US2027173A - Flue cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

FLUE CLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2l, 1932 4 sheets-sheet 1 wAA-l.

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T. J. JACKSON Er Ax. 2,027,173

FLUE CLEANING MACHINE Filed sept. 21, 1952 4 sheets-sheet Jan. 7, 1936. N' T. J. JACKSON ETAL FLUE CLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2l, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan 7, 1936. T. J. JACKSON ET AL 2,027,173

FLUE CLEANING MACHINE I Filed Sept. 21, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WMM r- /m Patented Jan. 7, 1936 PATENT OFFICE FLUE CLEANING MACHINE `Thomas J. Jackson and `oseph Alphonse Bekemans, Livingston, Mont.

Application September 21, 1932, Serial No. 634,112

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to ue cleaning machines and has for its object the provision of a highly eflicient rotary boiler rlue cleaning machine that will remove all lime and scale from a flue without danger of breaking,- cracking or otherwise damaging the same and particularly the ends thereof and in which no sanding or bobbing with a hammer is required to complete the cleaning of a flue after having passed f through the machine.

To the above end the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and dened in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a left hand side elevation of the improved flue cleaning machine;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine with some parts sectioned on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale; 1

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view partly in left hand side elevation and partly in vertical section taken on the irregular line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in rear elevation with some parts sectioned on the lines 4-4 an-d 4'-4 of Fig. 1 on the same scale as Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a left hand side elevation of the upper breaker, its mounting and the flue, as shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of the upper breaker 4and iiue on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the upper breaker and -flue, as shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail View principally in section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail View with the carrier shank sectioned on the line 9-9 of 40 Fig 2;

Fig. 10 is a view vprincipally in rear end elevation with some parts sectioned on the line I IJ-I 0 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, and other parts broken away and sectioned; and.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail view in section taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1,-on an enlarged scale.

The frame of the machine includes a rectangular base I2 made up of four plates rigidly 50 connected at their corners by angle bars. The front and back base-forming plates extend above the base I2 and afford frame members I3 and I4,

respectively, which are rigidly connected by a tube I5 at substantially the transverse center of the base I2. It will be noted that the end portions of the tube I 5 extend completely through the framemembers I3 and I4 and are rigidly secured thereto by welding or otherwise. The frame member I3 is round, except at its junction with the base I2, and the center thereof is at the axis of the tube I5. On the back of the frame member I3, at its perimeter, is a reinforcing flange, I6. The tube I5 extends rearward of the frame member I4 and through a hole in a bearing plate Il, at the center thereof. This bearingplate Il is rigidly secured to the tube I5 by welding or otherwise and is held thereby laterally spaced from the frame member I4.

Removably mounted in the tube I5 is a bushing I8 comprising a tube having on each end a collar I 9 which has a working lit with the interior of the tube I5 and holds said bushing centered therein. This bushing I 8 is insertable by an endwise sliding movement into the tube I5 from the rearend thereof and the rear collar I9 is provided with an annular external flange 20 which normally engages the rear end of the tube I5 and the bearing plate I'I and limits the movement of the bushing I8 into the tube I5. Any suitable means may be provided for holding the bushing I8 against removal from the tube I5, such as a screw 2|, as shown in Fig. 3.

'Ihis flue cleaning machine will be provided with a plurality of bushings I8, the collars of which have the same external diameter and the tubes of which will be ,of different diameters to receive and hold llues of dierent diameters.

A boiler iiue X, to be cleaned, is fed endwise through the bushing I8 from the rear end of the machine and the scale thereon i's indicated at Y.

A rack 22, including a rear section and a front section, is provided for holding the ilue X as the same is fed into the machine and for receiving the same as it comes out of the machine. Each section of the rack 22 includes a pair of bars 23 which extend parallel to the axis of the tube I5 and are rigidly connected and held edgewise spaced by a plurality of cross-tie angle bars 24. These rack bars 23 are supported on a plurality of leg brackets 25 preferably bolted or `otherwise rigidly secured to the floor on which the machine rests. The rear section of the rack 22, at its inner end, is rigidly secured to a' xed angle bar 26 on the outer face of the bearing plate I'l and the inner end of the front section of said rack is similarly secured to a fixed angle bar 21 on the outer face of a front bearing plate 28. This bearingplate 28 is rigidly secured to the frame" member I3 and held spaced forward thereof and parallel thereto by long bolts 29 and spacing sleeves 3D.

