Improvements in and relating to Boiler Tube Cleaners, and more particularly to Mechanism for Operating the same.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
Improvements in and relating to Boiler Tube Cleaners, and more
particularly to Mechanism for Operating the same.
A communication from abroad by the UNION BOILER TUBE CLEANER COMPANY,
a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, and
doing business at corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Third Street, in the
City of Pittsburg, County of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America.
I, PETER JENSEN, of No. 77, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
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:―
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section, illustrating the invention.
Figure 2 is a detail view of the gear head and connections.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the same.
Figure 4 is a transverse section, illustrating the invention.
Figure 5 is a detail view of the support for the flexible shaft.
Figure 6 is a detail view of the small sprocket wheel.
Figure 7 is a transverse section of one of the sliding plates or brackets.
Figures 8 and 9 are details of the mechanism.
This invention has relation to mechanism for the purpose of operating boiler
tube cleaning devices while the latter are being fed through tubes which are
more or less curved, as in some types of water tube boilers; and the invention
is designed to provide practical and efficient mechanism for this purpose.
With this object in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and
combination of parts, all as hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended
claims.
In the accompanying drawings, in which we have shown our invention as in
use in connection with a boiler of the Stirling type, the letter A, designates the
drum of the boiler, and B, the water tubes thereof. C, designates a guide shaft,
formed with a key-way c, running throughout its length, and supported firmly
in its position in the upper portion of the boiler drum, longitudinally thereof.
The supports for this shaft consist of plates 1), of the form best shown in Fig. 4,
and which are securely bolted to triangles or standards E. These triangles or
standards are temporarily set up within the drum, one at each end thereof, and
are preferably constructed with turn-buckles E', in order that they may be readily
adjusted and firmly screwed up to place.
Mounted to slide longitudinally upon the said guide shaft is a gear head
which has an extended sleeve F, formed with a spline or feather f, which engages
the key-way c, of the shaft, thus holding said head in proper position while
permitting it to be moved freely back and forth on said shaft throughout its
length. Projecting from the said sleeve are arms F, which are provided with
bearings for a driving shaft G, which is parallel with the guide shaft and

page_text: whose end portions have bearings in the plates D. Said shaft G, has therein
a key-way g, and is further supported and held against vibration by means of
one or more sliding plates or brackets H, which have feathers which engage the
key-way of the guide shaft. Journaled in the said gear head is a short shaft I,
which carries two mitered gear wheels I¹ and I". On the shaft G, and engaging
its key-way is a similar gear wheel J, whose teeth engage the teeth of the
gear wheel I.
Pivoted on the said shaft I, is a yoke K, which is adapted to be
swung in a plane parallel with the guide and driving shafts. Mounted in said
yoke upon an axle L, is a bevel gear wheel L', which meshes with the gear
wheel I Connected to the shaft L, is a flexible shaft M, to which is attached the
tube cleaning device or head W. This flexible shaft is provided with an inter-
mediate support and bearing, consisting of a number of pulleys N, which are
carried by an arm N¹, attached to a standard N", set up within the drum A, and
provided with a turn-buckle n, for its adjustment.
O, is a sprocket chain whose ends are made fast to the gear head and which,
at the distant end of the drum, passes over a small sprocket wheel 01, which is
adjustably mounted in a slotted arm 0", secured to the adjacent plate D. Con-
nected to the plate D, at the opposite end of the drum is an arm or frame P,
which carries at its upper portion two sprocket wheels P1, P1, and at its lower
end portion a third sprocket wheel P, which is provided with an operating
crank p. The two branches of the chain pass respectively over the wheels P1, P1,
and thence down and around the wheel P. By the operation of the crank p,
the head may be moved in both directions to any desired position on the guide
and driving shafts.
In the arrangement illustrated, the driving shaft is extended out through a
small opening in the head of the drum and is connected with a short shaft R,
by means of a universal joint St. Said short shaft is journaled in a block S,
on a vertical standard S", or it may be in any other suitable manner. On said
shaft R, is a pulley T, which is driven by a belt T', from the counter-shaft T
Said counter-shaft has a toothed-clutch U, from which a shipper rope is carried
into the drum A, through the manhole thereof, so that the operator inside of
the drum can put on or cut off the power as may be necessary.
In setting up the device, the drum head must be drilled to provide the opening
for the driving shaft to pass through, and this opening should be tapped to
receive a plug for the purpose of closing it after the operation is completed.
During the operation a bushing V, is placed in said opening to prevent injury
to the thread.
The manner of using the device will be understood from the foregoing and
from the accompanying drawing without detailed description thereof. To clean
the tubes at the left hand end portion of the boiler, the yoke K, is reversed on
the shaft I, from the position in which it is shown in Figure 1, and the gear
head is moved towards the right-hand end.
In case it should not be desired to drill the head of the drum for the driving
shaft G, said shaft can readily be driven by suitable gear connections through
the manhole of the drum.
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. In mechanism for the purpose described, the combination of supporting
devices adapted to be set up within the drum of the boiler to be cleaned, a guide
shaft supported thereby, a parallel driving shaft, means for driving the same, the
gearing head slidingly mounted upon the said shafts, and having gearing which
is actuated by the said driving shaft, and a tool-operating shaft connected to
the gearing of said head, substantially as specified.
2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of supporting
devices adapted to be set up within the drum of the boiler to be cleaned, a guide

