Improvements connected with Furnace Bars for Promoting the Generation of Steam and the Consumption of Smoke.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 12th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Furnace Bars for Promoting the
Generation of Steam and the Consumption of Smoke.
I, LIONEL HELLIWELL, of Island View, Dewsbury, in the County of York,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to quicken the generation of steam and to consume
the smoke arising from the steam boiler furnaces. In carrying out my invention,
I arrange the bars, which may be of any suitable construction, in two, three, or more
sets, each set being connected to a rod arranged underneath the said bars, so that
when the said rod is moved lengthwise, the sets of bars are caused to rise at one
end and fall at the other so as to form a zigzag line, but at that end at which
the bars are raised I place a grate or bare for the admission of air, and also to
prevent portions of the fire from falling into the ashes place. The sets of bars are
caused to rise and fall automatically, and this is performed by means of a piston
working in a cylinder, both ends of which are in communication with the steam
boiler for the purpose of causing the piston to reciprocate within the said cylinder.
The end of the piston rod is provided with teeth, in the form of a rack, which
engages with a pinion wheel carrying a crank and connected to one end of the rod
which passes under the furnace bars. In addition to each end of the cylinder
being in connection with the steam boiler, there is also an exhaust pipe connected
to each end of the cylinder. The four pipes are provided with valves on the spindle
of which is a toothed wheel, the arrangement being such that on the said wheels
being caused partially to revolve as hereinafter explained, one of the steam admission
pipes is closed and the other opened, whilst a corresponding exhaust pipe or valve
is closed and the other opened. When the furnace requires to be fed with fuel,
the furnace bars will be level, and after the stoker has given the necessary supply of
fuel to the furnace, the door is closed, the action of which causes a vertical rod
connected to the wheels on both steam admission pipes to descend, in doing which one
pair of inlet valves and exhaust valves are opened, and the other pair shut, whereupon
the furnace bars are quickly raised, after which a spiral spring draws the rod down so
as to close one set of valves and open the other set so that the steam operates the
piston in the opposite direction, for the purpose of causing the grate bars to descend,
but this process is slow, as the exhaust valve is only partially open, so that the escape
of steam will be gradual. It will be understood that whilst the bars are raised
quickly, they descend slowly.
Instead of operating the piston by steam, water may be employed, and instead of
operating the furnace bars by the cylinder automatically, the stoker may operate them
by a band lever.
This th ... .... 100
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Furnace Bars for Promoting the
Generation of Steam and the Consumption of Smoke.
I, LIONEL HELLIWELL, of Island View, Dewsbury, in the County of York,
Gentleman, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to quicken the generation of steam and to consume

page_text: the smoke arising from steam boiler furnaces. In carrying out my invention,
[. arrange the bars, which may be of any suitable construction, in two, three, or more
sets, each set being connected to a rod arranged underneath the said bars, so that
when the said rod is moved lengthwise, the sets of bars are caused to rise at one end
and fall at the other, so as to form a zig-zag line, but at that end at which the bars
are raised I place a grate or bars for the admission of air, and also to prevent portions
of the fire from falling into the ashes place. The sets of bars are caused to rise and
fall automatically, and this is performed by means of a piston working in a cylinder,
both ends of which are in communication with the steam boiler for the purpose of
causing the piston to reciprocate within the said cylinder.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now make reference to
the accompanying sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, wherein Fig. 1 is end view
of a single fluid steam boiler having my improvements applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is
longitudinal section thereof taken through the line 1-2 of Fig. 1. A represents a
steam boiler, B the flue, the furnace door, and D the grate bars, which are made in
short lengths or sets, as shewn at detail Fig. 6 and are used in combination with
transverse grates E for purposes hereinafter explained. The underside of the grate
bars are notched at a and rest upon transverse bars ; the front ends of the bars D,
however, are also notched at e for the purpose of resting upon other transverse bars d.
