An Improved Safety Apparatus for Preventing the Explosion of Bath and Other Boilers.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 21st Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Safety Apparatus for Preventing the Explosion of
Bath and Other Boilers.
JAMES FOORD Gas and Hot Water Engineer of No. 276 Portobello Road North
Kensington London, WILLIAM WREFORD PADDON Gentleman Boyton House 34 St.
Charles Square North Kensington, London, W. do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the improvement of the appliances used for the
prevention of explosions of bath & other boilers by means of a safety apparatus
being placed on the boiler or connected with a pipe attached to the Boiler. We make
use of a brass socket with male or female screw with cap & lining in the form of a
union between the surfaces of the socket and lining we place a disc of lead or other
metal to cover the apperture the lead or other metal used in each case is adapted to
the requirements of each Boiler allowing a safe and workable margin between the
strength of the Boiler & that of the disc. To prevent the corrosion through contact
of water with the lead or other metal we place a disc of mica or some other non
corrosive substance on the inner or water side of the metal disc. A pierced ball is so
fixed to the apparatus as to provide for the safe outlet of steam or water in case the
apparatus should open as also to prevent domestics or others from tampering with the
disc. We do not confine ourselves to the form in which this apparatus shall be applied
as it may in some cases be more convenient to use square plates for the apperture in
the Boiler neither do we confine ourselves to the use of any one metal nor to any
one form as a setting for the discs or plates of metal and mica.
Dated this 16th day of February 1887.

page_text: An Improved Safety Apparatus for Preventing the Explosion of
Bath and other Boilers.
We JAMES FOORD of No. 276 Portobello Road, Gas and Hot Water Engineer, and
WILLIAM WREFORD PADDON of No. 34 St. Charles Square, Gentleman, both in North
Kensington, London, 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 :-
In many instances the pipes for conveying water to domestic or house boilers, bath
boilers and the like, are run in casings or channels, through which flows and circulates
a current of cold air, which, in the winter time, would cause the water in the pipes to
freeze, and thus stop the supply of water to the boilers, or, the pipes may have become
so corroded, as to prevent the free flow of the water therethrough.
Without any
intimation of this stoppage, the fire in the range is lighted, and, the boiler becoming
intensely heated, the moment a small quantity of water is introduced, steam is imme-
diately generated, and the pressure being greater than the plates of the boiler will
bear, the boiler bursts, and at times with fatal results. Our invention is therefore
devised with the object of preventing automatically in a reliable manner these
disastrous accidents; the device according to our invention being, in addition to its
reliability, distinguished for its extreme simplicity, inasmuch as there being neither
springs, weights, nor other mechanical appliances, it cannot possibly get out of.
order.
In order that our invention may be the better understood, we have appended the
accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 represents an elevational view of
our device, and Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same.
In carrying out our invention we provide a trap socket A screwed at B for attach-
ment either to the boiler direct, or to a pipe fitted to the boiler, and as near to the latter
as convenient, and furnished with a cap piece C also screwed as shown. Between
the lower face c of the cap piece C, and the socket A aforesaid at d, we insert a disc a
of any suitable metal to cover the aperture of said trap-socket A; the disc a being
adapted to suit any form or size of boiler, so as to allow a workable margin between
the pressure resisting strength of the material forming the boiler, and that of said
disc. In order to prevent corrosion caused by the contact of water with the metal
disc, we introduce a disc of mica 6 or other non corrodible substance, on the inner or
water side of the metal disc.
As a modification of the foregoing arrangement we may dispense with the metal
disc, as in practice we find that a disc of any non corrodible material, and preferably
one formed of mica of predetermined tensile strength gives, when used alone, equally
satisfactory results; and, in order to prevent injury to said disc, in the operation of
securing same in its place, we insert a washer or grommet e of any suitable compres-
sible material (shown more particularly at Figure 4) by means of which, not only is

page_text: the mica disc effectually protected from injury from the twisting of the laminæ, but a
perfectly steam-tight joint is obtained.
With a view to prevent the device above described from being tampered with, as
also to prevent injury by the escape of steam through the bursting of the disc afore-
said, we screw or otherwise attach a hollow metal knob D of spherical or other form,
and by means of a perforation E on one side thereof of suitable dimensions, the
escaping steam may be conducted in any direction, and thus prevent the risk of injury
to any one who may happen to be near.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we
do not limit ourselves to any special form of device or shape of disc, as in some cases
it may be more convenient to adopt discs of square or other form, but what we
claim is :-
Firstly In the device herein described and to serve the purpose of a safety vent
the use of a thin metal disc protected on the underside with a disc of
substance substantially as herein set forth.
any noncorrodible
Secondly: In a device as above described the use alone of a disc of any non-
corrodible material-such for instance as mica-the same being kept in position
through the interposition of a washer or grommet of any suitable compressible
material and so as to ensure a perfectly steam tight joint substantially as herein set
forth.
JAMES
STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicants.