US1371252A - Locomotive-stoker - Google Patents

Description

N. M. LOWER.

LOCOMOUVE STOKER. v APPLICATION FILED SEPT-16, 19H- IENE WED DEC- 27| 1920. I

Patented Mal-.15, 1921 4 SHEETS-SHEET I N. M. LOWER. LOCOMOTIVE YSTOKER.

nzuswzn nzc. 21. 1920.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26. I9. 1,371,252.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET Z- J 7%)" anfffa d r v q ewiiak N M LOWER LOCOMOTIVE STOKER. APPLICATION FILED szrnzs. m4. nenswso 05c. 21. 1920.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921;.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a. Q O

h m 722/ 71% MkQi ZYfDa/Qr 57 i N. 'M. LOWER.

LOCOMOTIY E STOKER. APPLICATION man SEPT-26,1914. RENEWED 05c. 21. 1920.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Application filed September 26, 1914, SeriaLNo. 863,622. Renewed December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,560.

UNITED STATES PATENT o FIc STOKER COMPANY, OF SCHENEGTADY, NEW YORK,

SYLVAN 1A.

A CORPORATION OF PENN- LOCOMOTIVE-STOKEB.

1T all whom it may concert:

Be it known that I, NATHAN citizen of the United States, of Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive-Stokers, of which the following is a specification and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to mechanical stokers for locomotives, the means for transferring fuel from the M. LOWER, a and resident locomotive tender, elevating it, and delivering it to the fire-box of the locomotive, and to mechanism for operating the transferring and elevating means.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and effective apparatus of the general character. described, which shall occupy but small space and be easily operated and regulated. A further object is to provide simple and efficient means for arresting extraneous matter which may be intermixed with the fuel, and for reducing the fuel to suitable size.

The invention consists of various parts and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described, and as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a detail longitudinal vertical section through the rear portion of a locom0* tive and the forward portion of its tender, some portions of the stoker mechanism being shown in section and some portions in elevation;

Fig. 2 shows in outline the rear end of a "locomotive and in vertical section the elevating portions of the stoker mechanism, the motor for driving the stoker being-shown in elevation; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section of a portion of one part of the elevating mechanism and the regulating means therefor," v

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on theline 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 ofFig. 4; Figs. fija'nd 7 are similar views showing the arts in different positions;

F g: 8 is a ,sectional detail on itheline 8-8 of Fig. 2; j-

Fig. 9 is a "sectional detall 'on the l1ne Specification of Letters Patent.

and;

and more particularly to.

preferably diverging,

Patented Mar. 15, 1921 9-9 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 10 is a detail section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 1.

The cab of a locomotive is represented at 15, the rear wall of its fire-box at 16, and its deck floor at 1.7. The forward endof a locomotive tender is shown at 18, and its deck or shovel floor at 19. A fuel-receiving hopper 20'is adapted to be located below the deck of the tender and to receive fuel through a suitable opening therein. For convenience in feeding the hopper the floor opening in the deck 19 is covered by a plurality of movable plates, as 21, 22 -and 23. By removing one of the plates or by shifting the position of the plates the fuel may be Y and -.ber 25. A plurality of elevating tubes, here shown as two in number and designated 26, 27, lead upwardly from the chamber 25, as shown. Discharge conduits 28, 29, lead laterally from the upper ends of the tubes 26, 27, and through the rear wall 16 of the fire-box. These conduits may be equipped with any desired form of injecting means for scattering or otherwise distributing the fuel over the grate of the fire-box. As such injecting .devices form no part of the present invention they are not shown.

A screw conveyer, shownas comprislng formed integral therewith, there.

two sections 30, 31, mounted upon a single shaft 32, is located within the hopper 20 and transfer tube 24.. This conveyer is shown as non-continuous or sectional, for the purpose of'providing space for a plurality of vanes 33 carried by the shaft and cooperating with a plurality of fingers 34 for crushing the fuel, and for stopping any extraneous material of large size, such as pieces of metal which may inadvertently be intermixed therewith; these vanes being made of such strength that they will either reduce any such material or will stop the driving motor, in which event the operator will remove by hand the clogging material.