Each section of the rack 22 further includes a plurality of pairs of cooperating upper and lower grooved rollers 3| and 32. The lower rollers 32 are between the rack bars 23 and are journaled on fixed axles 33 mounted in depending boxes 34 on the under side of said bars. It will be noted that the axles 33 are held against endwise removal from the boxes 34 by set-screws. The upper rollers 3| are journaled on fixed axles 35 mounted in bearing brackets 35 which rest on the rack bars 23 and are rigidly secured thereto. These bearing brackets 3B have vertical slots 31 through which the end portions of the axles 35 project.

Washers and nuts 38 are applied to the axles 35 outward of the brackets 36. The axles 35, within the slots 37, are flattened on opposite sides, as indicated at 3S, to prevent said axles from turning about their axes in the slot 3l. The shoulders, formed by the flattened sides 39 of the axles 35, are drawn against the inner faces of `the bearing b-rackets 35 by theV nuts 38 and thereby rigidly secure the axles 33 to the bearing brackets 35. Obviously, by loosening the nuts 38 the upper rollers 3| may be vertically adjusted above the lower rollers 32 for fiues of different diameters. 'Ihe slots 37, at their lower ends, Vhave eyes through which the axles 35 may 'be moved endwise to mount the same in the up- Y brackets 25. Blocks or shims 4U, of wood or any other suitable material, are removably interposed between the rack bars 23 and the horizontal members of the leg brackets 25 and between said bars and the angle bars y24 and 25. These shims 43, in actual usage of the machine, will be provided in interchangeably usable sets of different thicknesses for use with the bushings |3 for flues of dilerent diameters to support the rack 22 at the proper elevation to hold the flue X axially aligned with the bushing |8.

lThe greater part of the scale Y is broken and removed from the flue X by a cooperating plurality of rotary breakers 4| in the form of wheels that are forward of the frame member i3. These breakers 4| are radially spaced about the axis of the tube I5 for rotation in a vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular t0 said axis. Two of these breakers 4|, to wit: the lower ones, have their axes in the same horizontal plane below the axis of the tube I5 and the axis of the other or upper breaker 4| is above the axis of the tube l5 and midway between the axes of the lower'breakers 4|, see Fig. 2.

The faces of the breakers 4| are of novel construction, as will hereinafter appear, and each of said breakers is independently driven by a shaft 42 which extends from the rear to the front of the machine. Each shaft 42 includes a rear end section 43, a front end section 44, and two intermediate sections 45. The shaft sections 43 and 44 are telescoped into the intermediate shaft sections 45 which are tubular with freedom for endwise sliding movement. It will be noted that the telescoped portions of the shaft sections 43,

44 and 45 are square in cross-section and connect said sections for common rotation.

The two intermediate shaft sections 45 are rigidly connected by a coupling 46. A gear spindle 4'! is connected to the outer end of the shaft section 43 by a universal joint 43 and a breaker spindle 49 is connected to the outer end of the shaft section 44 by a universal joint 50.

The breakers 4| are detachably but rigidly applied to their hubs 5| and which hubs are mounted on the spindles 49 for rotation therewith. Each gear spindle 47 is journaled in a pair of axially spaced bushings 52 mounted in a pair of seats, one of which is in the frame member I4 and the other of which is in the bearing plate Each spindle 45, between its breaker 4| and universal joint 53, is journaled in a bushing 53.

