US1278515A - Locomotive. - Google Patents

Description

L. E. STEPHENS.

LOCOMOTIVE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-151M915.

' Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

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L. E. STEPHENS.

LOCOMOTIVE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-Q :sflsls.

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U T TE LEON E. STEPHENS, 0F REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

LOCOMOTIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918'.

Application'fild December 15, 1915 Serial No. 67,020.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnon E. Srnrnnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements i1i'L0co motives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toprime movers of that general type as are operated by steam and more especially relatesto steam engines or locomotives which may be employed particularly for railroad work.

The present day locomotives operating'by steam, generate such steam from the combustion of coal, oilor a similar fuel. It is proposed as the principal object of this in- Vention, however, to employ steamin a similar manner, as far as the propulsion of the locomotive is concerned but to generate such steam through the medium of electrical energy suitably transformed into heat.

An object of equal importance With the foregoing is to provide a novel boiler for the locomotive consisting of three concentric shells, the innermost of which will contain a heating element adapted to have its energy developed by the passage of an electrical current; the center shell will contain the water from which steam is generated'by' the action of the mentioned heating element while the outer shell provides an inclosing vacuum space to prevent wasteful dissemination of the heat from: either of the other shells through the cooling attendant upon travel of the locomotive.

To summarize, it is the object of the present invention to combine the advantages of both the steam and electric locomotives with a proportionate riddance of the disadvantages of both systems. The modern steam locomotive is a smoke nuisance on an enlarged scale and the modern electric locomotive presents third rail dangers which have often proved to be a public menace. Locomotives constructed after the manner of the present invention will combine the advan tages of steam as a motive power without the disadvantages of an attendant bituminous combustion through the basic expedient of permitting each prime mover unit to contain its own electrical power plant.

The above and additional objects which will become apparent as this explanatory description proceeds are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompany ing drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appende d hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there is illustrated the preferred embodimentof this invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which like characters of reference designate similar parts Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalview taken through the entire engine superstructure;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the steam dome of the boiler;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective detail of the heating coil arrangements.

In carrying out the invention there is employed a. plurality of boiler shells which are concentrically arran ed one within therings 41 which are angular in cross section v The shell 36 is also provided with a steam tight cap 38 which is alinedwith the forward cap of the inner shell. Rearwardly the two shells are connected through the medium of a conduit 42, both the shells being registeringly apertured in alinement with this conduit. The central shell 36 being adapted to contain the water to be evaporated in this composite boiler is fed through the medium of a supply pipe 36' which extends thcreinto'and is provided with a suitable valve 37 for the control of the water supply.

The outer shell 35 is spaced from the central shell also through the medium of the plates 39 with their coacting securing rings 41, such plates and rings being, however, on a larger scale than those first described. A conduit 43 is provided between the outer shell 35 and the central shell, both of such shells being also ap ert'nr ed in alinement with the conduit which is arranged in any suitable steam ti ht manner, both the conduits 42 and 43 being provided at the cab end of the boiler shells, a cab 44 of any preferred construction being arranged in its usual relation to the rearward end of the boiler.

The steam dome of my improved construction includes walls 45 forming an open ended boxing, which ends are provided with perimetral flanges 46, the flanges 46 being concaved for a desirable connection between the outer and central shells 35 and 36. A throttle valve 47 is arranged within this steam dome and is provided with any suitable operating mechanism which is generally designated 48 and leads to the engineers hand throttle 49 which latter is mounted 1n its customary position upon the boiler with in the cab, the connections thereto extending through the conduit 43. A steam gage 50 is placed within the cab and has pipe connections 51 leading to the steam dome. From the throttle valve 47, there extends from the steam dome the dry pipe 52 which leads, through a suitable union 53 to the yoked supply pipes 54 for the working cylinders of the engine, brackets 56 of any suitable construction being employed to rigidly maintain the dry pipe in its proper position.

