US2238057A - Smoke box for steam locomotives - Google Patents

Description

April H5, 1941. o. JABELMANN ET AL &

SMOKE BQX FOR STEAM LOCOMOTIVES Filed April 17, 194-0 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3nventors Cittornegs 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1940 ZSnnentors (Ittornegs Patented Apr. 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SMOKE BOX FOR STEAM LOCOMOTIVES Otto Jabelmann and Leonard K. Botteron, Omaha, Nebr.

Application April 17, 1940, Serial No. 330,186

7 Claims. (Cl. 230-97) This invention relates to locomotives, and particularly to front end arrangements for coal burning locomotives.

The problem of smoke box arrangements for coal burning steam locomotives has long been a troublesome one, because of the importance of arresting burning cinders and the difficulty of doing so without impairing the draft or causing the rapid accumulation of cinders in the smoke box, or both.

In the past, recourse has been had to screen structures of a more or less complicated nature. These were objectionable, first, because they can rarely be made self-cleaning, and, second, because they so obstruct the smoke box that inspection of the tube sheet and inspection of the superheater, if used, are difficult. Attempts have also been made to adapt centrifugal separator principles but the resulting devices have unduly obstructed the smoke box.

The present invention provides a front end arrangement which has gone into actual use and demonstrated successful operation. It is wholly devoid of screens. It is extremely simple to construct and can readily be so proportioned that access for inspection and minor repairs may be had to all parts, and notably to the tube sheet, to the superheater, to the lift pipe and to the exhaust nozzle, without removing any parts in the smoke box. So far as applicants are aware,

no prior device of a practical nature has this im-- portant advantage.

Briefly stated, a diaphragm extends downward from the top of the smoke box immediately to the rear of the lift pipe and forward of the tube sheet.

If a superheater is used, space is afforded between the diaphragm and the tube sheet for the superheater. The diaphragm does not extend to the bottom of the smoke box and its lower margin is approximately V-shaped. Extending forward from the forward face of the diaphragm is a hopper-like structure, whose flaring lateral walls or wings conform to the contour of the lower margin of the diaphragm and meet the sides of the smoke box above the lower margin of the flaring lift pipe. The forward end of the hopper-like structure is spaced from the smoke box front, and is closed by a plate whose upper margin is somewhat higher than the upper margins of the lateral walls, but below the top of the smoke box.

While this arrangement may be used with any type of exhaust nozzle, it develops its best effect with a multiple jet exhaust nozzle shown in the drawings, and not specifically claimed in the present application except in combination with other front end features, because such multiple exhaust nozzle is of general utility and forms the subject matter of another application filed by us on May 14, 1940, Serial No. 335,184.

The parts are so dimensioned that a man can pass under the wings of the hopper structure and thus reach the forward tube sheet and superheater, and can climb into the hopper itself and thus reach the exhaust nozzle and lift pipe. The products of combustion leaving the forward end of the boiler tubes pass beneath the flaring sides of the hopper. At the forward end of the smoke box a sharp change of flow direction occurs, i, e., from horizontal forward to vertical upward flow. The effect is that large cinders, because of their momentum, strike the front of the smoke box and are disintegrated. At the end of the upward excursion, they strike the top of the smoke box with recurrence of the disintegrating action. After this the products of combustion reverse direction of flow and pass obliquely downward and to the rear into the hopper structure. Here there is a further impact of cinders upon the plates. The products of combustion and the disintegrated cinders are finally ejected through the lift pipe by the blast action of the exhaust nozzle. Because of the several impacts and the marked disintegration of the cinders, and the long cooling path, the cinders are extinguished before they are blown from the stack,

Thus, with a structure very simple in form, the desired result of extinguishing and disintegrating cinders is attained without the use of screens or so-called cinder-busters. i

An important feature of the invention is that the walls of the smoke box itself, the front end door, and portions of the hopper structure form the impact surfaces against which the cinders are projected. The device isself-cleaning because the form of the hopper is such as to feed any cinders, which may tend to accumulate, to the blast nozzle and thus cause their ultimate ejection.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section through a smoke box and the forward end of a locomotive boiler showing the invention applied.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thehopper structure removed from the locomotive and viewed from the forward right-hand side.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig". 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the multiple-jet nozzle which was preferably used with this device.

