US1898052A - Thermic siphon and method of making the same - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1933. WY sc 1,898,052

THERMIC SIPHON AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed May 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l ITfireTLE);

Feb. 21, 1933. w HINSCH 1,898,052

THERMIC SIPHON AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed May 27 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 21, 1933 KINETEE) STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER H. HINSGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO LOCOMOTIVE FIREBOX GOM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE THERMIC SIPHON AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application filed May 27,

This invention relates to improvements in th rmic siphons and method of making the same and it consists of the matters thereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The term siphon as employed herein, designates aflat, hollow, substantially triangular structure or element particularly adapted for use in locomotive type of boiler fireboxes for increasing the water circulaion and steameiiiciency thereof. Such a siphon is fully shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent #1337520 of April 20, 1920 granted to John L. Nicholson. It generally includes a tubular bottom portion which terminates in a tubular extension or neck adapted for connection to the inner throat sheetof the firebox, and a fiat hollow body with an elongated discharge mouth which opens through the crown sheet of the firebox.

Heretofore it has been the practice in making such siphons to first cut a single sheetof metal into pattern shape so that when folded along its median line and otherwise operated upon and flanged to siphon form, it was welded along the proper meeting edges, which edges were disposed in the median plane of the finished siphon.

in this manner of making the siphons, great care had to be exercised because of the ime, labor and material costs involved. Again each size of siphon required special templets and patterns and this materially increased the cost of manufacture and made the production of each size of siphon a special job so to speak.

T he primary object of the invention is to provide an improved siphon of this kind and method of making the same, wherein the cost of production is greatly decreased by a saving in time and material and a siphon is produced wherein the lines of welding are removed from those points subject to the greatest buckling strains and stresses and can be advantageously positioned in the flat sur- 1929. Serial No. 366,146.

face thereof which can be more conveniently and strongly stayed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a siphon which may be initially formed in a plurality of sections, capable of being produced by die work and then cut and trimmed to size to provide any desired size ofsiphon within a practical range. from one of maximum size and this without materially increasing the-total length of line of or disposing said line of weld in the planes most effected by strains and stresses normally tending to rupture them.

The above mentioned objects of the invention as well as others together with the many advantages thereof, will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a locomotive firebox, embodying therein a siphon made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation on an enlarged scale of a siphon embodying my invention, ready for assembly into a firebox.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View through the same, on an enlarged scale as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view also on an enlarged scale as taken on the line 4ei of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5-6 and 7 respectively are perspective views of the several parts or sections of the siphon in an advanced stage of their manufacture disposed in grouped relation in accordance with the positions they ocupy in a finished siphon.

Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views of the parts shown in Figs. 5 and 6 respectively as they are initially formed.

10 is a view in elevation of a length of seamless tubing from which the siphon part shown in Fig. 7 is made and before any operations have been performed thereon.

Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of the tubing shown in Fig. 10 after the first step has been performed thereon as by swedging one end thereof to educe its diameter.

Fig. 12 a view which may be considered as a top plan v'ew of the tube after it has been slit longitudinally along the unswedged part thereof and off center with respect to a vertical plane passing through the axis of the tube.

Fig. 13 is a view in side elevation of the tube after it has been opened up along the slit to form upstanding side walls of different heights thereon. V

Fig. 1% is a vertical sectional view through the tube shown in Fig. 18, as taken on the line 14-4 thereof.

Referring now to the locomotive firebox illustrated in Fig. 1, the same has a fire chamber which extends from the back sheet 1 to the flue sheet :2 and from one to the other of the side sheets 8, with a grate or bottom indicated by the dotted line 4. Said grate extends from the back sheet to an inner throat sheet 5 which is normally formed the bottom extension of the due sheet 2. The top of the firebox is formed by the transversely curved crown sheet 6 which extends from back to fiue sheet. The firebox is enclosed by the top plate and usual outer side plates (not shown), and the outer throat plate 8 outer back plate 9 which provide the wrapper taerefor. In the plates 1 and 9 respectively, is formed the usual fuel door opening anl to the flue sheet are attached the usual lines 10 t irough which the products of combustion are drawn by the usual exhaust nozzle in the smoke box in the manner well known.

