CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE BRAKES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and..
Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris,
France, and 6, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Patent-
Agent, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE
BRAKES." A communication from Otto Grüninger, residing in the
City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,..
-
Engineer.
~PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd July 1873.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent
5 Offices, 18, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 6, Piccadilly, :
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the. >
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE
BRAKES," communicated to me by Otto Grüninger, a person resident in

page_text: the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,
Gentleman, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in combining with a compression or steam
cylinder of a locomotive or stationary steam engine a pipe leading from
the exhaust port of the valve chest of said cylinder into a reservoir con-
taining water, in such a manner that when the compression cylinder acts
as brake the high temperature of the compressed air or gas is reduced.
Further, in the arrangement of two branches on the exhaust pipe of
a locomotive or stationary engine, one of said branches leading into the
smoke chamber or smoke stack of the boiler furnace, and the other in
the open atmosphere, in such a manner that by opening the branch
leading in the open air and closing the other branch pure air will be
drawn in the cylinder during the time it acts as a brake and the cylinder
is saved from fouling.
Also in combining with the compression or steam cylinder of a
locomotive or stationary steam engine an air pipe and a water pipe in
such a manner that whenever the cylinder is used for the purpose of
retarding the motion of some load moved by or connected to the engine
pure air is drawn into the cylinder through one pipe, and as this air is
compressed its temperature is reduced by the action of the water drawn
in through the other pipe.
:
Further, in the arrangement of a pipe leading from the steam space
of the valve chest of a compression or steam cylinder to the reservoir
containing the feed water in such a manner that the heated air. and
water which are ejected from said compression cylinder serve to heat the
feed water, and thereby the work expended in compressing the air is
stored up for future use.
The object of this Invention is as follows:-In order to check the
speed of a locomotive engine when the same is running on a descending
grade, or for the purpose of stopping the locomotive altogether, it was a
common practice to reverse the slide valves so that the pistons of the
steam cylinders are caused to move against the action of the steam by
the momentum of the locomotive itself and of the load which may be
attached to it; by this motion of the pistons air is drawn into the
cylinders through the steam pipes, and as this air is compressed its .tem-
perature is raised to a high degree and the cylinders become highly
heated.
-

page_text: Furthermore, the air which is drawn into the cylinders being taken
from the smoke chamber of the locomotive boiler is impure and liable
to foul the cylinders; and if the motion of the locomotive on the
descending grade continues for a long time the compressed air which is
pumped into the boiler is liable to increase the pressure in the boiler to
a dangerous extent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent.
Office on the 17th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue
de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 6, Piccadilly, in the County.
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of July, 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 me, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, Her special licence that
I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my
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,
thic Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE.
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINE BRAKES," communicated to me by Otto Grüninger,
a person resident in the City, County, and State of New York, United
States of America, Engineer, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors or administrators, by¨
an instrument in writing under my, 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;

page_text: 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 Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
This Invention consists in combining with a compression or steam
cylinder of a locomotive or stationary steam engine a pipe leading from
the exhaust port of the valve chest of said cylinder into a reservoir
containing water in such a manner that when the compression cylinder
acts as brake the high temperature of the compressed air or gas is
reduced..
Further, in the arrangement of two branches on the exhaust pipe of a
locomotive or stationary engine, one of said branches leading into the 1
smoke chamber or smoke stack of the boiler furnace, and the other in
the open atmosphere in such a manner that by opening the branch
leading in the open air and closing the other branch pure air will be
drawn in the cylinder during the time it acts as a brake, and the cylinder
is saved from fouling.
Also, in combining with the compression or steam cylinder of a
locomotive or stationary steam engine an air pipe and a water pipe in
such a manner that whenever the cylinder is used for the purpose of
retarding the motion of some load moved by or connected to the engine
pure air is drawn into the cylinder through one pipe, and as this air is
compressed its temperature is reduced by the action of the water drawn
in through the other pipe.
Further, in the arrangement of a pipe leading from the steam space
of the valve chest of a compression or steam cylinder to the reservoir
containing the feed water in such a manner that the heated air and
water which are ejected from said compression cylinder serve to heat
the feed water, and thereby the work expended in compressing the air
is stored up for future use.
I
Before I proceed with the description of this Invention I will briefly
state its object-In order to check the speed of a locomotive engine
when the same is running on a descending grade, or for the purpose of