Leading from the engine cylinders in the manner best shown in Fig. 2 are the cylinder exhaust pipes 57 which are connected by the three-way union 58 with the exhaust manifold 59, such manifold leading into the exhaust tank 60 which is preferably arranged between the shells 35 and 36, and in the forward portion of the boiler. From this exhaust tank there leads rearwardly the exhaust pipe 61 which is supported upon the en ine frame. Feed wires 78 and 79 enter t e boiler through insulators 80 supported in alinement by the central and outer shells 36 and 35 respectively. These wires 78 and 79 are in circuit with a suitable source of electrical energy. From the innermost insulator 80 the feed wires 78 and 79 continue through a conduit 42 connecting the central and innermost boiler shells. The central boiler shell 37 contains a number of snugly fitting blocks 82 of a desirable heat conducting and insulating element, such blocks being arranged in a cylindrical series extending throughout the length of the boiler shell. If desired these heating blocks may be arranged in a series of alternate materials, but in any case their faces are pro vided with spiral grooves, as can be clearly seen in Fig. 2. In these spiral grooves the lead wires 78 and 79 are alternately arranged in the manner diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3, showing the alternate arrangement of coils 83 whereby the continuity of the lead wiresis unbroken. At

the "forward end of the boiler shell 37, the lead wires are connected to complete the circuit.

The boiler, considered as being composed of the nesting shells 35, 36 and 37 is supported in the usual manner upon a forward saddle 84 and a rearward saddle 85, such saddles being mounted on the usual truck running gear 86 of a locomotive, which is not specifically changed by this invention, owing to the fact that the same conditions govern the construction of this portion of the engine. Running boards 83 are supported upon the boiler through the medium of brackets 84*. I

In the roof of the engine cab 44, there is placed a cap 100 which is provided with suitable contact points 101 to which the lead wires 78 and 79 are connected in order that the source of electrical energy may be readily reached. A rheostat is provided that the heat of the inner boiler may be readily regulated.

Considering the rheostat so adjusted that the electrical current is permitted to pass through the feed wires 78 and 79 and heating the inductive elements 83, it will be apparent that the outer shell 35 completely surrounding the heating shell will have steam generated therein in a most eflicient manner. The steam rises to the dome and is there fed into the dry pipe for the cylinders by operation of the throttle valve. The outer shell 35 has the air exhausted therefrom in order to provide a vacuum inclosure for both the inner and the central boiler shell. By this means all of the heat generated in the inner shell is transmitted directly to the inclosing Water shell and all of the heat so transmitted to the water shell is employed for the generation of steam, owing to the impossibility of heat escaping through the vacuum provided by the outer shell. This arrangement of composite boiler, which can only be practicable where some other means for the emission of heat energy than the combustion of coal is used afi'ords the most eflicient manner of steam generation for locomotives, which is yet known to the inventor.

While in the foregoing, however, there has thus been illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification such combination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changes in the matters of proportion and degree may be made in la er adaptations of this device as shall not alter the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a locomotive, a steam generating boiler constructed of a plurality of closed shells, said boiler comprising an inner shell forming a heating chamber, a central shell surrounding said inner shell and forming a Water chamber, an outer shell surrounding said central shell and providing a heat insulating space, a closed steam dome secured between said outer and central shells and communicating with the latter only, a throttle valve supported in said dome, an outlet pipe having one end connected with said valve and the opposite end thereof passed through said central shell and extended in spaced parallelism with said inner or heating shell, and a pair of oppositely directed outlet flanges connected with the last mentioned end of said pipe and extending around opposite sides of said inner heating shell.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the 2. In a locomotive, a boiler comprising an inner cylindrical shell, a central shell surrounding said inner shell and spaced therefrom, an outer shell surrounding said central shell and spaced therefrom, spacing rings connecting said shells, and a steam dome positioned between said outer and central shells, said dome comprising an open ended casing having outwardly directing flanges provided at each end thereof and adapted to be secured to said outer and central shells.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEON E. STEPHENS.

Witnesses:

JOHN STErNs, DAISY STEPHENS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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