IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOLLERS WITH WATER
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Auld, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOLLERS WITH WATER."
Sealed the 19th October 1859, and dated the 21st April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Auld at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st April 1859.
I, DAVID AULD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a certain extent to an Invention of " Improve-
ments in Working Furnaces and Steam Boilers, and in Apparatus connected
therewith," for which British Letters Patent bearing date on or about the 29th
day of April 1858, No. 959, were granted to Mr. David Auld, and it consists
of an automatic mechanical arrangement for the efficient supplying of steam
boilers with water, so as to insure both a plentiful supply and certainty of
action.
In the Specification of the Invention herein-before referred to as forming the
subject of British Letters Patent in 1858, there is described an arrangement of
a rising and falling hollow ball, working or actuating certain valvular apparatus
for the supply of feed water to the boiler by the combined action of the water
and steam. Now, according to present Invention the same general principle is

page_text: worked out in such a manner and with such additional details as to secure a
positively certain feeding action. On the top of the boiler, or in any convenient
adjacent position, there is fitted up a vertical pillar standard, carrying at its
upper end a horizontal stud for a vertically-disposed chain pulley or wheel.
Over this pulley is passed a short chain connected at one end to a hollow
copper sphere, ball, or rising and falling chamber or cylinder, and at the other
to a counterpoise weight, such weight being heavy enough to retain the hollow
ball or chamber at the top of its rise when the latter is empty, but not
sufficiently heavy to retain it up when full or nearly full of water. The ball
is attached to the free ends of two parallel pipes, the other ends of which are
connected to a cylindrical valve, chamber, or cock set on the top of the boiler,
and having two pipes passing from it into the boiler, one terminating at or
above and the other below the working water level. The chain pulley has on
one side of it a small pulley or cam piece, with one or more notches, inclines,
or recesses in its periphery. Immediately below the centre stud of the pulley
there is a second horizontal stud in the pillar to carry two horizontal reversed
weighted levers, having adjustable weights on their free ends, which are
straight. The opposite or inner ends of these levers are considerably curved,
and formed with terminal hooks or catches, being so set that their curved
portions embrace a large portion of the notched pulley's diameter. The
general action of the apparatus is the same as that of the Invention of 1858,
already referred to herein. The feed water is supplied to the valvular
arrangement by a separate and additional pipe. When the ball is up, the feed
water enters through the valve and one of the parallel ball pipes, and fills or
nearly fills the ball. This additional weight gradually overcomes that of the
counterpoise weight, but the weighted holding levers prevent the chain pulley
from turning, and the hollow water ball from descending slowly and uncertainly
by one of their catches holding the recessed pulley. As, however, the hollow
ball fills, the accumulated weight causes the ball to overcome the hold of the
catch lever, and it descends to the bottom of its stroke. This motion alters
the set of the valve, and allows steam to rush from the boiler through the
other ball pipe, when the water in it falls down the same pipe into the boiler.
The ball remains down until it is emptied of water, and its counterpoise then
again draws it up by overcoming the other holding lever, which has come into
gear and turning the chain pulley. In this way the apparatus is always certain
to act. The adjustment of the feed may be effected by setting the weights
upon the holding, in or out, so as to give a greater or less holding power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Auld in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
AULD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said David Auld, Her special license that I, the said David Auld,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
David Auld, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David Auld, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Auld, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say: -
My said Invention relates to a certain extent to an Invention of "Improve-
ments in Working Furnaces and Steam Boilers, and in Apparatus connected
therewith," for which Letters Patent were granted to me on or about
the Twenty-ninth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight;
and it consists of an automatic mechanical arrangement for the efficient
supplying of steam boilers with water so as to insure both a plentiful supply
and certainty of action. In the Specification of the Invention herein-before
referred to as forming the subject of British Letters Patent in One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight, there is described an arrangement of a rising