Each bushing 53 is mounted in a hub 54 of a breaker carrier 55 and which hubs extend loosely through an inner radial slot 55 in the frame member i3 vwith freedom for slight angular movement transversely thereof. The slots 56 are spaced circumferentially withrespect to the frame member i3 equi-distances apart. A spindle 5l, which projects radially from the axis of the tube l5, is rigidly secured to each breaker carrier 55 and journaled in a bushing 58 mounted in the carrier guide 53. The carrier guides 53 have on their backs, at their lower ends, nutacting lugs 33 which extend into outer slots 6| in the frame member |3 outward of the slots 56 and longitudinally aligned therewith. 'Ihese carrier guides 53 are slidably mounted on the outer face of the frame member |3 and held for straight line sliding movement by guide bars `62 fixed on said frame member.

Long thumb-screws 63 are provided for bodily moving the carrier guides 59 radially toward or from the tube l5. These thumb-screws 63 extend, from the perimeter of the frame member i3, through the slots 6| and holes in the lugs 60 and have screw-threaded engagement with said lugs. Said thumb-screws 63 are turnably mounted in seats in the frame member |3, at the ends of the slots 5|. The heads on the outer ends of the thumb-screws 63 and the nuts 54 applied to the inner ends thereof hold the thumb-.screws 63 against endwise movement but with freedom for rotation in their seats and lugs 69.

It is important to note that shoulders on the inner end portions of the two lower spindles 5l and the nuts 35, which areapplied totheirouter ends, hold said spindles against endwise movement in the respective carrier guides 59. Obviously, the two lower spindles 57 connect the two lower breaker carriers 55 and their carrier guides 53 forV common movement whereby the two lower breakers 4| may be adjusted, at will, for flues of different diameters and hold the same in axial alignment with the tube I5.

The upper Yspindle 5'| is free for endwise reciprocatory movement in the upper carrier guide 59 and permits oating movement of the -upper breaker 4|, as will presently appear. vReciprocatory movementgis imparted to the upper spindle 5l by an air cylinder and piston 55 and B1 for moving the upper breaker 4| radially toward or from the projected axis of the tube I5 and for holding said breaker in an operative position with its periphery positioned for engagement with the periphery of the flue X. The rod 68 of the piston 5l is axially aligned with the upper spindle 51 and detachably secured thereto by a. nut-equipped bolt 69. Y

A coiled compression spring 19 is provided for retracting the piston 61, when the air pressure in the cylinder 66 is released, to move the upper breaker 4| radially awayV from the ue X. 'I'his spring 19 encircles the piston rod 68 between the lower head of the cylinder 66 and the piston 61 for compression therebetween. vAir under pressure is admitted to the cylinder 66, outward of the piston 61 for operating the same to move the upper breaker 4I toward the flue X, through a pipe 1| leading from a suitable air compressor, not shcwn. An air regulating valve 12 is interposed in the pipe 1| and an air presser gauge13 is also connected to the pipe 1|.

A threeway valve or other suitable means, not shown,'will be interposed in the air pipe 1|. This valve, when in position, will admit air to the cylinder 66 to project the piston 61 and when in another position will cut-off the air supply to the cylinder 66 and open said cylinder tothe atmosphere to permit the springs 19 to retract said piston. The cylinder 66 and gauge 13 are mounted on a bracket 14 on the frame member I3.

Each spindle 51 is normally held from turning about its axis by an angle adjuster 15 which includes a bar 16 that extends transversely `of said spindle and has at each end a set-screw 11. The purpose of this angle adjuster 15 is to set the breakers 4| in positions in which they extend at right angles transversely of the flue X or in variable positions in which they extend transversely oblique to said flue, for a purpose that will presently appear. The bars 16 have at their longitudinal centers holes through which the spindles 51 project outward of the carrier guides 59. The holes in the bars 16 and the spindles 51, where they pass through said holes, are square 1n crosssection to connect said bars and spindles for common turning movement about the axes of the spindles 51.

The screws 11 have threaded engagement with the bars 16 and are normally held from turning movement by lock-nuts 18. The heads of the screws 11 impinge against the outer face of the frame member -I3 and thereby hold the bars 16, and hence the spindles 51, fromturning'. Obviously, relative adjustment of the screws 11 will move the bars 19 and the spindles 51 about the axes of said spindles and thereby angularly adjust the breakers 4|, see Fig. 9.

