IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND THE FURNACES THEREOF
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Burnley and William Nichols, both of
Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Makers, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Burnley and
William Nichols at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 27th April 1870.
WC, JAMES BURNLEY and WILLIAM NICHOLS, both of Leeds, in the
County of York, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND THE FURNACES
THEREOF," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in the construction and
arrangement of steam boilers and furnaces where travelling chains of
grate bars are employed. We support the travelling chains of grate
bars upon guide surfaces or slides at each side of the furnace, and when
required we provide other and auxiliary longitudinal supporting surfaces
for the grate bars to slide upon in the centre or at suitable intervals of
the width of the furnace. In order to apply the travelling chain of grate

page_text: bars to internally flued Cornish boilers we sometimes remove the lower
part of the boiler and flues for a suitable distance for the length of the
furnace, and support the furnace crown and connecting parts by stays.
By thus altering the furnace part of the boiler we are enabled to
introduce the travelling chain of grate bars with great facility and
advantage. When arranging the travelling chain of grate bars to work
within the internal flues of Cornish boilers we form and support such
chains or grates as above described; we support the chain and the
rollers upon a frame which slides into the furnace upon guide rails or
rollers so that the grate can be readily removed for inspection. We
sometimes form an aperture or insert a tube at the further end of the
furnace through which the ashes can fall through the bottom of the boiler
into the ash-pit.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Burnley and William Nichols in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JAMES
BURNLEY and WILLIAM NICHOLS, both of Leeds, in the County of
York, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said James Burnley and William Nichols, Her
special licence that we, the said James Burnley and William Nichols, our
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
James Burnley and William Nichols, our 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
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND
THE FURNACES THEREOF," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said James Burnley and William Nichols, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and scals,
Channel Islands,

page_text: or under the hand and scal of one of us or them, should particularly
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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
imunediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Nichols, on behalf of
myself and the said James Burnley, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in the construction and
arrangement of steam boilers and furnaces where travelling chains of
grate bars are employed. We support the travelling chains of grate bars
upon guide surfaces or slides at each side of the furnace, and when
required we provide other and auxiliary longitudinal supporting surfaces
for the grate bars to slide upon in the centre or at suitable intervals of
the width of the furnace. In order to apply the travelling chain of grate
bars to internally flued “Cornish" boilers we sometimes remove the
lower part of the boiler and flues for a suitable distance for the length
of the furnace, and support the furnace crown and connecting parts by
stays. By thus altering the furnace part of the boiler we are enabled
to introduce the travelling chain of grate bars with great facility and
advantage. When arranging the travelling chain of grate bars to work
within the internal flues of "Cornish” boilers we form and support such
chains or grates as above described; we support the chain and the
rollers upon a frame which slides into the furnace upon guide rails or
rollers so that the grate can be readily removed for inspection. We
sometimes form an aperture or insert a tube at the further end of the
furnace, through which the ashes can fall through the bottom of the
boiler into the ash-pit.
Having now stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1 shows a vertical side view partly in section, and Figure 2 a
front view partly in section of part of a two-flued "Cornish" boiler from
which the lower parts of the flues have been removed, and to which a
travelling grate has been applied in accordance with one part of our

