CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, STEAM BOILERS, AND STEAM HEATING APPARATUS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Alton Calvert, of the City of Manchester,
Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES,
STEAM BOILERS, AND STEAM HEATING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 18th November 1863, and dated the 5th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Alton Calvert at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1863.
I, FRANCIS ALTON CALVERT, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM ENGINES, STEAM BOILERS, AND STEAM HEATING APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
My improvements in steam engines consist in dispensing with the port ways
of the admission or exhaust valves, in order to avoid the loss of steam con-
tained in port ways of steam engines. In performing my Invention the valves
form part of the circumference and end of the steam cylinder, and they are
opened and closed by cams or other equivalents acting upon the spindles of
the valves.
My improvements in steam boilers consist in certain improvements upon
the boilers described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to
me on the Fourteenth September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty,
No. 2218.
My present improvements consist in causing the upper portion of the boiler
to extend over the top of the flues, so that the ascending heat may be advan-

page_text: tageously applied. My present improvements may be applied to horizontal
boilers by placing longitudinal pipes at the upper parts of the flues, which
pipes are connected to the main part of the boiler for the circulation of the
water and discharge of the steam.
My improvements in steam heating apparatus consist in constructing heating
plates in the following manner :-Sheets of wrought iron or other metal of
the requisite size are placed together with a thin packing round their edges,
which keeps them at a distance apart equal to the thickness of the packing
for containing steam. There are two holes at opposite corners, one for ad-
mitting the steam and the other for taking away the water of condensation.
Any number of these heating plates are connected together and held apart by
cross ribs to form spaces for the passage of the heated air.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Alton Calvert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
ALTON CALVERT, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Francis Alton Calvert, Her special license that I, the said Francis
Alton Calvert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said
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
**CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, STEAM BOILERS, AND STEAM HEATING
APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongs others) that I, the said Francis Alton
Calvert, 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 the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Alton Calvert, 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 (that is to say) :-
My improvements in steam engines consist in dispensing with the port ways.
of the admission or exhaust valves (when the engine is made double-acting),
in order to avoid the loss of steam contained in port ways of steam engines.
My improvements in steam boilers consist in certain improvements upon
the boilers described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to
me on the Fourteenth of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty,
Number 2218. The object of my present improvements. is to utilize more
effectually the ascending heat.
My improvements in steam heating apparatus consists in the mode of
constructing heating plates.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed
to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation in section of a steam engine constructed according
to my Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section of the steam cylinder.
a is the cylinder in which the two pistons b and c work; the upper piston b
is fixed to the piston rod 6', which is furnished with a cross head b², working in
the guides c2; to the extremities of the cross head 2 are joined the upper ends
of connecting rods, which are connected below to crank pins projecting from
fly wheels, or to the cranks of the crank shaft d. To the fly wheel or crank
shaft d is fixed a cam d', for working the lever e, by which the lower piston c
is moved up and down, the lever e being united to the piston c by a link c¹.
The lever e vibrates on a stud or axle e², and to its outer arm is jointed the
link e for working the piston f¹ in the air cylinder f. At each end of the
lever e is a weight to give a greater impulse to the action of the lever when
suddenly raised by the cam d', causing an effect similar to that of the blow of
a hammer. To the cylinder a is fixed the valve box a¹, containing the admis-
sion valve a, which forms part of the circumference of the cylinder. The
valves a³ and a³, and the rows of holes a³ and a, placed near each end of the
cylinder, are for the purposes described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me on the Twenty-first of October, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-one, Number 2625. To the crank shaft d, or to the boss of the cam d¹,
is fixed a small catch d³, which acts on the end of the horizontal lever i; this
lever is jointed to the vertical lever , the upper end of which is hinged to the
piston j, working in the air cylinder ; the valve a² is connected to the lever i¹

page_text: by the link, near to which is the first fulcrum k. As soon as the catch d²
acts on the end of the lever i, the lever , which bears against the fulcrum k,
unseats the valve a², at the same time the piston jis pressed into the cylinderj¹;
thus when the valve is free from the pressure of steam the combined action
of the compressed air in the cylinder with that of the catch d² moves the
valve a³ to the required distance from its seating; the distance and duration
of time for admission is regulated by the governor in the following manner :—
To the fly wheel shaft d is fixed a grooved pulley, which, by means of a band
and guide pulleys, gives motion to the pulley g for driving the governor g¹, the
balls of which, in expanding and collapsing, act on the lever h, from which the
rod his suspended; the lower end of this rod is jointed to the elbow lever h²,
the vertical arm of which is connected to the wedge h³, passing under the
horizontal lever i, above referred to. The air cylinder f, which is furnished
with ingress and egress valves, is in communication with the valve box a¹ by
the pipe f, consequently the compressed air is forced into the valve box at
every revolution of the crank shaft. When working with steam the ingress
valve is in communication with the exhaust chamber at any convenient point,
and not shewn in the Drawing. When working with compressed air the
communication may be dispensed with or retained. This method of com-
pressing air by percussion can be advantageously used for the air pumps of
condensing engines and for blast engines.
Figure 3 is a section of the exhaust valve when the lower piston is dispensed
with and the engine is made double-acting.
a represents the upper end of the cylinder, the lower end being similar, in
both of which are annular port ways covered with an annular flat valve a³;
these valves are connected together by cross heads a and side links a¹º, as
shewn in the Drawing, and they are worked by any convenient means.
Figure 4 represents in section part of a boiler to which my improvements
are applied.
k¹ is a conical dome with a hemispherical top surrounded by the cylindrical
shell, to the upper end of which is secured the enlarged portion ; this
portion is partly full of water and forms also the steam chamber; the space
between the shell and the brickwork m forms a chamber for the heated
products of combustion, which, in rising, impinge against the lower part of
the enlarged portion and give off their heat to the water in the boiler. The
conical dome and the remainder of the boiler are made in the manner
described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me on the Fourteenth
of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, above referred to.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 are a front view, edge view, and plan of my improved

page_text: steam heating apparatus; the plates of which this heating apparatus are com-
posed are of any convenient size, and by preference of wrought iron; the
plates have a thin packing round their edges which keeps them at the requisite
distance asunder; there are holes at opposite corners of the plates, one for the
pipe n to admit steam between the plates, and the other for the off-water
pipe p. These double-heating plates, when placed together, are held apart by
ribs o, and the whole are connected together by bridles 9 passing over end
bars and wedges, thus affording great facility in erecting and taking down the
heating apparatus.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the general arrangement and combination of the steam engine shewn
in Figure 1.
Secondly, the flat surfaced lift valve, either with or without the block for
closing the port way, as described and shewn in Figure 1.
Thirdly, the mode of exhausting and compressing air by percussive action
as shewn and described.
Fourthly, the improved mode of applying heat to steam boilers as shewn
and described.
And, fifthly, the improved mode of constructing heating plates, and the
mode of connecting such plates to any extent as may be required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Alton Calvert, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
T. A. CALVERT. (..)