The shafts 42, by which the breakers 4I are rotated, are driven by an electric motor 19 mounted on a base 69 on the left hand 'side of the machine. The driving connections from the motor 19 to the shafts 42 include a belt 8| arranged to run over a relatively small pulley 82 on the armature shaft of said motor and a relatively large pulley 83 on a shaft 84 journaled in boxes 85 on a front bracket 86 secured to the base I2 and the frame member I3 and a rear bracket 81 secured to said base. A tightener 88 for the belt 8| is secured to the base I2.

An intermediate shaft 89 is driven from the shaft 84 by a belt 99 arranged to run over a three step cone pulley 9| on the shaft 84 and a three step cone pulley 92 on the shaft 89. Obviously, these cone pulleys 9| and 92 permit the machine to be operated at three different speeds. The intermediate shaft 89 is journaled in bearings in the frame members |3 and I4 and the plate I1. Keyed to the shaft 94 between the plate I1 and the rear bracket 81 is a relatively small spur gear 93 which meshes with a relatively large spur gear 94. The gear 94 is keyed to a short shaft 95 journaled in bearings on the frame member |4 and the plate I1. A relatively small gear 96 is keyed to the shaft 95 and meshes with a loose gear 91 journaled on a flanged bushing 98 on the tube I5. Three relatively small gears 99 keyed one to each of the gear spindles 41 mesh with the loose gear 91 and complete the driving connections from the motor 19 to the shafts 42.

'Ihe arrangement Vof the driving connections from the motor 19 to the shafts 42 is such as to rotate the breakers 4| anti-clockwise.

Referring now in detail to the construction of the breakers 4I vand the action thereof in removing lime and scale from the flue X is as follows: Each breaker 4| has on its periphery a spiral rib |99 in the form of a left hand screw thread that extends the full length of said breaker.A This rib |99, for instance, may have eight convolutions per inch and is truncated substantially onehalf of its width, as indicated at |9I. Preferably, the rib |99 is broken or interupted by corrugating the breaker 4|, as indicated at |92. These corrugations |92 have substantially the sam'e depth as the rib |99 and extends at right angles thereto, see Fig. 6. The action of the breakers 4I on the flue X rotates the same in the bushing I8 and at the same time, due to the left hand threads |99 and the rotation thereof anti-clockwise, automatically feeds said flue endwise through the machine from the rear to the front thereof. By manipulating the angle adjuster 15 the breakers 4| may be angularly adjusted transversely of the flue X to vary the speed at which said ue is moved endwise. of the flue X may be varied from zero to a predetermined number of feet per minute, for instance, in the present machine a 2 or 21/4" flue may be fed endwise as high as 22 per minute.

The action of the interrupted rib |99 on the flue X breaks up the lime and scale thereon both circumferentially and longitudinally thereof and scrape the same therefrom` during the compound rotary and endwise travel of said flue.

During the travel of the flue X through the machine the same is supported on the two lower breakers 4| and downward pressure is applied to said flue by the upper breaker 4|. This pressure on the flue X by the upper breaker 4| may be varied, at will, by adjusting the air regulating valve 12. Obviously, the air pressure in the cylinder 96 on the piston 61 produces an even pressure of the upper breaker 4| on the ue X and will permit said upper breaker to float so that the same is self-adjusted to a ue in case the same isout of round or has uneven places therein. The air in the cylinder 66 acts as a cushion so This endwise travel that the flue X, while being acted on by the' breakers 4I, will not be cracked, broken or damaged at its ends.

By reference to Fig. 6 it will be noted that the receiving ends of the breakers 4| are tapered to facilitate the feeding of the flue X therethrough and the removal of the lime and scale from said ue.

To clean the flue X the same is placed on the rear section of the rack 22 and manually fed. endwise through the bushing I8 until its front end is between the breakers 4| and at which time the cylinder 66 is open to atmosphere and the upper breaker 4I held raised by the spring 19. With the flue X thus positioned, air is admitted into the cylinder 66 to operate the piston 61 and project the upper breaker 4| onto said flue which starts the rotary and endwise feeding thereof. From the time the upper breaker 4I is brought pin connections H5.

into contact with the flueX the cleaning thereof and zthe delivery thereof onto the outer section of the rack 22 is entirely automatic. The rotary movement of the flue X by the breakers 4| will also loosen all sediment and dirt on the inside of said iiue.

