Improvements in the Construction and Working of Locomotive Engines and Boilers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left. 11th Sept.. 1897-Aocepted. 6th Nov.. 1897
Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Sept.. 1897-Aocepted. 8th Nov.. 1897
Improvements in the Construction and Working of Locomotive
Engines and Boilers.
I FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Chester Place Crewe in the County of Chester
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist in dividing the Smoke box of a locomotive boiler into
two parts horizontally or thereabouts about the middle row of tubes & providing
a separate smoke stack or chimney for each part & so arranging that the final
exhaust from the cylinders whether there be 2, 3 or 4 cylinders & whether com-
pound or non-compound shall be directed up each of the Smoke stacks or chimneys
through a separate exhaust nozzle or set of nozzles suitably arranged for each
two parts horizontal or thereabouts about the middle row of tubes & providing
Smoke stack or chimney, as near as may be, half of the exhaust being directed
up each smoke stack or chimney. By this means I obtain a more equable draught
through the tubes & so increase the efficiency of the boiler & therefore of the
engine.
Improvements in the Construction and Working of Locomotive
Engines and Boilers.
I, FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Chester Place, Crewe, in the County of Chester,
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:-
My improvements consist in dividing the Smoke box of a locomotive into
two parts horizontally or thereabouts about the middle row of tubes & providing
a separate smoke stack or chimney for each part & so arranging that the final
exhaust from the cylinders whether there be 2, 3 or 4 cylinders & whether com-
pound or non-compound shall be directed up each of the Smoke stacks or chimneys
through a separate exhaust nozzle or set of nozzles suitably arranged for each
Smoke stack or chimney as near as may be half of the exhaust being directed
up each smoke stack or chimney. By this means I obtain a more equable draught
through the tubes & so increase the efficiency of the boiler & therefore of the
engine.
As is well known, in tubular boilers of the ordinary locomotive type, in which.

page_text: all the tubes open into a single smoke box, the draught through the tubes is very
unequal those nearest to the mouth of the blast pipe having a considerably greater
draught through them than those further away, tlie result being that the heating
surface of the former tubes is more efficient than in the case of the latter. By
the application of my invention this serious drawback is overcome, & the products
of combustion from the firebox will be more equally drawn through all the tubes
& at a more uniform rate throughout & thereby the greatest amount of heating
efficiency may be obtained from each tube. The application of my invention
gives another advantage as regards the steaming of the boiler, viz., that as the
discharge of the exhaust steam up each blast pipe is less frequent than when one
blast pipe only is used, the products of combustion from the firebox are not drawn
through the tubes so quickly, consequently more time is allowed for the hot gases
to remain in contact with the tubes & their heating efficiency is thereby increased.
The accompanying drawings will further explain my invention, the same letters
of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the figs.
Figs. 1 & 2 show my improvements as they may be arranged for dividing the
Smoke box of a 4-cylinder non-compound locomotive into two separate compart-
ments. Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section through the smoke box, one half
of the view showing a section taken through the centre of the chimney F & the
other half of the view a section through the centre of the chimney G. Fig. 2 is a
vertical longitudinal section taken along the centre of the Smoke box. A is the
boiler barrel & B3 the tube plate of an ordinary locomotive boiler, C being the
plate which forms the top & sides of the smoke box in the usual way. In carrying
out my invention as here shown, I divide the Smoke box into two compartments D
&D by means of the plate E. This plate has an opening e to which the chimney F
is securely fastened & which forms the outlet for the lower compartment D. The
lischarge outlet for the upper compartment D¹ is the chimney G which is fixed
immediately behind the chimney F & extends about half way down the compart-
ment D as shown. The four steam cylinders of the engine are shown at H, H', J
& J the two former being placed outside & the two latter inside the frames of
the engine. The exhaust steam from the two outside cylinders is discharged
through the pipes P & P¹ & the exhaust from the two inside cylinders is discharged
through the pipes P2 & P. The two former pipes join together a little below the
partition plate E forming one pipe which is extended a short distance above the
partition plate. This pipe acts as the blast pipe for the upper chamber or compart-
ment D discharging into the chimney G. Similarly the two exhaust pipes P³
&P3 unite into one pipe a short distance below the partition plate E forming
the blast pipe for the lower chamber D & discharging into the chimney F. I
wish it understood that I do not confine myself to this particularly described
arrangement for carrying the exhaust steam from the cylinders, as other dispositions
of the pipes might be made, as for instance, the two cylinders H & J on one side
of the engine may be connected to one blast pipe, as shown by dotted lines, &
the cylinders H¹ & J on the other side of the engine may be connected to the
other blast pipe, also shown by dotted lines.
Figs. 3 & 4 show my divided smoke box & chimney as arranged either for an
ordinary inside cylinder high pressure locomotive or for a 4-cylinder compound
locomotive. The former arrangement is shown by full sectional lines; the arrange-
ment for the compound engine being shown by dotted unsectioned lines. In the
former arrangement L & L are the two inside cylinders, the exhaust from the
former cylinder being discharged through the blast pipe P3 & up the chimney G;
the exhaust from the cylinder L' is discharged through the blast pipe P³ & up
the chimney F. In the case of the compound engine M & M are the two high
pressure & L & L are the two low pressure cylinders. The exhaust steam from
the high pressure cylinder M is carried to the low pressure cylinder L by the
pipe P & is finally discharged through the blast pipe P & up the chimney G.
In like manner the exhaust steam from the high pressure cylinder M' is carried
to the low. pressure cylinder L' by the pipe P & is finally discharged through
the blast pipe P3 & up the chimney F.

page_text: Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
The dividing of the smoke box of a locomotive boiler into two independent
compartments, each compartment enclosing a portion of the discharge ends of the
tubes & providing each compartment with a separate blast pipe & chimney.
Dated this 9th day of Santambor 1807