US1050023A - Low-water alarm for steam-boilers. - Google Patents

Description

H. A! HOKE. LOW WATER ALARM FOR STEAM BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1911.

Lemma,

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

GHQ: nu

Patented Jan. 1913.

W ine sow I H.A.HOKH LOW WATER ALARM FOR STEAM BOILERS,

APPLTGATIQN FILED MAY 5,1911.

iatented Jan. 7, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

PENHSYLVANIA.

LQVf-WATEB ALARM FOR, STEAlvI-BOILERS.

implication filed May 5, 1911.

To a7! 'IlllO/IZ it will, m'mi'cr I Be it l-znown that l; Elam-1r it. llonn', a citizen of the United States reai ding at. Al- 'tcona, in the count oi Blair and State nit? bania, have inrmitect certain new lmnroreinents in Lowimiter ilers or which the foliicat ion. n relates in general steam boilers, and a to an improved and novel r automati all he giren when the wa- '3 w-determined level.

oi the intention in the provirlnoStalitally operated low v'z steam boilers which is positive in its actioin which is simple e in it'e construction," and which ly mounted upon a locomotive rain limiter without necessitating in the couatruction thereof. niesc and other object in view, the ntfon r nsists in certain novel combinaxnl arrangenn-nta oi the parts as will more full appear as the description pro ceeda, the novel Features thereof being pointed out in the appended claima.

For a full understanding ot the. invention, reference try be had to the following description and acei'nnpaliving drawings, in woit' ,5 end of a locomotive having the improved thetmmtat" iow water alarm mounted thereon, a portion of the boiler being broken to illuetrate more clearly the manner of mounting the alarm. Fig. 2 is a vertical 49 Se tiional riew through the device, the said new being on an enlarged scale. and Fig. 5,

a ide elevation of the dericel correspondin}; and like parts are reterred to in tilt following description and indithe d 'awings by "ated -in all the views or k the same re'terence clniractera.

Flperith-ally describing the present: embodimenti oi the inrention, the numeral 1 designatea the steam boiler ot' a locomotive. which may be of any approved or conventional construction. Projecting into the interior oi the boiler 1, preferably from the top thereof. is pipe 2 which terminates atsubstantially the low water level, the end of the. pipe beingopen to admit of water or steam pasaing freely up and down through H9 or other steam boiler Specification of Letters Patent. Patented JQUL 2', ll

Serial No. 625,388.

the pipe. As indicated upon the drawing an elbow 3 is applied to the tree end of the pipe so that the said pipe will open laterally. The outer end of the pipe :2 com-munieates with the base ot a Y coupling-.01 casting a which arranged upon the exterior of the boile", the two branches o the said Y coupling communicating respectively with tuliailar thermostatic members and .6. The lower ends or bases: ot theae tubular thermostatic members are ehown as thrad ed into the branch openings of. the a coupling and the body portions of the aaid tn bnlar thermostatic member-e are preferabl flattened and arranged with the major axes thereof parallel to each other. The upper end of the tubular thermostatic member 5 closed at 7 by pressing opposite sides thereof tog-ether, while the npper end of the valve 19 upon a valve stem 13.

- 'iheinner and opposing faces of the thern'iostatic members 5 and (S are secured to the limbs of a U shaped thermostatic.memberl l in some SIlltttlJlG manner as bv means of the U bolts lfn the base of the U ahaped thermostatic member being rigidly secured to the Y conpling a AS indicated upon the drawing the base of this: member H- is clamped between the top'o'f the Y coupling 4 and a plate. 16, the said plate. being engaged by a nut 17 upon a bolt member 18 which extends through both the plate and the U Shaped member 14 and is threaded in the Y coupling 4. The upper end of one arm of the U shaped thermostatic member 14- in returned over the closed end of the tubular member as indicated at 19. while the upper end of the opposite, arm ofthe U shaped member 14 is extended laterally at 207ml engages a shoulder 21 upon the head 8.

The tubular thermostatic members a and G are constructed of some metal such as copper which has a high co-etlicient of expansion, whilethe U shaped thermostatic member 14 constructed of some metal such as Wrought iron which has a much lower co-efiicient of expanaion. With this construction it will be obvious that when the thermostatic members are heated above the normal temperature the copper tubes 5 and G will expand much more rapidly than the limbs of the wrought iron member 14, and since the opposite ends of the two copper tubes are engaged by un- 'yieldingmbutments, this greater expansion of the copper tubes will tend to tlex the up per ends of the U shaped member 14 inwardly toward each other.

The valve stem 13 extends outwardly beyond the head 8 where it is surrounded by a coil spring 92, the said coil spring being interposed between the head and a collar A cotter pin 24 is inserted through an opening in the 'valve stem for holding the collar 23 in position, and the coil spring normally tends to hold the valve 12 upon its seat so as to shut off conmiunication between the compartment 9 and the interior of the head 8. The opposite end of the valve stem 13 is loosely received within the hollow shank-of a screw whiclnis threaded in one side of the head 8. \Vheh this screw I is removed the end oi the valve stem ban he ehgaged by a screw driver or other tool for grinding the valve upon its seat. or the valve and valve stem can be slipped outof position by reuloving the collar 23 and spring- 22.