Any loose dirt or scale on the ue X, `after having passed through the breakers 13|, is removed by steel Wire brushes arranged in two groups in opposing relation for action on opposite sides of the flue X. In one of these groups there are three brushes |3 and in the other group there are four brushes lfi. Each group of brushes iin-JEM is mounted in a holder |05 on a slide |98 in the form of a flat plate. These slides |66 are simultaneously moved to either project or retract the brushes H13-04 by an air cylinder |89 and a pair of cooperating pistons H0. The cylinder H39 is rigidly secured to the bearing plate 28'above the slides it. The pistons lit -are arranged in opposing relation and air is admitted to the cylinder |69 therebetween through a branch pipe l that leads from the air supply pipe 1|.

Each slide I is connected to one of the pistons Il@ by a bell-crank lever H2 intermediately pivoted to the bearing plate 28. The Lipper or short ends of the levers H2 are connected to the pistons H Iby L-shaped links H3. 'Friese links i3 are pivoted to the pistons I!) and work in slots ||i in the cylinder IBS and which slots extend completely through the outer ends of said cylinder. I'he lower or long ends of the levers H2 are connected to the holders |65 by slot and interposed in the branch pipe is a three-way valve HE which, when in one position, ,admits air to the cylinder |89, and when in another position, cuts oi the air supply to said cylinder and opens the cylinder |09 to the atmosphere.

Normally the cylinder |139 is open to the atmosphere and the brushes |03 and |04 retracted but as soon as the front end of the flue X passes between said brushes the operator manipulates the valve HBS to admit air to the cylinder. Air under pressure in the cylinder |39 will move the pistons H0 away from each other and thereby project the brushes m3 and lfi against the flue X on opposite sides thereof with suiiicient pressure to remove all scale and dirt therefrom during the compound rotary and endwise travel of the flue X. Obviously the pistons will equalize the pressure of the brushes |63 and Hl@ on the flue X and thereby hold the same centered.

Aftertherfiue X has passed from between the brushes |03 and His the operator again manipulates the valve |66 and opens the cylinder |09 to the atmosphere which releases the air pressure on the pistons IQ and thereby permits said brushes to be retracted.

From the foregoing it must be evident that the invention herein disclosed is capable of large range of modiiication within the spirit of the invention herein disclosed and claimed. 10

What We claim is:

1. In a machine of the class describedfmeans for guiding a ue endwise through the machine,

a carrier guide, a scale breaker carrier having a spindle journaled in the guide for turning movement about an axis that extends substantially radially from the axis on which the ue guiding means holds a flue for endwise movement, a rotary scale breaker, a spindle fixed to the scale breaker, journaled in the carrier and extending substantially perpendiculiar to the rst noted axis, means for rotating the breaker spindle, said breaker having spirally arranged teeth, and manually operated means for turning the carrier spindie to adjust the breaker and change the angle of pitch of its teeth with respect to the direction of travel of the flue through the machine, said manually operated means including a bar intermediately fixed to the carrier spindle and set screws in the ends of the bar and engaging the carrier guide as a base of resistance.

2. In a machine4 oi the class described, means for guiding a flue endwise through the machine, a carrier guide, a scale breaker carrier having a spindle journaled in the guide for movement about an axis that extends substantially radially from the axis on which the iiue guiding means holds a flue for endwise movement, a rotary scale breaker, a spindle iixed to the scale breaker, journaled in the carrier and extending substantially perpendicular to the rst noted axis, means for rotating the breaker spindie, said breaker having spirally arranged teeth, and manually operated means for turning the carrier spindle to adjust the breaker and change the angle of pitch of its teeth with respect to the direction of travel ci the flue through the machine, said manually operated means slidably engaging the carrier guide as a base of resistance.

THOMAS J. JACKSON. JOSEPH ALPHONSE BEKEMANS.

turning 35 l

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