US446274A - Mechanical stoker - Google Patents

Description

(No M04191.)

J. B. WARD. MECHANICAL STOKER.

No. 446,274. Patented Feb. 10,1891.

WITNESSES ms mums PETERS co, PHuTO-Ll'mo WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. WARD, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

MECHANICAL STOKER.

SPECIFICA TION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,274, dated February 10, 1891.

Application filed May 15, 1890. Serial No. 351,913. (No model.)

To all whomtt may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. WARD, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota. have invented a new and Improved Mechanical Stoker, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved mechanical stoker, more especially designed for locomotives, to obviate the laborious Work of charging the firebox with fuel, and preventing the escape of heat.

The invention consists of auinclined chute leading to the fire-box, and provided with gates and a feed-screw having adjustable wings and connecting the fuel-store with the chute.

The invention also consists in certainparts and details and combinations of the same, as will be described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accom panyin g drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of partof the same on the line a: wof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aplan View of one of the feed-screw wings, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the coupling.

The improved mechanical stoker, as shown in the drawings, is applied to a locomotive;

but it may be equally well adapted to stationary boilers, furnaces, &c.

The mechanical Stoker-A is provided with an inclined chute B, passing at its lower end through the door-opening G into the fire-box O of the boiler D. A gate E passes into the chute B at the opening 0', so as to close the latter'during the time the fire-box is not being charged with fuel. The gate E is hung on-acha-in F, extending upward and passing over pulleys G and G, arranged at the end of the boiler B, as is plainly shown in Fig.1. The upper end of the chain F connects with a lever H, fulcrumed on a bracket H, secured on one side of the chute B, or on any other part of the cab of the locomotive, into which the lever H extends, so as to be within convenient reach of the fireman. The lever H is adapted to be locked on a segment H by means of a pawl H connected with the usual hand-lever H pivoted on the lever H.

A gate I, similar to the gate E, is arranged a suitable distance from the gate E in the chute B. Said gate I is mounted to slideverticallyin suitable guideways B, formed on the sides of the chute B, as is plainly shown in Fig. 1. nected with a chain J, which passes over a pulley G held on the bracket II, and then the chain passes under the pulley G and connects with the chain F. NVhen the lever H is in the position shown in Fig. 1, both gates E and I are closed; but when the operator throws the lever II to the left apull is exerted on the chain F, which by being connected with the chain J raises both gates E and I simultaneously, so that the fire-box O can be charged. WVhen the lever II is thrown to-the right, the gates E and I close by their own weight. The gate I is arranged a suitable distance from the gate E,so as to prevent the fuel from passing onto the gate E, which when the fuel is burning-in the fire-boxO becomes very hot and would coke fuel resting on the gate The fuel now accumulates in front of the gate I, which is protected from the heat of the fire-box. by the gate E. V The inclined chute B continues at its upper end into a horizontal extension B in which is mounted to turn a feed-screw K, carrying on its shaft abevel gear-wheel L, meshing intoa similar gear-wheel L, secured on the transversely-extending shaft L mounted to turn in suitable hearings in the cab of the locomotive. The shaft L is connected by suitable means with a motor of any approved construction, so as to impart a rotary motion to the said shaft, which by the gear-wheels L and L turns the feed-screw K. The outer end of the. shaft of the feed-screw K connectsby a couplingNwith the shaft of the feed-screw 0, extending into a channel P, formed in the bottom of the supply-store Q on the tender of fuel discharged by the feed-screw K accumulates in the upper part of the chute B in front .the shaft L and consequently that of the feed-screws K and O,is stopped.

The operator then moves the lever II to the left, as previously described, so as to simultaneously raise the gates E and I to permit the fuel in the chute B to slide down into the lire-box (J, so as to charge the latter with the proper quantity of fuel. As soon as the fuel has passed into the lire-box the gates E and I are again closed, as previously descri bed, the shaft 1. is again set in motion, so that the feed screws 0 and K again fill the upper part of the chute B, as previously described. The fuel remains in the chute 13 until it is again necessary to charge the'fire-box in the manner above described. The wings R of the feed-screws K and O are made in half-turn sections, held adjustably by screws or other 1neans on the shafts of the, feed-screws. 'The wings can thus be moved closer together or farther apart, according to the size of the fuel employed-as, for instance, for small coal the wings have to be closer together, while for larger coal they have to be farther apart.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In a mechanical stoker, the combination, with an inclined chute provided with two gates arranged one in front of the other, of a feed-screw discharging into the upper end of the said chute, substantially as shown and described.

I 2. In a mechanical stoker, the combination, with an inclined chute leading into the tireboX, of two vertieally-reciprocating gates arranged one in front of the other in the said .chute, one of the said gates closing the opening leading to the fire-box, and a lever common to both gates, substantially as shown stantially as shown and described.

5. In a mechanical Stoker, the combination, with an inclined chute having a horizontal extension, ofa'feed-screw operating in the said horizontal extension and provided with adjustable wings of'half-turns, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, witha locomotive having a tender the in'n'er'side walls of which incline downward and inward, terminating in a longitudinal channel, of a feed-screw work- .ing in said-channel, and an inclined chute leading to the door of the fire-box above the grate-bars and receiving coal from said screw,

substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a locomotive having an inclined chute leading to the fire-box andprovided with a horizontal section at its upper end, and a feed-screw working'in said section, of a tender having a channel registering with said chute-section and provided with a longitudinal screw, and a coupling uniting the adjacent ends of the two screw-sections, substantially asset forth.

- JOHN B. WARD. Witnesses:

R. H. VoRPAHL, \VILL JoHNsoN.

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