page_text: and falling hollow ball, working or actuating certain valvular apparatus for the
supply of feed water to the boiler by the combined action of the water and steam.
Now according to the present Invention the same general principle is worked
out in such a manner and with such additional details as to secure a positively
certain feeding action. On the top of the boiler or in any convenient adjacent
position there is fitted up a vertical pillar standard, carrying at its upper end
a horizontal stud for a vertically disposed chain pulley or wheel. Over this
pulley is passed a short chain connected at one end to a hollow copper sphere,
ball, or rising and falling chamber or cylinder, and at the other to a counter-
poise weight, such weight being heavy enough to retain the hollow ball or
chamber at the top of its rise when the latter is empty, but not sufficiently
heavy to retain it up when full or nearly full of water. The ball is attached
to the free ends of two parallel pipes, the other ends of which are connected to a
cylindrical valve chamber or cock set on the top of the boiler, and having two
pipes passing from it into the boiler, one terminating at or above, and the
other below the working water level. The chain pulley bas on one side of it
a small pulley or cam piece with one or more notches, inclines, or recesses in
its periphery. Immediately below the centre stud of the pulley there is a
second horizontal stud in the pillar to carry two horizontal reversed weighted
levers, having adjustable weights on their free ends which are straight. The
opposite inner ends of these levers are considerably curved and formed
with terminal hooks or catches, being so set that their curved portions
embrace a large portion of the notched pulley's diameter. The general action
of the apparatus is the same as that of the Invention of One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight, already referred to herein. The feed water is supplied
to the valvular arrangement by a separate and additional pipe. When the
ball is up, the feed water enters through the valve and one of the parallel ball
pipes, and fills or nearly fills the ball. This additional weight gradually over-
comes that of the counterpoise weight, but the weighted holding levers prevent
the chain pulley from turning and the hollow water ball from descending
slowly and uncertainly by one of their catches holding the recessed pulley.
As, however, the hollow ball fills, the accumulated weight causes the ball to
overcome the hold of the catch, lever, and it descends to the bottom of its
stroke. This motion alters the set of the valve, and allows steam to rush from
the boiler through the other ball pipe, when the water in it falls down the
same pipe into the boiler. The ball remains down until it is emptied of water,
and its counterpoise then again draws it up by overcoming the other holding
lever which has come into gear, and turning the chain pulley. In this way
the apparatus is always certain to act. The adjustment of the feed may be
or

page_text: effected by setting the weights upon the holding, in or out, so as to give a
greater or less holding power.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several explanatory Figures on the Sheet of
Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing certain
modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously carried out
in practice, that is to say :-
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a partially sectional
elevation of one modification of my improved apparatus for supplying steam
boilers with water; Figure 2 is a plan corresponding to the arrangement
shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partially sectional elevation of another
modification of the apparatus, in which the several parts are arranged in a
somewhat different manner to those shown in Figures 1 and 2. Referring
to the first arrangement, the water for the supply of the boiler flows into the
apparatus from an elevated tank or reservoir through the feed pipe which
opens into the valve chamber A, the efflux of the water being prevented by.
the clack valve B, which closes the entrance to the valve chamber upon the
occurrence of back pressure on the water. From the valve box the water
flows into the chamber C, and thence upwards into the cup-shaped chamber
D above; the chamber C has two flanged tubular openings in the lower part,
which serve to connect the apparatus to the steam pipe E and the pipe F,
through which the water flows into the boiler G. The steam pipe E is carried
downwards into the boiler to the proper water level, and the water pipe nearly
to the bottom. The flow of steam through the pipe E is controlled by the
valve H, which is pressed up against its seating by the pressure of the steam
within the boiler, and is prevented from falling away too far therefrom by the
small bridge piece I, which extends across the steam pipe. The inlet to the
pipe F is in like manner controlled by the valve J, which rests upon the
bridge piece K, during the time that the water is flowing into the boiler.
The tubular seating of the valve H is made conical at the upper part to
receive the lower extremity of the tube L, which passes up through the chambers
C and D, and enters the copper globe M, terminating near its upper part.
The tube L is fixed in position by the angular stays N, the lower bent ex-
tremities of, which are bolted to the globe M, the bolts serving also to connect
the globe to the short flanged pipe O, which slides loosely in the opening
of the cap P of the chamber D. This cap is bolted to the flange of the
chamber D, a diaphragm of india-rubber or other suitable flexible material
being interposed between the faces of the flanges; the inner part of this
diaphragm is held between the flanges of the pipe O. With this arrangement