Fig. 5 is a section on the irregular line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The forward end of the shell of the locomotive boiler is indicated at 6. The forward tube sheet appears at I. Into this sheet are expanded the usual flue tubes 8, and the larger flue tubes 9 which are designed to receive the superheater tubes |I. Construction of the superheater is not shown in detail, but it will be understood that steam delivered from the boiler to the dry pipe I2 flows through the manifold I3 to the superheater tubes II and is then delivered through other passages in manifold I3 to the two steam pipes l4 which, as usual, lead to the inlet steam ports in the cylinder castings.

The arrangement of the steam pipes I4 is well known, and subject to variations familiar in the art. Hence, no detailed description appears to be necessary. A portion of the cylinder structure is represented at I5 (Figure l) and includes the exhaust connection I6 on which any suitable exhaust nozzle may be mounted.

Connected to the forward end of the shell 8 through the usual stiffener ring I! is the smoke box shell I8 which has a closed front conventionally illustrated at I9.

The lift pipe 2| forms a unitary extension of the smoke stack 22 and projects down approxi-- mately to the horizontal axis of the smoke box. As usual, it is flared at its lower end, the flare being indicated at 23. The lift pipe 2| and smoke stack 22 are ax ally aligned with the exhaust connection I6, and with any exhaust noz :3

zle which would be mounted thereon.

In the drawings, there is shown mounted on the connection I6 a cylindrical manifold chamber 24 which has a flange 25 at its upper end.

Seated against the upper end of the manifold 24 and bolted to the flange 25 is a nozzle plate 26. This has a plurality of blast nozzles 27 (four being indicated in the drawings), each nozzle being inserted through a port formed to receive it in the plate 26. These ports are flared at their lower ends and the lower end of each nozzle 21 is correspondingly flared to produce a smooth entrance of steam to the nozzle 2'! and thus avoid undesirable eddying.

Each nozzle 21 has an external positioning ,3

flange 28 and each nozzle is locked in place by a corresponding hold-down ring 29 which overlies the flange 28 and which is connected to the plate 26 :by machine screws as shown. Thus, the

exhaust steam from the locomotive cylinders is products of combustion can be said 'to flow directed by the four nozzles 21 into the flaring lower end 23 of the lift pipe 2| and performs the usual function of stimulating the draft from the fire box through the flue tubes and smoke box to the stack 22. of nozzles evens the draft, permits the use of a larger stack than would otherwise be satisfactory, and has a number of advantages which are inherent in the multiple nozzle. These advantages, however, are of peculiar importance with reference to the labyrinth cinder-disrupting structure hereinafter described and the multiple nozzle is considered to cooperate with that labyrinth arrangement to produce a new and better result.

At the rear of the stack 22 and lift pipe 23. and spaced from the tube sheet I to afford an interval for the superheater manifold I3 and the superheater tubes II, is a diaphragm 3|. This extends from the top of the smoke box about However, the use of a plurality three-fourths of the Way to the bottom thereof, and the lower margin of the diaphragm conforms to the flaring sides of the hopper structure hereinafter described (see Fig. 3).

