IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER HIGH-PRESSURE ENGINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bouch, of Shildon, near Darlington,
in the County of Durham, Locomotive Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER HIGH-PRESSURE ENGINES."
Scaled the 29th December 1871, and dated the 6th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bouch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th July 1871.
I, WILLIAM BOUCH, of Shildon, near Darlington, in the County of
Durham, Locomotive Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER HIGH-PRESSURE
ENGINES," to be as follows:-
It has hitherto been customary to lead a pipe from the exhaust portion
of the cylinder of locomotive and other high-pressure engines to the
uptake or funnel for the purpose of increasing the draft through the
boiler tubes, and this has always been attended with much danger from
the quantity of spent steam which issues from the nozzle, drawing
particles of incandescent fuel from the fire and casting them to a

page_text: distance at the sides of the engine, from which cause alone serious
burnings of crops and buildings have been occasioned.
Now the object of my Invention is to obviate these and other dangers
arising from such practice, and this I accomplish by using a number
of pipes, tubes, or branches in the uptake or funnel, through which the
body of spent steam issuing from the exhaust portions of the cylinders
pass, and are thus, so to speak, broken up into several jets. These jet
tubes may be arranged or grouped in any suitable manner, and either
with the nozzles at the same or at different levels; or in lieu of jet tubes
being used ring jets, branches, or perforated plates can be fitted on the
exhaust pipe or pipes or portions of the cylinders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Bouch in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BOUCH, of Shildon, near Darlington, in the County of Durham, Loco-
motive Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Bouch, Her special licence that I, the
said William Bouch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Bouch, my exccutors, 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 LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER HIGH-PRESSURE
ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Bouch, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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

page_text: 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 William Bouch, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say :—
It has hitherto been customary to lead a pipe from the exhaust
portion of the cylinder of locomotive and other high-pressure engines to
the up-take or funnel for the purpose increasing the draught through
the boiler tubes, and this has always been attended with much danger
from the quantity of spent steam which issues from the nozzle-drawing
particles of incandescent fuel from the fire, and casting them to a
distance at the sides of the engine, from which cause alone serious
burnings of crops and buildings have been occasioned. Now the object
of my Invention is to obviate these and other dangers arising from such
practice, and this I accomplish by using a number of pipes, tubes, or
branches in the up-take or funnel through which the body of spent
steam issuing from the exhaust portions of the cylinders pass and are
thus, so to speak, broken up into several jets. These jet tubes may be
arranged or grouped in any suitable manner, and either with the nozzles
at the same or at different levels, or in lieu of jet tubes being used ring
jets, branches, or perforated plates can be fitted on the exhaust pipe or
pipes or portions of the cylinders.
Several examples of the foregoing plans are represented in the
annexed Drawings to enable my Invention to be well understood.
0
Figure 1 is a view of the smoke box end of a locomotive with a series
of tubes a, a, arranged upon or in a disc b attached by bolts or screws
through its flange to the top of the box or chamber c forming the con-
nection with the exhaust passages leading from the cylinders d, d, the
ends of the tubes being on a level and in line with the throat of the
funnel or up-take e to assist the draught through the boiler tubes. The
exhaust steam tubes a, a, are so arranged as to leave a space between
them into which a brush or scraper can be passed when required for
the purpose of cleansing them, and also the boiler tubes from soot or
other deposit, either from above or from below when the smoke box door
is open.