The various plates before mentioned, to gether with the fire sheets or walls of the firebox define the several water legs of the boiler, namely the front leg or throat 11, side legs, and back water leg 12 all closed at the bottom by the mud ring 13. The inner sheets of t 1e firebox including the crown sheet are joined to or stayed from the outer sheet by means of stay bolts 1%.

lily improved siphon or elementis indicated a whole by the numeral 15, it being understood that one or more of such elements may be located in the l'3ebor1, the number of course being dependent upon the size of the firebox. Said element extends longitudinally of tie fireb 2; and normally occupies an upright position therein.

The siphon as herein shown when considered as an entirety includes an upwardly and rearwardly inclined tubular neck or bottom 16 and a progressively upwar lly enlarging fiat body portion 1?, having a relatively high or long front end 18 and a relatively low or short rear end 19. The lower front end part of the bottom portion 16 is a closed tube and constitutes the inlet neck 20 for y the siphon which is in open and unobstructed together, the welding usually extending along the top of the neck and. up the front end the body. Yihere the element was cut off or truncated at its rear end, a line of welding was there provided. When such a siphon was in position in a fiGbOZl, the lines of welding were effected by strains and stresses due to erransion and contraction under temperature changes. Such welding not only sometime gave away but also presented rough spots or surfaces on the inside of the siphon, in line with the natural flow or passage of water herethrough, and thus formed ideal locations for the initial accumulation of scale and sediment which of course is objectionable.

In making up my improved siphon under the steps of my improved method, 1 make the sa'nc in a plurality of parts or sections producible in the rough by coacting dies, after which they are trinnned and titted to size, then flanged and assembled and thereafter welded, the welding being disposed for the greater length upon the flat sides of the element instead of upon the rounded ends hereof.

Prefeably I make the siphon in three parts or sections as this number gives more latitude in trimming and fitting the said parts or sections to the desired size. For convenience in referring to the said pa 'ts l have designated them as the bottom tubular r necl; part (16 the flat body part (1"!) and rear end part (19) all before mentioned.

In Fig. 10 to l-l inclusive is illustrated the several steps in making up the bottom tubular or neck part 16. Said part is made from a piece of seamless steel tubing 23 (see Fig. 10) which is preferably oversize in length and diameter with respect to the maximum size. of the part to be made. I first swedge down one end of said tube as at 24 in Fig. 11 to that diameter required for the inlet neck 20 of the finished siphon, said end being connected to the remainder of the tube as by a tapered portion 25.

Thereafter the other end of the tube is slit longitudinally as at 26 (see Fig. 12 which is to be considered as a top plan view) along a line offset with respect to avertical plane passing through the axis of the tube. Said slit terminates at its inner end in said plane and adjacent the swedged down end of the tube. Those portions of the tube on both sides of the slit are then opened or upset into parallel spaced relation to provide side wall parts 28 and 29 respectively, of different heights aranged an equal distance on each side of the axis of the tube. During this opening up of said side wall parts the remainder of the tube is reduced in diameter to provide the excess material necesary for said side walls and also to bring it down to the diameter of the swodged end 24, all as best shown in Figs. 13 and 14. The side walls 28 and 29 are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the walls or" the body and rear end parts of the finished siphon to be made and as the diameter of the portion 20 is greater than the spacing between the walls 28 and 29, it is apparent that lines of fold 30 and 30 develop along each side thereof.

During this opening up of said side walls, the point 27 moves radially away from the axis of the tube and this point is gradually merged into the top side of the swedged end portion 24 thereof as by a rounded corner or curve 31.

In making up the body 17, I provide apiece of boiler plate of desired shape and size and fold it along its median line to form a substantially U shaped blank having a rounded end 32 and side walls 33 and 34 respectively as best shown in Fig. 9. In this respect the blank is higher at its front or rounded end than it is at its rear end, so that the bottom edges of the side walls converge toward the plane of the top edges of said walls, which top edges are disposed at substantially a rightangle with respect to the rounded front end thereof. Thereafter the top marginal portions of said side walls and rounded end wall are turned over outwardly to form a flange 35 thereon as best shown in Fig. 6. In such a partly finished body blank the side walls are of the same shape and area so that they may be trimmed to desired dimensions. Preferably in the trimming of said partly finished body blank, I cut 015? the rear end margin and the bottom margin of one side wall, so that it becomes of a lesser area as indicated by the dotted lines 36 in Fig. 6 whereby the rear end and bottom marginal edges of the other wall is offset rearwardly beyond and also below the like edges of the trimmed 0E side wall. In trimming off the bottom margin of the side wall 34, the relative heights of the side walls 28 and 29 of the bottom tubular portion are taken into consideration so that the walls 33 and 34 will match up therewith.

