CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM BOILERS AND ENGINES, AND OF Loco- MOTIVE CARRIAGES
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANK
HILLS, of Deptford, in the County of Kent, Manufacturing Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of May, in the third year of Her reign, did, for Herself
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the Said Frank Hills, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said Frank
Hills, my exors, admiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frank Hills,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of ", CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM BOILERS AND ENGINES, AND OF Loco-
MOTIVE CARRIAGES"; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
thesaid Frank Hills, shal Icause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Hersaid Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I have fully
described and set forth the nature of my said improvements in the following
description thereof, and in the Drawings hereunto annexed, observing that
when the same object is exhibited in different points of view the same letters of
reference denote similar parts.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 represent one of my improved forms of boiler, Figure 1.
being a vertical section, and Figure 2 a plan of the same; a, a, are a series of
tubes (formed preferably of copper) of from five to eight inches in diameter, and
closed at each end by discs of metal brazed therein. These discs or end pieces
are drilled with holes to receive a number of small pipes b, b, of about half an
inch diameter, which are secured to the end pieces by conical rings. The
tubes a, a, form the water and steam chambers, being filled about two thirds
full of water, and the small pipes b, b, form the channels or flues for the smoke
and heated air. The tubes a, a, are ranged vertically in any convenient figure,
and are cach connected near the lower end with the water main c, by short
branch pipes d, fitted with union joints and stopcocks, and near the upper end
by similar pipes e, to the steam main f, so as to maintain a free steam and
water communication between all the tubes a, a, and at the same time affording
the means of readily shutting off and removing any of the tubes which may
become defective; g is the steam pipe leading from the steam main to the
working cylinders, and h is a jacket or casing surrounding the tubes. Instead
of using coal or coke as fuel for this boiler, I prefer to use gas or oil, naptha,
turpentine, or other similar materials burned in suitable lamps, provided with
means for regulating the flame. To prevent incrustation, which in this arrange-
ment would be difficult to remove, I prefer using distilled or rain water.
I claim under this head of my Invention the employment of a series of
vertical tubes partly filled with water, and having smaller vertical pipes passing
through them, which form the channels or passages for the smoke and heated air.
Figures 3 and 4 represent another of my improved steam boilers, Figure 3
being a transverse section thereof, and Figure 4 a section in a plane at right
angles to the former. u, a, a, are a series of vertical tubes (which I prefer
to be of copper) of from three to five inches in diameter. In the lower end
of each of these tubes I insert a short piece of tube b, of about an inch
smaller diameter, and sufficiently thick to allow of a good screw to be cut
thereon; the space between the small tube and the larger one is filled up by a
metallic ring, and the whole brazed together. The tops of the tubes are also
closed by brazing, and have square knobs e, for the convenience of screwing
and unscrewing the tubes. These vertical tubes thus prepared I screw into a
horizontal range of pipes d, d, of a D shape, similar to those described in my
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-nine. They are made by bending a piece of sheet iron,
about a quarter of an inch thick and of the requisite length and breadth, into
a nearly semi-circular form, thus U, and then brazing thereto a flat bar of iron
about half an inch thick, and of the required length and width, to form the

page_text: upper side, after which the ends are closed by pieces of iron brazed therein.
These D pipes are arranged side by side, with sufficient space between them
for the heated air to ascend, and into the front ends smaller pipes e, e, are
screwed to connect the D pipes with a water chamber f, which forms the front
of the apparatus, the fore ends of the pipes e, e, being secured to the
chamber by double nuts. The chamber f is formed of two plates of iron
or copper bolted together at the edges, one of which plates is bent up
or dished so as to leave a space between it and the other one to contain
the water. To the bottom of the D pipes at the back end are attached
the bent tubes g, g, on the horizontal portion of which the fuel is laid,
while the vertical portion forms the back of the fireplace. The front ends of
these tubes are connected to the front chamber by smaller pipes, similar to
those which connect the D tubes with the same chamber, soas to ensure a perfect
circulation of the water. The two outer D pipes are placed on a level with the
fire tubes, and the vertical tubes screwed into them are made sufficiently long
to form the sides of the fireplace. In the inside of each of the D pipes is an
iron pipe h, of about an inch diameter, which has holes that correspond with
the centres of the vertical tubes a, a, and into these holes are screwed the
small vertical pipes k, of about half an inch in diameter, which reach nearly to
the top of the tubes a, a, and serve to carry off the steam as it is generated in
the latter to the pipes /, which are all connected with and open into a steam
main m. Two or more of the central D pipes have no connecting pipes e, e,
so that an opening is left in the top ofthe fireplace for the reception ofa hopper
n, by which the furnace is supplied with fuel. This hopper is fitted with a
cover and a moveable bottom, so that the fuel may be introduced without
admitting free ingress to the air, which would lessen the draught. There is also
a fire door o, in the centre of the frontchamber, by which the fire can be raked,
and this door is furnished with an aperture or eychole covered with talc, by
which the state of the fire can at all times be ascertained by inspection.
I claim under this head, as my Invention, the following combination of parts
videlicet: The employment of vertical tubes closed and unconnected at top
and opening into and connected with at bottom a general chamber, or series
of chambers, of any convenient figure, which chamber or chambers contain
water; such vertical tubes having small pipes passing up their centres for the
purpose of carrying off the steam, the said small pipes communicating with the
steam main, but being unconnected with the vertical tubes.
Figure 5 is a transverse section, and Figure 6 a section at right angles to the
former, of another of my improved boilers; a, a, and b, b, are two flat chambers,
the former constituting the front and the latter the back of the boiler. They are