To facilitate this removal the fingers 34 roject through suitable apertures in the shell of the hopper 20, and are carried by a ment.

rocker shaft 35, journaled parallel with the tube 24- and provided at its forward end with a crank-arm 36, to which there may be applied a suitable tool, such as the lever used for shaking grates, the deck of the the vanes 33 have inc pose of contributing to the advance movelVithin the tubes 26, 27, there are located screw conveyers 38, 39. The receiving chamber 25 -is preferably. of small capacity, so that the material advanced by the screw 31 is forced into the lower ends of the tubes 26, 27, whereby the transferring screw as sists the elevating screws in the performance of their function, overcoming the. tendency of'the material to rotate about the axes of the latter without advancing, due to its weight and the frictional resistance.

In order to permit the relative movementof the locomotive and tender in all directions, due to'inequalities in the track and to the draw-bar action, without injury to the transferinechanism carried in part by both,

- the hopper is supported in a sultable swin mg stirrup 40; the forward end ofthe tu e p the mechanism is employed, and suitable.

24 is united to the chamber 25 by and the shaft 32 casing of the receiving is provided with a universal joint 42.

, The conveying and elevating screws may be driven, either continuously or intermit+ tently, by any suitable motor, and there is shown for this gine 43, served with steam through a pipe 44.' Preferably the intermittent action of mechanism for securing such action is'shown 1n the drawings. The piston rod 45 ofthe fnotor is provided with a gear rack 46 which I reciprocates in suitable ways,- as 47, and

' 38, 39, are. tubular, and'are shafts-50, 51'

mes spectively upon the lower ends of the 50, 51, urnaIed u on the axes of the tubes 26, 27. One set 0 gear teeth on the rack es with spiral pinions 48, 49, fixed, re-

46 meshes with a pinion 52 loosel mounted on the forward end of the sha t 32, and" driving this shaft through the medium of a the pinion and a 54 keyed to the elevating screws springpawl 53, carried by cooperating ratchet wheel shaft. The shafts of the which are in driving connecthroughthe medium ofsuittlon therewith a ball and socket joint 41,

purpose a -recipro'cating en-- shaftsv of the pivot 64,

which covers the upper end of the tube 26.

sleeved upon the I 55 keyed upon the upper end of the shaft 51,

a pawl 56 ratcliet wheel 58 fixed. upon the tubular shaft 59 which carries the screw 39 of the conveyer or elevator, and a spring 60 anchored to the crank-arm and holding the pawl in engagement with the ratchet. This pawl and ratchet mechanism is located at the upper end of the elevator, and is inclosed within a casing 61.

The conveyer or elevator 38 is shown asof larger size than the elevator 39, and hence, when driven at the same speed, has a larger capacity, and is capable of taking up more than one half of the fuel delivered by the conveying or transfer screw. As the two elevators receive from the same chamber and. remove the fuel as rapidly as it is delivered thereto, the work performed 'by each may be varied by the regulation of one. By varying the action ,of the larger elevator the work'performed by both may be made pivoted at 57 to the crank arm, a

equal; or by reducing or increasing the effectivenes's of the larger elevator more or less work may be imposed upon the smaller. The-regulation of the'delivery to different zones ofthe-fire box is thereby efl'ected. To this end an adjustable pawl lifter is provided in connection with the ratchet mechanism for driving this elevator, whereby the screw mayebe actuated during the complete power stroke of the rack bar 46, or during only a portion thereof. The ratchet mechanism associated with this larger elevator isillustrated in Figs. 4,

' 5, 6 and 7. A crank-arm 62 is keyed upon the shaft 50 at the upper end of the tube- 26. A pawl 63 is pivoted at 64 to the arm 62, and cotiperates with a ratchet wheel 65 fixed upon the upper end of the tubular shaft 66 which carries the elevating screw 38. A spring 67, anchored upon the crankarm 62, 1s attached we post 68 rising from a In 69-on-the pawl 63 and projecting beyon the end of the arm '62. The rocking of the pawl upon the pivot'64 will carry the post'68 across the center line of the crank arm and to the opposite sides of the center w ereby the awl is held, by the actionof the spring, 'eit er in or out p of engagement with the ratchet wheel.

e trip or pa-wl lifter comprises a lug 70, rising from an' arm 71 carried by an annuturning about a hub on the cap 73 A handle 74, fixed to an arm 75 projecting from the annulus 72, afl'ords means for oscillating the latter to move the trip lu 70 to the desired position. A spring latch 6, car 'ried by the arm 7 5, coiiperates with a"quad rant 77 formed on the cap 73 for holding the stop lug 7 O in the be adjusted.

