IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO FURNACES, AND FOR REMOVING CLINKERS PROM THE SAME.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henderson, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO FURNACES, AND FOR REMOVING CLINKERS
PROM THE SAME.
"
Scaled the 7th February 1973, and dated the 23rd August 1972.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Henderson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 23rd August 1872, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HENDERSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVED APPa-
RATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO FURNACES, AND FOR REMOVING CLINKERS FROM THE
SAME," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the true and
first Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Henderson, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming
a part of this Specification :-
The first part of my said Invention relates to simple but thoroughly
efficient apparatus for automatically supplying fuel to steam boiler and
other furnaces at a uniform rate of speed, and in such a manner that
the fuel is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the fire-bars.
For this purpose I use the following apparatus:-A series of rotating
blades or wings formed or secured upon a roller or axis is enclosed in a
box arranged over two horizontally rotating discs provided with blades
or beaters. These discs and beaters are also enclosed in a suitable box
or case, and as in their construction and operations they resemble ordinary
blowing fans I have herein-after called them fans.
The aforesaid roller or series of blades is fixed on a horizontal shaft
arranged in front of the furnace.
A hopper or shoot brings the coal into the roller box, where it is
crushed by the action of the said blades or wings and falls upon the
revolving discs which are carried on short spindles within the fan case,
and by the action of the beaters the coal is delivered continuously into
the furnace.
The revolving discs which carry the fan blades or beaters are driven
by frictional or toothed pinions upon which the said discs rest. These
pinions are carried on a horizontal shaft arranged below the first-
mentioned shaft in front of the furnace. This shaft may be driven
by a small donkey engine or from a rotating shaft arranged in any con-
venient part of the engine or boiler room, and transmits a slow motion
through a vertical shaft and worm gearing to the upper horizontal shaft
and feed roller. In this apparatus there are no vertical shafts projecting
above or below the fans, and the entire apparatus is very compact. It is
therefore well adapted for use upon the boilers of steam ships, and in
other situations where economy of space is an object.
The second part of my Invention relates to mechanism for detaching
and removing clinkers from the fire-bars of steam boiler or other
furnaces. It may be used either in connection with the aforesaid
feed apparatus or independently.

page_text: "
The said frictional pinions, may be provided with bands of india-rubber
or other suitable material fitted in grooves or otherwise on the periphery
of the said pinions to increase their bite and diminish the noise of their
working. By this contrivance I am enabled to drive the fan discs and
beaters without having the fan spindles a project through the casing, 5
and I thereby reduce the cost of the apparatus and render it more com-
pact and easy to repair. If desired, I may use toothed gearing instead
of the frictional wheels e. The fan spindles a are supported to turn
freely in bearings aº, a², on the top and bottom of the fan casing. The
bottom bearings or stops a² are attached to the casing by fect or flanges 1
formed on the said steps, and they project up inside the casing as
shown.
The fan discs a¹ and blades or boaters a³ are secured on the said
spindles by pins a³, passed through the hub or boss of the said discs.
The wings or blades of the feed roller bare preferably formed spirally. 1
upon the said roller or axis, to render them more effective in cutting or
breaking the coal.
The lower shaft d also carries a worm g, which gears with a worm
wheel on the lower end of a vertical shaft i. On the upper end of this
vertical shaft is fixed a second worm j, which gears with a worm wheel k
on the upper horizontal shaft c. The shaft d is provided with fast and
looso driving pulleys m, n, or with suitable gear wheels, whereby the
said shaft is driven. o is a hopper or shoot, whereby the coal is fed to
the feed roller b¹.
The roller box has one side 6 made adjustable to regulate the s
passage of the coal, and I use a screw ³ or other suitable appliance to
effect the adjustment of this side. The said screw is passed through the
bracket b*, and is provided with a hand wheel 65 for convenience of
manipulation. This adjustable side is preferably lined with a steel
plate be to facilitate the cutting or breaking of the pieces of coal.
The coal is deposited from the shoot or hopper o upon the roller b',
which revolves in the direction of the arrow 2, Figure 3, and by the
action of the blades or wings of the said roller the large picces or lumps
of coal arc cut or broken into small picces and carried with the coal dust
down between the roller and the adjustable side 63, and through the
aperture 6' into the fans or beaters, by which they are thrown as indi-

page_text: cated by the arrow 3 through the aperture a³ into the furnace; the latter
thereby receives a continuous supply of fuel, which is spread uniformly.
over the entire area of the fire-bars. The feed is regulated to supply the
exact quantity of fuel required by adjusting the side of the box b, as
above described.
In practising the second part of my Invention I prefer to use an
arrangement of fire-bars in which every alternate bar is movable, as
above described, and the others fixed. The fixed bars p are supported in
the ordinary manner upon cross bars p', but the movable bars 9 are carried
upon cross bars r, r², which are provided with forked arms 7*, whoso
ends are cranked and fitted to rest upon eccentric shafts,³, which
extend across tho ash-pit, and are supported in bearings 1.
The said eccentric shafts may be rotated either by hand or auto-
matically to give the bars the required to-and-fro and up-and-down motion,
or other suitable appliances may be used for operating the said bars, but
the action of the bars must in all cases be such that they move forward
while raised above the fixed bars, and backward when they are below
the said fixed bars. This peculiar action of the said bars will tend
to prevent altogether the adhesion of clinkers to the bars, and will carry
the clinkers forward as indicated by the arrow 4, and deposit them upon
the turning or tipping plates. This plate is provided with journals s¹,
which are supported to turn freely in suitable bearings &³, and the said
plate is so arranged that the bars q when in their highest position are
slightly above its upper surface. It is provided with a handle or other
5 means, whereby it can be readily operated, and the fire-man by turning
it down into the position indicated in dotted lines, Figure 3, discharges
the clinkers deposited thereon into the ash-pit. The bars are preferably
notched on their upper edge, as shown, to insure their properly carrying
the clinkers forward..
s
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not
claim as of my Invention the exclusive use of any of the several parts
of the said apparatus, except when the same are employed in the
manner and for the purposes herein described, and that what I claim as
5 my Invention is,―.
First. In an apparatns for supplying fuel to furnaces, a feed roller
formed with wings or blades enclosed in a box, and arranged and
operating in combination with a pair of fans as herein described.

page_text: Secondly. The fan discs and beaters driven by frictional or other
gearing applied directly to the surface of the said discs and acting in the
manner described.
Thirdly. The movable bars in combination with the fixed bars and the
turning or tipping plate, operating in the manner and for the purpose
hercin described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Henderson, have. herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
THOMAS HENDERSON. (L.S.) .
Witness,
JAMES J. NEWBERY..