page_text: Figure 3 shows a vertical longitudinal section, and Figure 4 a vertical
transverse section of part of a two-flued Cornish boiler with travel-
ling grates working within the internal flucs thercof, and constructed
according to our Invention.
In Figures 2, 3, and 4, a and a¹ are the grate bars. The grate :
bars a and a are connected together by the rod a* so as to form an
endless chain of grate bars which passes around the two rollers a² and a³.
The rollers a and a³ turn in suitable bearings in the frame a', the
bearings of the roller a² being adjustable so as to tighten the chain of
grate bars a and a when required. The roller a is the driving roller,
by the movement of which the chain of grate bars a and a¹ is caused to
travel and carry the fuel into the furnace. Motion is communicated to
the roller a² by means of a belt upon the pulley a' and the worm a® and
the worm wheel a', as heretofore practised.
Figure 5 shows a side view, Figure 6 an end view, and Figure 7 a
transverse section on an enlarged scale of one of the grate bars a which
form the centre part of the travelling grate surface. Figure 8 shows a
side view, Figure 9 an end view, and Figure 10 a section on an enlarged
scale of one of the grate bars a¹, which are arranged at each side of the
furnace. The grate bars a¹ are more substantially formed than the grate
bars a.
When travelling into the furnace the grate bars a¹ are guided
and supported by and travel upon the stationary guide surfaces as, and
when returning such grate bars a¹ are supported by and travel upon the
stationary guide surfaces a. The stationary guide surfaces as and a arc
secured to or formed upon the frame a*. By thus supporting and
guiding the grate bars a² at each side of the furnace the whole of the
grate surface is supported and guided, but when the furnace is of con-
siderable width, or the heat is very intense we provide other and
auxiliary supporting surfaces for the grate bars a and a¹ to travel upon
in the centre or at suitable intervals of the width of the furnace.
In an endless grate constructed according to our Invention the grate
bars at each side of the furnace are guided and supported by supporting
surfaces both when travelling into and returning from the furnace. The
upper and lower parts of the endless chain can thus be kept in straight
lines, and an endless chain of grate bars can in this manner be arranged
in a compact form, and so as to admit of being introduced and worked
in the tube or flue of an internally flued "Cornish" boiler b, as
showu at Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings.

page_text: In order to avoid complexity in the Drawings we have shown an
endless grate applied to one of the two flues of a "Cornish" boiler, but
it will be readily understood that in accordance with our Invention wo
apply such endless grates to both of such flues.
a10 and a¹¹ are rollers carried by the frame a'. The rollers a move
upon suitable rails or surfaces provided so that the grate can be with-
drawn from under the boiler for inspection.
In Figures 3 and 4 the roller a" moves upon the interior of the
internal flue of the boiler, so that when applying the grate in the
interior of the flue of a "Cornish" boiler such grate can be readily
withdrawn from the flue for inspection.
The fuel is carried into the furnace by the movement of the endless
chain of grate bars under the door a, as has been heretofore practised,
the height of such door being readily capable of adjustment, as shewn
in the Drawings.
a¹³ is a fire-brick arch supported by the frame a', the sides of such
frame a forming part of the furnace are also lined with fire-brick, as
slicwn. The fuck is first carried by the movement of the grate under
the fire-brick arch a¹³, which becomes heated, and acts as a retort to
disengage the more volatile parts of the fuel, and ensure the more
perfect combustion thereof. a is the fire-bridge formed on an arch, as
shown, to prevent the too free admission of air between the end of the
endless chain of grate bars and the fire-bridge.
In order to apply the travelling chain of grate bars a and a¹ to
internally flued "Cornish "boilers we sometimes remove the lower part
of the boiler and flues for a suitable distance for the length of the
furnace.
In Figures 1 and 2 the lower part of the flues of a "Cornish " boiler
are shown to have been removed, and a grate applied in accordance with
our Invention. ', ', are the internal flues, the lower parts of which
have been removed for the length of the furnace, as shown, so as to
form two semicirculár furnace chambers. We support the furnace
crowns and the connecting parts by stays or gussets, which will be
readily applied by a competent boiler manufacturer. By thus altering
the furnace part of the boiler we are enabled to introduce the travelling
chain of grate bars with great facility and advantage.

page_text: When arranging the travelling chain of grate bars to work within the
internal flues of "Cornish" boilers according to one part of our Inven-
tion, we form an aperture or insert a tube at the further end of the
furnace, through which the ashes can fall through the bottom of the
boiler into an ash-pit.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which we carry the same into operation, we would have it understood
that we make no claim to the employment of an endless chain of grate
bars, except when formed, supported, and arranged in combination
with internally flued "Cornish" boilers, substantially as hercin-heforc
described and shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Nichols, for myself and
Co-patentee, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth
day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy.
Signed, scaled, and delivered by
the said William Nichols, for
himself and Co-patentec, this
Tenth day of August 1870,
in my presence,
W. MIDDLETON,
For sell & co-patentee,
WILLIAM NICHOLS. (L.S.)
A Commissioner for Administering Oaths in
Chancery in England.