page_text: the water cannot escape, at the same time the pipe O, carrying the globe M,
is free to slide up and down in the opening in the cap P. The globe M is
formed in two parts which are bolted together, and at the upper part there is
an eye by means of which it is attached to the chain Q, which is secured by
a nut to the upper extremity of the segmental part of the balanced lever R.
The segmental part of this lever is hollowed out like a grooved pulley, and at
the central part of the lever there are laterally projecting knife edges similar
to those of a scale beam. These knife edges rest upon a hardened steel plate,
which is supported in slots made in the forked extremity of the pillar S; this
pillar is carried upon an overhanging bracket cast on the side of the chamber
C. To the outer part of the rocking lever R is fitted an adjustable counter-
weight T, which is fixed at the proper distance from the centre by the set screw U.
Arching over the centre of the lever R, and its supporting pillar, is a bridge
piece V, which is bolted to the lever R; this bridge piece has a segmental slot
made in it, in which are fitted two adjustable sliding stops W. These stops
serve to check the lateral motion of the vertical swinging rod X, the lower
end of which is carried on a stud fixed in one of the upwardly projecting ends
of the pillar S; at the upper part of the rod is fixed the weight Y, which is
fastened thereto by a set screw. The weight T is fixed at such part of the
lever R, so that it counterbalances the weight of the globe M, and its appur-
tenances, together with a certain quantity of water in the globe, the upholding
action being assisted by the overhanging weight Y, on the rod X. As the
water flows in from the supply pipe, and up into the globe M, when it reaches
a predetermined height therein, the accumulated weight overcomes the
gravity of the weight T, so that the lever R turns upon its centre, and the
weight Y is thrown forward against the right-hand stop W; this action
facilitates the descent of the globe M, the short pipe O descending into the
cup shaped chamber D, at the same time the transverse pin at the lower part
of the tube L comes in contact with the upper end of the spindle of the
valve H, and the end of the tube enters the conical part of the tubular valve
seating. The depression of the valve allows the steam to pass up the tube L
into the globe M, its pressure causing the air valve Z, which is otherwise
kept open for the egress of the air as the water flows up into the globe, to
shut. The pressure of the steam on the surface of the water in the globe
causes the valve J to open, and the water flows down the pipe F into the
boiler, the steam pressure serving also to close the valve B, which prevents the
water being forced back through the feed pipe. The inflowing of the water into
the boiler continues until the globe M is so far reduced in weight that the
counterpoise T is sufficient to overcome its gravity and that of the weight Y

page_text: in its overhanging position to the right of the centre of the lever R. When
this takes place, the globe M is raised by the motion of the lever R; the
valves H and K are closed by the pressure of steam in the boiler, and the
apparatus is again restored to its normal position. In this manner the due
and effective feeding of the boiler is kept up with unerring certainty, the
filling or partial filling of the globe, and the discharge of its contents into the
boiler, being regulated according to the evaporative power of the boiler.
Another mode of arranging my improved automatic feeding apparatus for
supplying boilers with water is shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying
Drawings. In this modification the water from the overhead tank or reservoir
flows through the vertical feed pipe a, the lower part of which is closed by
the valve b, which opens into the cast-iron water chamber c; this chamber
has fitted in the upper part a cock d, for the discharge of air from the chamber
as the water flows into it from the feed pipe a. The lower part of the
chamber c is cast with two flanged tubular openings, by which the apparatus is
attached to the steam pipe e and feed pipe f, which project out above the
boiler 9. The steam and feed pipes are fitted with valves h and j, which,
when open, rest on the bridge pieces i and k in manner similar to the arrange-
ment of the corresponding parts in Figure 1. The spindle of the valve h is
prolonged upwards so as to enter the lower extremity of the tube l, which is
fitted in the centre of the cylindrical vessel m, the upper part of the tube
being held in position by the transverse stays n. The vessel m is by preference
made of copper, and it has at the lower part a valve o, by means of which the
contents escape into the chamber c, when the valve spindle comes in contact
with the bottom of the chamber. The vessel m is connected by means of the
bridge piece and rod p to the chain q, which is attached to the segmental
extremity of the rocking lever 1. The arrangement of this lever and the
parts connected therewith are in all respects similar to the corresponding
parts delineated in Figures 1 and 2, and do not therefore require further
description. The water from the tank or reservoir flows through the pipe a,
and falls into the vessel m, which, when nearly filled, descends to the position
shown in Figure 3, the descent causing the valves h and o to open. The
steam having now free ingress to the chamber c through the tube l, its pressure
closes the valve b, and acting upon the surface of the water, the valve j is
opened, and the water flows into the boiler g, through the pipe f. The flow
of water continues until the weight of the vessel m is sufficiently reduced to
admit of its being raised by the counterweight t, and thus restored to its
normal position. The upward motion of the vessel m is followed by the

page_text: opening of the valve b, and the closing of the valves h and j, and the self-acting
operation of refilling the vessel m again goes on.
By means of either of these modifications of my improved automatic feed
apparatus, the due supply of water to boilers is most efficiently provided for,
at the same time the simple arrangement of the several parts almost preclude
the possibility of derangement.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for supplying steam boilers with water, as herein-before described and shown
in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of feeding or supplying boilers by means of the
self-acting machinery or apparatus herein-before described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Third, the system or mode of arranging and constructing machinery or
apparatus for supplying steam boilers with water, wherein the certainty of
action is ensured by weighted catch levers or a weighted lever and tumbler, as
herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of arranging and constructing machinery or
apparatus for supplying steam boilers with water, wherein the moving
combined steam and water chamber is wholly contained within an external
combined steam and water chamber, as herein-before described with reference
to Figure 3 on my Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Auld, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-nine.
DAVID AULD. (L.S.)