US1449416A - Roust-box cover - Google Patents

Description

Mar. 27, l G. E. KENT ROUST BOX COVER IIIIIIIIIAI Patented Mar. 27, i923.

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GEORGE E. KENT, OF WOODLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO MURPHY IRON WORKS, OF

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0F MICHIGAN.

ROUST-BOX COVER.

Application led March 2, 1922. Serial No. 540,485.

T 0 all 'L0 hom` t may concern Be it known that l, GEORGE E. KENT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodland. in the county of l/Vashington and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beust-Box Covers, of which the following a specification. n

As is well known,l certain types or kinds of furnaces are provided with holes conveniently located just-above the grate through which a roust-bar is inserted at intervals by the fireman as maybe required for stirring up the bed of fuel to facilitate its combusf tion.

Such holes are ordinarily fitted with cast ings, known as roust-boxes extending through the front masonry wall, and a flange for each hole is bolted to the furnace frontplate, being equipped with a movable cover.

When it is desired to insert the roust-bar and project it through the roust-box to pern form its usual fuel stirring or agitating function, the rockingly mounted cover is temporarily swung 'around out of the way by hand or by the roust-bar, thus uncovering the aperture, and a special projection on the flange prevents `an unintentional return of the cover to normal position over the hole.

When the rousting operation has been completed, the operator rocks the cover back into placethus again covering or closing the hole. j

If the attendant or fireman is comparatively expert, he can open and close the roust-holes, that is, manipulate their covers. by the roustbai` itself, but ordinarily these covers must be operated byhand, thus requiring. additional work `or movements which'are more or less tedious constituting somewhatof a nuisance or annoyance particularly when the fireman is busy and is required to attend to aknumber of furnaces or stokers. l. y

The leading aim of the present invent-ion, is, therefore, to provide a simple roust-box cover which can be easily actuated by the roust-bar and which will automatically close when the fuel-bed stirring operation has been completed and the roustbar with-- drawn.

Afurther purpose of the invention is to supply a structure of this type provided with a sight or pilot means to assist the irev man in locatingthe exact point for theinsertion of the bar, which operation in the new appliance automatically opens the cover.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an applianceof this general character which-is simple in construction, and economical to` manufacture, which is effective in operation, and which is unlikely to become damaged or injured in ordinary service.

To enable those skilled in this art to have a full and complete understanding of this invention both from structural andjfunctional standpoints, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a desirable and preferred embodiment of the invention and in the two figures of such drawing, like reference characters have been employed to designate ythe same parts.

ln this drawing, j i j Figure 1 is a fragmentary` 'face view of a rpart of the front-plate of a furnace or Stoker illustrating in elevation on the new type or style of roust-boX construction; and Figure 2 is a vertical section on. line of Figure 1, the parts being viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

'Referring to this drawing for an understanding of the details of the structure, it will be perceivedthat the metal front or face plate of the stoker or furnace has been given the reference character 11, such plate being apertured at 12 for the reception of the front end ofA a circular o-r tubular roustbox 13 through which the roust-bar, not shown, is adapted tobe temporarily introduced into the furnacev to. perform its `usual work in the hands of the operator. l

By means of a'pair of threaded studslfl and 15 havingheads incorporated in the face-plate and a pair of coacting nuts 16 and 17, a suitably-shaped flange member 1S surrounding the hole is fastened to the front of theplate.

Such circular liange element vhas a slightly-tapered 'or outwardly-Haring `hole 19 therethrough yin register` with and of substantially the same diameter as the passage through the roust-boX, such construction facilitating the introduction or insertion of the roust-bar., all as willbe readil.yunclerstood. A pairy of companion or cooperatingcover elements 21 and 22 arerockingly or swingingly mounted at their upper ends on a hinge-pin screwed into a threadedhole 24C in the flange memberandhaving a head Q5 preventing dislodgment of the cover menibers.

The one cover element 2l is of general semi-circular contourwith an apertured ear 26 of about half its thicknessconstituting the simple means by which it is mounted for oscillation on the supporting hinge-pin, whereas, the mating or associated cover member 22 is of similar but reversed shape with a perforated lug 27 mounted on the hinge-pin just outside of the ear 26, whereby the two correlated'cover segments are capable of `independent rocking or swinging movements.

It is to be noted that .the axis of the hingepin is substantially in the plane of the flat face of each cover part, and, consequently, by reason of their own weights, these two members when unrestrained, rock or swing down until their corresponding plane faces engage one another, as is shown in full lines in Figure l.

Stated somewhat otherwise, when the cover is operative to close the Y passage through the roust-box, the straight edge faces of both elements, bear on one another directly below the axis of the hinge-,pin and in register with the vertical diameter of the round hole 12 and that of'the correspondingly shapedpass'age through the roust-box.

