US527454A - Traveling-grate furnace - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

"P. H. RICHARDS. TRAVELING GRATE FURNACE.

Patented Oct. 16,1894.

Inventor? I I Y lmwllinshw- I A Witnesses.-

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

. I. H. RICHARDS.

TRAVELING GRATE FURNACE.

No. 527,454. Patented Oct. 16, 1894.

Witnesses: 17256725021 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FRANCIS II/RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ECKLEY B. COXE, OF DRIFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAVELlNG-GRATE FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,454, dated October 16, 1894.

Application filed July 18, 1894. Serial No. 517-875. (No model.)

7 T aZZ whom it vow/y concern:

Be it known that I, FaANc'Is H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford andState of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traveling-Grate Furnaces, of which the following is a specification. 1 This invention relates to traveling-grate [O furnaces andis in the nature of an improve ment upon the traveling-grate furnace described and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 510,551, granted to me December 12, 1893, to which reference may be had. n v r The object of my present invention is to provide in connection with a furnace of this class an endless traveling grate of improved construction and organization and to provide means for imparting atraveling movement to will be directly actuated from one end only.

Another object of the invention is to provide means fol-supporting the traveling grate entirely independent of its actuating mechanism, and also to provide means whereby one or more sections of the traveling grate o may be removed or replaced without disturbing the continuity of the remaining portion of said grate.

In the drawings accompanying and form ing partof this specification, Figure 1 is a 3 5 sectional side elevation of a traveling-grate furnace embodying my present improve- 1 merits, portions of the grate-sections being broken away to more clearly show the construction thereof. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan 0 View of a portion of said furnace. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of a portion of the furnace showing a portion of the framework for carryingthe grate-mechanism and one of the guide-ways which supports and directs 5 themovement of the traveling grate. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of the furnace taken in line ate-a, Fig.1 looking toward the left hand in said figure. Fig. 5 is a vertical crosssection of a portion of the furnace taken in line b-b, Fig. 1 and looking toward the left hand in said figure, the grate-actuating mech anism being partially shown in elevation. Fig. 6 is aside elevation, partiallyin section, of a portion of the traveling grate, on an enlarged scale, said figure showing two gratesections in an assembled condition. Fig. 7

is a cross-sectional view of two connected grate-sections taken in line c--c, Fig. 8,1001:- ing toward the left hand in said figure. Fig.

8 is a vertical longitudinal section of one of-6o the grate-sections.

Similar characters designate like parts in all of the figures. a

The furnace in connection with which my present improvements are shown, is, or may be, as to the general construction and arrangement thereof, substantially the same as the one described in Patent No. 510, 551 hereinbefore referred to, but it will be understood that my improvements are applicable to other furnaces than the one shown in said patent.

The furnace herein shown has the usual f urnace-cha'mber, C, and has the usual inclosing walls at the sides and ends thereof, and is also shown provided with the ordinary roof 7 5 A. The side-walls are designated by 2 and 4, respectively, the front-end wall by 3, the rear-end wall by 5, and the bridge-wall by 7.

At the forward end of the furnace this is provided with the usual fuel-hopper, H, from So which fuel is'deliveredto the furnace-chamher through the chute or opening, 5', in a wellknown manner. it

In the form thereof herein shown, thegrate which is supported in the furnace-chamber C, is in the nature of an endless traveling grate, designated in a general way by G, supported for traveling movement in the furnace-chamber C and comprising the upper and lower runs, 10 and 11, respectively, the upper run 0 1O constituting the furnace-floor proper.

