IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1852

page_text: BECKETT JOHNSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manager for
Messieurs Ormerod and Son, Engineers and Iron Founders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of February, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, and in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Beckett
Johnson, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Beckett Johnson, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said William Beckett Johnson, my exors, adors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of certain "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, that I, the said William Beckett Johnson, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed; to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Beckett Johnson, do hereby declare that the nature of the said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the
following explanation thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements relate, first, to certain modes of constructing turntable
tops of wrought iron; second, to certain arrangements of steam boilers, and
also in a method of fitting tubes to the tube plates of boilers, which improve-
ments I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed. Fig. 1 is a plan of my improved turntable, with the plank-
ing removed, for the purpose of shewing its construction; Fig. 2 is a transverse
section through the centre of the turntable; and Fig. 3 is a plan of the turn-
table complete. a is the outside curb, which may be of the ordinary descrip-
tion; b, b, are the rollers supporting the rim of the turntable, which may either
be fixed or moveable rollers as desired. The framework of the turntable top
is constructed of bars of wrought iron, bent or made in the form shewn at
Fig. 4, four or more of which are firmly bolted or rivetted together, the ends
c, c, nearly meeting in the centre, as shewn at Fig. 5. The roller path of the
turntable top is formed by bolting, rivetting, or contracting upon the outside
of these bent bars when put together segments or complete circles of angle
iron, as shewn at d. The centre e may be made either of wrought or cast iron,
firmly bolted, rivetted, or contracted upon the ends c of the framework. The
elevating or centre pin f may be fixed to the centre in any of the usual methods.
The rails 9 upon which the carriage is received and supported during turning
are placed on the top of this framework, and secured to it by chairs or fixings
at h, h, after which the spaces between and outside the rails are fitted up with
the ordinary planking, secured to the framework by bolts, as shewn at Fig. 3.
Figs. 6 and 7 are longitudinal, horizontal, and vertical transverse sections of
my improved arrangement of boiler as applied to the stationary tubular prin-
ciple. a is the outside shell of the boiler of a circular construction; b, b, are
the furnaces, also made of a circular form. The front ends c, d, of the furnaces
are placed at each end of the boiler, and the products of combustion passing
over the bridges e, e, meet each other in the chamber f, and pass from thence
through the tubes g, g, into the down flues h, h, communicating with the
chimney. The top and side of the chamber fare strengthened with stays in
the ordinary manner, so as to resist the external pressure. Figs. 8 and 9 are
longitudinal, horizontal, and vertical transverse sections of another method of
effecting my improvement in steam boilers, also applied to a stationary tubular
boiler. a is the outside shell of the boiler, which is of a circular form; b, b,

page_text: are the furnaces, also of a circular construction. The front ends c, c, of the
furnaces are placed at one end of the boiler. The products of combustion
passing over the bridges d, d, enter the chamber e in opposite directions to each
other, and pass from thence through the tubes f, f, into the down flue g com-
municating with the chimney. The top side and end of the chamber e are
strengthened with ordinary stays to resist the external pressure. Figs. 10 and
11 are transverse and longitudinal sections of my improved steam generating
apparatus applied to a stationary boiler, having external flues formed of brick
or any other suitable material. a is the shell of the boiler, of a circular con-
struction; b, b, are the furnaces, also circular. The front ends c and d of the
furnaces are placed one at each end of the boiler, and the products of combus-
tion passing over the bridges e, e, meet each other in the chamber f, and
passing from thence through the opening g are conveyed round the boiler by
external flues leading to the chimney. If desired, two or more pairs of fur-
naces, arranged as just described, may be placed on the boiler, the external
flues being so arranged as that the products of combustion may be conveyed
round the external surface of the boiler shell at a proper distance below the
surface of the water contained in the boiler. The arrangements of apparatus
described are particularly adapted to the more perfect combustion of the smoke
and gases arising from the furnaces, for it will be observed that streams sepa-
rately generated are caused to meet each other from opposite directions, by
which a mingling of their elements is effected, and that the object may be most
perfectly obtained, the furnaces should be supplied alternately with fuel. My
last improvement in apparatus for generating steam is shewn at Figs. 12 and 13.
Fig. 12 represents a section of part of a tube plate without the tube fitted to
it, and Fig. 13 represents a section of part of the tube plate, with one of the ends
of a tube attached. The holes in the tube plate are first drilled or cut out in
the ordinary manner, so that the tubes will drive moderately tight into them
about the centre of the thickness of the tube plates; there are then cut or
formed in the tube holes, circular cavities, or spaces b, Fig. 12, such central
cavities being thus of larger diameter than the tube holes as ordinarily required.
The tube c, Fig. 13, is now placed in its proper position in the tube plate,
when an expending mandrill, having a circular projection, bend, or flange formed
upon it corresponding in general form with the cavity b within the tube plate,
is driven into it, whereby the tube is caused to expand and fill the cavity b,
after which the end d of the tube is rivetted against the circumference of the
tube hob by any of the ordinary methods. When ferrules are used, three or
more segments are fitted in the circular cavity formed by the mandrill in the
tube, after which an ordinary taper ferrule is driven into the tube, bearing

page_text: rather more upon the segments than upon the tube. By this mode of fitting
tubes to tube plates, they are prevented from becoming loose either by expan-
sion or contraction, both ends of the tube being secured to the tube plates in
the manner described. I have shewn in the Drawing a peculiar form of cavity,
into which the end of the tube is forced; it will, however, be evident that others
may be adopted, if desired.
Having thus described the nature of my said improvements, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood that I claim
as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, firstly, con-
structing the framework of turntable tops of wrought-iron bars, bent or made
in the form of sectors of a circle, bolted, rivetted, or otherwise connected
together. Secondly, the application of two or more furnaces or chambers
applied to a boiler in such a manner that the products of combustion pro-
ceeding therefrom meet each other from opposite directions. Thirdly, the
application of tubes to stationary boilers in such manner that the products of
combustion shall return through them to the front or firing end of the boiler,
as illustrated by reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Fourthly, fitting tubes to the tube
plates of boilers, by causing their ends to be expanded or forced into cavities
or enlarged diameters formed in the ordinary tube holes of the tube plates.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beckett Johnson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.