IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM-BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR WORKING OR ACTUATING THE MOVABLE FIRE-BARS OF SUCH FURNACES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Proctor, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS
FOR SUPPLYING STEAM-BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR
WORKING OR ACTUATING THE MOVABLE FIRE-BARS OF SUCH FURNACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Proctor at the Office
"
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th November 1880.
IMPROVEMENTS IN
JAMES PROCTOR, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM-BOILER AND OTHER
FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR WORKING OR ACTUATING THE MOVABLE FIRE-
BARS OF SUCH FURNACES."
This Invention relates, first, to an improved apparatus or "mechanical stoker"
for supplying fuel to steam boiler and other furnaces by mechanical means; and,
secondly, to improvements upon a former Invention, for which Letters Patent were
granted to me in the year 1879, No. 191, for working movable fire bars, the said
first and second part of my Invention being chiefly intended to be used conjointly,
but each being capable of being used separately or in conjunction with other
suitable apparatus, if desired.
First. With regard to the "mechanical stoker "I dispense with the crushing rollers
usually employed, and I make the feed-box all of one casting and without any
division in the centre, the bottom thereof being in the form of a semi-cylindrical
trough with openings through the bottom at each end.
In this trough a ram moves to and fro, the said ram being made semi-cylindrical
to fit in the trough, and having a wedge-shaped or pyramidal projection on its
upper surface.
This projection serves not only as a guide to direct the fuel to the right and
left, but also stirs up the fuel in the feed box and prevents it from becoming solid.
As the ram is moved to and fro by the action of an excentric (or otherwise) it
pushes the fuel before it, and causes the same to fall down alternately through
one or other of the openings before named into a box beneath, which I call the
"shovel box."
"
Each shovel box" is made with its bottom inclined slightly upwards towards
its inner end, which is open towards the furnace.
Each "shovel" consists of a plate fitting the inside of the shovel box, and is
fitted at its back with a bar moving in a slide.

page_text: This bar is provided with a rack of teeth (or with holes), into which gear the
teeth of an intermittent spur wheel, the said wheel being furnished with teeth only
at certain portions of its circumference. The two intermittent wheels (one for each
shovel) are fixed at or near the ends of a horizontal shaft, which is kept revolving
by bevel or other suitable gearing.
Through a hole in the bar or rack works one end of a lever, the other end of
which is connected to a spring. As the intermittent wheels revolve their teeth
draw back the bar and shovel, compressing or distending the spring whilst the
reciprocating ram in the feed box pushes the fuel through the opening into the
"shovel box" in front of the shovel.
As soon as one of the spaces on the intermittent spur wheels coines opposite to
the rack the teeth are released, and the reaction of the spring throws the shovel
quickly forward, and shoots the fuel into the furnace.
This takes place alternately on each side. The shovel bars are provided with
buffer springs to reduce the shock. The intermittent wheels are made with different
numbers of teeth in a group (say, two, three, and four), so that each group of teeth
draws the shovel back a different distance, and hence, as the compression or
distension of the spring is greater or lesser, it throws the fuel onto a different
part of the furnace bars.
In some cases I dispense with the rack upon the shovel-bar, and I cause the
intermittent spur wheel to act on a toothed quadrant which oscillates on a centre,
to which is fixed a lever connected to the shovel bar, the quadrant itself acting
direct upon the spring.
In another modification of my Invention I dispense with the intermittent
toothed wheel and quadrant, and I mount the shovel bar lever direct on the driving
shaft. In place of the intermittent spur wheel I have a lantern wheel provided
with three bowls. The shovel lever is connected by a link to a carrier lever, upon
which these bowls act so as to draw back the shovel, and a fixed bowl is provided
to release the catch and set free the spring. The three bowls being placed in the
lantern wheel at different distances from the shaft will compress or distend the
spring more or less, and thus cause the shovel to throw the fuel onto different
portions of the fire bars.
Secondly. With regard to the apparatus for actuating the movable fire-bars, my
improvements consist in an arrangement of mechanism for communicating the
requisite intermittent motion from the driving shaft (marked 13 on the Drawings
annexed to the Specification of the Letters Patent No. 191, of 1879, above
mentioned) to the tappet shaft (marked 12).
