AN IMPROVED APPARA FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF STEAM IN STEAM BOILERS, AND THE COMBUSTION IN THEIR FURNACES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Séverin Virgile Bonneterre, Charles Théodore Erhart,
and Jules Ferdinand Monti, all of 51, Rue de Malte, Paris, in the
Empire of France, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
Sealed the 22nd August 1862, and dated the 13th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Séverin Virgile Bonne-
terre, Charles Théodore, Erhart, and Jules Ferdinand Monti at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th
March 1862.
5: We, SEVERIN VIRGILE BONNETERRE, CHARLES THÉODORE ERHART, and JULES
FERDINAND MONTI, all of 51, Rue de Malte, Paris, in the Empire of France,
. do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPA-
RATUS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF STEAM IN STEAM BOILERS, AND THE
COMBUSTION IN THEIR FURNACES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to regulate the pressure of steam in steam.
boilers, and the degree of combustion in their furnaces, which we effect in such
manner that they (pressure and combustion) shall act upon each other, and
be thereby mutually regulated one by the other. For this purpose we employ
a vessel with flexible sides communicating with the boiler. When the pres-

page_text: sure of steam in the boiler increases the vessel expands, and when the pressure
becomes reduced the vessel contracts, and by these actions a valve, damper, or
like contrivance is closed and opened, thereby reducing or increasing the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Séverin Virgile Bonneterre, Charles Théodore Erhart, and
Jules Ferdinand Monti in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SEVERIN
VIRGILE BONNETERRE, THEODORE ERIART, and JULES FERDINAND MONTI, all of
.51, Rue de Malte, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Séverin Virgile Bonneterre, Charles Théodore Erhart, and Jules
Ferdinand Monti, Her special licence that we; the said Séverin Virgile
Bonneterre, Charles Théodore Erhart, and Jules Ferdinand Monti, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Séverin
Virgile Bonneterre, Charles Théodore Erhart, and Jules Ferdinand, Monti,
our 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, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF STEAM IN STEAM BOILERS, AND THE COMBUSTION IN
THEIR FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Séverin Virgile Bonneterre, Charles Théodore Erhart, and Jules Ferdinand
Monti, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and. seal of one of us or them,
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 we, the said Séverin Virgile Bonneterre, Charles
Théodore Erbart, and Jules Ferdinand Monti, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to

page_text: be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statenient
thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to
say:―
The object of our Invention is to regulate the pressure of steam in steam
boilers, and the combustion in their furnaces, in such manner that they
(pressure and combustion) shall act upon each other, and be thereby mutually
regulated one by the other. For this purpose we employ a vessel with flexible
sides communicating with the boiler. When the pressure of steam in tho
boiler increases the vessels expands, and when the pressure becomes reduced
the vessel is contracted, and by these actions a valve, damper, or similar
mechanical contrivance is closed and opened, thereby reducing or increasing
the draft of air to the fire, and regulating the combustion accordingly.
Heretofore in the well-known mode of governing steam engines by a valve
which lets in more or less steam as required, but does not affect or regulate
the fire, it follows that when the engine has less work to do, and in consequence
employs less steam, as, for example, when a portion of the weight it has to
move is withdrawn, the intensity of the fire will be unchecked, notwithstanding
that less steam is required, so that more steam will be generated in the boiler
than is expended by the engine, and when its pressure increases beyond a
certain point it will open the safety valve and blow off to waste, whereas by
our Invention combustion being regulated by the variation of pressure, we
can regulate the fire according to the expenditure of steam, and thereby
prevent waste of steam and heat, the pressure as before stated acting on the
draft valve or damper, and thereby increasing or reducing the draft inversely
as the pressure increases or diminishes beyond a certain point.
In performing our Invention we fill the flexible vessel with a fluid, and
communication being formed between the vessel and the boiler, the steam
pressure will act on the fluid, causing the vessel to expand, when it (the
pressure) increases, and allowing the vessel to contract, when it (the pressure)
diminishes, and the motion produced by this expansion and contraction, or
changes of form of the vessel is transmitted to the draft valve or damper,
which it opens and closes to the required extent.
When our Invention is applied to blast furnaces, or those whose draft is
forced in artificially or mechanically, the draft valve or damper may be placed
in the inlet or passage through which the blast or current of air is forced into
the fire, and when applied to air furnaces or common furnaces whose draft is
produced by the chimney, the valve or damper may be placed in the flue or
passage through which the products of combustion pass from the fire to the
chimuev.