At the center of this two-part cover or shieldthere is a round, light or pilot hole through which the light of the fire within the furnace may be seen, such aperture being composed of two matching or registering semi-circular holes 28 and 29 in the contacting edges of the pair of cover elements.

In order that the wall around such sight aperture may be thin to facilitate .the passage of the light rays therethrough, and in order also to provide simple and effective means whereby the end of the roust-bar may be used to separate such cover members to permit its introduction into the furnace through the roust-boX and to facilitate its withdrawal'from the furnace, the two cover elements on their outer faces are provided with matching semi-egg-shaped flaring recesses 31, 32, leading to the central sight hole 28, 29, and on their inner faces they have similar inwardly-widening registering or mating cavities 33, thus making the intermediate portion of the cover wall supplied with the small, round, sight hole comparatively or relatively thin.

As will be' readily understood, both the inner and outer flaring cavities contribute to' making the light in the, sight-holef conspicuous, and, in addition, `the outer 'recess acts as a guide for the end of the roustbar, the inward movement ofwhich when aimed at the spot of light automatically engages 'and separates the cover parts as depicted inxdotted lines in Figure 1the roustbar being similarly shown'and marked with the reference character 34, these Cover sections by gravity acting on them immediately and automatically closing the hole as soon as the bar is withdrawn'.

rl`he fronts of many furnaces are in the dark and the fireman frequently encounters difficulty in quickly locating the roust-holes, but with this novel and improved structure, he merely jabs the end of the bar at the apex of the generally-conical outer surface which action pushes the parts of the covervapart permitting its continued travel into the furnace for action on the fuel bed. Of course as soon as the bar is withdrawn, the cover automatically closes by reason of the action of gravity on its companion elements.

'lhose skilled in this art will readily unw derstand that the appliance shown anddescribed in detail is only one desirable embodiment of the invention and that the lat-I ter is susceptible of a variety of satisfactory embodiments. Accordingly, many minor mechanical changes may be made in the structure shown without departure from the heart and essence of the invention and without Vthe sacrifice of any of its substantial benefits and advantages. y

I claim:

1. In a furnace roust-box cover construction, the combination of a support adjacent to the passage through which a roust-bar is adapted to be introducedinto the furnace, and a plurality of cover elements rockingly mounted on said support and unitedly forming a cover for said passage by gravity, vsaid elements having mating recesses in their adjacent edges forming a pilot hole, the eXterior and interior surfaces of said elements converging toward said pilot hole, whereby to facilitate the passage lof light therethrough and whereby a roust-bar aimed at said pilot hole will enga-ge said exterior converging lpurposes and rock said elements apart permitting its introduction into said passage. a

2. In a furnace roust-box cover construction, the combination of a support adjacent to the passage through which a roust-bar is adapted to be introduced into the furnace, and a plurality of cover-elements rockingly mounted on said support and unitedly forming a cover for said passage by gravity, said elements having mating recesses in their adjacent edges forming ,a pilot hole, the; eX- terior surfaces of said elements converging toward said pilot hole, whereby a roustfbaraimed at said' pilot hole will engage said exterior converging surfacesL and rock said elements apart permitting its 'introduction into the furnace. l i

3.- In a furnace roust-box cover construction, the combination of a support adjacent to thepassage through which a roust-bar is adapted to be introduced; into the furnace,V and a plurality ofcoverv elements movably mounted on said support and unitedly forming a cover for said aperture, said cover elements having a sight hole therethrough adjacent to their meeting edges to facilitate the insertion of the end of a roust-bar aimed at such holeto separate the cover elements and thus open up said aperture.

4. A furnace roust-boX cover' construction, comprising in combination, an apertured support through which the roust-bar is adapted to be introduced into the furnace, and a plurality of cove'r members movably mounted on said support and adapted to unitedly constitute a cover for said aperture, said members having surfaces located to facilitate the insertion of the end of the bar between and cause a Wedging separating action on the cover members to open up the passage.

A furnace roust-boX cover construction, comprising in combination, an apertu'red support through which the roust-bar is adapted to be introduced into the furnace, and a plurality of cover members rockingly mounted on said support and adapted to unitedly constitute a cover for said aperture, said members having surfaces located to facilitate the insertion of the end of the bar between and cause a Wedging separating action on the cover members to open up the passage.

6.l A furnace roust-boX cover construction,

comprising in combination, an apertured y support through which the roust-bar is adapted to be introduced, a pivot pin on said support, and a plurality of cover members rockingly mounted on said pin and adapted to unitedly constitute a cover for said aperture, said members having surfaces located to facilitate the insertion of the end of the bar between and cause a Wedging separating action on the cover members to open the passage.

GEO. E. KENT.

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