As a means for supplying air to the fuel at varying pressures at successive pointsin the length of the f urnace-chamber to secure the best practical resultsyin the combustion of 9 5 the fuel, I have provided an air-blast apparatus which is shown located underneath the upper run of the grate and preferably comprising a series of successive air-blast chambers, herein shown as four in number, and

designated by a, b, c and d, respectively, which air-blast chambers may be of the same general construction and arrangementand carry out the same functions as the air-blast chambers shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 510,588, granted to Eckley B. Ooxe December 12, 1893, to which reference may be had, said air-blast apparatus being supported by some-suitable connections with the side-walls2 and 4 of the furnace. These air-blast chambers a, b, c and d are shown having communicating openings through their division walls and are shown supplied with air from a pipe, P, communieating with one of said chambers, herein shown as the chamber h, each air-blast chamber having an outlet opening contiguous to the fuel-carrying run of the grate, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The mode of operation of supplying air to the fuel at varying pressures at successive points in the traveling movement thereof is substantially the same as described in Letters Patent of the United StatesNo.

499,715, granted to Eckley B. Ooxe June 20, 1893, to which reference may be had for a more complete description of the operation of the air-blast apparatus, which air-blastapparatus, broadly, constitutes no part of my.

present invention.

Mypresent invention particularly resides in an improved construction and organization of traveling grate and in meansfor supporting, guiding, and actuating said grate, as

will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the preferred form thereof herein shown,

vthe travelingv grate, which is supported as before described, for traveling movement within the furnace-chamber, consists of a series of transversely-disposed grate-sections, 9, flexi blycoupled together by links, 9, at opposite ends thereof, asshown in Figs. 1, 4:, 5 and 6,

and are preferably provided with rollers, 6,

adapted to run upon tracks, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

As a means for supporting the upper and lower runs of the endless grate, and as a means forguiding-the. successive grate-sections' and maintaining them in their proper relative positions during the traveling movement thereof, I have provided grate-supportingguide-ways located one at each" side of -thefurnace-chamber and designated by 20,

way, 20, adapted for receiving the rollers 6 of the grate-sections 9. The upper portion of the channel 20, or thatportion which directs the movement of the fuel-carrying run 10 of the grate, is herein shownin a horizontal plane, while the lower'portion of said channel, or that portion which directs. the

movement of the" lower run of thegrate, is

shown inclined upward toward its rear end so 7 that the upper and lower runs of the grate at that end nearest the rear end of the furnace-chamber will be in closer proximity than at the forward or fuel-receiving end thereof when in operative position, thus securing a shorter turn to the endless grate at its delivering end than at its receiving end.

In practice, the guide-ways will preferably be formed integral with the side- plates 23 and 23 of the furnace-chamber, said side plates being laterally flanged as most clearly shown in Fig. 5 to form the tracks 21 and 22 which practically constitute said guide-ways.

To provide for the ready removal of one or more of the grate-sections, a portion of the tracks 21 and 22, at the forward end of the furnace-chamber are shown formed separate from the remaining portions of said tracks,

'saidsegments of tracks being formed upon a removable portion, 25, of the side-plates 23' and 23', respectively, one only of which is clearly shown. (See Fig. 3 of the drawings.) By removing the track-segments 25 at each side of the furnace-chamber I am enabled to disconnect a grate-section from the'next adjacent section and withdraw the same from either side of the furnace, as will be readily understood by reference to said Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In the present instance I have shown the furnace provided with a water-seal substantially such as described in the Patent No. 510,588,hereinbefore referred to, the function of which is to prevent the possible escape of air from the air-chambers around the lower run of the traveling grate.

In the form thereof herein shown, each grate-section consists-of a perforated fuelsupporting plate, 26, having transverse flanges, 27, at opposite ends thereof, and having'a longitudinal central web or flange, 28, extending from end to end of the grate-section between the end-flanges 27 thereof. In

