Furnace Door Opener.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Furnace Door Opener.
I, DAVID CURRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at 45 Perry Street,
New York City, in the County of New York, and State of New York, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to that class of devices used for opening and closing doors
of furnaces, which are operated by a lever and foot-bolt, and the special use for
which my device is designed, is on locomotives, where the foot-bolt can be so
located on the cab platform, that the fireman can operate the door with his foot
while he takes coal from the tender, keeping the door open with his foot while so.
doing, or he can approach the door with the coal ready for casting into the furnace
and at the proper moment open the door with his foot. This will enable the
operator to keep the door open only just so long as the actual act of casting the
coal takes, whereby a great economy in the consumption of coal is had, and change
of temperature, due to leaving the door open the length of time usually done, is
materially reduced. This is the preferred method of using my device, the first
stated being a possible one.
My invention consists in a series of levers adapted to be operated by the foot,
the depression of one part opening the door, the door being closed by springs.
To obtain this, I employ a pivotted lever connected at one end with a foot bolt,
at the other end with an upwardly extending bar and a link connecting the said
bar with the furnace door, and springs, located between said bar and the
cab-platform.
My invention also comprises devices for holding the door partly or fully open
when combined with the said operating mechanism.
My invention further consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement
of parts, shown and described in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cab end of a locomotive boiler, showing the
platform, my device secured thereto, and dotted lines illustrating the movements
of the parts. Figure 2 is a plan of a part of the operating mechanism, partly in
section with the cab-platform removed; Figure 3, is a side elevation of Figure 1.
Same letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.
In the drawings, 1 is the back sheet of the boiler; 2 the cab platform; 3 the
furnace door; 4, the door plate, the furnace door being hinged to the door plate
by hinges 55 in the usual manner. The door is provided with a downwardly
projecting lug 6. The brackets 7, having arms 8, are secured under the platform 2.
A lever 9 is fulchrumed to the brackets 7 at 10. The shorter arm of said lever
extends upwardly toward the platform and rearwardly from the boiler, and the
other end extends downwardly toward the boiler. The rear end of the lever is
provided with a striker plate 11. An upright movable bar 12, provided with a
transverse plate 13, is supported so as to move up and down.
A strap 14, fixed to
the boiler, guides its upper part. The upper part of said rod is provided with
a hook 15.
Between the hook 15 and the lug 6 on the furnace door, is placed a link 16,
which extends outwardly from the bar 12 at an oblique angle. The bar 12 passes
through a plate 17, secured to the platform. This plate has two downwardly
projecting rods 18 which support springs 19. The plate 13 on the bar 12 is
provided with holes 20 to permit said plate to ride up and down on the bars. The
springs 19 rest on the plate 13 below and against the plate 17 above, so that the

page_text: upward movement of the plate 13 will compress them. The plate 13 and the
bars 19 serve to further guide the bar 12 in its movement up and down.
At 20 is a plate secured to the platform 1 and which is provided with a hole
through which a foot bolt 21, provided with an enlarged head 22 passes. The
bolt 21 has a feather 21' and the plate 20¹ a corresponding groove, in which the
feather works for the purpose of preventing the bolt from turning. The bolt 21
passes through a guide plate 23 secured under the platform. The plate 20¹ carries
a sliding bolt 24 working in the strap 25. A pin 26 is secured to the plate 20 in
such a position as to limit the movement of the bolt 24. The foot bolt 21 is
provided with a series of notches in the feather 21 into which the bolt 24 is
adapted to be moved. The feather and groove keep the notches in front of the
bolt. These notches are placed in any desired position on the footbolt 21, so that
the door may be held entirely open or to any other degree desired.
When it is desired to open the door, the operator places his foot upon the foot-
bolt 21, which act raises the long arm of the lever 9, moves the plate 13, and
bar 12, upward, compressing the springs, said plate and bar being guided by the
rods 18 and strap 14, which upward movement is transferred to the link 16, and
thence to the door, whereby the same is opened, as shown in dotted lines.
It will be seen by reference to Figure 3 that the link 16 is inclined at an angle
between the hook 15 and lug 6, so that when the bar 12 is moved upwardly it will
tend to move the upper end of said link outwardly, vibrating the door 3 on its
hinge 5, and a continuation of the upward movement of the bar 12 will continue
this movement of the door. At any period of this movement the bolt 24 can be
moved into the notches of the foot-bolt 21, holding the door in any desired position.
When either the bolt 24 is disengaged from the bolt 21 or other pressure removed
therefrom, the springs 19 which have been compressed during the upward move-
ment of the bar 12, are free to act to move the parts back into their normal
position, whereby the link 16 will be pulled down, moving the door back to a closed
position.
Instead of using the springs 19, the bar 12 could be weighted, so as to act in
exactly the same manner as the springs do. The long arm of the lever is placed
in connection with the springs so that a greater leverage will be had to return the
parts to their normal position.
Other changes in the shape or construction of parts could be made without
altering the nature of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The combination, with a door, of a lug or projection extending therefrom, a
lever pivotally supported, a foot-bolt engaging with one end of said lever, an
upwardly extending bar engaging with the other end, and a link extending between
said bar and the projection on the door, the said link being disposed at an oblique
angle between said lug and said bar, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a pivoted door, of a lever pivotally supported, a foot-
bolt engaging with one end of said lever, an upright bar with springs adapted to
coact with said lever and bar, a lug on the door, and a link disposed at an oblique
angle, connecting said bar and said lug substantially as described.
3. The combination with a pivoted door, of a lever pivotally supported, a foot-
bolt engaging the said lever, means adapted to engage said foot-bolt to prevent its
movement, an upwardly extending bar engaging with the other end of the lever
springs, adapted to coact with said lever and bar, a lug on the door, and a link
disposed at an oblique angle, connecting said upright bar and lug substantially
as described.
4. The combination with a pivoted door of a pivoted lever having a long and
short arm, a foot-bolt engaging with the short arm of said lever, articulated devices
in connection with the door and lever, and springs engaging with the said

page_text: articulated devices, in connection with the door and lever, and springs engaging
with the said articulated devices, and the long arm of said lever, substantially
as described.
5. The combination with a pivoted door of the bracket 7, secured to the platform 2
the lever 9, fulchrumed in said bracket, the foot-bolt 21, supported on one end of
said lever, the upright bar 12, having the plate 13 thereon, engaging with the
other end of said lever, the guide rods 18 secured to the platform, upon which the
Baid plate 13 is adapted to move, springs 19 on said rods, and the link 16, uniting
the door and the upright bar, substantially as described.
6. The combination, with a pivoted door, of the bracket 7, supported on the
platforın 2, the lever 9, fulchrumed in said bracket, a foot bolt 21, having the
enlarged head 22 engaging with the lever 9, notches 27 in the bolt 21, a sliding
bolt 24, adapted to enter such notches, an upright bar 12, and a link 16, secured
to the door, the rods 18, springs 19 on said rods, and a plate 13 on the bar 12,
adapted to move on the said rods and engage with the said springs, the plate 13
resting on the lever 9, substantially as described.
7. The combination of the lever 9, pivoted to the platform 1, the pivoted door,
articulated devices between the door and said lever, a foot-bolt 21 on said lever,
said foot-bolt having the feather 21', and the plate 20¹ on the platform 2, having
a groove adapted to engage with said feather, substantially as described.
8. The combination with the plate 17 secured to the platform, having the depend-
ing rods 18, springs 19 about said rods, the upright bar 12, having the plate 13
engaging the rods and springs, the link 16, uniting the door and bar, and a lever 9,
having a long and short arm, the long arm engaging the plate 13 and the short
arm with a foot bolt, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1892.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.