Keyed on the driving shaft I have an excentric which works a ratchet or pawl
acting on a ratchet wheel turning loosely on a boss or sleeve, which also works
loosely on the tappet shaft. On the outer end of the sleeve is keyed or fixed a
crank, which is connected by a link to a plate or piston acting on a helical spring
confined in a box attached to the floor, and projecting from the face of the ratchet
wheel is a stud or pin, which, as the ratchet wheel is drawn round by the action of
the pawl, turns the crank and compresses or distends the spring.
however as the crank has passed over the top centre the reaction of the spring
pulls the crank round quickly for the remainder of the revolution, the crank
remaining stationary at the bottom centre until the stud or pin overtakes it and
commences to compress or distend the spring again, and thus an intermittent
revolving motion is given to the sleeve. At the other or inner end of the sleeve
As soon
is fixed an arm carrying a pawl or catch acting on a ratchet wheel having only
two teeth (one at each semi-circumference), and by these means an intermittent
semi-revolution is imparted to the cam shaft which acts upon the movable fire
bars.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Proctor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th May
1881.
JAMES PROCTOR, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILER AND OTHER
FURNACES WITH FUEL, AND FOR WORKING OR ACTUATING THE MOVABLE FIRE
BARS OF SUCH FURNACES."
"
This Invention relates first to an improved apparatus or "mechanical stoker'
for supplying fuel to steam boiler and other furnaces by mechanical means; and,
secondly, to improvements upon a former Invention, for which Letters Patent
were granted to me in the year 1879, No. 191, for working inovable fire-bars, the
said first and second parts of my Invention being chiefly intended to be used
conjointly, but each being capable of being used separately or in conjunction with
other suitable apparatus, if desired.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be, or may be, performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
I have annexed hereunto two Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with Figures and letters of reference corresponding with those
in the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1, in the annexed Drawings, is a front view of the apparatus showing the.
feed box and shovel box in section, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of the same.
First, with regard to the "mechanical stoker" I dispense with the crushing
rollers usually employed, and I make the feed box a, a, all of one casting, and
without any division in the centre, the botton b, b, thereof being in the form of a
semi-cylindrical trough (see Fig. 2) with an opening c, c, through the bottom at
each end.
In this trough a ram d, d, moves to and fro, the said ram being made semi-
cylindrical in section to fit in the trough b, b, and having a wedge-shaped
pyramidal projection e, e, on its upper surface, and a poker f, f, at each end.
The projection e, e, serves not only to guide the fuel to the right and left, but
also (with the pokers) stirs up the fuel in the feed box a, a, and prevents it from
becoming solid.
As the ram d, d, is moved to-and-fro by the action of the lever g, g, and
excentrich, h, (or otherwise) it pushes the fuel before it and causes the same to
fall down alternately through one or other of the openings c, c, before' named into
a box i, i, beneath, which I call the "shovel box."
Each shovel box" i, i, is made with its bottom inclined slightly upwards
towards its inner end which is open towards the furnace, see Fig. 2. Each shovel
consists of a plate k, k, fitting the inside of the shovel box i, and is fitted at its
back with a bar 1, 1, moving in a slide m, m. This har , l, is provided with a
rack of teeth (or with holes) into which gear the teeth of an intermittent spur
wheel m, n, the said wheel being furnished with teeth only at certain portions of its
circumference.
The two intermittent wheels n, n, (one for each shovel) are fixed at or near the
ends of a horizontal shaft o, o, which is kept revolving by bevel or other suitable
gearing.
Through a hole in the rack bar l, l, (or otherwise connected therewith) works
one end of a lever p, p, the other end of which is connected to a powerful spring q, q.
As the intermittent wheels n, n, revolve their teeth draw back the bar 1, 1, and
shovel, k, compressing the spring q, q, whilst the reciprocating ram d, d, in the

page_text: feed box a, a, pushes the fuel through one of the openings c, c, into the shovel
box i, i, in front of the shovel 1, .
As soon as one of the spaces on the intermittent spur wheel n, n, comes opposite
to the rack the teeth are released and the re-action of the spring 2, 7, throws the
shovel,, quickly forward and shoots the fuel into the furnace, the wedge shaped
piece, j, assisting in spreading tho fuel. This takes place alternately on each
side. The shovel bars are provided with buffer springs, r, to reduce the
shock.
The intermittent wheels n, n, are made with different numbers of teeth in a
group (say, two, three, and four), so that each group of teeth draws the shovel k, k,
back a different distance, and hence as the compression of the springs q, q, is
greater or lesser it throws the fuel into a different part of the furnace bars.
