US676536A - Fire-kindler or similar apparatus for mixing air and fluid. - Google Patents

Description

Patented lune I8, |90I.l

N- 676536' n. FEnGusoN.

4FIFIE KINDLER 0B SIMILAR APPARATUS FOB MIXING 'AIRAND FLUID.

(Applicatio med me. 2s, 1899. Renewed Nav. so, 1900.)

2,Sheets$heet l.

(No lldel.)

. I l I T PatIented lune I8,4 I90I.

R. FERGUSON.

FIRE KINDLER 0R SIMILAR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AIR AND FLUID.

(Application filed Dec. 23, 1899. Renewed Nov. 30, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

" Unirse STATES Frisia.

PATENT' u ROBERT FERGUSON, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WILLIAM M. SIMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FlRE-KINDLER OR SIMILAR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AIR AND FLUID.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 676,536, dated June 18, 1901.

Application filed December 23,1899. Renewed November 30, 1900. Serial No. 38,139.

To if/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,haveinvented certain newan d useful Improvements in Fire-Kindlers or Similar Apparatus for Mixing Air and Fluid, ot` which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and ro useful improvements in apparatus for mixing air and a fluid and supplying the same under pressure for various uses.

The invention is particularly adapted to kindling fires in locomotives, and I have therefore for convenience and simplicity shown this application of the invention in thedrawings, although it will he distinctly understood that the invention may be adapted and used in setting tires, straightening 2o frames, and in all other connections where a machine-shop blowpipe is now or may be employed and also in other connections.

One object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus which can z5 be readily moved about as occasion demands and easily manipulated to control the mixing of the air and fluid in the desired proportions and the discharge of the saturated air for any purpose.

yOther objects ofV the invention are to accomplish the feeding of fluid from a tank or other source of supply and mixing it with air under pressure, to provide for cleaning out the parts after the apparatus has been 5 used, to remove surplus fluid, and to permit the coniined air in the fluid-supply to escape, so as to relieve the supply of air-pressure.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which can be used for kindling fires in locomotives without opening the lire-box door by applying the burnerunder the grate, thereby causing the flame toV pass up through-the green coal and quickly start a brisk fire in the fire-box under the natural draft of the locomotive.

A further object is to provide a novel valve for an apparatus of this character which can be manipulated by a single lever to accomplish all or any of several results, to wit: the

(No model.)

admission of air to the fluid-tank to force the 5o fluid therefrom and to mix the'fluid with air before it is discharged, to cause the air to pass through the apparatus without entering the tank, or to shut off the air entirely and permit the air under pressure in the tank to blow off; and a further Objectis to provide a valve with an air-chamber and a mixingchamber and connect it with an air-supply and a fluid-tank, so that the air may be caused to pass into the air-chamber and the tank 6o and force the duid from the tank into the mixing-chamber, where it will be mixed with air passing from the air-chamber and then discharged under pressure My invention has in View also to mix air and a fluid together ina simple and accurate. manner, so that a fuel will be produced in proper proportions for securing superior combustion without wasting the fluid, to regulate the supply of air, and thereby control the 7o proportions of air and fluid as they are mixed,

and to accomplish many other important results, which will fully appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aside view showing my invention embodied 75.

in a portable locomotive fire-kindler, the fluidtank being partly broken away to show the oil-pipe therein. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the valve detached. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the valve on the line 8 3 of Fig. 8o 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional viewof the valve on the line 4 4. of. Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows an end View of the valve and indicates the different positions the operating-lever may have. Fig. 6 shows the valve-plug detached. 85 Figs. 7 to 1G, inclusive, are sectional views on the lines 7 7 and 8 8 of Fig. 4 and showing the valve in its different positions. Fig. 17 illustrates a burner which I may use.

Referring to the drawings, in which like 9o characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all of the figures, A designates an ordinary tank or reservoir of any preferred size and construction for holding the. fluid which is to be mixed with air and supplied as a fuel, and for convenience and to enable the apparatus to be easily moved from place to place as occasion requires I support this tank in a skeleton frame B of any desired form and mount the same upon suitable carrying-wheels C. The form and character of the tank and its framemay be varied as desired, as my invention can be used with any kind of fluid-supply receptacle and whether it be portable or stationary. v

The apparatus is operated entirely by the lever D of the valve E, and it is this valve which constitutes the principal feature of my n invention.