In making up the shorter rear end part or section 19, I take a piece of boiler plate of desired shape and size and by means of coacting dies form it into approximately a triangular shaped blank such as shown in Fig. 8 open at its top and front and closed at its rear and bottom. Such a blank includes side walls 37 and 38 respectively connected I turn the top marginal parts of the side walls 37 and 38 and of the rear wall 39 over and outwardly to provide a flange 42 there about as shown in Fig. 5. Thereafter I cut away the front end portion of the side wall 37 as indicated by the dotted line 43 in said Fig.

5 so that the offset between the front edges of the walls 37 and 38 match up with" the offset between the rear edge of the walls 33 and 34 of the body 18. In thus cutting away of the front end marginal part of the Wall 37, the portion 43 thereof is cut at less than a right angle to match up with'the rear end of thefibottom tubular portion, which is trimmed to t.

With all of said parts trimmed to fit and match up with one another, they are then assembled in grouped relation and secured together by lines of welding 44 and 45. In this respect it is pointed out that the said lines of welding are not disposed at the end portion of the siphon but are all on flat surfaces, the only weld ona rounded portion being where the weld crosses the rear end of the bottom tubular portion and the portion 41 of the rear end part 19. Thus no welding is located in the plane of the ends of the siphon which plane is disposed in the line of greatest stresses and strains. 1

After the parts have been thus welded, they are drilled through from one side to the other with the aid of a drilling templet after which the various walls are connected together by stay bolts 46. It is to be noted from Fig. 2 that the offset rear end portion of the side walls 33 and 34 of the body are connected to the ofl'set front end portion of the side walls 37 and 38 by means of two rows of stay bolts while the ofiset bottom ends of said walls 33 and 34 are connected to the ofiset side walls 28 and 29 of the bottom tubular portion by a single row of stay bolts.

With the several parts initially produced for a maximum size of siphon it is'apparent that such a siphon or a smaller one can be produced therefrom after the desired dimensions are known, by cutting and trimming down the several parts. Thus each new siphon to be made does not require special patterns, and templets and forming machines but may be made up from parts of maximum size trimmed to fit and all in accordance and upon machines now found in modern boiler temperature changes.

shops. Therefore the cost of production is lowered and a better siphon is produced and one wherein the lines of welding are unaffected by contraction and expansion due to While in describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form, construction and arrangement of the various parts, as Well as to the several steps in making up a siphon, the same is to be considered merely as illustrative so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specially set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. The method of making a thermic siphon which consists in providing a tubular portion having laterally spaced side walls and a transversely rounded bottom, providing at least two body sections each including laterally spaced side walls, trimming end and bottom portions of said side walls of each body section to fit the like walls of said tubular section and also to iit each other to make them match and then securing the matched edges of the several sections together.

2. The method of making a thermic siphon which consists in providing a tubular portion having laterally spaced side Walls and a transversely rounded bottom, providing at least two body sections each including laterallyspaced side walls, trimming end and bottom portions of said side walls of each body section to lit the like walls of said tubular section and also to fit each other to make them match, welding the matched edges of the said sections together and then staybolting opposite walls of said sections together.

3. The method of making a thermic siphon which consists in providing a bottom tubular section with upstanding side walls and a body section and rear end section also having side walls, trimming all of said side walls to make their edges match, bringing said matched edges together in completed siphon relation and then welding said matched edges.

l. The method of making a thermic siphon which consists in providin a bottom tubular section with upstanding side walls and a body section and rear end section also having side walls, trimming all of said side walls to make their edges match, bringing said matched edges together in completed siphon relation, welding said matched edges together, forming registering holes in said side walls and then applying staybolts in said holes.

The step in the method of making the nose part of a thermic siphon which consists in forming a sheet to provide a member having spaced side walls which are connected to gether at the bottom and at one end by rounded portions with a bulge formed in the rounded bottom.

6. The step in the method of making a thermic siphon which consists in forming a metal sheet into a U shape with side walls of

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