US510553A - Furnace - Google Patents

Description

(No Mod'el.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

1?..H. RICHARDS.

FURNAGE.

Patented Deo. 12, 1893.

TMm/S5555.'

Mya@

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

P.' H. RIGHARDS-- FURNAGE.

No. 510,553. Patented Deo. 12, 1893.

MTI-155556,'

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCISII. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ECKLEY B. COXE, OF DRIFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 510,558, dated December 12, 1893.

Application tiled September 1, 1893. Serial No. 484,560. (No model.)

To M Z whom it may concern.-

3e 1t known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, 1n the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to traveling-grate furnaces; the object being to provide a furnace In which the fuel -carrying plates or gratebars of the furnace-floor shall be operable Independently of the traveling-movement of said Hoor, for the purpose of break- Ing up or agitating the fuel during the com# bustlon of the same.

My present improvements are shown applied to a furnace of the general class descrIbed and claimed in the Letters Patent No. 499,716, granted to Eckley B. CoXe, June 20, 1893, to which reference may be had fora fuller description of those minor features of the furnace-mechanism which are herein only briefly described; and it is more particularly In the nature of an improvement on the invention described in the prior application of said Coxe for an improvement in furnaces, Serial No. 447,264, filed July l2, 1893, to which application I have permission to refer.

In the drawing@ accompanying and forming apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view, partially in section, of a furnace embody- Ing my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the furnace, which Is here shown supplied with fuel as when in operation. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectIon, on the line a-a, Fig. 2, showing the parts at the right-handfof said line as seen from a point at the left-hand thereof. Fig. 4 1s a plan view of one of the furnace-Hoor plates or grate-sections. Fig. 5 is a side view of said door-plate, as seen from below in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an end view of said Hoor-plate, as seen from the right-hand in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 7 is a plan 'View of one of the gratebeams.

Similar characters designate like parts in all of the figures.

In the furnace shown in the drawings, the furnace-chamber C is inclosed by the usual side-walls 2 and 4, and is covered by a roof, A, which, in practice, will be made of firebrick or other like material; at the rearward end of the furnace is the usual bridge-Wall 7, and at the forward end thereof vthe ignitionblock B, over which the fuel is delivered to the traveling furnace-door from a fuel-supply hopper, H, that is set at the forward end of the furnace.

The grate-mechanism of the furnace, together With the walls of the furnace-chamber, is supported by means of a framework comprising suitable posts, as 5 and 5', held together by tie-rods or like devices, 6, and constructed or furnished for carrying the several operative features of the mechanism. Said framework may be such as shown in the drawings, or of any other construction suitable for the described purposes.

' The traveling-grate or furnace-floor, designated in a general way by G, consists of a series of gratecarrying beams, N, supported upon a pair of endless chains, 50, which run upon the chain- Wheels 12 and 14, that are carried by the shafts 13 andl15, respectively, whereby the endless grate is actuated. Asa means lfor operating the chain-wheel shafts, one of these, 15, is shown provided with a Worm-wheel, 40, which meshes with a worm, 4l, on a driving-shaft, 42, that is carried by bearings 43,43', 43, on the framework of the furnace structure. Said shaft 42 may be operated" by any ordinary means, as, for instance, a pulley, 44, fixed thereon.

The f urnace-Iioer consists of a series of suitable fuel-carrying plates or grate-bars, which, as shown best in the detail views, Figs. 4, 5, and 6, comprise (in the preferred form there- ,of herein shown) a ,series of bars or fingers, 9,

which intermesh those of one door-plate with those of another floor-plate, as will be understood by comparison of the several figures of drawings, the arrangement described being shown best in Fig. 1. The floor-plate 18, is shown provided with a slide-plate or stem, 19, whereby itis supported on the beam N, by means of said stern fittingin the slide-way or slot, 20, of the beam. At the ends of the beam fuel from running against the sides of the furnace-chamber. Then the several gratebeams are located side by side and vertically along the upper run 1O of the endless grate, said guard-walls 16 form a continuous wall the entire length of the furnace-floor, as will be understood by comparison of Figs. 2 and 3.

As a means for supporting the upper and lower runs of the endless grate, the chains of the upper run are carried upon rollers, 51, which are supported in the roller-beams, 52, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3; and the lower run of the grate is supported by the described guard-walls of the beams running upon similar rollers, 5l, supported by the corresponding roller-beams 52, said beams being fixed in some suitable manner to the framework of the furnace structure. This feature of the furnace-mechanism is described in the aforesaid application of Eckley B. Coxe, Serial No. 447,264, filed July 12, 1893.

The air-supply apparatus for the furnace may consist, as described in the aforesaid Letters Patent No. 499,716, of a series of air-blast chambers, a, b, c, d and e, which may be su pplied with air through the corresponding pipes, a', b', c', CZ and e', from a common supply-pipe, M, leading to some suitable air-blast apparatus, as, for instance, an air-blower or air-chamber, not herein shown. In practice, said pipes a', b', c', d', and e', will be furnished with means for independently regulating the air-pressure in the successive airchambers, after the manner described in said Letters Patent No. 499,716, and according to the process described and claimed in Letters Patent No. 499,715,granted to Eckley B. Coxe, June 20, 1393.