The valve E consists of a tapered plug F, arranged'within a body G, the lever D being secured on the projecting outer end of the plug by a nut d. This plug is held in place within the body by means of a spring H bearing against the larger end of the plug and inclosed within a cap b, screwed to the body. rl`he body of the valve is provided with a downward extension I, having an exterior thread yby means of which the valve can be screwed into an opening in the top of the tank, as shown in Fig. l, and this extension is provided with a passage .I for admitting air to the tank and a passage K for permitting the fluid to pass therefrom.v The lower end oi the passage K is enlarged and threaded to receive a pipe k, which extends down adjacent to the bottom of the tank. The body of the valve also has a connection L on one side for receiving the air-inlet hose l and an oppositely-disposed connection M for the discharge-hose M', passages 4 and 7 being provided in said connections for a purpose hereinafter described. I may employ hose or flexible pipe of any description, or I may use ordinary jointed pipe, this being a detail of the invention which can be changed to suit different conditions.

The plug is provided with an air-chamber N and a mixingchamber O, these chambers being separated by a partition n, having an opening o. A simple way of making these chambers is to bore a centralopening in the -plug and arrange the partition-plate therein against a shoulder, so as to divide the opening into the two chambers, and closing the central opening with a screw-head P. I reserve the right, however, to make these chambers and locate them in any other way and position that may be found suitable.

In 4that part of the plug containing the airchamber. N, I provide air-ports l 2 3, which are adapted to register with the air-passage 4 and outlet-passage J in the valve-body, and in that part of the plug containing the mixing-chamber are the ports 5 and 6, which are adapted to register with the passages K and 7. To guide the operator in adjusting the lever, I provide a pointer R on the lever and a rib r on the valve-body, suitably marked, as shown in Fig. 2, or the lever may operate alongside a curved arm S, properly marked, as shown in Fig. 5. The rib or arm is provided with marks of a suitable character to indicate at what points the lever should be' brought to open certain ports and passages,

as will be fully described hereinafter. The screw 'l is provided to regulate the manner in which the port l shall register with passage 4 and control the supply of air entering the air-chamberby constituting a limit to the stroke or movement of the lever.

I will now proceed to describe the operation of my invention as embodied in a locomotive iire-kindler.

The tank being partially lled with a fluid, the apparatus may be moved up close to a locomotive and the hose Z connected with an air-supply pipe. The burner U is arranged beneath the grate of the dre-box of the locomotive, andwhen the mixed air and fluid issuing from the burner is lighted the llame will extend up through the green coal -and quickly ignite the same and produce a'hot iire at once.- The burner can be movedaround beneath the grate, so as to ignite all the coal in the tire-box and start the fire burning briskly'in all parts of the lire-box iu a very short space ot time. The air-pressure is used to force the luid out of the .tank and also rto mix therewith and feed the mixture to the burner or elsewhere, and the admission of air to the air-chamber of the valve and to the tank, as Well as the escape ot' duid from the tank and the feeding of the mixed air and fluid, is controlled and governed entirely by the single lever D. In Fig. 5 of the drawingsI have indicated the different positions to which this lever may be adjusted, the correspomding positions of the plug and its ports beingshown inFigs. 7 to 16, inclusive. When the lever is in closed position 'V, Fig. 5, the plug will be in the position shown in Figs. 7 and 8, all ports being closed except the port 6, which only partly registers with the passage 7. If the lever is turned to the full limit of its upward movement and into open position Z, the plug will be arranged as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, with the ports l and 3 registering with the air-inlet passage 4 and outlet-passage J, respectively, the port 5 registering with the Huid-passage K and the port 6 registering with the mixture-passage 7. It will therefore be readily observed that when the lever is thrown to open position the air will pass through passage 4 and port I into the air-chamberNand a part of the air will pass down through vthe port 3 and passage .I into the tank to force the duid therein up through the pipe 7c, passage K, and port 5 into the mixing-chamber O, where the iiuid is mixed with a portion of the air, which passes from the air-chamber into the mixing-chamber through the opening o in the partition, and the mixture is carried on out under pressure of the air through port G, passage 7, and the hose M to the burner U or elsewhere. The area of the port 6 and passage 7 and the combined area of the openings in the burnershould exceed the area of the opening o in the partition, so as IOS IIO

