18 18. J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



2*7 



st.ite of ignition when fresh coal is put into the other. The 

 operator will know when to withdraw a eharg^e, hy the flame 

 ceasing on the surface ; as soon as this is the case, the charge is to 

 be witlidrawn and cooled with water ; a fresh charge of coal is 

 then to be put into the oven, and, the fire-door being closed, the 

 charge will soon be ignited by the heat of that oven and tlie flame 

 from the other ovens. Tlie ash-pit doors are to be kept closed at 

 all times, except it be found requisite to introduce air to expedite 

 combustion ; and the ash-pit door of the oven, into which the air 

 is to be admitted, is opened. 



STEAM-BOILER FURNACES. 



Henby F. Bakeb, of Boston, United States of America, for a 

 " certain new tind useful improvement in steam-boiler furnaces." — 

 Granted December 22, 184.7 ; Enrolled June 22, 1848. 



The annexed diagram represents a longitudinal vertical section 

 of the furnace, as applied to the cylindrical boiler of a high- 

 pressure engine. The fire-box a, is placed at one end of the 

 boiler. At the end of the fire-bars tliere is placed a vertical grate 

 c, which reaches nearly to the bottom of the boiler, for the purpose 



of preventing ashes from being carried into the reverberatory 

 chambers ; in the addition of which, the peculiarity of the inven- 

 tion consists. The bottoms of these chambers are placed below 

 the level of the fire-bars, and the number of them may be four or 

 more as required. They are of a parabolic form, for giving a re- 

 volving motion to the gases and other inflammable matters, thereby 

 retaining them till consumed ; e is a plate of iron placed in an 

 inclined position, whereby it receives the direct force of the 

 entire flame from the furnace, part of which is deflected against 

 the bottom of the boiler, while the remainder is turned down- 

 wards, and caused to circulate in the chamber below. Openings 

 are left at the upper part of the plate e, between it and the bottom 

 of the boiler, which allows the flame to pass along ; f and g are 

 air-channels, for the admission of atmospheric air or oxygen, in 

 order to ensure the perfect combustion of the gases. These chan- 

 nels are carried into the brickwork at the side of the boiler, 

 through which they may be conducted, and furnished with valves, 

 if necessary, for regulating the quantity of air ; A, A, are curved 

 plates, which extend across the furnace, the openings in which are 

 so arranged that, while part of the heat and flame passes along 

 immediately in contact with the boiler, part also is deflected 

 against the bottom of the boiler, and the remainder is directed 

 down into the hollow bottoms of the reverberatory chambers. 

 Gratings j, j, «', are placed in the bottom of each of the reverbe- 

 ratory chambers, to allow any small particles of incombustible 

 material to escape, that may be carried over by the draught. 

 These gratings open into a pit A-, below, which must be tept 

 closed. The fire having been ignited, the flame and gases evolved 

 will be carried over and through the vertical bars c, and will come 

 in contact with the plate e, by which they wUl be deflected against 

 ths boiler, and also turned downwards into the hollow bottom of 

 the first chamber d, causing them to rovolve and be retained a 

 short time, to further the combustion. They then pass over the 

 upper part of the air-distributing box, on the further side of 

 which are numbers of small openings, whence the atmospheric air 

 issues, as indicated by the arrows, the current of air or oxygen 

 causing the unconsumed volatile product to be converted into 

 flame, which, by the force of the current, impinges on the bottom 

 of the boiler. The gases are also in this next chamber caused to 

 revolve by the curved shape ; and they are disturbed by the plate 

 h, in the next chamber, where they are again retained a short 

 time, the revolving in these chambers causing the heated particles 

 to be brought in contact with the boiler, the last reverberatory 

 chamber being also furnished with an air-distributing box g, which 



is supplied by channels through the brickwork. From the fourth 

 chamber the incombustible product is conducted by a flue at the 

 bottom of the boiler to the chimney. 



AXLE GUARDS AND BUFFERS. 



Charles de Bebgue, of Arthur-street West, City, engineei-, for 

 " Improvements in carriages used on railways." — Granted Januarys ; 

 Enrolled July 5, 1848. 