-A4i adjusting screw 26 'extends through the,

returned end ll) of theU shaped thermostatic member l4.- and also through the closed upper end of the tubular member 5'), the extremity of the said adjusting screw normally abutting against the end of the valve stem 13. as indicated in Fig. 2.' A pair of clan'ipiutr nuts 27 are sbowm as threaded upon this. adjusting screw 26 and engaging opposite sides of the returned end 19 of the member It. the said nuts serving:

both to hold the screw 26 in an adjusted position and also to tightly close the upper end of the tubular member 5. 7

Under normal conditions the inner end oi the pipe 2 proiects below the surface of the Wat r within the boiler and the said water enters the tubular thermostatic members 5 and 6 and is held therein under boiler pressure. ()wiiui to the fact, however, that these tubes are exposed to the atmosphere. the water therein will be ctmsiderablv cooler than the water within the boiler. The members of the thermostat are so adjusted that under theseconditions the valve 12 is held in a closed position and ctm'uuunication shut oitl between the con'ipartment t) and the interior of the head 8. However, when the water within the boiler falls below the level of the open end of the pipe 52. the water within the tubular thermostats 5 and 6 will flew back into the boiler and steam will enter the .members 5 and t). This steam will have the same temperature as the steam within the boiler and will heat thecopper tubes 5 and 6 in such a manner as to causea rapid expansion thereof. its has been previously explainechihe expansion of these copper tubes will be much greater than that of the thermostatic member 14, and since the ends of the copper tubes are held between unyielding abutments, the expansion thereof will flex the arms of the U shaped member 1- inwardly toward each other. This item:- ing of the arms will cause the valve stem 13 to be pressed inwardlyagainst the action of the spring 23 by engagement with the adjusting screw 26, and the valve 12 will thus be unseated so as to permit the steam to enter the compartment 9 and pass through the opening 10 and sound the whistle 11 or othe' alarm mechanism. The engineer being thus notified that the water level is approaching a dangerous height, will-start his injector or pumps and force water into the boiler... When the lower end of the pipe 2 is again submerged, the water will be forced into'tlie tubular thermostats 5 and 6 so as to agaiucool them and cause. them to straighten out into normal position. This allows the valve 12 to resent itself and the device is then ready for another operation.

llaving thus described the iuventio'n, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let tors Patent.

'1. A thermostatic apparatus for steam boilers comprising a supporting member, a. U shaped member formed of metal having a. comparativelv small co-etlicient of expansion and havingthe base thereof secured to the supporting member. tubular thermostatic members formed of metal having a com arativelv large co-etticient of expansion and clamped to the outer sides at the limbs of the U shaped member so that the said limbs of the U shaped member will be flexed inwardly when the tubular thermostatic members are heated to a temperature above flie -normal. means for causing the tubular 'theihuostat'ic members to be normally filled with water from the boiler, but to be filled with steam from the boiler when the water falls below a certain level, a head applied to one of the tubular thermostatic members and termed with an outlet, a valve controlling the outlet, a valve stem carrying the valve. and means actuated by the opposite thermostatic member for engaging the valve stem an opening the valve when the limbs.

of the U shaped member are flexed by the admission of steam to the tubular thermo static members.

9. A thermostatic apparatus for steam boilers comprising a support, a U shaped member formed with metal having a comparativelv small coefficient of expansion and having the base thereof secured to the support. tubular thermostatic members formed of metal having a cbmparatively large co ctlicient of expansion and clamped to the outer sides of the bulbs it the U shat-aid methber so that the said limbs at the il are shaped member will be flexed mwardly when the tubular thermostatic members are heated to a temperature above the normal,

the inner ends of the tubular thermostatic members engaging the base and one of the limbs of the U shaped member beingreturned to engage the outer end of the tubular thermostatic member secured thereto, a head applied to the outer end of the opposite thermostatic member and formed with an outlet opening and. a shoulder, the'end of the limb of the U shaped member to which the said thermostatic member is secured being extended laterally to engage the shoulder of the head, a valve controlling the outlet opening of the head, a valve stem carrying the valve, and means carried by the returned limb of therU shaped member for engaging the valve stem to open the valve when the'limbs: ot' the U shaped incinber are flexed inwardly tmvard each other.

3. A thermostatic apparatus for steam boilers including a Y coupling, a pipe extending into the interior ot the boiler and terminating at the low water level, the said pipe being in eonunut'ru-ation with the base of the Y coupl ng! tubular thermostatic members secured inthe branches of the Y coupling and formed of metal having a eomparativelv large eo-ellieient or: expansion, a U shaped member having a smaller co-eilicient' of expansion, the base of the U shaped member being secured to the Y coupling While the limbs thereof are clamped to the sides ot' the tubular thermostatic members so as to be flexed laterally when the tubular thermostatic members are heated to a temperature above the normal, the said tubular thermostatic members being normally filled with water from the boiler but being filled with steam from the boiler when the Water; reaches the low water level, and a 4 valve actuated by the combined flexing of v the two limbs of the U shaped member.

4. A thermostatic apparatus 'for steam boilers comprising a Y coupling,.a pipe extending from the base of the Y' coupling into 'the interior of the boiler where, ,it terminates at the low water level ,"t 'nlirtxlar thermostatic members having a cdlnparatively high co-efheient of expansion'and se cured to the branches of the Y coupling,'a U shaped member formed of metal having a comparatively small co-eflieient ot' expan- S1011 and having the base thereof secured to h ll the Y coupling, the limbs of the U shaped member being clamped to the respective tubular thermostatic members so as to be flexed inwardly when the tubular thermostatic members are heated to a temperature above the normal, the said tubular thermostatic members being normally filled with water from the boiler, but being filled with steam from the boiler when the Water reaches the low water level, a head applied to the outer end of one of the tubular thermostatic members and formed withxan outlet opening, a valve normally closing the outlet opening, a valve stem carrying th valve. and means carried by the opoosit T tubular thermostatic member for eng g'nrg the valve stem upon the valve when the,

limbs of the U shaped member are flexed. In testnnony.wl1ereof I hereunto athx signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY A. Hons;

Witnesses:

N. E. Gr n, D. Lnoro CLarooMB.

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