page_text: the boiler, the valve chamber is connected with the reservoir of the
tender by opening the stop cock of the pipe f, the branch d which leads
from the exhaust pipe into the smoke stack is closed, and the air pipe
opened. All these four movements may be done either simultaneously
by the motion of one lever or crank, or separately by having independent,
or partly independent, connections to each valve or cock. When this
has been accomplished the position of the link motion is reversed, and
the result is that air and water are drawn into the cylinder and then
expelled through the pipe into the reservoir of the tender. During
this operation the air drawn into the cylinder is compressed, and the
excessive heat produced by this compression of the air is counteracted
by the evaporation of the water admitted together with the air, while
the steam formed by the evaporation of the water acts partly as a
lubricator for the piston. The cylinder is thus saved from getting over-
heated, and the compressed hot air and steam being forced directly into
the feed water, give their heat up, and the feed water becomes heated to
a high degree before it is pumped into the boiler. The hot air and steam
may be forced directly into the feed water, or they may be made to pass
through a coil situated at the bottom of the feed water tank and opening
into the atmosphere. If this pipe terminates below the water in the tank
it must be provided with a check valve. The slide valve must be so con-
structed that it will not be raised from its seat by the compressed air.
This object may be effected in various ways well known to the engineers,
and no further description of the construction of the slide valve is
required.
In going down an incline the feed water tank ought to be fully pro-
vided with water, and when the locomotive reaches the level or any
point of the line from which it may return, the water in the tank will be
found heated to a degree corresponding to the given circumstances.
On high grades the Invention will work to the best advantage.
If on steep grades the water in the open tank become heated to the
boiling point the locomotive ought to be made to return with an up-hill
train, or the tank ought to be emptied into a reservoir and filed with a
fresh supply of cold water, the hot water in the reservoir being used for
the supply of some engine coming up hill.
Whenever it is necessary to stop a train at intermediate stations the
braking up may be effected either entirely or partly, according to the

page_text: Invention, and in this way the work expended in braking up a train may
be entirely or partly saved.
During the entire operation of braking according to this system the
boiler remains intact, and the advantage of the Invention over the usual
systems of locomotive steam brakes is self evident, because by the
Invention the steam cylinders are prevented from getting overheated;
and principally because the heat which is equivalent to the work.
expended in braking up is saved.
:
In the previous description the Invention is explained as applied to a
locomotive engine, but it can also be used with the same advantage for
any stationary engine which is employed for hoisting, or more properly
speaking for lowering any load.
In applying the Invention to a hoisting engine the mechanism must
be adapted to the existing circumstances. The exhaust pipe which in
such engines generally escapes into the open atmosphere, or into a high
smoke stack, free from ashes, requires no change; but the valve chest
must be connected with the feed water tank, as above described.
If desired a separate compression cylinder may be used in place of the
steam cylinder, for the purpose of producing the retarding effect.
If steam is admitted to the compression cylinder instead of air the
exhaust pipe is connected by means of a pipe 7 (shown in dotted line in
Fig. 1) with the steam dome or any part of the boiler; and another
pipe m leads from the boiler to the feed water tank. The steam after
having been compressed in the cylinder is forced back into the boiler,
and in order to prevent excessive heat in the boiler, and to utilize the
heat produced by the compression of the steam, the steam or water is let
off from the boiler through the pipe m into the feed water tank, and at
the same time the water is pumped from the tank back into the boiler
so as to keep the same in a normal state.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, I claim, and
wish to secure by the said Letters Patent,-
1. The arrangement of a pipe leading from the exhaust cavity of a
steam valve, or from the exhaust port of the valve chest of a compression
or steam cylinder into a reservoir containing water so that when the
cylinder is used as a brake it is prevented from becoming over heated by
the water drawn in through said pipe, substantially as described.

page_text: 2. The combination of an air pipe and of a water pipe with the com-
pression or steam cylinder of a locomotive or stationary engine, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
3. The arrangement of a pipe leading from the steam space of the
valve chest of a compression or steam cylinder to the reservoir containing
the feed water, either outside the boiler or through the boiler, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.