"practice the central vlongitudinal flange 28 will be reinforced at opposite sides at each end thereof, and will be inwardlytapered to form a tooth,.29, at each end of the gratesection adapted to be engaged by the teeth of a revoluble driver, 12, as will be hereinafter more fully described. Formed at each end of the grate-section, preferably integral with the transverse flanges 27, are two remotely-disposed trunnions, 30,. whose axes are in a line, preferably, parallel with relation to the fuel-supporting face of the gratesection, each of which trunnions is adapted to be removably-engaged by the end of a link, 9, as shown most clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Loosely mounted upon pins, 8, secured in the trunnions 30 are the rollers 6 which ride upon the tracks 21and 22 of the guide-ways, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 5 and 8 of the drawings. The pins which carry the rollers 6 will, in practice, he

angular construction of trunnion is of ma terial importance as it not only provides a free pivotal connection between the coupling link 9 and trunnion, but also provides abutments or stop-faces for said coupling-link, which faces, while they permit the necessary amount of lateral movement of said links, limit the movement thereof during the change in positions of successive grate-sections during their circuitous traveling movement and thus retain the grate-sections in the proper relative positions. The coupling links 9' will,inpractice, usually be made of flat barmetal formed into a continuous loop as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, thus forming an oblong link having semi-circular trunnion engaging ends, said ends being adapted for engaging ,the opposite curved faces of two trunnions oftwo adjacent grate-sections, respectively, as will be understood by reference toFigs. 1 and 6 of the drawings.

As a means for imparting a traveling movement to the upper and lower runs of the grate in" opposite directions, respectively, I have provided two revoluble drivers, 12, which in the form thereof herein shown are in the nature of wheels having peripheral teeth, 12', adapted for engaging within the tooth-spaces between the successive teeth 29 of the successive grate-sections 9. These revoluble drivers are both shown mounted upon a single shaft, 13, at each end thereof, said shaft being journaled in bearings on the sideplates 23 and 23' of the furnace-chamber and being provided at one end thereof with a worm-wheel, 40, the teeth of which are in engagement with the teeth of a worm, 41, upon a driving-shaft, 42, journaled in bearings, 43, upon the side-wall 4 of the furnace, this driving shaft 42 being provided with a pulley, 44:, by means of which it is driven by a belt (not shown) from any suitable source of power.

By providing each grate-section with a tooth at each end thereof midway of the width of said section, as hereinbefore described, and by providing a revoluble driver with teeth of less width than the length of the tooth-spaces between the teeth of adjacent grate-sections,there is a resultant gain in the length of the endless grate over the tooth-space distances of the driver which allows for any variation in widths of the grate-sections, and also insures a free intermeshing engagement of the teeth of the driver with the teeth of the grate-sections during "their constantly changing positions while traveling around the forward side of the driver, as will be readily apparent by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, which partially illustrates in section, the successive positions of the grate-sections and their teeth relative to the teeth of the revoluble driver.

By'the construction andorganization herein shown and described, it will be seen that the grate-sections, owing to the position of their respective teeth and their loose connections with the successive grate-sections are free to rock laterally as is necessary in passing around the forward end of their circuit, and that, by the use of the rollers, will have a free traveling movement without undue retarding friction.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with the furnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of an endless grate supported for traveling movement within the furnace-chamber and comprising a series of transversely-disposed grate-sections, each of which has two trunnions at each end thereof having curved inner faces and angular outer faces, substantiallyas described, rollers carried upon pins concentric to the curved portions of said trunnions, loop-shapedcouplinglinks in engagement with the curved faces of adjacent trunnions of adjacent grate-sec tions and adapted for engaging the angular faces of said trunnions during the circuitous traveling movement of the grate to limit the lateral movement of said sections relatively to each other, and means for imparting a traveling movement to the endless grate, substantially, as described. 1

2. In a furnace of the class specified, the

combination with the furnace-chamber and.

its inclosing-walls, of grate-supportingguide ways, at opposite sides of the furnace-chamber, and an endless grate supported for traveling movement by said guide-ways Within the furnace-chamber, and comprising a series of transversely-disposed grate-sections, each of which has two trunnions at each end thereof, which trunnions have curved inner faces and angular outer faces, substantially as described, and loop-shaped coupling-links teeth at opposite ends thereof and carrying rollers at said opposite ends which are supported in said guide-ways, drivers located at one end of the furnace-chamber and engag ing the teeth of and imparting a traveling movement to the grate-sections, and means for rotating said drivers, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a furnace of the class specified, the

combination with the furnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of an endless grate supported for traveling movement within the furnace-chamber and comprising an upper- 7 in guide-ways connected with the side-walls of the furnace-chamber, driving mechanism located between the upper-and lower runs of thetraveling grate at one end thereof and adapted for imparting a traveling movement to said grate, and an air-blast apparatus located intermediate to the upper and lower runs of said grate and adapted for supplying air through the openings in the gratesections to the fuel supported upon the up per run, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth. Q