The hopper structure comprises two inclined side plates or wings 32 which are connected at their rear ends to the lower flaring margin of the diaphragm 3| and which are notched as indicated at 33 for the passage of the steam pipes I4. The upper margins 34 are fixed to the sides of the smoke box I8 slightly above mid-height of the smoke box and a substantial distance above the lower end of the flare 23 of the lift pipe 2|. The forward end of the hopper comprises a plate 35. The bottom of the hopper comprises a plate 36 with an opening 3?, the margin of which enters between the flange 25 and an overlying portion of the plate 26 (see Fig. 1), so that an approximately tight seal is formed between the bottom 35 and the flange 25. Thus, the plate 35 is in effect a table plate. The flange 25 sustains the rear portion of the table plate 35 and the forward portion thereof may be sustained by two web struts 38 (see Figs. 1 and 3). The web struts 38 may be omitted. Because of the rather large diameter of the nozzle plate 26, it is sometimes desirable to widen the table plate 36 at the rear end and this result is accomplished by the offsets generally indicated at 3! These offsets are not always needed and in some cases have been omitted.

The upper margin of the front plate 35 is horizontal, is above the junctions 34 of the wings 32 with the smoke box and below the top of the smoke box. In the embodiment shown,- front plate 35 terminates at a point about two-thirds of the total height of the smoke box.

In effect, a flaring hopper is mounted in the smoke box projecting from the forward side of the diaphragm with its forward end spaced to the rear of the smoke box front and forward of the flaring end of the lift pipe 2 I. The flaring wings or sides embrace the lower margin of the lift pipe. The exhaust blast nozzle discharges through the table plate forming the bottom of the hopper which latter cooperates with the exhaust nozzle and other associated parts to provide an open-top substantially imperforate hopper-like bafile structure.

Cinders and combustion gases discharged from the tubes 8 and 9 flow forward between the flaring wings 32 of the hopper and the opposed walls of the smoke box. An inspection of Fig. 3 will indicate that only a small portion of the strictly beneath the table plate 36 because of obstruction offered by the manifold 24.

Thus, the products of combustion move forward rapidly and any large cinders entrained therewith strike the smoke box front I9 and are disintegrated. After such disintegration they are carried up by the rapid upward flow between the front 35 and the smoke box front I9 and impinge against the top of the smoke box I8.

Thus, they are subjected to two pronounced disrupting impacts. The products of combustion then flow to the rear and downward to reach the flaring lower end 23 of the lift pipe 2| through which the products of combustion and the entrained disrupted and extinguished cinders are discharged by the jet action of the exhaust nozzles. Some of the cinders are subjected to a third disrupting impact against the wings 32 or the table plate 36 before ejection. In any case, experience shows that the cinders are so thoroughly disrupted and are so cooled during their long travel that they are extinguished before they leave the stack 22.

The device is self-cleaning because the flows are so rapid that the cinders are all picked up and carried along. Cinders cannot accumulate on the table plate 36 forward of the nozzle plate 26, because as soon as accumulation starts, the cinders are drawn into the discharging current and are ejected. Thus, the device is selfcleaning.

The intervals between the flaring side plates 32 and the opposed walls of the smoke box I 8 are sufficiently large to permit a man to crawl to the space at the rear of the smoke box without the removal of any portion of the hopper. He can stand between the plate 35 and the front of the smoke box and can climb over the front plate 35.

The small nozzles 4| connected to the cross ports 42 are fed by the blower steam connection 43 and are used to stimulate the draft when the locomotive is standing. The ports 42 can be made by cross-drilling or by coring, and are here shown plugged at their ends as indicated at 44.

The construction illustrated in the drawings is preferred and has been described in considerable detail, in an effort to develop clearly its useful characteristics. However, the precise dimensions and arrangement are necessarily subject to modification to meet the requirements of particular locomotives. Considerable latitude in detail is obviously possible within the scope of the invention.