These latter transverse bars d pass through loops e (see Fig. 7) projecting from the
grates E so that when the said grates are raised as shown in Fig. 2, the grate bars D
which were resting upon the transverse bars d are also raised, whereby the "clinkers"
in the furnace are not only broken and the fire disturbed, but the grates E allow for
the admission of atmospheric air to the furnace, which greatly promotes the com-
bustion of smoke and increases the generation of steam. The sets of grate bars Dand
grates E are caused to rise and fall automatically, and this is performed in the
following manner :-A steam cylinder F is connected to the front of the boiler having
a piston therein and rod e¹. Steam for working the piston up and down is obtained
from the steam boiler by means of pipe connected by branch pipe g to the top of
the cylinder, and by branch pipe h to the bottom of the cylinder, so that when the
valves and are operated the piston is worked up and down. The bottom of the
piston rod e is connected to a toothed rack & in gear with a pinion wheel 1, the axis m
of which carries a cranked arm connected by rod o to the horizontal rod p passing
underneath the furnace. To this horizontal rod are connected links or loops y
attached to the transverse bars d, so that when the piston is at its highest point in the
cylinder, the rack on the bottom of the piston rod will occupy the position shewn in
Fig. 3 where the grate bars are level and the grates E below the furnace bars; but
when steam is admitted to the top of the cylinder and the piston forced down as
shewn at Figs. 1 and 2, then the rod p underneath the furnace bars would occupy the
position shewn in Fig. 2, in which case the grate bars D together with the grates E
would be raised. I prefer that the upward motion of the bars and grates shall be
quick, but that the downward or closing motion shall be slowly performed, so as to
allow time for the admission of atmospheric air to the furnace. It will be observed
that steam is admitted to the cylinder F at two parts, namely, at a point above the
piston by pipe g, and at a point underneath the piston by another pipe h. There are
also two exhaust pipes and g¹ for the purpose of taking away the spent steam.
The modus operandi is as follows: On the furnace door C is a bolt or bar resting
in the bottom of a notch s (see Fig. 5) attached to the bottom of the upright rod or
bart, which bar is made to open and close the valves i, 2, j, and 3 by means of pins u
projecting eccentrically from discs on the end of valve spindles, therefore when the
attendant slides bar on the furnace door in the direction of the arrow marked
thereon in Fig. 1, the door can be opened and a supply of fuel fed to the furnace, but
when the door is closed the underside of the bar r of the furnace door comes into
contact with the inclined part of w, drawing down the bar t thereby, the effect of
which is to operate valves i and 2, permitting steam to enter at the top of the piston
so as to force down the piston rod, at the same time the exhaust steami on the under-
side of the piston escapes through pipe y'. The effect of this downward motion of the

page_text: piston rod is to cause the bars, which were at that time level, to be quickly raised, as
illustrated in Fig. 2. When the bar on the furnace door has lowered the vertical
rod t to its lowest point and opened the valves to raise the furnace bars, then the
spiral spring which is connected to the projection w of the notched parts, draws
the vertical rod up or in the opposite direction, causing the vertical rod to close the
steam admission valve i and exhaust valve 2, but to open steam admission valve and
exhaust valve 3, by which the motion of the piston is reversed, causing the grate bars
to descend or close, but this motion is slow, as the exhaust valve 3 is only partially
opened, so that the escape of steam therefrom will be gradual.
Instead of employing a rack and pinion for operating the horizontal bar p, the
bottom of the piston rod may be connected by link and crank to the rod mas
shewn in Fig. 8, whereby an oscillatory or rocking motion is given thereto.
Instead of operating the piston by steam, water may be employed, and instead of
operating the furnace bars by the cylinder automatically, the stoker may operate them
by a hand lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Firstly. In boiler furnaces, the employment of sets of grate bars D in combination
with transverse grates E capable of being raised and lowered in manner and for
purposes substantially as herein shewn and described.
Secondly. In boiler furnaces having sets of grate bars and transverse grates, the
combination therewith of a steam cylinder for operating the said bars and grates,
substantially as described.
Thirdly. The general arrangement, construction and combination of parts forming
steam boiler furnaces, together with the means of operating same, all substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this Sth day of February 1890.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.