US3293888A

US3293888A - Alcohol burners

Info

Publication number: US3293888A
Application number: US453259A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford H Fry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-05-05
Filing date: 1965-05-05
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27

Description

C. H. FRY

ALCOHOL BURNERS Dec. 27, R966 Filed May 5, 1965 W o INVENTOR Cfliffmd H. Fry

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,293,888 ALCOHOL BURNERS Clifiord H. Fry, 2031 W. Calle Placida, Tucson, Ariz. 85705 Filed May 5, 1965, Ser. No. 453,259 10 Claims. (Cl. 6753) This invention relates to liquid fuel burners, and more particularly to alcohol burners of the wick type.

One object of the invention is to devise a simple, practical assembly of fuel container, combustion chamber and Wick holder.

Another object is to provide a special arrangement of rope-type wick having an enlarged upper end, thus forming a greater burning area for the fuel.

Yet another object of the invention is to produce the enlarged upper end by tying a knot in the wick, and more specifically, a novel, generally spherical or globular knot.

A still further object is to provide a knotted wick of this character made largely of mineral or non-combustible fibrous material, whereby the upper end, comprising the knot, does not require trimming.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through the container and combustion chamber assembly, showing one form of wick in position therein;

FIG. 2 is a similar section through the container lid and wick-receiving cup, the knot of the wick being shown as removed from the cup;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the formation of a different type of special knot at the end of a three-strand twisted rope, the strands being shown as they appear during the initial stage of the knot forming operation; and

FIG. 4 is a similar view, showing the parts as they appear after the final stage of the knot forming operation.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and more particularly first to FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 designates a fuel container, which may be advantageously provided with a removable screw top or lid 2. A vertically disposed, cylindrical, open top combustion chamber 3 is supported on the lid 2 and secured thereto, as by welding. The diameter of this combustion chamber is preferably substantially larger than that of the lid, as shown in FIG. 1. A wick-knotreceiving cup 5 is supported on the bottom of the combustion chamber, and secured thereto, as by welding. The lid, combustion chamber and cup are assembled coaxially, and the assembly is provided with a central opening 6. Air inlet openings 4 are provided in the combustion chamber around the cup 5, either in the bottom, as shown, or in the side walls near the bottom, as desired.

A round cord or rope-type wick 7 passes from the container 1 up through the opening 6 into the cup 5, the upper end of the wick being tied in a simple, single knot 8. This, when flattened down, substantially fills the cup 5, as shown in FIG. 1. The alcohol is carried up the wick 7 by capillary action, and saturates the knot 8, thus providing a greatly enlarged area from which combustion of the fuel takes place.

With the ordinary, conventional, straight, cord-type wick, it is necessary to trim the upper end from time to time to remove the charred portion, etc., but with my novel knotted wick, trimming of the knot is not practical. I therefore find it desirable to construct the wick largely of fibrous material which is non-combustible. Thus I may employ a mixture of a small amount of cotton fibers with a larger proportion of asbestos fibers, fiber glass, or other non-combustibles. A wick formed of such materials 3 ,293,888 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 does not burn or char, and hence does not require trimming.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 I have illustrated a special and novel form of knot which may be used in place of the simple knot 8 of FIGS. 1 and 2. For lack of a better name, I have referred to it as a double reverse knot.

This knot is formed at the end of a three-strand rope by individually interlooping the strands with each other. In the drawing, 9 designates the twisted rope made up of the

separate strands

10, 11 and 12. The strand 10 is formed into a loop 10a which passes through similar loops 11a and 12a of strands 11 and 12, and crosses itself, with its end projecting at 1011. The loop 11a of strand 11, as above mentioned, passes through loop 10a, and then the end crosses under itself and over strand 10, and terminates at 11b. The strand 12 goes through the loop 11a, and then crosses both strands 10 and 11 and itself, and terminates at 12b.

When the loops are substantially tightened up, there is produced a generally spherical or globular knot having a diameter two to three times as great as the diameter of the rope. The projecting ends 10b, 11b and 12b, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, are finally cut off as at 13 to produce the finished globular knot.