page_text: shaft supported thereby, a parallel driving shaft, means for actuating the same,
a gear head slidingly mounted upon the said shafts, and having gearing which
is actuated by the driving shaft, a flexible tool-operating shaft connected to
the gearing on said head, and means for causing the endwise travel of the gearing
head upon said guide and driving shafts, substantially as specified.
3. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of supporting
devices adapted to be set up within the drum of the boiler to be cleaned, a guide
shaft supported thereby, a parallel driving shaft, means for actuating the same, a
gearing head slidingly mounted upon the said shafts, and having gear which is
actuated by the driving shaft, a tool-operating shaft connected to said gearing,
and a sprocket chain connected at its ends to the said gearing head, intermediate
bearings for said chain, and means for operating the same to thereby move the
said head in either direction, substantially as specified.
4. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of the supporting
devices, the parallel guide and driving shafts, the gearing head mounted to slide
on said shafts and carrying gear which is driven by the said driving shaft, means
for actuating said driving shaft, the cleaner head, the flexible shaft carrying and
operating the same and driven by the gear of said head, and intermediate supports
and bearings for the said flexible shaft, substantially as specified.
5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with supports adapted
to be set up within the drum of a boiler, guide and driving shafts supported
thereby, a gear-head slidingly mounted on said shafts, a short shaft journaled in
the said head, and geared to the said driving shaft, a yoke pivoted on said short
shaft, a gear wheel carried by said yoke and engaging a gear wheel on the short
shaft, and a flexible tool-carrying and operating shaft connected to the gear
wheel on the yoke, together with means for actuating said driving shaft, sub-
stantially as specified.
6. In mechanism of the class described, a power driven shaft, bracket or
supporting devices adapted to be set up within the drum of a boiler to support
said shaft with relation to the series of tubes to be cleaned, a flexible shaft
operatively connected to the first named shaft exteriorly of the said tubes, and
arranged to be carried to any one of said tubes without changing the position of
the first named shaft, and a tube cleaning tool or head carried by said flexible
shaft, substantially as specified.
7. In mechanism for operating a tube-cleaning tool-supporting heads having
upper bearing faces, a longitudinal connecting bar and extensible diverging
legs connected wiu lateral lugs in the heads and adapted to bear against the
boiler drum and to clamp the heads in position, substantially as set forth.
8. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with the guide and
driving shafts and the gear head carried thereby, of the standards or triangles
which support the said shafts, a slotted arm carried by one of these supports, an
arm or frame carried by the other support, a sprocket wheel mounted in said
slotted arm, other sprocket wheels mounted on the said arm or frame, one of
which wheels has an operating crank, and a sprocket chain whose ends are connected
to opposite sides of the said gear head, and which is carried by the said sprocket
wheels, substantially as specified.
9. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with the guide and
driving shafts, the gear head, and means whereby said gear head may be moved
along the said shafts, the gearing on said head connected to and driven by
said driving shaft, of a flexible tool-operating shaft operatively connected to
the gearing of said gear head, an adjustable standard, and a number of pulleys
carried thereby and forming an intermediate support or bearing for the said shaft,
substantially as specified.
10. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of supporting devices
adapted to be set up within the drum of a boiler, a driving shaft supported thereby,
and extended through the drum head of the boiler, and having a universal joint
exteriorly of the boiler, driving mechanism for said shaft, and means whereby

page_text: "
the operation of such mechanism may be controlled at will; together with a
flexible tool-carrying shaft geared to said driving shaft within the said drum,
substantially as specified.
11. In mechanism of, the class described, the combination with supporting
devices adapted to be set up within the drum of the boiler, of a flexible tool-
operating shaft, a tube-cleaning tool carried thereby, and means whereby said
shaft may be driven from; the exterior of the boiler, substantially as specified....
12. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with supporting
devices adapted to be set up within the drum of a boiler, of a flexible tool-carrying
shaft supported thereby, a jointed tube-cleaning tool carried by the said shaft, and
gearing supported by the said supporting devices, and adapted to be connected to
driving mechanism exterior to the said drum, substantially as specified.
.
13. In mechanism of the class, described, a supporting device adapted for use
in the drum of a steam boiler, and comprising a triangular, standard provided
with bearing portions adapted to bear against the upper and lower portions of
the drum wall, and having its side portions or legs formed in sections united by
turn-buckles, substantially as specified.
D
1
1
1000
1
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.