The flaring arrangement of the sides or Wings 32 is an important detail. Itaffords the necessary large area passages. The inclination of the wings causes them to direct precipitated cinders to a point at which they will enter the influence of the exhaust pipe and be picked up and ejected. Space limitations in smoke boxes are severe, and the importance of repeated changes of direction with attendant cinder impacts is substantial. The provision of a device which is self-cleaning and which avoids the use of screens and the numerous baffles heretofore considered necessary is a matter of extreme practical importance because it improves the draft and assures maintained efficient operation without frequent inspection and cleaning operations.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a locomotive boiler having a shell with a front tube sheet; a smoke box extending forward in prolongation of the shell and closed at its forward end; a stack and lift pipe structure extending through the top of the smoke box and having an open entrance end within the same; a blast nozzle structure arranged in the bottom of the smoke box to direct exhaust blast upwardly into the entrance end of the lift pipe; and an open-top hopper-like baffle structure having upwardly and outwardly flaring side plates extending to the sides of the smoke box and a bottom connecting said side plates and through which the blast nozzle structure extends, there being a rear wall for said baffle structure comprising a diaphragm plate extending downward from the top of the smoke box forward of said tube sheet and near the rear of said lift pipe and terminating along and joined with the edges of said bottom and flaring side plates, and a front wall for said bafile structure comprising a plate spaced from the front end of said smoke box and the front of the lift pipe, its bottom and side edges connected with and termi- Rio nating along the edges of said bottom and side plates, and its top edge located below the top of said smoke box to provide communication between said open-top of the baffle structure and the smoke box space forward of said front plate, said baffle structure and the associated parts coacting to provide a substantially imperforate hopper-like baffle structure the open top of which is directed toward said open entrance of the lift pipe, whereby the products of combustion, including cinders, are compelled to travel forward- 1y into the lower portion of said space forward of said front plate, upwardly in front of said baffle structure, downwardly into said structure, and then upwardly into the lift pipe, during which travel the cinders are subjected to disintegrating impacts against the front and top of the smoke box.

2. The combination with a locomotive type boiler and smoke box including a stack with lift pipe and exhaust nozzle directed upwardly toward the lift pipe from the bottom of the smoke box; of a bottom table plate through which said nozzle discharges, said plate being spaced above the bottom of the smoke box and terminating short of each side and each end of the smoke box; inclined wing extensions projecting upward and ou ard from said table plate to the sides of the smoke box; a diaphragm extending downward from the top of the smoke box at the rear of the lift pipe, said diaphragm terminating in lines of junction with said table plate and wings at the rear ends thereof; and a baffle located at the forward end of the table plate and wings and spaced from the front end of the smoke box, said baflle closing the interval between the wings above the table plate and terminating at its top edge below the top of the smoke box, the table plate, wings, diaphragm and front baffle and the associated parts coacting to provide a substantially imperforate open-top hopper-like baifle structure the open top of which is directed toward the lower end of the lift pipe and communicates above the front baffle with the smoke box space forward of said baffle, whereby the products of combustion, including cinders, are compelled to travel forwardly beneath the hopper-like baffie structure, upwardly in front of said bafile structure, rearwardly into said structure, and then upwardly into the lift pipe, during which travel the cinders are subjected to disintegrating impacts against the front and top of the smoke box.

3. The combination with a locomotive type boiler and smoke box including a stack with depending lift pipe and exhaust nozzle directed upwardly toward the lift pipe from the bottom of the smoke box; of a bottom table plate through which said nozzle discharges, said plate being spaced above the bottom of the smoke box and terminating short of each side and each end of the smoke box; inclined wing extensions projecting upward and outward from said table plate to the sides of the smoke box and joined with the sides of the smoke box along lines above the lower end of the lift pipe; a diaphragm extending downward from the top of the smoke box at the rear of the lift pipe, said diaphragm terminating in lines of junction with said table plate and wings at the rear ends thereof; and a substantially vertical baffle located at the forward end of the table plate and Wings and spaced from the front end of the smoke box and the front of the lift pipe, said baffle closing the interval between the wings above the table plate and terminating at its top edge below the top of the smoke box, the table plate, wings, diaphragm and front baffle and the associated parts coacting to provide a substantially imperforate open-top hopper-like bafiie structure the open top of which is directed toward the lower end of the lift pipe and communicates above the front baffle with the smoke box space forward of said baffle, whereby the products of combustion, including cinders, are compelled to travel forwardly beneath the hopper-like bafiie structure, upwardly in front of said baille structure, rearwardly and downwardly into said structure, and then upwardly into the lift pipe, during which travel the cinders are subjected to successive disintegrating impacts against the front and top of the smoke box.