These improvements in railway carriages relate only to the 

 axle-guards and boxes, and to bufters. The patentee con- 

 structs his axle-guards in such a manner, that a wooden surface 

 shall be presented as a guard for the axle-box (which is of cast- 

 iron) to rub against. For this purpose he secures two uprights to 

 the main framing of the carriage, at a distance from eacli other 

 suitable for receiving the axle-box, which has a flange, its whole 

 depth on each side embracing both sides of tlie upriglits. These 

 wood uprights forming the guard, are strengthened by plates of 

 iron, placed on each side, the width of such plates being less by 

 the breadth of flange on the axle-box, than the wood against 

 which they are bolted ; thus the face of the axle-box slides flush 

 with the face of the axle-guard. The upper parts of these plates 

 are carried up tlie side of the frame, to which they are secured. 

 The springs are of the kind previously patented, and consist of a 

 series of india-rubber rings, separated by plates of metal. This 

 spring is placed between the uprights of the axle-guard, the bot- 

 tom plate being supported by a vertical rod resting in a step on 

 the axle-box, immediately above the centre of the bearing, being 

 within the grease-box, which forms part of, and is cast in one 

 piece with, the axle-box. The wood faces of the axle-guards and 

 the chase in the sides of the axle-boxes must be rendered particu- 

 larly smooth, in order to prevent abrasion of the surface of the 

 wood. The second improvement consists of a mode of making 

 the conical centres of plates used for separating the rings of india- 

 rubber in the bufl"er and other springs. In making these plates 

 the patentee forms a thin disc of metal of the required diameter, 

 having a hole in the centre larger than is necessary, to go over the 

 bufl'er-rod ; he then incloses this plate in a suitable mould, in 

 which is poured a quantity of soft metal, such as zinc and tin, in 

 order to form the conical centre of such separating-plates. The 

 soft metal mould, being larger in diameter than the hole in the 

 centre of the plate, it consequently becomes securely imbedded in 

 the soft metal centre, which is cast with an opening suitable to 

 receive the buifer-rod or other spindle, according to the purpose it 

 may be intended for. The third part of this invention relates to 

 what the patentee denominates a long-range bufiing apparatus, 

 which is applied to a van or truck placed between the engine and 

 tender and the train of carriages, in order to protect the train as 

 much as possible from violent concussion. The range of resistance 

 in this apparatus is to the extent of several yards, and, unlike 

 other bufl'ers, it is not attended by any recoil. The resistance is 

 produced by the friction of straps passing over a drum, which 

 straps are so arranged in connection with levers and a train of 

 wheels, that as the force of the collision increases, the straps are 

 tightened and the resistance is augmented. 



SCREW PROPELLERS AND PUMPS. 



Edward Humphreys, of Holland-street, Surrey, engineer, for 

 " certain improvements in steam-engines, and in engines or apparatus 

 for raising, exhausting, and forcing liquids." — Granted January 4 ; 

 Enrolled July 4, 1848. 



The improvements in steam-engines have reference solely to 

 the mode of driving the screw propellers of steam-boats. The ap- 

 paratus and the driving multiple wheels are so arranged, that the 

 cranks usually employed are dispensed with, the place being sup- 

 plied by the driving spur-wheels themselves. The pins to which 

 the connecting-rods are attached, and which have hitherto been 

 fixed to the cranks upon the ends of the shaft, are, by the 

 patentee's arrangement, now fixed to the bosses of the driving- 

 wheels, which take the places of the cranks. The second part of 

 the invention consists in the construction of the valves for pumps 

 for raising or lifting or forcing water, as applied to an air-pump. 

 The patentee proposes to form the passages through the bucket, 

 radiating from the centre ; the passages being in pairs, having a 

 thin partition of metal between them, each pair of the passages 

 being covered by a valve, which is composed of a thin piece of 

 steel or other flexible metal, one end of which is firmly secured to 

 the inner part of the bucket, while the other part rises from its 

 seat, when required to allow the flow of water. The patentee 



