IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING OR REMOVING INCRUSTA- TIONS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING OR REMOVING INCRUSTA-
TIONS IN STEAM BOILERS."-A communication from abroad by Franz
Sommer, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer.
Sealed the 11th September 1874, and dated the 28th March 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th March 1874.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING OR REMOVING
INCRUSTATIONS IN STEAM BOILERS," a communication to me from abroad by
Franz Sommer, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer, to be
as follows:-

page_text: internal surface of the same, or removing such incrustations when
formed, and consists essentially in the employment of a peculiar arrange-
ment and combination of metallic brushes or scrapers carried in a frame
which is placed inside the boiler, and to which is imparted either a to-and-
fro reciprocating motion along the boiler, or a rotatory motion around a
central shaft, so as to cause the extremities or edges of the brushes or
scrapers to scrape or clean the surfaces with which they are brought
into contact. These brushes or scrapers are formed in separate segments
or sections, each of which is composed of a holder carrying any suitablo
number of wires, or of blades or knives, and is provided with a square
rod, by means of which it is attached to the frame, and with a helical or
other spring, so as to admit of the brushes or scrapers. readily adjusting
themselves radially to any inequalities in the surface at the parts where
the joints in the plates occur..
According to one mode of carrying out this Invention as applied to
a boiler having a separate water chamber placed below the main body
of the generator, with which it is connected by a communicating tube,
the apparatus is arranged in the following manner :-
A frame is formed of any suitable number of semi-hoops or semi-rings
placed at convenient intervals and connected together by cross bars,
into which semi-hoops or rings the brushes or scrapers are fitted in such
a manner that their various segments, or sections lie at an angle and
parallel to each other, or otherwise: A frame so composed is placed
both in the main body of the generator and in the water chamber, and
motion is imparted to the upper frame from any convenient source of :
motive power by means of a connecting rod and of a crank keyed on to
a vertical shaft passing through the top of the boiler, or otherwise,
which motion is transmitted to the lower frame by a sliding bar or
connecting rod, so as to cause both frames carrying their brushes or
scrapers to move to and fro along their respective chambers, and thus a
maintain the interior of the boiler with which they are in contact in
a clean condition and free.from deposit or crust on its surface.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS. Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson,
Her special license that I, the said John Henry Jolinson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING OR REMOVING INCRUSTATIONS IN
STEAM BOILERS," a communication to me from abroad by Franz Sommer,
of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors
or administrators; by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next, and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
L
The said Invention consists of a peculiar arrangement and combina
tion of onnamntus having metallic brushes or scrapers, which annaratus.

page_text: :
is placed inside the steam boiler, and has a to-and-fro reciprocating
motion imparted to it for the purpose of preventing incrustations on the
internal surface of such boiler. These brushes or scrapers, which are
disposed by preference in a frame capable of a longitudinal reciprocating
motion may also be arranged in such a manner as to turn around a central
shaft. In either case the whole of that portion of the plates which is
covered with water, both of the body of the generator and of the water
chamber or chambers (when separate water chambers are employed)
is caused to be acted upon by the ends of the wires composing the
brushes, or by the end or edge of the scrapers or knives, as the case may
be. In order to admit of the metallic brushes or scrapers properly
adjusting themselves to or following the inequalities produced by the
junction of the plates, rivets, and the like, such brushes or scrapers aro
composed of separate segments or sections, which are all acted upon or
pressed outwards separately or independently by a respective spring.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a longitudinal vertical section, shewing
the application of an apparatus having a to-and-fro motion for preventing
incrustations to a steam generator provided with a separate water
chamber; Figure 2 is a corresponding horizontal section, and Figure 3,
a transverse section of same, taken respectively along the lines 1, 2,
and 3, 4, (Figure 1).
Figures 4 and 5, shewn in elevation and plan respectively on an
enlarged scale a portion of a hoop or ring carrying segments or sections
of metallic brushes.
Figure 6 shews a modification of the method of constructing the
brushes.
In the main body of the generator there is mounted a frame formed.
of a convenient number of semi-hoops. or semi-rings. A of wrought iron.
or other suitable material connected together bỹ cross bars a, to whichi
frame a to-and-fro reciprocating motion may be imparted by means of
the connecting rod B and the crank C. This crank is kéyed to the
lower end of a shaft c which passes through a stuffing box E, and is;
C

page_text: actuated by any suitable apparatus for transmitting motion attached to
the outer end of such shaft.
A frame of similar construction, that is to say, formed of semi-hoops
or semi-rings A', is also placed in the water chamber, and has a to-and-
fro motion imparted to it by means of the bar D which passes through
the tube E' (connecting the body of the generator with the water
chamber) and is attached to the sliding bar F of the main frame. The
bar D is caused to traverse a less distance than that of the diameter
described by the crank C, consequently the frame A' has a shorter stroke
than the upper frame A. Each of the semi-hoops or semi-rings is
provided with metallic brushes or scrapers I mounted in the manner
shewn in Figures 4 and 5. These brushes are disposed parallel to each
other on the hoop or ring A, to which they are secured by means of
square rods i provided with a pin. Between the upper part of the
brushes or scrapers and the exterior of the hoop or ring there are
placed helical springs ", which respectively surround the rods i, and
which thus admit of cach segment or section of a brush or scraper
readily adjusting itself to the joints of the plates and other inequalities.
The brushes or scrapers so mounted perform the operation in an
efficient manner.
The brushes may also be constructed in the following manner in
order to be applied to the longitudinally reciprocating frame. Each
brush is formed of a segment of a ring of angle iron x (Figure 6)
provided with wires y of brass, iron, or other suitable metal; these
wires, which are made of a curved shape, as shewn, are soldered at the
side of each other and secured by a segment of a ring of flat iron z.
Each brush thus constitutes a comb or rake with curved and clastic
teeth. If the brushes so constructed are to be mounted on a rotatory
apparatus they are disposed spirally on the rotating shaft so as to
conduct the calcareous matters at the same time towards the bottom of
the back of the boiler, whence they may be readily extracted.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the peculiar
arrangement and combination of apparatus provided with metallic

page_text: brushes or scrapers, and having a reciprocating or rotatory motion
imparted thereto for the purpose of preventing incrustations in steam
generators, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to 5
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day
of September One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)