CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AND HEATING AIR, THE SAME TO BE USED AS A MOTIVE POWER FOR MARINE, LOCOMOTIVE, AND STATIONARY ENGINES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Moses Barton, Josiah Shepherd,
and Thomas Evans at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 8th March 1860.
We, MOSES BARTON, Engineer, JOSIAN SHEPHERD, Lace Manufacturer, and
THOMAS EVANS, Mineral and Coal Agent, all of the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING
AND HEATING AIR, THE SAME TO BE USED AS A MOTIVE POWER FOR MARINE,
LOCOMOTIVE, AND STATIONARY ENGINES," to be as follows (that is to say):-
Our Invention consists in constructing or arranging a strong iron vessel, and
which we will term for definement the air furnace, which may be made in the
way in which steam engine boilers are or may be made, and of. any suitable
shape, and on the crown or top side of this air furnace the outlet pipo is
attached, and at or near the bottom the inlet openings and valves are applied,
and into this furnace we force air in the manner hereafter to be described, and
which air we propose heating in any convenient way either by fire applied and
maintained internally or externally or conjointly, but if internally we purpose
suspending the fire in the interior to and in connection with a supply tube and
cut-off valves that when opening the supply tube externally, its connection with
the fire internally shall be stopped to prevent the escape of the rarefied air,
and if the heat is applied externally, we prefer so constructing our air furnace
that it shall be fitted with a number of tubes passing through or around the
interior of the air furnace through which the draught or current of the fire

page_text: will draw to be gathered at the back in any suitable position to a flue, which
may be carried around and around on the exterior before ascending to the
chimney; by this means we greatly increase the surface of the air furnace in
contact with the action of the fire or flame or heated air passing, through it,
which exerting its influence on the air within the furnace imparts a power
equivalent to its increased temperature, which may be taken off by connecting
the escape tube to the valve box of an ordinary engine, and the rarefied air
being admitted by the action of the slide valves below or above, the piston will
be set in motion in the same way as if the elastic pressure of steam had been
applied, and in some instances we surround the escape tube with the fire or
flame in connection with the fire by which we heat the air furnace, so as to
keep up or increase the temperature through the course of the heated air from
the air vessel or furnace to the cylinder of the engine, and the manner we
purpose supplying the furnace with air, will be understood from the
following description.
In connection with the inlet valves before referred to, small cylinders are
secured with a piston placed in them, which is brought to the top by the self-
acting motion of the engine or by springs or in any other suitable way, and at
the bottom of the cylinders valves are placed for allowing the common atmo-
sphere, or the partially heated waste air. escaping from the engine while in
work to be conducted so as to rise in the cylinders last mentioned, and the air
with which they are thus filled we force in alternate rapid succession into the
air furnace by the gravitating force of a suitable number of balls, which balls
(as they fall in succession their concussive force) knocks down the piston on
which they fall, thereby forcing the air beneath them into the air furnace, and
from this position the balls run down slightly inclined planes on to the top side
of the blades or worms of screws, which screws are placed in an inclined position
so as to present a slight inclination behind the balls, and by the revolution of the
screws the balls roll forward until they are elevated to the top and roll off, to fall
again on the pistons below, as before described. The screws may have any
suitable number of blades or worms formed on them, and any suitable number
of balls in motion at one time. The centres or axes of the screws. rest in
suitable sockets or bearings at the bottom, placed sufficiently asunder to give
the desired inclination to the screw blade before referred to, which must be
just sufficient to impart a rolling motion to the balls and at the top in such a
way that the two may be geared together so as to bring their points for
delivering the balls right over the respective piston they are intended to drop
on. The screws may be incased in cylinders, if desired, and put in motion by
a band or in any other convenient way from the shaft of the engine. On the

page_text: top of the air furnace (in any suitable position) we place a safety valve to
prevent explosion from over rarefaction, and make any required alteration in
the construction or details of the engine that may be found necessary for the
substitution of heated air instead of steam as its motive power. By this
arrangement we effect a great saving in the consumption of coal or other fuel,
which forms the primary object of our Invention, and which is of essential
importance in working marine engines for propelling ocean-going vessels, and
other situations where the cost of coals or fuel may be of importance.