to provide a lower pressure of -air in the mixing-chamber than in the tank and air-chamber, and thereby permit the fluid to iiow up freely through the pipe lo. The screw T may be adjusted to provide fora full or partial registering of the port 5 with passage 4, and thereby regulate the air-supply which enters the air-chamber, controlling the supply of iuid flowing from the tank and the proportions ot' air and fluid to be mixed together. Assuming that the lire has been properly kindled, the next step is to shut off the airsupply to stop forcing the fluid from the tank and, in fact, completing the operation of the apparatus as far as supplying mixed air and fluid is concerned. The air-su pply can becut off, of course, by throwing the lever down to closed position V at once; vbut that would leave the tank full of compressed air, so that if the valve should be accidentally turned to cause the port 5 to register even slightly with the passage K the mixture would escape unexpectedly and blow off through the burner. Besides, I desire to remove all surplus fluid from the mixing-chamber and the hose M' when the operation is completed to keep them in a clean condition, and thereby promote the efficiency of the apparatus and also to prevent rotting the hose. I have therefore provided for moving the lever to position Y, Figs. 11 and 12, which results in closing the passages J K and permitting the air to pass directly from the air-chamber through the opening o into the mixing-chamber and thence into the hose M. This will effectually free the mixing-chamber and the hose of all fluid remaining therein and keep them in a clean condition. If it is desired to cut o the air-supply and outlet-ports temporarily while the apparatus is still in use, the lever is thrown into position X, Figs. 13 and 14, in which all the ports will be lapped except the outlet 6. To permit the air which remains under pressure in the tank to escape, the lever is turned to position W, Figs. 15 and 16,in which the airsupply is cutoff, and port 2 registers with passage J, so that the air in the tank may pass through passage J to the air-chamber and mixing-chamber and the port 6 and passage 7 to the hose M' and escape therefrom, relieving the tank from air-pressure entirely. It will thus be observed that after my apparatus has been in use I am able to return it to its original condition without leaving compressed air in the tank and with the valve and hose free from fluid, which would clog the parts, rot the hose, and destroy the effectiveness of the apparatus if permitted to accumulate, and this is accomplished entirely by a simple manipulation of the valve-lever. The different movements constitute, in effect, a continuous cycle of operation for the apparatus, which is usually followed; but the movements are not limited to this order, and they may be performed wholly independent of each other. The lever may be regulated by the adj usting-screw to govern the volume of air admitted to the air-chamber, and in this Way the proportions of air and fluid which are mixed together are controlled and maintained.

It has heretofore been customary to insert the burner of a iire-kindler in the tire-box of a locomotive through the door and direct the iiame down upon the coal; but this method has many disadvantages. I arrange my burner under the grate, leaving the fire-box door closed, and the liame extends upward through the coal under the natural draft of the irebox and the pressure of the air in the hose. The air and fluid become thoroughly intermingled and mixed in the mixing-chamber and the hose M, and thereby promote the combustion, while at the same time reducing the quantity of the uid used. I prefer to have the burner U carried by a piece of pipe m', connected with the hose M', and it may be constructed in any desired shape and character to suit the particular application of the invention. As shown in Fig. 17, I prefer to provide two holes in the upper side of the burner, so that the iiame will be directed upward into the coal, and this burner may be constructed in any desired manner, as in Fig. 1 or Fig. 17, or otherwise.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the mechanical arts that my invention can be put to a great variety of uses besides those herein mentioned, the only change involved in most instances being-in the kind of burner einployed. My improved valve may also be used in many other relations where it is desired to mix air and a iiuid, and I reserve the right to use it with the parts described and with any and all other parts and for any other purpose to which it may be applicable.