The floor-plates 1S are fitted to be lifted and lowered vertically of the furnace-floor, by means of their stems 19 being fitted to slide vertically in the aforesaid slots 2O ofthe gratebeams N. Said sliding movement is limited by a pin, 21, inserted through said beam and engaging in the notch or slot, 19', in the edge of said floor-plate stem. By this means, also, when the grate-beams pass around the wheel 14 to the under run of the endless grate, said ioonplates are prevented from dropping out of the beams, being held therein by said pin, as indicated in Fig. 2. The grate-beams, N, as shown in Fig. 3, are notched on the under side thereof about midway of the width of the slide-mortises 20, and said 'notches are covered by said slides when these are lowered to their normal position, at which time the lower ends of the stems or slides 19 coincide substantially with the lower line of said gratebeams. This arrangementis for the purpose of substantially closing the air-space between the lower edge of the grate-beams and the division-plates 32 between the aforesaid airsupply chambers, d, b, c, d and e.

According to mypresentimprovements,suit able lifting-bars, as, for instance, the horizontal bars 23 and 23', are located Linder that part of the furnace-floor where the combustion causes the fuel to most rapidly become matted or condensed so as to clog the passage of air through the same. In Figs. 2 and 3, the lifting-bars 23 are shown lowered, and the alternate lifting-bars 23 are shown lifted, whereby the alternate floor-plates in the gratebeam are lifted, as indicated in Fig. 3, for the purpose of breaking up and agitating the fuel upon that part of the furnace-Hoor. For the purpose of actuating the lifting-bars, these are provided with one or more stems, 68, 68', which extend downwardly through suitable bearings (in this case, formed in the d1- vision-walls of the aforesaid air-blast chambers) and terminate adjacent to the camshafts 62, 62', which are supported in suitable bearings in the frame-work of the furnace and are provided with lifting-cams, 60 and 60', for operating said stems and liftingbars. The lifting- cams 60 and 60 are shown set alternately in crosswise positions (see Fig. 2) so as to alternately lift and lower the alternate floor-plates, as indicated in Fig. 3. For driving the cam-shafts 62 and 62', these are shown furnished at one end with the gears 59, 59', which mesh with a driving-gear, 56, adjacent to a worm-Wheel, 54, meshing with a worm, 53, on the aforesaid driving-shaft 42. Some suitable clutch device, as 58, is provided for coupling and uncoupling said wormwheel with the intermediate gear 56 for the purpose of starting and stopping said camshafts; for this purpose said clutch is to be furnished with an ordinary clutch-actuating lever (not shown) whereby the same may be thrown into mesh or out of mesh, in a wellknown manner.

The operation of the furnace will be readily understood by means of the precedingdescription read in connection with the drawings and with reference to the aforesaid Letters Patent. The fuel, being fed to the furnace as described, is ignited adjacent to the ignition-block B while subjected to a moderate air-blast from the chamber a. Passing rearwardly in the furnace, it is afterward subjected to air-blasts, first of increased pressure from the chambers b and c, and later to airblasts of successively decreased pressures from the chambers d and e, according to the aforesaid process. When using fuel of a bituminous or semi-bituminous character, and when this is brought to an intense combustion, as usually done, for instance, over the chambers Z) and c, the heat tends to mat or compact the fuel into a mass, so as to prevent the passage of air through the same and thus check the combustion and greatly reduce the capacity of thefurnace. For overcoming this result, the attendant operates the liftingbars to alternately lift and lower the alternate floor-plates and thereby break up the mass of fuel. The result of this operation is substantially the same as obtained in ordinary fixed grates by means of the so-called IOO IIO

slicing-bars used by the firemen for breaking up the coked fuel upon the grate during the middle and later stages of combustion.

My present improvements are not only adapted for use in connection with the series of air-chambers described, but may be used in traveling-grate furnaces not supplied with that feature.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In afurnace, the combination with a traveling grate having operable floor-plates, of plate-operating bars underneath the grate, and means for actuating said bars, substantially as described. y

2. In a furnace, the combination with a traveling grate comprising carrying-chains and transverse beams having slide-Ways therein, of a series of licor-plates having stems fitting in slide-Ways, and elevating-mechanism under the grate-beams in position for actuating said floor-plates during the traveling movement thereof, substantially as described.

3. In a furnace, the combination with a traveling grate comprising carrying-chains, gratebeams, and liftable door-plates carried by said beams, and with means for actuating the endless grate, of lifting-bars in position underneath the grate, and cams for operating said bars, substantially as described.

4E. In a furnace, the combination of a series of adjacent vertically-operable furnace-door plates, means for carrying said plates along the furnace, and lifters located under the furnace-floor for operating said floor-plates, substantially as described.

5. In a furnace, the combination with a traveling grate having operable floor-plates substantially as described, means for supplying fuel to the grate, a series of air-blast apparatuses under the grate, and furnace-oor-plate actuating devices in position for operating the floor-plates during the traveling-movement thereof over said air-blast apparatuses, substantially as described.

6. In a furnace, the combination with a traveling grate having independently -operable Hoor-plates, of bars under the path of the traveling-movement of 'said plates, cams for actuating said bars, and means for operating the cams, substantially as described.

7. In a furnace, the combination with a traveling grate substantially as described having independently-operable grate-bars or floorplates, of grate-bar-aotuating devices located underneath the traveling grate, and drivingmechanism, substantially as described, for simultaneously operating the grate and said devices, substantially as set forth.

8. In a furnace, the combination, in a traveling grate therefor, of carrying-chains, transverse beams, and independent door-plates operatively supported in said beams and having projecting grate-bars or lingers interrneshing those on one beam with those on the adjacent beam, substantially as described.

9. In a furnace, the improved traveling grate herein described, comprising carryingchains, means for actuating said chains, and transverse grate-beams carried by the chains,

Ycombined With furnace-floor plates operatively supported on said beams and intermeshing those of one beam with those of the other beam, substantially as described.

10. In a furnace, in combination, a traveling grate comprising'fuel-supporting plates movably-supported therein, means forimparting a traveling movement to the grate, and

means for independently operating the fuel- Y supporting plates.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, EMMA G. FOWLER.

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