US1780435A - Flue cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. 4, 1930 STATES PATENT OFFICE DON M. MILLER, OF NATERLOO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO BOILER EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF WATERLOO, IOWA, A CORPOBATION OF IOWA FLUE CLEANER Application filed July 25, 15 27.

,1 connection with bo ler flues, adapted to clean them quickly and thoroughly.

One specific object is to arrange the operative elements of the device between the boiler end and adjacent spaced end wall of the furnace structure, whereby no inconvenient projections are without said end wall or a door thereof on which the operating means may be interiorly mounted.

Another object of my invention is to so relate the movably adjustable supporting means for the nozzle element of the cleaner to the pivotal or universally movable fulcrum of the nozzle, that the nozzle may be correctly and quickly directed into any one of the open ends of the assembled boiler tubes.

Another object consists in supplying means for limiting the horizontal play of the nozzle on said supporting means, the stops whereof are adj ustably mounted upon the latter.

Another object is to furnish a releasable adjustable locking device for saidnozzle supporting means, independently controlled, and positively and resiliently acting in the operation of adjusting the vertical play of said supporting means while locking the device as adjusted.

These objects have been accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of its protection.

In the annexed drawings, Fig. 1 is a conventional view of adjacent end parts of a tubular boiler with its incasing furnace structure, taken in vertical longitudinal section, with parts broken away, and showing in side elevation and in longitudinal vertical section elements of my flue cleaning devices in operative position and relation.

Serial No. 208,344.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the back part of the furnace end door showing my operating elements for he nozzle mounted thereon. Fi 3 is a plan View of the nozzle supportmeans as supported in extension on said one. door. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged detail views, respectively, of the locking device for the nozzle supporting means, Fig. A being partially an elevation from one side and par tially a vertical longitudinal section of the device, and Fig. 5 partially a plan view partially a horizontal longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the nozzle bearing.

The line cleaning nozzle element of my invention com rises a pipe having a diminished nozzle end of dimensions in diameter to easily enter the end of any boiler tube 2 angularly to direct a jet of high power steam into the same to soften and drive out adherent soot or other coatings. This nozzled pipe is at its other end mounted within a T-coupling 36 provided with a handle 37, and a steam hose of a flexible material at 38 is coupled at 39 with said T-coupling.

Tlhe numeral 1 denotes the boiler end w ll mounted within a furnace structure as conventionally shown at 3. The end wall 3 is spaced horizontally away from the open ends of the assemblage of boiler fines 2, and this wall may have one or more doorways 4 directly opposite in each case from the center of each assemblage of flues if more than one. It is of course to be understood that my invention is complete whether exemplified in one or a plurality of installations of such assemblages and cleaning devices, as will. be now described.

The doorway l has a hinged door 5 which may be of any size or shape and which has at a location directly opposite the center of the assemblage of flues 2, an aperture of circular shape, which, together with the registering interiorly spherical surfaces 6 in added superposed bearing plates 7 and 8 riveted or bolted at places 9 to the inner face of said door, provides a spherical boxing to receive a diametrically apertured sphere 17 which at opposite sides projects slightly without the door 5 and the plate 8, respectively. The aperture in said sphere 17 and its tubular stein i is preferably of a shape to fit loosely but closely the pipe and nozzle 35 and permit the latter to slide easily therethrough.

The plate 7, which lies against the inner face of the door 0, has inwardly directed end lugs apertured to receive pintles 12 from the end parts of a semicircular nozzle guidposite shoulders let. As the sphere l? is in effect a universal bearing for the i e, the nozzle and stem it? may swing with the bracket as adiusteth and also mav swing longitudinally through c l i 3. I have supplied ad1usta'ole sto is noon the bracket 11 for limiting the play in oppos to directions longitudinally and horizon l the nozzle in said slot. This comprises near the ends of the slot or where necessa therealc-ng, a pair of vertically disposed sh bars 141: and 16 positioned opposite each other contacting with the outer and inner faces of the bracket and secured through the slot 13 by means of a bolt 15, adjustably These stops limit the endwise "lay of the nozzle along the slot, so that the nozzle may be thus manipulated to enter the fines 2 at the end of each horizontal row guided surely by the tubular stem 40 and not move further without the assemblage, and which conveniei F in the handling of the nozzle in locatni" said end fines. The inner end of the 40 has a hinge l2 carrying a spring controlle" door 43l1.