' The pawl 63 is provided with a pair of cam shoulders 78, 79, located upon opposite sides of the pivot 64 and coijperating with the stop lug 70. As the pawl is advanced,

being in engagement with, the ratchet, itsmovement of the shaft 50 being without load. .Upon the retraction of the pawl by the turning of the shaft 50 in the opposite direction, the cam shoulder 78 passes inside of the stop lug 70, but the cam shoulder 79 engages this lug and the pawl is thereby swun to throw its nose toward the ratchet, and t is movement is completed by the action of the spring 67. Upon the further retrograde movement of the shaft 50 the pawl clicks over the ratchet teeth. By the manipulation of-the handle 74, therefore,

'the travel of the elevating screw may be varied through a considerable range for the purpose of regulating the quantity of fuel delivered to the fire-box thereby without manually changing the action of the dri t.-

ing motor.

In order to maintain, a uniform rate of delivery. of fuel from the tender to the fire box a suitable governor is provided for regulating the engine, and is provided with means for varying ihs governing action whereb the rate of fuel delivery may be control ed. The governor is here shown as comprising a pair of weights 80, 81, pivotally mounted upon the upper end of the shaft 50, and acircumferentially channeled sleeve 82 slidably mounted on the shaft and held in engagement with lugs 83, 84, on the weights by means of a spring 85 reacting against a nut 86, by means of which its tension may be adjusted for varying the speed at which the governor will act. -A lever 87 pivotally mounted .upon the cap 88 which incloses' the ratchet and governing mechanism, is provided with a yoke 89 engaging the channel of the sleeve 82,-the outer end of the" lever being attached to the stem 90 ofa valve in the steam pipe 44. Should the speed of the shaft 50 increase beyond the desired rate, the centrifugal action of the governin weights reduces the 'steam supply, 0 cking the speed. This acceleration of speed is apt .to occur when the ratchet is position to which it may tripped early in the stroke and the load upon the motor thereby reduced.

As the engine actuates the conveying and elevating means in one direction of piston stroke onl the action of the screws is intermittent. hen the steam is throttled by the governing valve the engine strokes are slower, as more time is required to fill'the cylinder, though the range of movement of the conveying screw and consequently the amount of fuel advanced to the elevating screws, by each .piston stroke at all engine speeds.

While I have shown and described an operative embodiment of the invention and the most desirable construction-at this time known to me, various changes may be made without de arting from the scope of the invention. hile there is shown mechanism for driving the transfer and elevating screws intermittently, various features of the invention are not dependent upon this action but may be employed in connection with other types of motors and transfercated below the deck of a locomotive and are constant its tender, a plurality of elevating means receiving from the transferring mechanism and adapted to deliver fuel to the fire-box of the locomotive, and means for'relatively varying the action of theelevatin means.

2. In a locomotive stoker, in com ination, fuel transfer mechanism adapted to be located below the deck of a locomotive and its tender, and a plurality of. elevating means differing in capacity, receiving from the transferring mechanism and adapted to deliver fuel to the fire-box o f-the locomotive, and means for varying the action of the elevatin means of greater capacity.

3. n a locomotive stoker, in combination, a receiving chamber adapted to-be located below the deck of a locomotive, transfer mechanismfor delivering fuelt o the chamber under .ressure, and a plurality of screw. elevators eading from the chamber and adapted to deliver independentl to the locomotive fire-box, and locate outside thereof.

4. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a pair of elevators differing in capacity adapted to deliver'fuel to the fire-box,of a

locomotive, and means for varying'the relative rate of delivery thereby.

5. In alocomotive stoker, in combination, a pair of elevators differing incapacity adapted to deliver fuel to the fire-box of a locomotive, and means for varying the rate of delivery of one of the elevators.

