Im, PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward Tenney Bousfield, of
the same Place, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 14th January 1870, and dated the 20th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th October 1869.
We, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agri
cultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im,
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:
This Invention relates to improvements on the tubular boiler for
which we obtained Letters Patent, bearing date February 8th, 1868, and
November 14th, 1868, and numbered respectively 430 and 3468, the
object being to improve the circulation of the water in such boilers and
incidentally to provide for the facile removal therefrom of calcareous
and other deposits; and, secondly, to improve some details in their

page_text: manufacture and to facilitate the detachment of the tubes for inspection
or removal,
Heretofore the pendent inner tubes which are used for inoreasing the
circulation of the water have been made with the lower ends open and
placed so as to enter or dip into the horizontal tubes which support in
position and connect together the main vertical tubes. We have,
however, found that the ascending and descending currents somewhat
interfere with each other, as the heated water and steam rise from
the horizontal tubes, and the circulation is consequently somewhat
retarded,
In order to remedy this we fit the horizontal connecting tubes with
an internal open tube or trough of a horse-shoe section, its open side
being uppermost. This trough we set concentric or nearly so with the
connecting tube, and so that the lower ends of the inner vertical tubes
will dip into it. The circulation of the water in the vertical and
horizontal tubes is thus rendered more perfect, and the earthy or other
solid matter contained in the water is deposited in the trough instead of
falling on to the bottom of the horizontal tube and forming a hard
coating or scale on that part of the boiler. The troughs are so
arranged that they may be readily withdrawn from the horizontal tubes
for the purpose of removing the deposit which has accumulated
therein,
In some cases we propose to make our bollers without the lower
horizontal connecting tubes, the pendent ends of the vertical tubes being
then closed. In this arrangement the inner or water circulating tubes
will be severally provided with a dish at their lower end, which will act
like the trough in the first-described arrangement, and by receiving the
sediment prevent it from falling and becoming encrusted on the bottom
of the pendent tube,
In some cases where the superheating of the steam is not required,
we propose to omit the upper part of the divided tubes, thus making
them short tubes connecting with the horizontal water level tubes. The
openings in the upper side of these tubes will be closed with a screw
cap. This screw cap may also be applied to the feed water heater
arrangement described in our Patent of February 1868.
When constructing tubular boilers with the water level horizontal
tubes we propose to make the horizontal tubes of wrought iron, and
then instead of using cylindrical tubes cast with nozzles or sockets to

page_text: receive the divided vertical tubes or the screw caps, as the case may be,
we flatten such horizontal tubes at top and bottom, and tap their socket
holes. In these socket holes we insert screwed collars for connecting the
vertical divided tubes to the horizontal tubes or for receiving the screw
caps. This arrangement is also available for the feed water heater above
referred to.
A further improvement in the mode of constructing or putting
together our improved boilers is to provide anti-corrosive collars, say, of
brass or other suitable metal screwed externally and internally, which
being interposed between the joints or screw couplings will greatly
facilitate the disconnection of the parts when the boiler is required to
be taken to pieces for repairs or cleaning.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Engineer,
and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bous-
field, Her special licence that we, the said James Howard and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield,
our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to tinie 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: 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 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 James Howard, on behalf of
myself and of the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in the tubular boiler for which
we obtained Letters Patent, bearing date February Eighth, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight, and November Fourteenth, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight, and numbered respectively 430 and 3468,
the object being to improve the circulation of the water in such boilers
and incidentally to provide for the facile removal therefrom of calcareous
and other deposits; and, secondly, to improve some details in the manu-
facture of such boilers, and to facilitate the detachment of the tubes
for inspection or removal.
Heretofore when pendent inner tubes were used for increasing the
circulation of the water their lower ends entered or dipped into the
horizontal tubes which support in position and connect together the
main vertical tubes. We have however found that the ascending and
descending currents somewhat interfere with each other, as the heated
water and steam rise from the horizontal tubes, and the circulation is
consequently somewhat retarded.
In order to remedy this we now adopt the contrivance shewn in
sectional elevation at Figures 1 and 2 in the accompanying Drawing,
Fig. 1 being a longitudinal section of a portion of one of the several
horizontal tubes which connect together the vertical tubes of each group
at their lower ends, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of the same.
A is one of a series of horizontal tubes which support in position a
set of vertical tubes B, B; each of these tubes A we fit with an internal
open tube or trough C of a horse-shoe section, its open side being
uppermost. This trough we set clear of the sides and bottom of the
connecting tube A, and so that the lower ends of the inner vertical

