IMPROVEMENTS IN VERTICAL STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS AND THE FURNACES THEREOF
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomas Oakley, of Grange Road, Bermondsey,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer and Millwright, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VERTICAL STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS AND THE
FURNACES THEREOF."
Sealed the 1st August 1864, and dated the 6th February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomas Oakley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th February 1864.
I, JOHN THOMAS OAKLEY, of Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer and Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VERTICAL STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS AND
THE FURNACES THEREOF," to be as follows:
The object of this Invention is to obtain a large amount of heating surface
in steam boilers or generators without a complication of parts, and unequal
wear of the boiler, and also to render repairing thereof easy, and further to
additionally expand the steam in the steam chest by superheating, which can
be done without injury to the boiler.
And as regards my improvements in the furnaces of vertical steam boilers
or generators they consist, first, in a simple mode of hinging the bars to the
furnace, whereby they may be readily got at to clear out clinkers with but
little loss of steam, and also for drawing and lighting the fire.
A further improvement consists in so arranging a damper in the furnace
flue as that it is self-acting, that is to say, it rises and falls either according to
the intensity of the fire or pressure of the steam. The following are examples
of the means by which these improvements may be effected:-

page_text: First, as regards my improvements in vertical steam boilers or generators
they consist in forming same of four cylinders of different sizes connected in
the following manner:-The two smaller cylinders form an inner annular water
space, and are connected together at the bottom within the smallest cylinder,
and at the bottom thereof I connect the furnace bars which are made to rise
in said cylinder, say, about three inches. Another and third cylinder is con-
nected to the top of the second cylinder aforesaid by a circular plate, and this
third cylinder is about two-thirds of the length of the two other cylinders, thus
forming an annular air space extending to within one-third or thereabouts
of the other two cylinders aforesaid. To form the flue between these cylinders
there are a number of short straight pipes screwed at one end and connected
by a ring at the other end, said pipes are fixed near the top, or for greater con-
venience for repairing same (and where elbows are used as well as short pipes)
said pipes may be screwed at each end and also screwed into the before-men-
tioned inner cylinder and circular plate. Another and fourth cylinder is con-
nected by rivetting to the bottom of the third cylinder aforesaid, and the upper
end of this fourth cylinder is made to form the steam chest and part water
space, and the lower part of said cylinder forms another annular water
space. Outside of this last-mentioned cylinder another cylinder or case of
iron (for portability) or brick is placed forming an outer annular air space or
divided air spaces continued to the top where the heat is reduced to a
temperature that will not injure the boiler, but is sufficient to superheat or
additionally expand the steam. In the flue leading to the chimney I place
the self-acting damper worked by a piston and rod in a cylinder containing
mercury, into which steam is admitted from the boiler, which acting on the
mercury raises and lowers the damper in proportion to the state of the fire
and pressure of the steam, the top of the boiler consists of a conical plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Thomas Oakley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THOMAS OAKLEY, of Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer and Millwright, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh

page_text: year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Thomas Oakley, Her special licence that I, the said
John Thomas Oakley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Thomas Oakley, 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 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 VERTICAL STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS AND
THE FURNACES THEREOF," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Thomas Oakley, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 John Thomas Oakley, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say
The object of this Invention is to obtain a large amount of heating surface
in steam boilers or generators without a complication of parts, and unequal
wear of the boiler, and also to render repairing thereof easy, and further to
additionally expand the steam in the steam chest by superheating, which can
be done without injury to the boiler.
And as regards my improvements in the furnaces of vertical steam boilers
or generators, they consist, first, in a simple mode of hinging the bars to the
furnace, whereby they may be readily got at, to clear out clinkers with but
little loss of steam, and also for drawing and lighting the fire.
The following are examples of the means by which these improvements
may be effected:-First, as regards my improvements in vertical steam boilers
or generators, they consist in forming same of four cylinders or cases of
different sizes, connected in the following manner:-The two smaller cylinders
or cases form an inner annular water space, and are connected together at
the bottom by a circular plate or ring, and within the smallest cylinder or
case, and at the bottom thereof, I connect the furnace bars, which are made
to rise within said cylinder or case about three inches; another and third
cylinder is connected to the top of the second cylinder or case aforesaid by
a circular plate, and this third cylinder is about two-thirds of the length of the

