IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Arthur Darlington, of St. Helen's
Place, Gas Engineer, and Frederick Scott, of Portland Place,
Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING GAS
RETORTS.'
"
Sealed the 5th May 1874, and dated the 8th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Arthur
Darlington and Frederick Scott at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th November 1873.
We, FREDERICK ARTHUR DARLINGTON, of Saint Helen's Place, Gas
Engineer, and FREDERICK SCOTT, of Portland Place, Engineer, both in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING
GAS RETORTS," to be as follows:-
:-
Our said Invention relates to novel machinery for effecting automati-

page_text: of gas retorts with coal, and the removal or discharge of the coke from
the same.
The said Invention consists first in the combination of a scoop with a
steam engine and with adjusting mechanism, whereby the said scoop is
brought into the required positions for receiving the coal, and intro-
ducing the same into any or all of the retorts. The said engine is
mounted upon a travelling carriage or frame provided with flanged
wheels, which run on rails laid in the floor of the retort house, and
extending longitudinally in front of the retorts, and whereon the
machine is adjusted opposite any one of them. The side bars of this
travelling carriage also form rails, and the engine is provided with
sutable wheels to run thereon, and is moved upon the same towards or
away from the mouth of the retorts. The adjustment of the engine
upon the said travelling carriage and of the latter upon its rails is
effected by suitably arranged gear wheels and apparatus connected there-
with. The engine is attached to the boiler, and the latter is so arranged
within a case or shell that the boiler is capable of moving up and down
within the said case or shell to serve as an accumulator for hydraulic
apparatus, herein-after described.
The scoop is constructed of plate iron or steel. It is semi-cylindrical:
in form throughout the part which projects within the retorts, the
remainder being cylindrical, and its end adjacent to the engine is
attached to a shaft. The latter is supported to turn freely in suitable
bearings fitted to slide in vertical slots in standards of cast iron or other
Buitable metal to adjust the scoop to the height of any of the retorts.
The aforesaid standards are attached to two or more bands or hoops,
which are fitted to turn freely in collars or rings placed around the
boiler or its enclosing case. Each of these bands or hoops has a quadrant
or sector rack geared with a pinion, which may be thrown into or out of
gear with the engine shaft, and is thereby operated to turn the scoop:
around the boiler to receive the coal from hoppers or other receptacles,
and then turn it back into the proper position for introducing it into the
retorts.
Between the said standards we place two hydraulic cylinders whose
rams are connected at their upper ends to a cross head; two connecting
rods extend from the ends of the said cross head to the bearings of the
scoop. A pump driven from the engine shaft is arranged to deliver

page_text: water directly into the said hydraulic cylinders or to actuate a ram
placed below the boiler, the said boiler serving as an accumulator for the
same. By this hydraulic apparatus the rams connected with the cross
head are raised and the scoop with them to any desired height.
To the front of the aforesaid standards we attach a vertical spindle or
shaft, which passes through bosses cast on the scoop bearing. We place
between these bosses a cam, which is secured on the said spindle by a
feather so that it cannot turn independently of the spindle, but will
move freely up and down thereon with the scoop. A strong spiral spring
is coiled around the shaft of the scoop, one of its ends being attached to
the said shaft and the other end to the bearing. To the face of the
scoop bearing we attach a pawl arranged to drop into a notch in the
cylindrical part of the said scoop and prevent its being turned by the
said spring, except when the pawl is raised. For this purpose we arrange
a lever in such a position that when the scoop has entered far enough
into a retort the said lever strikes a projection on the aforesaid travelling
carriage and turns the vertical spindle and its cam, lifting the said pawl
and leaving the scoop free to turn over by the action of the said spring,
and thereby deliver or discharge its load into the retort; or we may turn
the scoop by hydraulic power or by other suitable means.
At the back of the said standards we arrange a second vertical spindle
which carries a bevil pinion so fitted as to turn with the said spindle,
but free to slide vertically thereon, and geared into a bevil wheel on the
scoop bearing. The lower end of the said spindle carries a toothed
pinion, and in combination with the same we arrange a pawl which
prevents the turning of the said pinion in one direction. At the end of
one side of the aforesaid travelling carriage we place a rack into which
the said pinion gears. As the scoop is withdrawn from a retort the
pinion comes in gear with this rack, and through the ensuing rotation
of the pinion and spindle the scoop is turned back on its axis into its
original position. If desired the end of the scoop that enters the retort
may be provided with a bearing roller.
The said Invention consists secondly in the employment of a rake for
discharging or withdrawing the contents of the retorts, and which
occupies the same place in the machine as the aforesaid scoop. The
"rake" is a shaft of the proper length to extend far enough into the
retort, and having a screw thread or spiral blade or sections thereof. on

page_text: the part which enters the retort. The required movements are imparted
to the said "rake" by a rack fixed on the side of the travelling carriage
and a pinion attached to a vertical spindle. The said pinion is governed
by a pawl and ratchet wheel so that it can turn only in the proper
direction. The end of the "rake" is geared by bevil wheels with this
spindle in the same manner as the scoop, and by the said rack and
pinion through this gearing the said rake is operated to turn on its axis
in entering the retort, but is withdrawn without turning.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Arthur Darlington and Frederick Scott
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
ARTHUR DARLINGTON, of St. Helen's Place, Gas Engineer, and FREDERICK
SCOTT, of Portland Place, Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Frederick Arthur Darlington and Frederick Scott, Her
special licence that we, the said Frederick Arthur Darlington and Frederick
Scott, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Frederick Arthur Darlington and Frederick Scott, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Arthur Darlington and
Frederick Scott, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, 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

