US2259246A - Tubular wick for liquid fuel burners - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1941. c. w. DAVIS ET AL TUBULAR WICK FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Filed Oct. 1'7, 1938 2 Shee'cs-Sheel l .I1 l. fills! INVENTORS. W D4 W5.

ATTORNE I Coene/v0 BY W44 TEE Oct. 14, 1941. c. w. DAVIS ET Al.

TUBULAR WICK FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1958 INVENTUM. C'o/QTLHND W @4V/5. WAL 72",@ EN H.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 14, 1941 4liriTfElvT OFFICE 2,259,246 j Y TUBULAR WicKFoR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Cortland W. Davis and Walter B. Engh, Alexandria, Ind., assignors to The Mantle Lamp Company of America, Chi

Illinois cago, Ill., a corporation of Application October 17, 1938, Serial No. .235,446` In Great Britain January 4,` 1938 10 Claims.

This invention pertains to tubular wicks for use with burners particularly adapted for use with blue-flame heating and cooking4 stoves.

It is an object of the invention to produce a wick particularly adapted for burners for heating and cooking purposes, and Which will rapidly feed a large quantity of liquid fuel per unit of time to the flame of the burner.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a wick of the kind described, for use with wick operating mechanism containedbetween the upper and lower ends of the body of the burner used therewith, for any operative position of the wick in the burner, and vin addition, as a further object, to construct said wick so its operating mechanism connections may be projected below the base of the burner when it is desired to attach the wick to or disconnect the same from said operating mechanism.

It is afurther object of the invention to produce atubular wick havinga continuous annular upper portion and a lower portion slit in line with the side draft passages of a burner when in place therein, whereby the wick tails so formed extend downwardly through the burner `between said draft passages, certain of said tails carrying reinforcing members for attachment at their lower ends with the wick operating mechanism of the burner, which members extend upwardly and are connected at their upper ends with the continuous annular upper portion of the wick, whereby the wick operating forces are communicated to the portion of the wick that will not be deformed by said forces, and reliable and definite operation of the wick will result from actuation of the wick operating mechanism.

The above and other objects ol the invention willmore fully appear by reference to theaccompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of said wick and also illustrating a burner with which the wick is adapted to be used, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional View ofthe burner with the improved wick in place therein,

Fig. 2 shows in perspective view, one .form of the wick construction of the invention, adapted for use with the burner illustrated in Fig. 1,

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and front elevations of the wick tailreinforcing strip shown in Fig. 2 before its application to a wick,

Fig. 5 is a vertical, sectional `view to an enlarged scale through the wick tail shown in Fig. 2 as equipped with a reinforcing strip, taken along the line 5-5 in the latter iigure, and

Figs; 6 and 7 show in views similar to Fig. 2, modified constructions of the wick.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. 5f. j As shown in Fig. 1, the burner includes an inner wick tube IU having 'a lower end wall Illa, and provided at its upper end with a flame spreader I I. The lower portion of the inner wick tube I0 -is secured to a tubular support I2 for the Lo: outer wick tube, by a plurality of flat radial tubes I3 forming side draft passages into the inner wick 4tube to supply thereto the air required for the'proper combustion of the inside of the llame. The tubular support I2 is spaced substantially 12,5; from the wick tube I0 so that thelower portion ol the wick, and the wick operating devices may move vertically and freely in the space thus formed. The tubes I3 are relatively narrow and high so that little obstruction will be offered to 2o; the movement of the wick an-d `that at the same time a substantial quantity of air will be supplied to the inside of the wick tube IQ. The tubular support I2 is connected at its lower end with an inturned ange on the lower end of the burner base I4 which is provided with perforations to supply air to the tubes I3 and also through the burner to the outside of the iiame.

The burner also includes an outerwick tube IS surrounding the inner wick tube I0 and spaced at Sgits upper end from the inner wick tube by an amount substantially equal to the thickness of theannular wick 20 used with the burner. Be-l low the wick guiding portion of the tube IS, sai-d tube is enlarged and extended downwardly and shouldered adjacent its lower end to rest on the upper end of the tubular support I2.