page_text: two other cylinders or cases, thus forming an annular air space extending to
within one-third or thereabouts of the other two cylinders or cases aforesaid. To
form the flue between these cylinders or cases, there are a number of short
straight pipes screwed at one end and connected by a ring at the other end,
-said pipes are fixed near the top, or for greater convenience for repairing
same (and where elbows are used as well as short pipes) said pipes may be
screwed at each end, and screwed into the before-mentioned cylinders or
cases; another and fourth cylinder is connected by rivetting to the bottom of
the third cylinder aforesaid, and the upper end of this fourth cylinder is made
to form the steam chest and part water space, and the lower part of said
cylinder forms another annular water space. Just a little below the water-
mark of the boiler there is rivetted a ring of angle iron to receive a shield of
brickwork or other material surrounding the steam chest; outside of this
shield another cylinder or case of iron or brick is placed, forming an outer
annular air space or divided air spaces continued to the top where the heat is
reduced to a temperature that will not injure the boiler, but is sufficient to
superheat or additionally expand the steam. The top of the boiler consists
of a conical plate..
And in order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of
reference marked thereon respectively as follows, similar letters of reference
are employed to denote corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or
can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
At Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of brickwork setting to contain my
improvements; Fig. 2 a side. elevation thereof; Fig. 3 a transverse and
vertical section of my improved boiler or generator, and the furnace thereof
set in brickwork; Fig. 4 a horizontal section through the line A, B, at
Fig. 3.
At Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is an outside view of my improved steam boiler or
generator drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 6 a top plan view thereof; Fig. 7
a section through C, D, Fig. 5. A, B, C, D, are four cases of wrought iron,
those marked A, B, are formed cylindrical, and are connected together by
rivets at x, x; E is the top of the boiler also rivetted to A; the cases C and
D are formed conical, and are respectively connected to the case B and plate
B by rivets at 1, 1, and screw pipes and elbows a and b, which serve as

page_text: flues or ducts for the passage of heat from the furnace fires; G, G, marks
water space; H is a tube rivetted to the cases C and D for the admission
of fuel, said opening being fitted with a furnace door; I, I, are ordinary
guage cocks; K, steam pressure guage; L, water guage; M, safety valve;
N, damper; O, ash hole; P, fire-bars, formed so as to project upwards within
the case D, to prevent the fire burning the angle of the said case; c is a
bearing bar or rod; d, a crank fixed in a frame, upon which the boiler rests;
the fire-bars hook on to said rod at one end, and are supported at their
opposite ends by a cranked rod Q, the ends whereof are supported in the
before-mentioned frame set in the brickwork as exhibited at Figs. 2 and 3 of
Sheet 1; by turning the rod Q on its axes the bars P may be dropped when
required to draw the fire or to substitute new fire-bars.
The Drawing at Fig. 3 represents the outer case A of the boiler sur-
rounded by bricks R, these are not indispensable except when the heat is
excessive. Boilers or steam generators constructed as above described, may
be easily repaired without much loss of time, access being had to the inside
thereof by the man-hole S at Fig. 6 of Sheet 2, by which any of the tubes
and elbows a and b may be quickly removed by unscrewing the nuts e, and
fresh ones substituted in place thereof when necessary. The plate T which
covers the top of the flue U may also, if desirable, be covered with brick or
any substance that is a non-conductor of heat.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention for Improvements in Vertical Steam Boilers or Generators, and
the Furnaces thereof," together with the best means I am acquainted with for
carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I
hereby declare my Invention to consist in, and I claim the mechanical
arrangement and combination of parts. above described with reference to the
accompanying Sheets of Drawings as constituting improvements in steam
boilers or generators, and the furnaces thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thomas Oakley, have hereunto
set my hand and sead; this Sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JOHN THOMAS OAKLEY. (L.S.)