page_text: tubes D (which are employed to facilitate the circulation of the water
through the tubes B) will dip into the trough. The ascending and
descending currents will thus be separated from each other, and the
impediment above mentioned to the free circulation of the water in the
vertical and horizontal tubes will be removed. At the same time that
the circulation of the water is rendered more perfect the earthy or other
solid matter contained in the water will be deposited in the trough
instead of its being allowed to fall on to the bottom of the horizontal
tube and form a hard coating or scale on that part of the boiler. The
troughs are so arranged that they may be readily withdrawn from the
horizontal tubes (on the removal of cap plates or bonnets which close
the front ends of those tubes, as explained in the Specification of our
Patent of February Eighth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight)
for the purpose of discharging the deposit which has accumulated within
the troughs.
In some cases we propose to make our boilers without the lower
horizontal connecting tubes and to close the pendent ends of the vertical
tubes. This plan is illustrated in the vertical section, Fig. 3, where B
represents a vertical pendent tube of a steam superheating boiler with
a closed end B*, and fitted with an internal tube D, which is held in
position by struts d, d. In this arrangement the inner or water
circulating tube dips into dish or cup C supported on the bottom of
the tube B. This cup will act like the trough in the first-described
arrangement, and by receiving the sediment prevent it from falling and
becoming encrusted on the bottom B* of the pendent tube..
cups may be removed from time to time as the deposit accumulates
therein.
The
In some cases where the superheating of the steam is not required we
propose to omit the upper part B' of the divided tubes B, Fig. 3, and to
use short tubes, which we connect with horizontal water level tubes E,
as shewn at Fig. 4. The opening in the upper side of these tubes E. we
close with screw caps F. These screw caps may also be applied to the
feed water heater arrangement described in the Specification of our
Patent of February One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight before
referred to.
When constructing tubular boilers with the water level horizontal
tubes E, as shewn at Fig. 3, we propose to make the horizontal tubes of
wrought iron, and then instead of using cylindrical tubes cast with

page_text: nozzles or sockets to receive the divided vertical tubes B, B', or the screw
caps F, as the case may be, we flatten the horizontal tubes E at top and
bottom and tap their socket holes. In these socket holes we insert
coupling pieces H screwed at their opposite ends, and fit on their outer
ends screwed brass or other anti-corrosive collars e, e, for connecting the
vertical divided tubes to the horizontal tubes. This arrangement of
interposed collars of brass or other anti-corrosive metal (which is shewn
best in the enlarged view of the coupling, Fig. 5) is also available for the
screwed joints of tubular boilers generally.
As a modification of the above described mode of constructing or
putting together our improved boilers we propose to coat the screw
threads with zine or equivalent anti-corrosive metal. The interposition
of this anticorrosive metal between the joints or screw couplings will
greatly facilitate the disconnection of the parts when the boiler is required
to be taken to pieces for repairs or cleaning.
Having now set forth the nature of our "Improvements in the Con-
struction of Steam Boilers," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent we claim,―
First. The means above described for improving the circulation of the
water and removing the sediment in tubular boilers.
Secondly. Constructing the horizontal tubes as described with reference
to Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawing.
Thirdly. Interposing between the joints of tubular boilers anti-
corrosive metal in the manner and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.