Improvements in Electric Alarm Water-level Indicators for Steam Boilers and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Electric Alarm Water-level Indicators for Steam
Boilers and the like.
We, MARTIN LUlher Bush, of 44, Washington Street, City of Lawience, in
the County of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the United
States of America, Steam-Fitter, and CHARLES FRANK SWAIN, of 142, Broadway,
in the Town of Methuen, in said county, Manufacturer of Knit Goods, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be pei-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Oui invention relates to electric-alaim water columns and consists in the com-
binations and devices hereinafter described and claimed
The object of this invention is to furnish a cheap, simple, reliable and durable
alarm, operated by the 118ing or falling of the water in the water-cylinder beyond
certain predetermined limits
The movable parts of the device are at rest until these limita are reached,
instead of being moved by every slight change in the height of the water m
the cylinder or by the foaming of the water in the boiler and are therefore not
constantly wearing out themselves and said cylinder and destroying the packing
in which turns a circuit-closing lever, ananged partly within and partly without
said cylinder.
The construction 18 such that the alarm-devices may be placed in position with-
out removal or alteration of any part of the cylinder, except the upper cap
or head thereof, and said devices may be applied to cylinders now in use by
merely boung and tapping a hole in said upper cap The expense and laboi
required in applying the invention are therefore very small
The alarm, battery and electrical connections are wholly outside of the cylinder,
which forms no part of the circuit, and may be arranged above the cylinder to
be out of the way
In the accompany drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a water cylinder,
with our invention applied thereto, Fig 2, a horizontal section on the line 22
in Fig 1, Fig 3, a vertical, central section of the water-cylinder showing the
float and weight and part of the circuit-closing lever; Figs 4 and 5, respectively,
י

page_text: a side elevation and a front elevation of the upper part of the circuit-closing
level, the terminals and the supporting of said lever and terminals, Fig 6, a
plan of the alarm, battery, battery-connections or conductors, the terminals, a
part of the cucuit-closing lever and the means which support said terminals
and level
The water-cylinder A is represented as having the usual connections a a¹ to
the boiler (not shown) two or more gage-cocks B B B (three being shown) and
a gage-glass C, all of which may be of any usual construction and operation,
the cylinder Ausually having separate heads or caps a² a' which are herein
represented as secured to the body of said cylinder by bolts at which connect
flanges on said body to other flanges a, with which said caps are provided,
Jn an obvious manner, as indicated in Fig. 3
In applying the invention herein described we provide the upper part of the
cylinder on upper cap a³ with the hole a', as by drilling and tapping, and in this
hole we secure the horizontal tube 1 which is bent horizontally forward at night
angles of 18 preferably provided with the quai tei-tuin or elbow d (Fig 2.)
In the elbow & we arrange the rock-shaft L which tuins in a stuffing-box F',
of ordinary construction, secured in the end of said elbow in any convenient
usual mannci, said rock-shaft projecting out through said stuffing-box
A suitable packing f surrounds said 1ock-shaft within the stuffing box to
prevent the escape of steam at the sides of said shaft
An aime is secured by any usual means to the shaft E and extends through
the tube D into the cylinder A, the means shown (Fig 2) consisting of a collar e¹
prevented from moving on said shaft by a radial set-sciowe which turns in
said collar against said shaft and another set-screw which turns in said collar
against said arm
The other arms eee, hereinafter mentioned, may be secured in like manner
to said shaft E by a colla e, arranged outside of the stuffing-box F and fast on
said shaft
From the arme 18 suspended within the cylinder A, a float G, preferably an
air and water-tight hollow metallic ball, of usual construction and fiom said
floats hangs a weight H, which may be like the float G except that a hole in
the top (Figs. 1 and 3) allows the weight to be filled with water. The float and
weight may be suspended by any suitable inextensible connections 9h (whether
flexible o inflexible) as metallic 1ods on chains, these connections g h being of
such length that said float will be above and said weight below the normal water-
level when the armi e 18 in a horizontal position, the gravity of these parts being
counter-balanced by one or more aims et e, above mentioned, secured to the
shaft E and properly weighted at es, e, to keep the aim e normally horizontal,
one arm of said aims being represented as normally vertical and pendant and
the other e as horizontal, but, of course, one of the aims et e³ may be used alone
and the direction in which said aims point may be varied to produce the desired
counter balancing effect
The specific gravity of the weight being greater and that of the float being
less than the specific gravity of the water, it follows that as long as the weight H
is submerged, it is partially supported by the surrounding water, but when the
water falls sufficiently said weight will fall and 1ock the shaft E in one duection
and that when the water ises high enough, it will raise the float G and 1ock said
shaft in the other duection (A slight 1ocking of said shaft causes an alaim to
bo operated as described below) Of course, the distance apart of the float and
weight are to some extent a matter of choice, it being necessary that they should
be near enough to the normal water-level to be moved just before the water
1eaches a dangerous point in either direction and they may be arranged con-
siderably nearer to the normal water level than is absolutely necessary, it only
being required that the float should be wholly above and the weight wholly
below said normal level
The shaft E is provided with a fourth arme (Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6) which, pie-