The outer wick tube I6, the name flange I 'I thereon, the support therefor comprising a conical and perforated air distributor I 8, and the as- 493 sembly including the gallery deck I9 and attached outer and inner burner cones I9a and 2I and thechimney ange 22, are of known construction, for example,'substantially of the construction and for the purposes shown and de-v lig, scribed in U. S. Reissue Patent #18,061 and dated May l5, `1931.

The wick 20, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a continuous tubular portion at its upper end below which the wick is split longik tudinally to divide the lower portion of the wick into tails 26a, preferably o'f equal Width, the slits being inalignment with the air tubes I3 when the wick is in the burner, so that the tails 20a will pass through the lower portion of the burner `between said air tubes. `In the drawings, six air tubes I3 and six tails 20a on the wick 20 are indicated, but it will be understood that any other number of air tubes and tails may be employed if preferred in any case.

As shown in Fig. l, opposite ones of the tails 20a have secured to them stiif longitudinal reinforcing and operating metal strips 23. As more clearly shown in Fig. 2 for one of said strips 23, the strip is secured to the corresponding wick tail 20a by prongs 23a carried by the lower end portion of the strip and extending through said tail and clinched to secure the parts together.

An eyelet 24 also extends through the lower end portion of the strip 23 and the wick'tail, which,V

besides aiding in holding the strip and wick tail together, forms a socket for receiving a part of the wick operating mechanism as below described. As vshown in Fig. 2, the lower part of the continuous tubular upper portion of the wick 20, is surrounded by a reinforcingvand stiffening band 20h, preferably of'rm thin fabric, and the upper end of the strip 23. extends above the lower edge of said band, the upper end portion of the strip being provided with prongs 23h which extend through the said band and wick and are clinched to tightly hold the strip and the wick together. As a result of this construction, any wick operating forces exerted vertically on the eyelets 24 by the wick operating mechani-sm, are communicated by the strips' 23 to the upper continuous annular and reinforcedrportion of the wick 20 which is capable of withstanding the said forces without deformation, partly becauseV of the upper continuous portion of the wick being relatively stable per se, and partly because: 'of said portion being. positively supported between the outer wick tube I6 and the inner wick tube ID. If the wick operating forces were applied directly to the wick tails 20a at the locations of the eyelets 24, without stiening the tails, the desired operation of the wick would not result, because of the loose or flexible'nature of the tails 20a resulting from the wick being made up of fibers loosely Vtwisted and loosely fabricated. Y y

As shown in Fig. 1, the wick operating mechanism includes a vertical rack guide 25 disposed in the inner wick tube I0 and extending just through the bottom wall Illa of said wick tube, to which bottom wall it is rigidly secured. Said guide contains a vertically movable rack bar 25 which meshes with a pinion 21 secured to the inner` end portion of a horizontal shaft or rod 28.

The pinion is mounted in a housing 29 secured to the upper end portionof the rack guide 25. A bracket 3B between the housing 29 and the inner wick tube l!) gives stable support. to the upper end of the rack guide 25.

The upper end of the rack bar 26 has rigidly secured thereto, for example; by a rivet 33, by

soldering or other desired means, the mid-portion of a bent wick-operating bar 34 having substantially parallel side members extending towards the bottom wall 20a of the inner wick tube l0, which side members are bent to clear the rack guide 25, the housing 29 and the bracket 30, and adjacent the bottom wall [0a of the inner wick tube the end portions v34a of4 24 and threaded to receive with a tight fit, internally threaded thumb nuts 35 to hold the wick tails and their reinforcing strips 23 securely in engagement with the wick operating bar 34, the thumb nuts 35 being of a thickness or length smaller than the space between the wick and the tubular support l2, so that they may move freely vertically in operating the wick, the ends of the wick operating bar 34 preferably being ush with the outer faces of the thumb nuts 35. The wick operating bar 34 and the rack bar 216 are so proportioned that when a new and unused Wick is in its operating position, the end portions 34a of the wick operating bar are substantially in or slightly above the plane of the bottom wall lila. of the inner wick tube l0, the slots -Ic permitting the wick operating bar to be moved upwardly as the wick is burned from continued use. For the lower position of the bar 34 just referred to, the thumb nuts 35 are between the lower end portions of the inner wick tube l0 and the tubular support l2, and to permit the ready removal of the thumb nuts 35 for the purpose of removing an old wick and inserting a new one, the rack bar 25 is constructed to move the wick operating bar 34 an additional amount downwardly so that the thumb nuts 35 will be clear of the lower ends of the inner wick tube Il) and tubular support l2. To permit this additional movement the slots IQc are extended into the outer portion of the bottom wall lila of the inner wick tube IB, to clear the horizontal end portions 34a of the wick operating bar, for wick changing purposes.