With this double reverse knot, it is of the utmost importance, as with the simple knot, to employ a wick made largely of non-combustible material which will not char. I have found that the three-strand rope made by the Carborundum Company, and sold under the trade name Fiberfax, is eminently suitable. It is described as containing 15 to 20% of organic carrier fiber mixed with What is referred to as ceramic fiber, represented as refractory, and capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2300 F.

It will be understood that, in use, the rope 9, with the completed knot at its upper end, is fed downwardly through the opening 6 into the container 1 until the knot rests within the cup 5. The size and shape of this cup are so chosen, in every case, as to snugly enclose the particular knot employed.

While I prefer to employ the knot-receiving cup 5, and while it is decidedly advantageous in most cases, it is not always absolutely essential. In some cases the cup may be omitted, and the knot supported simply on the bottom of the combustion chamber, where it will operate satisfactorily.

What I claim is:

1. An alcohol burner comprising a fuel container having a removable lid, a vertically disposed cylindrical combustion chamber having at its lower end a bottom supported on and secured to said lid, and having an open upper end, a cup within said combustion chamber supported on and secured to said bottom, said lid, combustion chamber and cup being assembled co-axially, said assembly having a central opening, and a wick passing through said opening and extending upwardly from said container into said cup, said combustion chamber having air inlet openings adjacent its lower end surrounding said cup.

2. An alcohol burner in accordance with claim 1, in which the wick is of the round rope type, and its upper end is formed into a knot lying within said cup.

3. An alcohol burner in accordance with claim 2 in which the knotted wick is formed largely of non-combustible fibrous material, whereby the upper end containing the knot does not require trimming.

4. An alcohol burner comprising a cup having a central opening, a container for fuel, and a rope-type wick passing from said container through said opening, into said cup, the end of said wick being formed into a knot, said knot lying within said cup.

5. An alcohol burner comprising a cup having a central opening, a container for fuel, and a rope-type wick extending from said container through said opening into said cup, the end of said wick being formed into a generally spherical knot, said knot being enclosed Within said cup.

6. An alcohol burner comprising a cup having an opening in its bottom, a container for fuel, and a wick extending from said container through said opening into said cup, said wick consisting of a three-strand rope, the ends of said strands being individually interlooped with each other and manipulated to form a generally globular knot substantially larger than said rope, which knot is enclosed within said cup.

7. An alcohol burner in accordance with claim 6 in which the globular knot of the wick is composed largely of mineral, non-combustible fibrous material, whereby said wick and knot, when once installed, will continue to feed fuel to be burned indefinitely, without being disturbed.

8. An alcohol burner comprising a combustion chamber having a central opening in its bottom, a container for fuel, and a rope-type wick passing from said container through said opening, into said combustion chamber, the end of said wick within said combustion chamber being formed into a knot.

9. An alcohol burner comprising a fuel container, a vertically disposed, cylindrical combustion chamber having at its lower end a bottom supported on said container, said bottom having an opening, and a rope-type wick passing through said opening and into said container, the upper end of said wick being formed into a knot disposed within said combustion chamber.

10. An alcohol burner comprising a fuel container having a removable lid, a vertically disposed, cylindrical combustion chamber having at its lower end a bottom supported on and secured to said lid, said lid and combustion chamber being assembled co-axially and having a central opening, and a wick passing through said opening and extending upwardly from said container into said combustion chamber, said wick being formed at its upper end into a knot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,730,253 10/1929 Thesen l26-43 2,250,198 7/1941 Hutt 67-55 2,822,037 2/1958 McCutchen 158--94 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ALCOHOL BURNER COMPRISING A FUEL CONTAINER HAVING A REMOVABLE LID, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED CYLINDRICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING AT ITS LOWER END A BOTTOM SUPPORTED ON SAID SECURED TO SAID LID, AND HAVING AN OPEN UPPER END, A CUP WITHIN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER SUPPORTED ON AND SECURED TO SAID BOTTOM, SAID LID, COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND CUP BEING ASSEMBLED CO-AXIALLY, SAID ASSEMBLY HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, AND A WICK PASSING THROUGH SAID OPENING AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID CONTAINER INTO SAID CUP, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING AIR INLET OPENINGS ADJACENT ITS LOWER END SURROUNDING SAID CUP.