I have furnished, mounted also upon the in ner face of the door 5 to project toward the boiler head in their interspace a fixed bracket and boxing element of T-shape 23 secured by bolts 26 and positioned medially below said bracket 11. at a suitable distance. Referring now to said Figs. and 5, the element 23 has opposite lugs 25 by which it is secured by the bolts 26 to said door, and the element is provided with a cylindrical longitudinal beari aperture 29 to seat a slidable reciprocatory opera-ting bar 24;. The bar 24 is diminished at place between its ends as at 30 and a coiled compression spring 3 iis mounted therearound to be engaged its opposite ends with the left shoulder of said bar and with a spaced pair of pins 27 traversing the element 23 transversely horizontally. The right-hand or inner part of the bar 24 is along one side er;- cised about to its axis at 32 to permit the passage therethrough of a rack-bar 20 having notches 21 along one edge to at times engage a single transverse pin 22 located above the bar 2 The recess 32 is made long enough to permit some swinging play of the rack-bar 2O therethrough to contact alternately with with the arcuate shoulders of the bar parts 31 and 33. The element 23 is vertically slotted or recessed at 28 to one side of its medial vertical plane to give a seat for the rackbar 20. The upper end 01 the rack-oar 20 has a pintle 19 whose ends are rockably seated in registering holes in a pair of spaced lugs 18 depending from the lower middle part of the arena to bracket 11. The spring 34:, when untensioned, acts to project one part of the bar 24 a short distance forwardly and outwardly of the forward or outer face of said door 5.

In order to raise or lower the hinged bracket ll to thus adjust the position of the nozzle 35 to swing along an horizontal row of fines 2, the operator by foot or hand as convenient p ishes in the projecting part oi the bar 2% su'liiciently to, while compressing said spring 34;, cause the shoulder 31. to contact with and push the bar 20 toward the boiler head 1, thus disengaging it from the transverse pin 22, a d then the outwardly projecting part of the nozzle may be manipulated to swing the bracket 11 up or down to the space or one notch 21 on the bar 20, after the releasing of the bar 9% and the disengagement of the bar 20 from the pin 22. The reaction of the spring will then seat the-notch over the pin thus providing a positive lock for the bar 20 and the bracket ll, to firmly hold the latter in supporting relation to said nozzle. This firm support is very essential, for the reason that when the nozzletransmits steam at a relatively high pressure, the back pressure upon the nozzle creates side thrust which interferes materially with the operation, and my device is locked and held releasably to prevent any accidental displacements of the parts. It should be noted'that the rack-bar 20 in its engagements with the pin 22 as the bracket ll is swung adjustably vertically, operates on a radius of the spherical bearing lenient 17. This radial'swinging action of the bracket and of the rack-bar afiords an easy uncramped action of the nozzle support, in positionally relating the sphere 17, its tubular stem 4:0 and the delivery end of the nozzle to a boiler tube.

Other flue cleaners have the nozzle supper ing and manipulating device-s projeeti from and mounted upon the outer face of the furnace end wall or a door hinged thereto and which makes an inconvenient obstruction at that location in the use of the door, or because of occupying'sp'a-ce needed for the installation of other devices, or otherwise. It will be seen that my flue cleaning device is supported and functions entirely in the in terspace of the boiler end and the end wall of the furnace structure, and that this position and relationot the device to the door and the til boiler head is new and useful to a great degree,

The tubular stem lf) of the sphere 17 serves to direct the nozzle to any boiler tube without waste of effort in finding it, and when the nozzle withdrawn the springcontrolled hinged door 11 closes said stem yieldingly.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A flue cleaner comprising a nozzle mounted for universal movement, an adjustable guide element for said nozzle, and a de vice for locking said guide element in any adjusted position, releasably, said device in any position relative to said elementincluding yieldable resilient means for engaging and holding said element as adjusted.

2. A flue cleaner comprising a nozzle mounted to have a universal movement, a vertically adjustable swinging guide element for said nozzle, adjustable stops on said guide element to limit horizontal play of the nozzle thereon, and means for releasably retaining said guide element in any adjusted position.