In some cases I dispense with the rack upon the shovel bar l, l, and I cause the
intermittent wheel n, m, to act on a toothed quadrant 8, 8, (see Fig. 3) which
oscillates on a centre t, t, to which is fixed a lever u, 'u, connected to the shovel
bar, l, the quadrant 8, 8, itself acting direct upon the spring 7, 7.
In another modification of iny Invention (sco front view, Fig. 4, and section,
Fig. 5) I dispense with the intermittent toothed wheel and quadrant, and I mount
the shovel bar lever p, p, direct on the driving shaft v, v, which is carried by
brackets outside the ram box a, a, the shovel h, k, which is bolted to the
said lever being swung from above and oscillating instead of reciprocating, as shewn
in Figs. 2 and 3. In this case the bottom of the shovel box i, i, is curved to corre-
spond with the motion of the shovel k, k.
In place of the intermittent spur wheel m, n, I have a lantern wheel w, w,
provided with three bowls wx, wx, wx, or studs cast between the piates which act
upon a short lever x, x, keyed at the other end of the shaft v, v, so as to draw
back the shovel k, l, and compress the spring 9, I
As the bowls or studs pass out
of contact the short levers x, x, are released and set free the spring q. 7.
The three bowls or cast studs being placed in the lantern wheel w, w, at different
distances from the shaft will compress the spring q, q, more or less before releasing
it, and thus cause the shovel k, k, to throw the fuel into different portions of the
fire bars.
In this (as in the preceding cases) the spring 7 q, may be made to act both for
propelling the shovel and also as a buffer by passing it through a fixed boss y, y,
inside which is a worm corresponding with the coils of the spring, see Fig. 5.
The spring is screwed into the boss, the upper part acting as a buffer, and the
lower part propelling the shovel. The spring can be regulated by screwing it
either up or down in the boss y, y.
Secondly, with regard to the apparatus for actuating the movable fire bars, my
improvements consist in an arrangement of mechanism for communicating the
requisite intermittent motion from the shaft (marked 13 on the Drawings annexed
to the Specification of the Letters Patent, No. 191, of 1879, above mentioned) to
the tappet shaft (marked 12) in the said Specification.
Keyed on the main driving shaft 1, 1, see Figs. 4, 5, and 6, I have an
excentric 2, 2, which works a ratchet or pawl 3, 3, acting on a ratchet wheel 4, 4,
turning loosely on a boss or sleeve 5, 5, which also works loosely on the tappet
shaft 6, 6. On the outer end of the sleeve 5, 5, is keyed or fixed a crank 7, 7,
which is connected by a link S, 8, to a plate or piston 9, 9, acting on a helical
spring 10, 10, confined in a box 11, 11, and projecting from the face of the ratchet
wheel 4, 4, is a stud or pin 12, in which as the ratchet wheel 4, 4, is drawn round
by the action of the pawl 3, 3, turns the crank 7, 7, and compresses or distends
the spring 10, 10.
As soon however as the crank 7, 7, has passed over the top centre the reaction
of the spring 10, 10, pulls the crank round quickly for the remainder of the
revolution, the crank remaining stationary at the bottom centre until the stud or
pin 12 overtakes it, and commences to compress or distend the spring 10, 10,
again, and thus an intermittent revolving motion is given to the sleeve 5, 5.

page_text: At the other or inner end of the sleeve 5, 5, is fixed an arm 13, 13, carrying a
pawl or catch 14 acting on a ratchet wheel 15, 15, fast on the tappet shaft 6, 6,
and having only two teeth (one at each semi-circumference), and by these means
an intermittent seini-revolution is imparted to the said tappet shaft 6, 6, which
acts upon the movable fire bars.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as iny Invention,
First. The peculiar construction of the feed box and ram as described and
illustrated, whereby I am enabled to dispense with the crushing rollers and the
gearing for working the same.
Secondly. I claim the arrangements of mechanism herein before described and
illustrated for actuating the shovels, and especially I claim the combination of
the outside shaft 2, v, lantern wheel w, w, and spring q, q, and
Thirdly. I claim the arrangement of mechanism shown and described for giving
the requisite intermittent motion to the tappet shaft which works the movable fire
bars.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Proctor, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
JAMES PROCTOR. (L.S.)