After the rack bar 26 is assembled in place as described, one or'more of the lower teeth of the said vrack bar are preferably riveted or deformed as indicated at 26a in Fig. l, to prevent moving the rack bar upwardly from engagement with the pinion 21.

`The wicks are provided with the reinforcing strips 23 and eyelets 24, or are otherwise providedV as described with stifening means and with separable connection means for cooperation with the Ywick operating mechanism of a burner, in

connection withmanufacturing said wicks, so that they are ready for installation in the burners when new wicks are needed therein.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate one of the reinforcing strips 23 before its application to a wick, to show a manner in which the prongs 23a and 23h may be formed integrally with the reinforcing strip. Fig. 5 illustrates the advantage of the use of the reinforcing strips 23, the length of the continuous tubular portion of the wick 2i) being designated W, and the intended amount of burning of the wick being indicated by w, leaving a portion w1 of the continuous portion of the wick that is still available in a completely used wick, to cooperate with the stiifening band 25h in engaging the prongs 23D so that the wick may be positively moved vertically even after the intended amount of the wick has been consumed.

Fig. 6 illustrates a wick 20c having a continuous, tubular upper end portion and split tails 20d similar to the wick 2U and tails 20a above described, but in this case, the reinforcing means 26e surrounding the lower part of the continuous tubular portion of thewick, extends down at 2Uf onto the upper end portions of the tails 20d to reinforce the tails as well as the continuous tubular portion of the wick. In this case, operating strips similar to the strips 23 above described, may be employed as illustrated for one of said strips at 23e, which strip as shown, is secured to the upper end portion'of one of the tails 26d, by clinched prongs 23d extending through the correspending tail extension 26j of the reinforcing means e, said strip 23o being provided with an eyelet 24a at its lower end for engagement with the wick operating mechanism, no connecting prongs being shown at the lower endof the strip, since said lower prongs may-be omitted in any case, if preferred.

It will be understood that the strips 23 or the strips 23c'or their equivalents, should in any caseA where they are used, be connected at their upper end portions with relatively stable po-rtions of the wick structure to insure proper operation of the wick by any suitable wick operating mechanism, but that said strips or their equivalents need not in all cases be connected with the tails of the Wick, in which cases the eyelets, if used, need extend only through said strips or their equivalents to form sockets for the wick bar end portions of the wick operating mechanism. In somecases, if preferred, the 'strips 23 and 23o may be'omitted, and the wick structure may be stiffened as required for effective movement by wick operating mechanism by continuing the extensions 29j of the reinforcing means 20e down the wick tails and securing said extensions thereto, or by impregnation with suitable chemical compounds, for example, compounds of phenol or cresol as disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,570,666 which issued January 26, 1926, to Joseph Geppert. Where the wicks are stilened by chemical impregnation, as illustrated by the wick Z'iig in Fig. 7, portions of the wick may be provided with eyelets, or with openings constituting sockets, or with any other desired form of separable connection means for cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner, without the use of other stiffening or force transmitting means, for example, certain of the tails 29h of the wick may be provided with eyelets 24D to constitute said sockets.

It will be noted that the connection means disclosed for cooperation with the wick operating mechanism, are located substantially midway between the upper and lower ends of the wick structure.