page_text: we proceed more particularly to descrive the best means Known to us TOT
carrying our Invention into effect.
We take a flexible vessel, preferably a caoutchouc tube, which we fill with
water, and connect to the boiler by a pipe (herein called the "pressure pipe")
so as to bring it into communication therewith. We cause a plate to bear or
rest upon the vessel, and we suspend the draft valve or damper to a weighted
lever caused to press on the plate which bears on the vessel, so that when the
pressure of steam increases, the vessel expands, moves the plate upwards and
raises one end of the lever, whereby the draft valve is closed or partially
closed to the desired extent, the fire slackened, and the pressure in the boiler
reduced; but when the pressure of the steam sinks below the required point
the plate will descend and press on the flexible vessel, which will thus be
contracted, and the end of the lever will descend, thereby opening the valve to
the desired extent, admitting more air to the fire, and increasing the pressure
in the boiler,
We prefer to construct the vessel of a tubular or cylindrical shape, because
when expanded it assumes a convex form, and the area of its surface in
contact with the plate is reduced, while when contracted it becomes concave
or flattened, and the area of its surface in contact with the plate will be
enlarged, whereby the action is rendered more certain and regular. Our
apparatus may be said to perform a portion of a stoker's duty, but with more
nicety, for it is affected by the smallest variation of pressure, whereas a stoker
only regulates the fire by the variation of pressure when so considerable as to
be indicated by the gauge.
The accompanying Drawings exemplify our arrangement.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of our apparatus applied to a boiler V,
and Figure 2, transverse vertical section on the line X, X, of Figure 1.
A is a caoutchouc tube filled with water, and closed at the ends by iron
plugs a, a'. The tube is fitted in a cast-iron box B, against the sides of which
its ends abut, thereby preventing it from being extended lengthwise by the
steain pressure. The tube is enclosed in a strong canvas sheath or cover,
.which prevents it from expanding too much, only allowing it to extend a
little beyond its ordinary diameter. c, c', is a narrow pipe, one end of which
passes through the plug a, so as to open into the tube A, and the other end
leads into the boiler V, whereby the interior of the tube is brought into com-
munication with that of the boiler. This pipe, which we call the "pressure
pipe," is furnished with a stop-cock c¹¹, and is bent into two upright limbs c
and c', by which arrangement the tube A and portion c are always kept full
of water, and the water in the tube is prevented from being heated by the

page_text: steam. D is a cast-iron plate resting on the tube A; the bottom of this
plate is covered with felt, to prevent it from injuring the tube. The plate is
free to move up and down when actuated, as herein-after described, and is
guided by the sides of the box B, so that it rises and falls vertically. E is a
lever working at one end on an axis or fulcrum e, and carrying at the other
end a weight P. d is a rod or bar fitted between the lever E and the plate D.
The weight P causes the lever to bear or press on the plate D by means of
the rod d. H is the flue leading from the fire to the chimney; G is a sheet-
iron valve, damper, or door working in and supported by a frame or seat g
fitted in the flue H. When this valve is vertical, the flue is almost closed.
The valve or door may be of any convenient arrangement, but we prefer that
shewn in the Drawing, in which the valve or door is of light construction,
and is very sensitive to the action exerted on it, and opens and closes with
much ease; for this purpose the valve works on a pair of pivots i, i, and is
jointed at a to a rod J, slung by a slotted piece F to the lever E. When the
steam exceeds a certain pressure, and by its action on the water in the tube A
causes that tube to expand, the plate D is forced upward, and causing the
lever to move on its fulcrum raises it at one end, thereby closing the
door G to a greater or less extent, and intercepting the draft. When
the steam pressure sinks below the required point the weighted lever presses
down the plate D; the vessel A contracts, the plate D descends, and the end
of the lever with it, thereby opening the door G wider, and increasing the
draft. Instead of this mode of mounting the valve, damper, or door, other
arrangements may be adopted, for example, we sometimes use a chopping
valve or straight-sided plate hung by a chain to the lever, so as to work up
and down therewith, but in this case the lever should have its fulcrum near
the centre of its length, the valve being suspended from it at one end, and a
counterbalance weight at the other, the rod d being between the weight and
fulcrum, so that the lever may bear on the plate D. We have shewn the
apparatus applied to control the draft in the flue leading to the chimney, but
a similar apparatus may be applied to a valve, damper, or door in other pipes,
flues, or passages in which the draft may be controlled.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, we declare that we claim,-
First, the employment of a flexible vessel communicating with a boiler, and
so applied to or combined with such boiler and its furnace that, when the
vessel is filled with fluid, the fluid therein shall be subjected to the pressure of
the steam, and the vessel shall be expanded and contracted according as such
pressure varies, by which actions a valve, damper, or door controlling the draft

page_text: is more or less opened or closed, thereby regulating the combustion in the
furnace and the pressure of steam in the boiler one by the other.
Second, the employment, in combination with the flexible vessel, of a
'pressure pipe" or pipe for transmitting steam pressure to the fluid, arranged
in manner herein-before described, whereby the vessel is kept constantly full
of fluid.
Third, the employment; in combination with the flexible vessel, of a valve
door or damper, working on pivots, and jointed to a rod in manner described,
whereby it is rendered sensitive, and opens and closes with ease.
In witness whereof, we, the said Séverin Virgile Bonneterre, Charles
Théodore Erhart, and Jules Ferdinand Monti, have hereunto set our
hands and seals, this Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
BRESSON, F.,
Ingénieur Civil,
Rue de Malte 51,
à Paris..
S. V. BONNETERRE. (L.S.).
C. T. ERHART.
(L.S.)
J. F. MONTI.
(L.S.)