3. A flue cleaner comprising a nozzle mounted to have a universal movement, a vertically adjustable swinging longitudinally slotted guide element to receive said nozzle through its slot for horizontal movements therein, and means for releasably retaining said guide element in any adjusted position.

a. A fine cleaner comprising a nozzle mounted to have a universal movement, a vertically swinging adjustable arcuate guide element for said nozzle, and a spring controlled releasable locking device to hold said guide element in a desired position of adjustment whatever their relative positions, said guide element having radial play from the axial center of the universal movement fulcrum of said nozzle.

5. A flue cleaner comprising a nozzle swingingly mounted, means for supporting the nozzle in desired adjusted positions, and a separate independently operable device for positively and automatically releasably looking said means in an adjusted position and in any position of said device.

6. A flue cleaner comprising a nozzle, an apertured supporting sphere whose aperture is traversed by said nozzle slidably, said sphere constituting an universal joint fulcrum for the nozzle, a swinging body for slidably supporting the nozzle in vertically adjusted positions, a notched swinging arm connected releasably to said body, a locking device for said swinging arm comprising cooperating locking elements movably mounted upon a relatively fixed structure, and independently operable resiliently controlled means for operating said cooperating elements to releasably lock them together in relatively adjusted positions to vary the amount of adjustment of the swinging body,

said body being positioned to shift on radii of said fulcruming sphere.

7. Flue cleaning means comprising in combination, a furnace structure containing a boiler having an end part spaced from the flue ends of the adjacent boiler head, said furnace structure end part having a doorway and a movable door therefor, the door having a circular aperture and a boxing on the inner face of the door having a segmental spherical seat registering with said aperture, a diametrically apertured spherical fulcrum mounted loosely in said spherical seat, a longitudinally slotted substantially horizontal vertically adjustable arcuate bracket member hinged upon said door to project. inwardly thereof and whose axis of hinging is diametrical of the said spherical fulcrum, said fulcrum being opposite the assemblage of flue ends in said boiler head, a nozzle slidably mounted in the aperture of the spherical fulcrum and slid ably traversing the slot in said bracket, and means for adjustably limiting the scope of slidable play of said nozzle in the slot of said bracket.

8. Flue cleaning means comprising in combination, a furnace structure inclosing a boiler with an end part spaced from a boiler head, a doorway being provided in said end part and a door for closing the doorway, said door having an apertured seat and fulcrum for a nozzle opposite the center of a con geries of flue ends in said boiler, supporting means for a nozzle mounted on the inner face of the door to project inwardly toward said boiler head and adjustable Vertically, a nozzle slidably traversing the aperture in said door and supported slidably upon said nozzle supporting means for horizontal play therealong, a rack-bar depending hingedly from said nozzle supporting means, a bracket member fixed on said door to project inwardly adjacent said nozzle supporting means, the door and said bracket member having registering apertures, an independently operable slide-bar reciprocable in said apertures to normally project slightly outwardly from said door, said bar having a diminished medial part between shoulders, a stop across said aperture and the interspace of said shoulders, a coiled compression spring mounted around the diminished part of said slide bar to be engaged between one of said shoulders and said stop, said bracket member having its inner end slotted intersecting said aperture, said slide bar having a side part excisedin registration with said slot, a fixed pin traversing the slotted part of said bracket member above said longitudinal aperture, and the rack bar having edge notches for engaging said fixed pin, whereby the slide bar may be shifted to release the rack bar from said fixed pin reactively to permit of adjusting the rack by shifting said nozzle vertically a desired distance, when the rack bar is slidingly seated in the slot of said bracket member and in the side opening of the slide bar. 7

9. A flue cleaner comprising anozzle, a freely supported sphere having a stem apertured diametrically and Whose aperture is traversed by said nozzle slidably and removably, a. door hinged upon the end of said stem and spring-controlled to normally close the aperture yieldingly, this end part of the stem being narrowed for a distance above and below to provide stop shoulders, spaced guide elements positioned substantially horizontally and hinged to swing up or down, the said stem having its narrowed part seated for transverse swinging between said elements and stopped thereagainst' by said stop shoulders, and means for releasably securing said guide elements in adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DON M. MILLER.

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