page_text: connected together by several rows of tubes c, c, which are screwed into the
back chamber and attached to the front by annular wedges, in the way exten-
sively practised in railway locomotives. The external plate of each of the
chambers a and b is hollowed up so as to leave a space between it and the
other plate of the same chamber of about four inches at bottom and six inches
at top to afford room for the water and steam. The plates of the back chamber
may be rivetted together at their flanges, but the plates of the front chamber
should be secured together by bolts to admit of being separated when requisite,
and each chamber should be well stayed with bolts at the distance of about
four inches from each other. The two chambers are connected at top by one
or more tubes d, to allow of a free passage for the steam between them. From
the back chamber the steam passes by a number of small pipes e, e, into a
cylindrical steam chest or main f, and any water which may pass over with the
steam is returned to the boilers by the small pipe g, which connects the steam
chest with the lower part of the front chamber. The pipe h conducts the
steam from the steam chest to the working cylinders. The fire bars are
formed of a range of tubes k, and the sides of the fireplace of two rows of
tubes m, m, which are fastened into the back and front chambers of the boiler
in the same way as the tubes e, e,all which tubes I prefer to be of copper; n
is the fire door. The boiler should be so fixed that the tubes may incline
slightly from the horizontal, so that the ends of the tubes which enter the
front chamber may be about four inches higher than the hinder ends, in order
to allow the steam to rise readily along the tubes without blowing the water out.
I claim under this head the use of flat chambers placed vertically or
nearly so, and connected together by ranges of tubes kept full of water, the
upper portion of the flat chambers serving as steam chambers.
My improvements in locomotive carriages relate to the wheels and axles and
bearings of such carriages. My first improvement on wheels is represented in
Figures 7 and 8, Figure 7 being a front elevation of one of my improved
wheels, and Figure 8 a transverse section of the same; a, a, are a set of
wrought iron spokes, which are welded to a wrought iron ring b, made slightly
conical, whilst the spokes are slightly dished in the opposite direction. Two
such rings and sets of spokes are enclosed in a flask at a proper distance apart,
and the nave or centre c is then cast upon them. The wheel thus far formed
is then removed from the flask, and wooden felloes d, in segments (made pre-
ferably with the grain radiating from the centre of the wheel) are inserted
between the rings b, b, and firmly bolted thereto. These wooden felloes pro-
ject about an inch beyond the rings b, in the direction of their diameter, and
are hooped with an iron tire e in the usual way.

page_text: I claim under this head the construction of wheels with wooden felloes inserted
between two vertical wrought iron rings, to which rings the spokes are attached.
My second improvement on the wheels of locomotives consists in employing
a second tire composed of segments of cast steel or other suitable metal attached
by bolts to the first or permanent tire, to admit of being replaced with facility
when they become worn.
My improvements on axletrees for locomotives are of two kinds, the first of
which is exhibited in section in Figure ŷ. a, a, are two bars of iron welded
together at each end, and bowed out in the middle sufficiently to allow the
engine cranks to revolve between them. The joined ends of these bars are
cylindrical and forms the pivots or studs upon which the wheels revolve, and
are bored out to admit the driving shafts b, b, to revolve within them. The
shafts b, b, are connected to the cranks c, c, by the coupling boxes d, d, and to
the wheels e,e, by clutches or any other convenient method. The crank axles
work in bearings bolted to cross pieces of iront, f, which are fixed to the bars
a, a, which form the split axle, and the springsgare attached to the split axles.
I claim under this head the employment of a stationary axis, with hollow arms,
upon which the wheels revolve, and through which arms the driving shaft,
which transmits the power of the cranks to the wheels, passes.
My second improvement on axletrees, and which is also applicable to the
bearings of the other parts of the machinery of locomotives, consists of an
arrangement for making the bearings run in a flood of oil, and is represented
by Figures 10, 11, 12, aud 13, Figure 10 being a plan of a portion of the
axle supported by the lower plummer block; Figure 11 an end view of the
axle with the enlarged bearing, and Figure 12 a plan, and Figure 13 a section
of the lower plummer block. Instead of making the bearing part smaller than
the other part of the axle or shaft, Imake it larger by shrinking on the shaft a a
steel collar b, which collar runs in a corresponding groove c, in the brass or
bearings; a cavityd is also formed on the lower brass, to contain a supply ofoil,
and communicates with the groove in which the collar runs by an aperture e.
I claim under this head the collar or enlarged bearing running in a brass
with a corresponding groove which is connected with cavities in the brass
containing a supply of oil.
My first improvement in steam engines relates to that kind of engine com-
monly known as Hero's engine, and is shewn in Figures 14, 15, 16, and 17:
Figure 14 being a front section; Figure 15, an end view; and Figures 16
and 17, sections shewing some of the details on a larger scale. a is a short
tube, from which radiate four smaller tubes b, b, and c, c, the outer end of
which are bent to a right angle with their respective tubes, and in such manner

