US1017682A - Automatic stoker for locomotives. - Google Patents

Description

A. J. McMULLEN. AUTOMATIC STOKEB. FOB LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLIOATION FILE'D ABBA 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A.,J. MoMULLEN. AUTOMATIC BTOKEB ROB. LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED, APR. 6, 1911.

1,017,682. I Patented Feb.20, 1912.

2 sums-sum a.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

ALEXANDER J. HOHULLEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC S'I'OklEB FOB LOCOMOTIVES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER J. Mo- MUnLnN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee,- in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stokers for Locomotives; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and effective automatic feeder and stoker for locomotive furnaces,

, its construction and arrangement being such that coal is discharged from the tender into a crusher, where it is broken to a convenient size and thereafter delivered from said crusher by means of an endless conveyer to a hopper disposed in juxtaposition to the furnace door opening, through which hopper it is delivered to the grate by movement of a reciprocative stoker bottom.

With the above object in view the invention consists in what is herein shown, described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents. a longitudinal sectional elevation of the rear end of a. locomotive and forward end of a tender equipped with an automatic stoker embodyin the features of my invention; Fig. 2, a ragmentary plan view of the same partly in section, as indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view of the stoker hep er mechanism, the section being indicated by line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring by characters to the drawings,

. 1 represents a locomotive tender having the usual coal compartment which is provided with a forwardly inclined bottom section 2 and an upwardly inclined hinged section 5. The hinged section 5 is provided with a feed opening 3 that is controlled by a sliding door 4 through which coal is delivered to a crusher housing to be hereinafter described. The bottom section 5 is locked in its nor:

mal position by bolts 6 which engage the side walls of the tender and said bot-tom section is designed to be swung down in heretofore mentioned is detached from the' elk-tender, whereby clearance is had to ermit the hinged section 5 to drop to a horizontal Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iiled April 6, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912. Serial No. 618,888.

position. The hinged section 5 of the compartment flares upwardly from the inclined bottom section thereof whereby a pocket is formed for the coal and at the same time clearance at the front end of the tender and under the door 4 is provided for the location of the crusher. Bythis arrangement the crusher can be placed under the forward end of the tender without appreciable waste of space.

Secured to the floor of the tender directly under the feed opening 3 is a crusher'housing 7 provided with an adjustable orushermember 8 and a vibratory member'9, which member is actuated by a shaft 10 that is provided with an eccentric 11, which eccentric, in conjunction with a strap, operates the vibratory member 9 by means of its engagement with toggle links 12. The strap carried by the eccentric 11 depends therefrom and is notched out for the reception of the opposite ends of the links 12, the links being orizontally disposed. The outer ends of one of the links is fulcrumed to the side walls of the housing 7 and the outer end of the opposite link is hinged to the v1bratory crusher member 9. Thus when the high portion of the eccentric reaches a point opposite to that at which it-is shown in Fig. 1 the said strap is lifted whereby the inner ends of the links rise and tend to straighten out causing an inward crushing movement of said member 9. When the toggle links are buckled in the position shown in the drawing the distance between their fulcrum points is shortened due to the weight of member 9, which weight brings said member back to its normal position and opens the mouth between it and the fixed crusher member.

Journaled in the lower portion of the housing 7 is a shaft 13, which shaft is driven from the crusher shaft 10 by a link belt and sprocket gear connected thereto. Trunnioned upon the shaft 13 is an elevator frame 14 which projects upwardly with its discharge end terminating within the cab ortion 15 of a locomotive, the said disc arge end being provided with an idle shaft 16 carrying sprocket wheels 17 that co-act with similar sprocket-wheels 18 which are carried by the shaft 13. Mounted upon these sets of sprocket-wheels is an endless link belt conveyer chain 19 having suitable lugs 20. The discharge end of the conveyer frame 14 is loosely supported upon the fixed wall 21 of a hopper, which fixed wall is rigidly secured to a frame 22. The side walls 23 of the ho per are preferably in hinge connection with the frame 22, being held in their upright position by downturned ends of a detachable strap 24. Mouth sections 23 of the hopper side walls are preferably rigidly secured to the frame 22 and, as'shown, are adapted to project-into the feed 0 eningl 25 of the locomotive fire-box 26, which 'rebox is provided with the'usual grate. The frame 22 is provided with. ways 27 for the reception of rail extensions 27 of a reciprocat ve box-like bottom 28, the outer end of said bottom carrying a stoker-head 29 which serves to level off the coal as it is delivered by the reciprocative movement of said bottom. The frame 22 is 'sup orted by suitable legs 30 which are vertica y adjustable whereby the frame ma be raised or lowered so as to aline the eed bottom 28 with the furnace door opening. The bottom is reciprocated through a link that is connected with a slotted lever 31, which lever is fulcrumed upon a stud carried by one of the frame legs 30. Fitted in the slot of the lever is a pin 32 that projects from a crank disk 33, which crank disk is mounted upon a shaft 34, the shaft beingl journaled in suitable bearings carried by t frame leg. v