6. In a locomotive stoker, combination,"

a pai rwof elevators differing in capacity adapted to deliver fuel to the fire-box of a locomotive, and meansfor varying, the rate of delivery of the elevator of the larger capacity. Y

7. In a locomotivestoker, in combination, a transferring screw, an elevating screw receiving from the transferring screw, a single power-actuated reciprocating rack-bar, and gears associated with the two screws and meshing with the rack-bar.

8. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a rotatable element for elevating fuel,

an oscillatable shaft, a ratchet wheel mounted with the rotatable element, an arm fixed on the oscillatable shaft, a pawl pivoted to the oscillatable shaft, a pawl pivoted to the arm, and cooperating with the ratchet, a retractile spring attached to, the arm and to 'the pawl on radially -opposite sides of the pivot of the latter, shoulders on the pawl on cir cumferentially opposite sides of its pivot,-

. and an adjustable trip engageable by said shoulders in alternation for rocking the pawl-on its'pivot. 10. In a locomotive stoker, in combinatlon, a screw conveyer, revolving crusher vanes receiving from the conveyer, stationary abutments located between the vanes, means for withdrawing the abutments from such position and means for delivering fuel from such crusher mechanism to the firebox of a locomotlve.

11. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a screw conveyer, revolving crushervanes recelving from the conveyer, a rocker shaft parallel with the conveyer, abutments carried by the shaft and extending into the spaces between the vanes and means for delivering fuel from such crusher mechanism to the fire-box of a locomotive.

12. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a screw conveyer, revolving crusher vanes receiving from the conveyer, a rocker shaft I parallel with the conveyer, abutments'carridby the shaft and extending into the spaces between the vanes, means for rocking t e shaft, and means for delivering fuel fromsuch crusher mechanism to the fire-box of alocomotive. A i A 13. In a locomotive stoker,-in combination, a screw conveyer, revolving crusherw vanes receiving-from the conveyer,, a rocker shaft parallel with the conveyer, abutments carried by the shaft and extending into the spaces between the vanes, means for rocklng the shaft, means for locking the' shaft against movement and means for delivering fuel from such crusher mechanism. to the firebox of a locomotive.

14. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, means for transferring fuel from the locomotive coal bin, a'plurality of elevating meahs receiving from the transferring means and of combined capacity as great as that of the transferring means, and means for varying thg relative effective action of the elevating means. p

15. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, means for transferring fuel from the locomotive coal bin, a plurality of elevating means receivingji from the transferring meansand of combined-capacity as great as that of the transferring means and means acting upon one of the elevating means for varying the relative effective action of the elevating means. Y .16. In a locomotive tender, in combination, a transferring screw conveyer having a gear wheel on the forward end of its shaft, an elevating screw conveyer receiving from the transferring conveyer, a shaft projecting from the lower end of the conduit of the elevating screw, a gear on such shaft, a rack bar meshing wit the two named gears, and means for actuating the rack bar.

17. In a locomotive tender, in combination, a transferring screw conveyer havin a gear wheel on the forward end of its shaft, an elevating screw conveyer receiving from the transferring conveyer, a shaft projecting from the lower end of the conduit of the elevating screw, a gear on such shaft, a rack bar meshing with the two na med gears,

and a reciprocating motor for actuating the rack bar:

18. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, ,a transferring screw conveyer, a pair of elevating screw conveyers receiving therefrom, the drive shafts of each 'of the' named .conveyers' projecting from the con-- tiguous ends of thecasings thereof, a gear vmounted on the projecting end of each of such shafts, a rack bar meshing-with all of said gears, and means for actuating the rack bar. 1

19. In a locomotive stoker, in combination,'a transferring screw conveyer, a pair of elevating screw conveyers receiving therefrom, the drive shafts of each-of the named conveyers projecting from the contiguous ends of the casings thereof, a gear mounted on the projectingge'n'd of each of such shafts, a-rack bar meshing. with all of said gears, and a reciprocating motor for actuating the rack bar.

20. In a loc'omotivestoker, in combination, a transferring screw conveyer, an elevating screw conveyer. receiving therefrom,

gamma one with each ofrthe several eonveyers and 10 having ratchet and pawl connectlon with the shalt thereof, a rack bar meshing with each of the gears, and means for actuating the rack bar. 4

' NATHAN M. LOWER. I W itnesses:

R. Bnwm, E. M. Km'mm.

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