into
the furnace, the object being to expand the air in the tubej to act on
the mercury (or compressed air) which acts on the rod or plunger k
connected to the lever ³ moving on a centre at k³, the other end of the
lever ¹ being connected to the rod, which is jointed either to the
furnace door, dead plate, or valve opening into the furnace, the dead
plate in this case being hung on centres, by which arrangement it (or tho.
fire door or valve) is caused to open and close by the action of the heat
upon the mercury so as to regulate the supply of air for combustion in
the furnace.
The fifth part of this Invention relates to the arrangement and
application of a series of butterfly valves 2, which may be made of metal
or fire brick, or of both combined, being fixed or arranged at any'
suitable distance within the flues or passages of steam boiler and other
furnaces, as shewn at Figures 12, 13, and 14 of the Drawings. These
valves I term radiators, and they may be of any suitable form according
to the form or character of the flues to which they have to be applied,

page_text: and they may be set at any required angle by means of the connecting
rods, so as to adjust and regulate the draft through the flues. I con-
nect lever arrangements as shewn to pass through the tubes with a
connection attached to each radiator or valve by which the workman
may adjust the valve or valves to any required angle by the rod and
handle outside the furnace door. The valves or radiators / may be
arranged during the time of firing so as to prevent the cold air passing
through the flue. The rod for actuating the valves may pass through
stuffing boxes in the boiler and be actuated by a lever, as shewn, under
the control of the engine driver, or the rod and valves may be
connected with the fire-door so as to be actuated thereby.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Atkins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
THOMAS ATKINS. (L.S.)