page_text: ferably, projects upward from said shaft and has a cap or head I which is an
electrical conductor and serves as a cucuit-close
The head is preferably of spring sheet metal and bent in the middle into two
inclined sides which may be split, as shown at in Figs 4 and 6, nearly or
entirely through from side to side, so that each side has two springs in direct
electrical connection or electrically connected through the upper end of the
aim which upper end is of conducting material
Above the head I and normally out of contact therewith are aanged four
terminals, two J J on each side of said head, these terminals being represented
(Figs 1, 4, 5 and 6) as pins insulated at from each other and from their
supporting means and these pins may be supported in any convenient manner,
as on a bracket, cast or otherwise secured to the elbow or pipe D
The bracket 18 represented in Figs 4 and 6 as secured by rivets to an
arm on the elbow d The two terminals J J on the same side of the head I
are connected by wies L L' to opposite poles of a battery K (Figa 1 and 6) and
a suitable alarm represented as a buzz-bell, is in circuit with said battery and
terminals, so that by a slight 11se or fall of the float G and weight H, the head
or cucuit-closer I comes in contact with two terminals J J', having opposite
connections with the battery and by closing the circuit causes the alarm to
operate.
Splitting the sides or leaves of the head I allows the separate parts of springs
of each side to make a perfect contact with the corresponding terminals, even if
one terminal should, through wear or carelessness in the original construction,
be slightly shorter than the other terminal at the same side of said head, and
the inclination of said sides causes a scraping contact between the sides and
terminals which will remove any collection of dirt on said sides and ensure a
perfect electrical connection.
The 1ock-shaft E and its aims e es constitute a cucuit-closing lever
Obviously, the alaim may be arranged in the boiler room or at a distance
therefrom, as in the counting 100m 01 office of the manager of a factory or other
establishment owning the boileı
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim 18:
1 The combination of the water-cylinder, having water connections above and
below the normal water-level of said cylinder, of a float and a weight, both
arranged in said cylinder, the one above and the other below said normal water-
level, an inextensible connection between said weight and float, a lever, aanged
partly within and partly without said cylinder, an inextensible connection between
sard Hoat and the inner arm of said lever, battery and alarm connections and a
cucuit-closer canied by the outer aim of said level, said battery and alarm con-
nections and said cucuit-closer being arranged wholly outside of said cylinder
and being insulated therefrom
2 The combination with a water-cylinder having boiler connections, of a float
and a weight, both within said cylinder, a circuit-closing lever, arranged partly
within and partly without said cylindei, inextensible connections between said
weight and said float, said float and weight, respectively, being aanged above
and below the normal water-level in said cylinder, and said weight being sus-
pended directly from said float and the battery and alarm connections arranged
wholly outside of said cylinder and insulated therefrom
3. The combination in an electric-alarm water-cylinder having boiler connec-
tions, of a float and a weight, both arranged within said cylinder, an inexten-
sible connection between said float and weight, said weight being normally
below the water-level in said cylinder and said float being normally above said
water-level, a lever, having an arm arranged within said water-cylinder, an inex-
tensible connection between said float and said arm, and battery and alarm

page_text: connections having terminals outside of said cylinder, said levet having another
arm, aanged outside of said cylinder and having inclined springs adapted to
have a scraping contact with said terminals when said lever 18 10cked
Dated this 4th day of November 1899.
MARTIN LUTHER BUSH,
CHARLES FRANK SWAIN,
By Herbert Haddan & Co,
Agents to Applicants,
18, Buckingham Street, Stiand, London, WC