Motion is imparted to the shaft 34 through a sprocket-wheel 35 carried thereby, which sprocket-wheel is in link belt connection with a sprocket wheel 35 mounted upon a motor-shaft 36, the motor being of any e adjacent suitable type and is preferably, as shown,

secured to the under side of the locomotive cab floor for convenience and economy in space. When it is desired to remove the frame from its automatic stoking position relative to the feed door of the furnace this chain connection between the motor and shaft 34 cantbe readily detached b uncoupling the link in sald chain. ower is transmitted to the crusher through a beveled pinion 36 that is secured to the shaft 34 and arranged to mesh with a beveled wheel 37 carrled by one section 38 of a tumbler-rod 38, the sections of the rod being coupled by a universal joint 39, one member of which is provided with a sleeve that is in telescopic union witha squared end of the tumbler-rod 38. The tumblerrod section 38 is journaled in a bracket 40 that is swiveled upon the end of shaft 34, the opposite end of the tumbler-rod being journaled in a similar bracket 40 that is swiveled upon an end of the crusher shaft 10, to which shaft motion is imparted by meshed beveled gear wheels 41, 41.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that power fromfthe motor to the crusher is transmitted through a flexible shaft connection which is sectional whereby the connection between the tender and locomotive may be broken when desued, in which case the elevator or conveyer is swung backward and attached in any suitable manner to the tender and the hopper mechanism can then be removed from its stoking position. i

In some instances it isdesirable to have access to the furnace while the stoker is in operation and in order to conveniently obtain such access, as previously stated, the side walls of the hopper can be readily swung downward for the purpose of inserting a hand tool, shovel or the like within the fire-box of the furnace. This can be readily accomplished by lifting the strap 24 which serves to hold the hinged wings in their upright position.

While I have shown and described one specific driving gear for the various trave ing parts, it s ould be understood that this driving gear can be varied in accordance with the design of any skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit of my invention and that for the crusher shown a roller crusher may be substituted in some instances.

It is apparent from the foregoing scription that the automatic stoker will deliver coal crushed to the desired sizes, and in quantities desired, within the hopper, from which it is discharged over the grate by the reciprocating bottom and leveled by the stoker-head 29. The stoker head acts to distribute and level the coal by assing back and forth over or throu h te coal which tends to pile up upon 51 egrateat the feed door incidental to the discharge of said coal from the box-like hopper bottom 28 and thus the pile is constantly being topped and distributed.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive having a furnace provided with a feed opening and a detachable coal-tender; the combination of a stoker in communication with the furnace feed opening, a forwardly and downwardly inclined bottom section for the tender, and upwardly inclined bottom section in hinge connection with the first named bottom section, the forwardly and upwardly inclined bottom section being provided with a door-controlled feed opening, a coal crusher detachably' secured 'to the tender under said upwardly inclined bottom section and in register with its feed opening, an endless coal feeding conveyer apron yieldably connecting the crusher and stoker, a motor carried by the locomotive, an endless belt drive gear connection between the motor and stoker, and a tumbler-rod in ear connection with the stoker and crus er, whereby .the same is driven.

2. In a locomotive having a furnace proa forwardly vided with a feed opening and a' detachable coal-tender; the combination of a stoker in communication with the furnace feed opening, a forwardly and downwardly inclined bottom section for the tender, a

6 forwardly and upwardly inclined bottom mounted upon said shaft the free endof Wisconsin in the the conveyer apron frame being arranged rest upon the stoker, a motor carried by saidlocomotive, a motor and etc er, and a flexible gear connection between the stoke r and coal-crushin mechanism.

ear connection between; the

testimony that I claim the foregoin I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of resence of two witnesses. ALEXAN ER J. 'MGMULLEN.

Witnesses:

Geo. W. YOUNG, MAY DowNnY.

Images