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan or top view of our improved machine for charging
gas retorts; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a
vertical transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 2, shewing the engine
and boiler and parts immediately connected therewith in elevation;
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line y, y, Figure 2.

page_text: Figure 5 is a plan or top view of our improved machine for discharging
or emptying the retorts; Figure 6 is a side elevation of the same;
Figure 7 is an end elevation of Figure 5.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
a is the travelling carriage, whose wheels a¹ run upon the rails 6 in
the floor of the retort house; a³, a³, are the sides of this carriage which
form rails for the engine wheels c; d is the engine boiler; e, e, are the
cylinders; e¹, e, are the piston rods and connecting rods, and e³ is the
crank shaft of the said engine. These parts of the engine are supported
upon the boiler, and the latter is mounted upon the frame or upper
carriage c¹ which is carried by the wheels c; or the boiler d may be
enclosed within a case or shell mounted on the said frame or upper
carriage, the said boiler being then fitted to move up and down in the
said case to serve as an accumulator for hydraulic apparatus, herein-
after described. The adjustment of the upper carriage c¹ upon the
travelling carriage a and of the latter upon its rails is effected by suitably
arranged gear wheels and apparatus connected therewith, as herein-after
described.
The scoop fis constructed of plate iron or steel. It is semi-cylindrical
in form throughout the part which projects within the retorts, the
remainder being cylindrical, and its end adjacent to the engine is
attached to a shaft f¹. The latter is supported to turn freely in suitable
bearings f fitted to slide in vertical slots in standards g of cast iron or
other suitable metal to adjust the scoop f to the height of any of the
retorts.
The aforesaid standards are attached to two or more bands or hoops h,
which are fitted to turn freely in collars or rings placed around the
boiler or around the aforesaid enclosing case. These standards and the
bands or hoops form a frame whereby the mechanism is firmly supported
upon the boiler with a capability of adjustment around the same. Each
of these bands or hoops has a quadrant or sector rack h¹ geared with a
pinion h² on a vertical shaft h³. This shaft also carries a bevil pinion h*,
which gears with two pinions e¹ on the engine shaft e. These pinions e¹
are loose on the said shaft, and are formed to engage with a sliding
clutch e, by whose adjustment into gear with either of the said pinions,
or midway between them, the said vertical shaft is driven in either
direction or is rendered immovable at pleasure. The adjustment of the

page_text: pinions being thereby operated to turn the scoop f around the boiler to
receive the coal from hoppers or other receptacles and then turn it back
into the proper position, shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and holding it in this
position while the engine moves forward and the scoop is introduced
into the retort.
It will be observed that the scoop is placed tangentially to the centre
of the boiler. This arrangement permits it when turned back to receive
its load to be brought very close to the bunkers, hoppers, or other
receptacles for the coal.
The crank shaft e³ is geared by means of the wheels 1, 2, 3, 4, with
the shaft 5, which carries the bevil wheels 6, 7; the latter are loose on
the said shaft, but are caused to rotate therewith by the clutch 8, this
clutch being thrown into gear with either wheel as desired by means of
the lever 9, which is operated by the hand lever 10. The bevil wheels 6
and 7 gear with a wheel 11 on the shaft 12, which by means of the
wheels 13 and 14 is geared with the shaft 15 of the travelling carriage a.
By this mechanism the carriage a may be caused to move in either.
direction upon
the rails, or stopped and allowed to remain in any required
position thereon.
The movements of the upper carriage o³ upon the carriage a are
regulated in like manner through the wheels 1, 2, 3, 4, shaft 5, bevil
wheels 16, 17, clutch 18, wheel 19, shaft 20, and spur wheels 21, 22, and
shaft 23 of the travelling wheels a, this train of gearing being controlled
by the hand lever 24. We may use a reversing engine or frictional
gearing in place of the gearing above described.
Between the standards g we place two hydraulic cylinders m, whose
rams m¹ are connected at their upper ends to a cross head m³. Two
connecting rods m³ extend from the ends of the said cross head to the
bearings f* of the scoop f. A`pump m' driven from the engine shaft e³
is arranged to deliver water through the flexible tube m³ direct into the
said hydraulic cylinders, or to actuate a ram placed below the boiler, the
said boiler then serving as an accumulator for the cylinders. By this
hydraulic apparatus the rams m³ connected with the cross head m³ are
raised, and the scoop f with them, to any height required to bring them
in line with any of the retorts.