Instead of providing a burnerU the pipe M or the hose m may be connected to any other part which may be desirable and the mixed air and liuid carried off to a distant point.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description and the drawings that my improved apparatus as embodied in a ii'e-kindler is exceedingly simple and can be operated without the exercise of any special skill to kindle a iire in a locomotive quickly and in a thorough manner. The apparatus is manipulated by a single lever, and the constructionis such that it is practically impossible to operate the apparatus improperly or for the apparatus to get out ot' order.

I may use any kind of volatile oil in the tank, crude oil being preferred, and the pressure should be sufiicient to force the oil from the tank in the desired quantity; but I may use a gas in the tank, in which case, lthe gas being under pressure, it would not be necessary to pass the air from the air-chamber into the tank until the gas therein had reached a very low pressure, whereupon the air could be turned into the tank to force the gas there- IOO IIO

'f tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve being provided with an air-chamber in which the volume of air entering the valve is adapted to be divided, and a mixing-chamber in which liquid from the tank is mixed With compressed air. from the air-chamber, substantially as described.

2. The combination with aliquid-fuel tank, of a valve connected with the tank and With a source of compressed-air supply, said valve having an air-chamber and a communicating mixing-chamber, both of said chambers having communication with the tank, so that the air passing into the air-chamber will be divided and a portion enter the tank to force the iuid therefrom, While a portion passes into the mixing-chamber to mix With the fluid coming from .the tank, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a liquid-fnel-s'upply tank, of a valve connecting With the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve having an air-chamber and a communicating mixing-chamber and adapted to direct a portion of the compressed-air supply into the tank to force the liquid into the mixing-chamber, Where it is mixed with a portion of the air entering the mixing-chamber from the air-chamber, and a delivery-pipe connected With said mixing-chamber, substantially as described.

4. A valve provided With an air-chamber and a communicating air and liquid mixing chainberand a delivery-outlet for the mixing-chamber, in combination With a coinpressed-air supply connected with the airchamber'and a liquid-supply having independent connections with the air and mixing chambers, substantially as described.

5. A valve provided with an air-chamber and an air and liquid mixing chamber, a partition located between said chambers, and having an opening therein, in combination with a-compressed-air supply connected with the air-chamber and a liquid-supply having independent connections With the air and mixing chambers, and a delivery-outlet for the mixing-chamber of greater area than the opening in the partitiomsubstantially as described.

6. A valve provided with an air-chamber having an air-supply connection and an air and liquid mixing chamber provided with a delivery-outlet, a partition located between said chambers and having an opening therein, and a liquid-fuel tank connected With the valve and having independent communica- `the tank, and a mixing-chamber communicating With the tank and having an outlet, and a partition located between said chambers and provided with an opening so that a portion of the air entering the air-chamber may pass into the mixing-chamber While a portion of the air passes into the tank, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve comprising a plug provided vWith a central opening, a partition located in said opening and dividing the plug into an air and a mixing chamber, said air-chamber having communication With the air-supply and the tank, and the mixing-chamber having communication with the tank and an outlet, and the partition being provided with an opening so that the air entering the air-chamber may be divided to pass into the mixing-chamber and into the tank, and a burner connected With the outlet from the mixing-chamber and provided with openings for the discharge of the mixed air and liquid, the combined area of said openings being larger than the opening of the partition-plate, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and With a source of compressed-air supply, said valve comprising a body provided with an inlet and an outlet passage and 'with independent passages leading to and from the tank, and a plug operating Within the body and provided with ports to register With the passages, substantially as described.

I0. The combination with aliquid-fuel -supply tank, of a Valve connected with the tank plug operating Within the body and havinga number of ports disposed in relation to each pair of inlet and outlet passages, and adapted to be adjusted to register therewith, substantially as described.

11. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve comprising a plug provided with an air-chamber and an air and liquid mixing chamber,and ports communicating therewith, and a body inclosing said plug and having an independent inlet and outlet passage for each of said chambers, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply,

IOO

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v said valve comprising a body provided with passage communicating with a source of compressed-air supply, air and liquid passages communicating with the tank, and a deliveryoutlet passage, and a plug operating Within the body and provided With an air-chamber and a communicating mixing-chamber, said plug being provided with ports 1 and 3 to registerwith the air inlet and outlet passages,

`and ports 5 and 6 to register with the liquid and delivery outlet passages, substantially as described.

14. The combination Withaliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and comprising a body having an inlet-passage communicating with a source of compressed-air supply, air andV liquid passages communicating with the tank, and adeliveryoutlet passage, and a plug operating Within the body and provided with an air-chamber and a mixing-chamber, said plug having three ports communicating With the air-chamber and adapted to be registered with the air inlet and outlet passages in the body, and two ports communicating with the mixing-chamber and adapted to be registeredwith the liquid and delivery outlet passages in the body, substantially as and for the purpose described.

15. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and comprising a body having an air-inlet passage communicating with a source ot' oompressed-air supply, air and liquid passages communicating with the tank, and a deliveryoutlet passage, and a plug operating within the body and provided with an air-chamber and a mixing-chamber, said plug being provided with a port 3, a larger port 1 and an intermediate port 2 communicating with the air-chamber and adapted to register with the air inlet and outlet passages in the body, and a port 5 and a larger port 6 communicating with the mixing-chamber and adapted to register with the liquid and delivery outlet passages inthe body,'substantially as described.

16. The combination withaliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and having an air-chamber and a mixingchamber, a partition between said chambers provided with an opening, an air-inlet leading to said air-chamber, a delivery-outlet from the mixing-chamber, and means for directing the air through the valve to the tank to force the liquid into the mixing-chamber and through the delivery-outlet, lor to shut off the air-supply from the tank yand cause the air to pass directly through the air and mixing chambers to the delivery-outlet, or to shut off the air-supply and permit the compressed air in the tank to escape, substantially as described.

17. The combination Withaliquid-fuel tank, of a valve connected therewith and having an air-inlet and an air-outlet, a liquid-inlet and a delivery-outlet, and a plug provided Vwith ports to register with the air-inlet and liquidinlet and air-outlet and delivery-outlet so that by manipulating the plug the air may be directed into the ltank to force thevliquid therefrom, or be shut oit from the tank and directed through the valve, substantially as described.

18. The combination with aliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, the said valve comprising a body and a plug provided With a compressed-air chamber intermediate of the air-supply and the liquidtank and a mixing-chamber receiving liquid from the tank and air from the air-chamber, and an outlet for the mixed air and liquid, substantially as described.

f 19. The combination With aliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve comprising a body having air inlet and outlet passages, a liquid-inlet passage and a delivery-outlet passage for the mixed air and liquid, and a plug operating Within the body and having an air-chamber and a connecting mixing-chamber, ports communicating with the air-chamber and adapted to register with the air-passages and ports communicating with the mixing-chamber and adapted to register With the liquid-passage, and means for operating said plug, substantially as described.

20. The combination with aliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve comprising a body and a plug provided with passages and ports through which the air and liquid pass, and a device for operating said valve to cause" the air to pass into the tank and also to mix in the valve with the liquid forced from the tank by the air which passes therein, substantially as described.

21. Thecombination withaliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valve comprising a body and a plug provided respectively withpassages and ports adapted to be registered with each other at different times for directing the flow of air and liquid through the valve, and a device for operating said valve and controlling the registration of the passages and ports to direct the air into the tank and also into the liquid forced from the tank to be mixed therewith, or to cause the air to pass directly through the valve Without entering the tank, for operating the same, and an adjustable or to shut olf the air-supply and open Jche screw device forming a stop for and limiting to air-passage to the tank to permit; the air therethe Inovem ent of said lever, substantial] y as in to escape, substantially as described. described. f 5 22. The combination with a liquid-fnel-sup- ROBT. FERGUSON. ply tank, of a Valve connectedv with the tank Witnesses:

and with a source of compressed-air supply, LILLIAN A. WASON, said valve comprising a body, a plug, a leverl OTTO' KUEFFNER.

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