page_text: The steam tubes a, a, are for the purpose of, as before explained,
dividing or breaking up the body of exhaust steam into jets, so that
it or they are somewhat spread in the funnel, which, without interfering
with the passage of the gases or spent products of combustion from the
fire tubes, tend to relieve the shock or vibrations of the structure, as is
the case when the steam escapes in a compact body from.one nozzle
only. In addition to this sparks or particles of incandesent fuel which
may be drawn from the fire and along the boiler tubes to the funnel
are acted upon as they pass up the funnel by the steam, and are thereby
reduced in temperature, or are sufficiently cooled as not to fire or act
injuriously upon grain or other crops into which they may fall after
being ejected by the pressure of the exhaust.
Figure 2 is a view of an exhaust pipe i with a closed-up end, the top
plate being perforated or drilled with a series of holes into which a
number of tubes a, a, are inserted, the tips or nozzles of these tubes
being on a level with each other, as in the previous Figure, but they
may be so arranged that the nozzles or outlets are at different levels, as
in Figure 3. The tubes a, a, in this casc are fitted in the top plate fof
a box or additional chamber g attached on the exhaust box or chamber c.
The box having branches or arms h, h, of curved form into which
a portion of the steam is free to enter in order to act as double cushions
to each successive blast or exhaust to produce a steady and a more
regular outflow, the upward thrust of the steam being checked from its
direct issue by the cushions, by this means an almost continuous and
almost silent stream of spent steam escapes from the funnel instead of
the usual positive intermittent rush, the shock of which not only causes
the structure to vibrate and tremble, but permits of incandescent
particles of fuel being drawn up and forced out of the funnel without
being first acted upon by the steam.
A top view of the tubes a, a, as arranged in Figures 1 and 3 is shown
in Figure 4.
Figure 5 is a detached sectional elevation, and Figure 6 a plan of a
simple perforated tube or exhaust pipe i which can be fitted in the
chamber or box c, the perforations j, j, being so arranged as to cut up
or divide the body of exhaust steam in the funnel to effect the objects
and results before referred to.
Figure 7 represents in perspective a series of tubes a, a, of different
lengths fitted in the top plate, which is of square shape, the lower part i

page_text: being of round form to enable its flange to fit the flange of the box or
chamber c, the bottom may however be of the same shape as the top, it
being only necessary to make the box or chamber to correspond. This
step wire or irregular mode of arranging the pipes or nozzles a, a, may
be set in any position so as to obtain the best results.
Figure 8 is a plan view of a nozzle divided into a series of spaces or
passages j, j, by concentric rings k, k, the rings being attached by short
ribs or connecting pieces 7, 1, to hold them in position; these rings may
be solid or they may be hollow as thought desirable, if they are hollow
the steam may be led into them, as will be understood by referring to
Figure 9, by hollow branches m, m, springing out from the exhaust
pipe i, the branches having connecting hollow concentric segments so
that they are in communication one with the other. In that case the
spaces j, j, between the rings k, k, would act as smoke passages, and the
partitions or rings h, k, would in a measure incite a natural draught
through the fire. A plan of this method is represented in Figure 10,
four branches m, m, being shown, the upper faces of these and also the
rings being provided with nozzles p, p, from which the exhaust steam
issues into the funnel. I have for the sake of clearness given a sectional
elevation of this arrangement in Figure 11, the view being taken through
the line x, x, while the view shewn at Figure 9 is through the line <,<,
of Figure 10.
Figure 12 shows a top plate with perforations only at about the centre
for the passage of the steam, the rim portion being fitted with tubes q, q,
through which the smoke can pass, the lower ends of the tubes q, q,
taking into the belly or swell formed on the exhaust pipe i.
Figure 13 represents a blast pipe i closed at its end and fitted with a
number of branch pipes a, a, on the stem, the upper end of the branches
being spread outwards to form a rose, spaces are left between them for
the passage of the smoke and other spent products of combustion.
Figure 14 shows a blast pipe formed of varying diameters r, s, t, the
top plate of each diameter being perforated or formed with holes j, j,
for breaking up the body of steam into distinct streams for the purposes
before mentioned. Tubes may be fitted in these plates.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my
improvements,—

page_text: Firstly. The employment of a number of pipes, tubes, or branches in,
on, or to the blast pipes of locomotive and other high-pressure engines,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
Secondly. I claim the employment of solid or hollow rings or
perforated plates on the tops or to some other part of blast pipes of
locomotive and other high-pressure engines, substantially in the manner
and for the purposes set forth.
And Thirdly. I claim breaking up or dividing the body of exhaust or
spent steam into several jets or streams between the cylinders and the
outlets of locomotive and other high-pressure engines, substantially as
herein-before described and represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bouch, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.