It will be understood that, if preferred, the wick structure may be reinforced by the conjoint use of the mechanical means. and the impregnawhere the burners are provided with wick operating mechanisms engaging the wick structures substantially below their upper end portions and where with split or tailed wicks, said engagement might otherwise be with flexible portions of the Wicks.

The burner construction per se which is above described, is not claimed in the present application, as it constitutes the subject matter of our separate application, Serial No. 235,445 filed October 17, 1938.

While we have shown our invention in the particular embodiment described, it will be understood we do not limit ourselves thereto as we may employ equivalents thereof without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

l. A wick having a continuous and tubular upper portion and tails separate from each other and extending downward from said tubular porlin tion; said wick being relatively rigid adjacent the upper ends of said tails and relatively flexible belowsaid relatively rigid portion, stiff operating strips permanently connected at their upper ends with the relatively rigid wick portion and extending downward adjacent the relatively flexible tail portions, and eyelets extending through and connecting the lower end portions of said strips and the adjacent relatively flexible tail portions, said eyelets comprising sockets for cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner.

2. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular Aand tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively exible lower portion, and a stiff operating element extending from the relatively rigid wick portion downward along the relatively flexible wick portion for readily separable cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use with said wick, said operating element having relatively fixed connection with said relatively rigid upper portion intended to last unchanged and be permanent for the life of said wick and of such kind as to constitute said wick and said element a unitary article of manufacture.

3. A tubular' wick unit including in combination a tubular and tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively flexible lower portion, and stiff operating strips extending from the relatively rigid wick portion downward along the relatively flexible wick portion, said operating strips having relatively xed connection with said relativelyrigid upper portion intended to last unchanged and be permanent for the life of said wick and of such kind as to constitute said wick and said strips a unitary article of manufacture, said strips having openings at their lower end portions for readily separable cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use with said wick.

4. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular and tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively flexible lower portion, and two stiif operating strips extending l from diametrically opposite portions of the relatively rigid wick portion downward along the relatively flexible wick portion, said operating strips having relatively iixed connection with said relatively rigid upper portion intended to last unchanged and be permanent for the life of said wick and of such kind as to constitute said wick and said strips a unitary article of manufacture, said strips having openings at their lower end portions for readily separable cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use with said wick.

5. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular and tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively flexible lower portion, and a stiff operating element extending from the relatively rigid Wick portion downward along the relatively flexible wick portion for readily separable cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use with said wick, said operating element having relatively iixed connection with said relatively rigid upper portion and also with said relatively flexible lower portion intended to last unchanged and be permanent for the life of said wick and of such kind as to constitute said wick and said element a unitary article of manufacture.

6. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular and tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively exible lower portion, and stiff operating strips extending from the relatively rigid wick portion downward along the relativelypflexible wick portion, said operating strips having relatively xed connection with said relatively rigid upper portion and also with said relatively flexible lower portion intended to last unchanged and be permanent for the life of said wick and of such kind as to constitute said wick and said strips a unitary article of manufacture, said strips having openings at their lower end portions for readily separable cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use with said wick.

7. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular and tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively flexible lower portion, and two still operating strips extending-v `8. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular and tailed wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively ilexible lower portion, stiff operating strips extending from the relatively rigid wick portion downward along the relatively flexible wick portion, said voperating strips having relatively fixed connection with said relatively rigid upper portion intended to lastunchanged and be permanent for the life of said wick and of such kind as to constitute said wick and said strips a unitary article of manufacture, and headed eyelets extending through the lower end portions of said strips and also through said relatively ilexible lower portion, the heads on said eyelets holding said strips in engagement with said relatively flexible lower portion, said eyelets also comprising sockets for cooperation with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use with said Wick. f

9. A tubular wick unit including in combination a tubular wick having a relatively rigid upper portion and a relatively flexible lower portion, and stiflening means comprising a unitary part of the structure and having xed engagement with said relatively rigid portion and extending therefrom lengthwise of the-wick and down said lower portion for attachment with the wick operating mechanism of a burner adapted for use CORTLAND W. DAVIS. WALTER B. ENGH.

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