4. The combination with a locomotive type boiler and smoke box including a stack with depending lift pipe and exhaust nozzle directed upwardly toward the lift pipe from the bottom of the smoke box; of a substantially horizontal bottom table plate through which said, nozzle eztends, said plate being spaced above the bottom of the smoke box and terminating short of each side and each end of the smoke box; inclined wing extensions projecting upward and outward from said table plate to the sides of the smoke box and joined with the sides of the smoke box along lines above the lower end of the lift pipe; a diaphragm extending downward from the top of the smoke box at the rear of the lift pipe, said diaphragm terminating in lines of junction with said table plate and wings at the rear ends thereof and a substantially vertical bafile located at the forward end of the table plate and wings and spaced from the front end of the smoke box and the front of the lift pipe, said bafiie closing the interval between the wings above the table plate and terminating at its top below the top edge of the smoke box and above the junction of the wings with the sides of the smoke box, the table plate, wings, diaphragm and front baffle and the associated parts coacting to provide a substantially imperforate open-top hopper-like baffle structure the open top of which is directed toward and surrounds the lower entrance end of the lift pipe and communicates above the front baffle with the smoke box space forward of said baille, whereby the products of combustion, including cinders, are compelled to travel forwardly beneath the hopper-like baiile structure, upwardly in front of said baffle structure, rearwardly and downwardly into said structure, and then upwardly into the lift pipe, during which travel the cinders are subjected to-successive disintegrating impacts against the front and top of the smoke box and the interior of the baffle structure.

5. The combination defined in claim 2 in which the exhaust nozzle comprises a manifold having a diameter approximating the width of the bottom table plate and a plurality of discharge nozzles arranged on and leading from the manifold and directed upwardly toward the lower end of said lift pipe.

6. The combination defined in claim 2 in which the exhaust nozzle comprises a manifold having a diameter approximating the width of the bottom table plate and a plurality of discharge nozzles arranged on and leading from the manifold and directed upwardly toward the lower end of said lift pipe, and the lift pipe terminates at its lower depending end in a downwardly flaring entrance which is located below the top edge of the front baffle and is wider than said table plate but substantially narrower than the interval between said wings at the level of said flaring end.

7. The combination with a locomotive smoke box structure comprising a cylindrical smoke box proper, closed at its front end and forming a prolongation of a locomotive boiler having a tube sheet; of a lift pipe and stack at the top of the smoke box; a blast nozzle directed upwardly from the bottom of the smoke box in alignment with the lift pipe; a diaphragm extending across the upper part of the smoke box between lift pipe and tube sheet, and having an approximately V-shaped lower margin; flaring side plates having means connecting the lower margins of the side plates and through which said nozzle projects, said plates conforming to and being connected with the lower margin of said diaphragm and terminating short of the front end of the smoke box; and a front baffle conforming to and connected with the front ends of said side plates and having an upper margin below the top of said smoke box, said front bafile being spaced from the front of the lift pipe and the front end of the smoke box, the front bailie, diaphragm, side plates and their connecting means and the associated parts coacting to provide a substantially imperforate open-top hopper-like bafile structure the open top of which is directed toward the lower end of the lift pipe and communicates above the front bafile with the smoke box space forward of said baffle, whereby the products of combustion, including cinders, are caused to travel forwardly into the lower portion of said space forward of said front bafile, upwardly in front of said bafile structure, rearwardly and downwardly into said structure, and then upwardly into the lift pipe, during which travel the cinders are subjected to disintegrating impacts against the front and top of the smoke box.

OTTO JABELMANN. LEONARD K. BOT'I'ERON.

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