US736621A - Steam-boiler. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED AUG; 18, 1903.

M. OCONNOR.

STEAM BOILER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10. 1903.

NO MODEL.

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No. v3e,e21.

Patented August 18, 190a.

ATENT FFICE.

STEAM-BOILER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,621, dated August 18, 1903.

Application filed January 10,1903. Serial No. 138,500. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Missouri Valley, in the county of Harrison and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Steam-Boiler, of which the following is a specification. I A

In the construction of steam-boilers, and more particularly those employed in locomotives, great difficulty has been experienced in preventing cracking and leakage about the door of the fire-box. As is well known, the wall is composed of an outer and an inner sheet having overlapping flanges that surround the door-opening. The outstanding flange carried by the inner door-sheet is disposed at substantially right angles thereto, and the connection of said flange with the sheet is in the form of a sharp bend or knuckle in the metal. It is with this portion of the structure that the difficulty is experienced, as the cracks occur along this inner knuckle. There are several reasons that cooperate to cause the damage. In the first place the inner door-sheet and flange are highly heated by the fire in the box; but as soon as the door is opened by the fireman a great volume of cold air rushes through the doorway, this inrush being caused by the powerful exhaust of the locomotive. As a result the flange and knuckle are suddenly cooled, causing unequal and instantaneous contraction of the metal, thus setting up strains which tear the flange away from the sheet. This unequal expansion and contraction is furthered by the fastening of the short flanges together, said'flanges thus being more rigid than the remainder of the sheets and being of smaller area, so that they are incapable of as relatively great movement. Another objectionable feature resides in the very limited body of water which has heretofore surrounded the doorway. The space is so contracted by the overlapping flanges and the heads of the rivets fastening the same that very little water can come into direct contact with the outwardly-extending flange. Moreover, in this small space incrustation and deposits of foreign matter soon collect, thus separating the water entirely from the metal and permitting said metal to become overheated, thereby assisting in the injury above described. As a result of these various destructive agencies it is a very common thing to have a ruined door-sheet in a practically new fire-box, necessitating the withdrawal of the locomotive from service and requiring expensive repairs. I

Now it is the object of this invention to entirely obviate this objectionable feature by providing an improved structure which will freely expand and contract without causing undue strain and at the same time obtaining a sufficiently-enlarged water-chamber about the doorway to prevent to a very great degree accumulations therein. The structure by which these objects are attained is very simple and is no more expensive than that heretofore employed. Furthermore, itdoes not require a radical departure of any kind in the general shape or construction of the boiler.

The preferred and what has proven to be an entirely practicable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and is described in the'following specification.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view through the fire-box of a locomotiveboiler. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the inner door-sheet.

Similar reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings.

The boiler, or the portion herewith illusstrated, is of the usual well-known type, having an outer shell 10 and a fire-box 11. The invention relates solely to the rear wall of the boiler, which is designated as a whole by the reference numeral 12. This wall has the usual door-opening therethrough, and is composed of an outer sheet 13 and an inner sheet 14, spaced apart and connected by stay-bolts 15. The sheets are provided with oppositelyextending overlapping flanges 16 and 17, which thus form the door-opening,said flanges being fastened together by rivets 18. Instead of the usual sharp bend or knuckle between the flange 17 and the inner sheet 14 the portions of the metal connecting said flanges and sheet are inwardly swelled, as shown at 19, this swelling thus forming a circular and inwardly-convexed boss about the door-openin g. As a result an enlarged water-chamber 20 is formed, which entirely surrounds said opening. While it will be apparent that this change does not involve any radical departure from the usual construction and that it can be easily made without additional expense, the advantages which are obtained are very important. In the first place there is no comparatively sharp bend in the metal, while additional area is obtained. As a result, when the flange 17 is cooled during the inrush of cold air in the manner above described the swelled portion can freely contract without any danger of cracking, as the pronounced curve in the inner sheet gives freely to the strains. A number of benefits are derived from the enlarged water-space 20. The comparatively large body of heated water tends to maintain a more even temperature of the metal, preventing to a great extent its being overheated, and also tending to preclude the too-rapid cooling of the flanges. Furthermore, it provides more room about the inner heads of the rivets 18, and in this enlarged chamber there is not as much danger of the sediment accumulating and separating the Water from the flanges. This feature is therefore of especial importance in locomotives runningin bad-water districts. Actual experience has proven that the structure is entirely practicable and satisfactory, and it has entirely obviated the objections noted in the preliminary portion of the specification.

While the invention, as shown and described, is particularly useful in locomotiveboilers, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that it is applicable to boilers of different types, and the invention is not limited to this one class.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages 0f the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a boiler, a fire-box Wall comprising spaced sheets having a door-opening therethrough, the portion of one of the sheets surrounding the opening being swelled or enlarged to provide additional expansive and contractive surface.

2. In a boiler, an outer fire-box wall having an inner sheet, said wall being provided with a door-opening extending through the inner sheet, the portion of the inner sheet about the door opening being inwardly swelled or enlarged.

3. In a boiler, a fire-box wall having an opening therethrough, said wall comprising spaced sheets, the portions of said sheets that surround the door-opening being spaced farther apart than the remaining portions to provide a water space or chamber of greater area. 1

4:. In a boiler, a fire-box wall having an opening therethrough, said Wall comprising spaced sheets, having oppositely-extending flanges surrounding the opening and located in overlapping relation, the portions connecting the flange and the inner sheet being swelled inwardly and curved, thereby providing an enlarged Water-chamber about the opening.

5. In a boiler, a fire-box wall having a dooropening therethrough and comprising an outer and an inner sheet, said outer sheet having an inwardly-extending flange that surrounds the opening, the inner sheet having an outwardly-extending flange that overlaps and is secured to the flange of the outer sheet, the portion of the inner sheet forming the connection with the flange thereof being inwardly swelled and forming an enlarged water-chamber.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL OOONNOR.

Witnesses:

M. J. BUsHE, W. D. CODY.

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