page_text: that the jets for the steam may point in contrary directions. These tubes are
enclosed between two thin plates of metal, having a circular rim, biazed or
otherwise secured to the edges of the plates, through which rims the ends of
the tubes b, b, and c,c, pass, the whole forming a hollow drum or wheel d; or
in lieu of enclosing the pipes or arms between plates of metal, the
space
between the arms may be filled in with sectoral pieces of wood, or other light
material, so as to form a drum. One end of the tube a works in a stuffing
box e, attached to the steam pipe f; the other has a flange, by which it is
bolted to the flanch of the spindle or axis g, with a disc of wood or any slow
conductor of heat interposed to prevent the shaft becoming much heated,
The shaft is mounted on bearings at k, k, and carries a drum m, from which
the power of the engine is transmitted. At n is a rod sliding in the tube a,
and having formed upon it two plugs o and p, which are portions of cylinders
a little exceeding in breadth the orifices of the pipes b and c, the remaining
portion of the circumference being cut away, the outer end of the rod passes
through a stuffing box q. This rod can be moved inwards or outwards by
means of the forked lever 1, which works between two collars fixed on the
end of the rod. When the rod is pushed in, as shewn at Figure 16, the
plug o closes the orifices of the pipes c, c, and allows the steam to enter the
pipes b, b, and the steam issuing from the pipes causes the drum to revolve
in the direction of the arrows. If the rod be drawn outwards, the plug p
closes the pipes b, b, and allows the steam to flow into the pipes c, c, and the
motion of the drum becomes reversed.
I claim under this head of my Invention,―
First, the enclosing the arms of what is commonly called Hero's engine in
a drum or casing, revolving with thearms, or the filling up the spaces between
the arms with wood or other suitable material, for the purpose of diminishing
the resistance of the atmosphere to the rotation of the arms.
Second, I claim the mode of reversing the motion ofthe engine by employing
two sets of arms, the orifices of which arms are pointed in opposite directions;
and to either of which set of arms the steam can be admitted at pleasure,
whilst it is excluded from the other by means of sliding plugs, or any other
equivalent arrangement.
Thirdly, I claim the interposing of a block of wood, or other slow con-
ductor of heat, between the engine and the bearings of the shaft.
My second improvement in steam engines cousists of a contrivance for
driving a straight shaft by an arm or crank placed upon the middle or between
the bearings, and is represented in Figures 18 and 19. a is an arm or crank,
fixed upon the middle of the straight shaft b. c and d are two connecting

page_text: rods jointed to the end of the piston rod e, and having at the other end two
forks f,f, of hardened steel, calculated to receive the pin of the crank or arma.
The connecting rod c is jointed towards its outer extremity to the radius rodg,
which turns upon the shaft b as a centre; and the connecting rod disjointed
towards its outer extremity to a similar radius rod h, on the opposite side of
the shaft. The dotted lines shew the position of the parts at each end of the
stroke. The action of this apparatus may be explained thus:-At the com
mencement, the piston will push the arm a from 1 to 2, and from thence to 3,
by means of the fork on the rod c, in which the pin slides easily, but not
loosely. When the arm a arrives at the position 3, it becomes engaged with
the fork on the rod d, and released from the fork c, and being carried past the
line of centres by the momentum of the carriage, or of a fly wheel, or by the
action of a second engine acting upon an arm or crank attached to the shaft
at right angles to the crank or arm a, it is drawn back by the rod d through
the arc 3, 4, 1, which completes the revolution. The radius rods should be
somewhat longer than the arm a, in order to cause them to stand at an angle
with the line of centres at each termination of the stroke; and the forks
should be prolonged, so that the pin may be conducted from one fork to the
other.
I claim the means of imparting rotatory motion to an engine shaft, by
means of an arm fixed on the middle of such shaft, and driven by one of two
connecting rods alternately, which are driven by the piston rod, and guided by
radius rods.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Hills, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand cight hundred and forty.

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