page_text: To the front of the aforesaid standards g we attach a vertical spindle
or shaft n, which passes through bosses f³ cast on the scoop bearing.
We place between these bosses f³ a cam o, which is secured on the said
shaft by a feather fitted in a longitudinal groove so that it cannot turn
independently of the shaft, but will move freely up and down thereon
with the scoop f. A strong spiral spring f* is coiled around the shaft f¹
of the scoop f, one of its ends being attached to the said shaft and the other
end to the bearing. To the face of the scoop bearing we attach a pawlƒ*
arranged to drop into a notch in the cylindrical part of the said scoop and
prevent its being turned by the springs, except when the pawl f*is raised.
For raising the said pawl we provide the lower end of the shaft n with a
lever n', which occupies such a position that when the scoop has entered
far enough into a retort the said lever strikes a projecting arm or rod n³
on the aforesaid travelling carriage, and turns the vertical shaft n and
its cam o, thereby lifting the pawl f* and leaving the scoop f free to
turn over on its axis; then the said scoop will be immediately turned
over by the action of the spring f, and will thereby deliver or discharge
its load of coal into the retort. Or we may provide the machine with
hydraulic power or other suitable means for turning the scoop over.
At the back of the standards h we arrange a second vertical shaft or
spindle p, whereon is fitted a bevil pinion p³, which by a feather fitted
into the groove p* is compelled to turn with the said shaft p, but is free
to slide longitudinally thereon. The said wheel is geared with a bevil
wheel p³ on the scoop spindle f¹. The lower end of the shaft p
carries a toothed pinion p³, and in combination with the same we arrange
a pawl p*, which prevents the turning of the said pinion in one direction,
but permits it to turn freely in the other direction. At one side of the
frame of the aforesaid travelling carriage and at the rear end thereof we
place and secure a rack q. As the scoop is being withdrawn from a
retort and its end is nearly clear of the same the pinion p³ comes in gear
with this rack, and through the ensuing rotation of the pinion p¹ and
shaft P the scoop f is turned back on its axis into its original position,
as shown in Figures 1 and 2. If desired the end of the scoop that
enters the retort may be provided with a bearing roller to give it addi-
tional support in the retorts.
In the machine shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7 the "rake" is provided
with means substantially the same as those above described for adjusting
it vertically to bring it in line with any of the retorts. It also has

page_text: 8
combined with it mechanism for causing it to turn on its axis while
entering the retort. This rotative movement is imparted to the said
"rake" by a rack & fixed on the side of the travelling carriage a, and a
pinion &¹ attached to the vertical shaft or spindle 83. The said pinion is
controlled by a pawl and ratchet wheel 8, so that it can turn only in
the proper direction. The shaft of the "rake" 8 is geared by bevil
wheels t, t, with this shaft 82, and by the said rack and pinion through
this gearing the raker is operated to turn on its axes in entering the
retort, but is withdrawn without turning; therefore the rake will pass
freely into and through the contents of the retort disturbing and
breaking up the coke, and in returning will draw the contents with
it from the retort. It will be obvious that the rake is not required to
turn away from the retorts; therefore the gearing above described for
turning the mechanism around the boiler is not required in this machine,
but the gearing for moving the travelling carriage on its rails and
moving the upper carriage to and away from the retorts is substantially
the same as that above described. This gearing, the engine, the pump
of the hydraulic apparatus, and other parts of this machine which are in
all respects like those in the charging machine are not shewn.
A rake-head of the common form may be attached to the end of the
aforesaid spiral "rake" to better adapt the machine to the drawing or
discharging of a D shaped or oval retort.
Having thus fully described our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we wish it understood that we claim,-
First. In a machine for charging gas retorts, and which has a steam
engine and boiler incorporated with it, the supporting of the scoop upon
the said boiler in such a manner that the scoop is capable of vertical
and circular adjustment upon and around the said boiler, while the
entire machinery is moveable toward and away from the retorts and
across the front of the same for the purpose specified.
Second. Supporting the scoop, the hydraulic apparatus, and other
parts of the mechanism upon a frame which is supported by hoops or
bands fitted to turn in rings secured to the boiler or to a case or shell
enclosing the boiler, and is turned around the same by means of the
racks and toothed wheels, whose connection and disconnection with the
engine shaft is effected by means of a clutch operated by a lever or
otherwise, as herein set forth.
-

page_text: hydraulic apparatus, the screw or spiral rake, and the gearing, whereby
the various movements and adjustments of the said rake and carriage
are effected, combined, and operating together, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Scott, for myself and on
behalf of the said Frederick Arthur Darlington, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
W. ROB. LAKE.
FRED*. SCOTT. (L.S.)