5. In a furnace of the class specified, an endless grate supported for traveling movement within the furnace-chamber and: com-.

prising a series of longitudinally-flanged grate-sections having two trunnions ateach end thereof having curved inner faces and angular outer faces substantially as described,

rollers carried upon pins concentric'to the curved portions of said trunnions, and loopshaped coupling links in engagement-with the curved faces of the adjacent trunnions of adjacent grate-sections and adapted for engaging the angular faces of said trunnions during the circuitous traveling movement of the grate,and means for imparting a traveling movement to the endless grate, substantially as described.

6. The herein-described grate-section for endless grates of the class specified, it consisting of a perforated fuel-supporting plate having a longitudinal central rib extending from end to end thereof and reinforced at opposits ends to form a driving tooth at opposite ends thereof, two cross-sectionally angular trunnions at each end of the grate-section adapted to be engaged by couplinglinks, rollers revolubly carried upon pins secured in said trunnions, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

7, In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with the furnace-chamber and its inclosing Walls, of a pair of coinciding circuitous grate-supporting guide-ways located one at each side of the furnace-chamber, an endless grate supported for traveling movement in said guide-ways and comprising a series of coupling-link-connected grate-sections carrying rollers at opposite ends thereof which are supported by said guide-ways and having one centrally-disposed tooth at each ,end adapted for engagement by the teeth of a revoluble driver, revoluble drivers located at one end of the endless grate and engaging the teeth of, and imparting a traveling movement to, the grate-sections, and means for rotating said drivers, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with the furnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of two circuitous gratesupporting tracks located one at each side of the furnacechamber, an endless traveling grate having an upper and lower 'run supported for traveling movement in opposite directions between said tracks and comprishaving two cross-sectionally angular trunnions at each end thereof, coupling-links extending over the adjacent trunnions of and connecting adjacent grate-sections so as to permit a limited amount of lateral movement of said sections relatively to each other, and rollers carried at the ends of' said trunnions and riding upon said tracks, means in connection with and adapted for impartinga traveling movement to the upper and lower runs of the gratein opposite directions, respectively, and an air-supply apparatus located between the upper and lower runs of the grate and adapted for supplying air through the perforations in the grate-sections to the fuel carried upon the upper run of said grate at varying pressures at successive points in the length of the furnace-chamber, substantiallyas described.

9. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with the furnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of two circuitous gratesnpporting tracks formed 'integralwith the side-plates of the furnace-chamber and having at one end thereof a vremovable section, an endless traveling grate supported for traveling movement by said tracks and compris- 7 ing a series of grate-sections having trunnions connected together by coupling-links and having rollers at opposite ends thereof supported between the tracks, substantially as described, and actuating mechanism for said grate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The herein-described grate-section for traveling grates of furnaces of the class specified, it consisting of aperforated fuel-supporting plate having transverse flanges at the opposite ends thereof and having two crosssectionally angular trunnions at each end thereof, each trunnion of which has a curved inner face and angular outer faces or abutments, the curved face of which trunnions constitutes a pivot-bearing for a coupling-link and the angular facesof which trunnion constitute abutments for limiting the lateral movement of said section relatively to the coupling-link, pins fixed in said trunnions, and rollers carried upon said pins at the outer ends thereof remote from the ends of said section, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

11. In a furnace of the class specified, the

ing a series of perforatedgrate-sections each 1o posed grate-sections connected together for lateral movement by coupling links engaging trunnions of said sections intermediate to the rollers and ends of said sections, and means for imparting a traveling movement to the grate, substantially as described.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE,

EMMA G. FOWLER.

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