1S-J7.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



J 43 



The patentee does not confine himself to the specific gravity of the acids 

 above mentioned, neither to the exact process herein described, but what 

 he claims is, the converting vegetable matters into explosive substance by 

 means of nitric acid. 



FILTERING APPARATUS FOR STEAM ENGINES. 



Nicholas Harvey, of the Hayle Foundry, Cornwall, enRineer, for " Im- 

 proietnents in filtering of water for steam engines and boilers.'" — Grauled 

 September 3, 1816; Enrolled March 3, 1847. 



These improvements relate to the introduction of a fillerer in connection 

 with steam engines and boilers, for the purpose of preventing incrustation, 

 by packing in a vessel o, compressed sponge b, or other tilteriog medium, 

 between two perforated plates c, as shown in the annexed figures. The 

 supply of water is forced through the sponge by the action of force pumps, 

 and during the passage of the water, the mud or sediment is deposited in 

 the vessel/, from which it is occasionally removed. 



Fig. 1, is a vertical section of the apparatus, a is a cylindrical case, 6 

 the sponge or filtering medium compressed between two perforated plates 

 c, the pressure on the top plate being regulated by the weights d ; the sedi- 

 ment is deposited on the funnel-shaped diaphragm e, and then passes through 

 the aperture in the bottom into the vessel/j at the top of the vessel is a 

 funnel g-, with a cock for the purpose of introducing water to cleanse the 

 sponge or filtering medium ; h is the feed pipe for supplying the tilterer 

 with water, and i the feed pipe to the boiler ; j is a pipe for drawing off 

 the sediment from the vessel/. 



Fig. 2, shows the apparatus connected with the hot well, and is similar 

 in principle to fig. 1. 



Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 



FLATTENING GLASS KILNS. 



Henry Deacon, engineer, of Eccleston, Lancashire, for " Improrements 

 in the construction of flattening A:i/Hs."— Granted September 26, la40 ; 

 Enrolled March 26, 1847. 



These improvements relate first to the introduction of a moveable bridge, 

 or partition to close the aperture between the (laltening kiln and the piling 

 kiln, used in the manufacturing of glass, and in the application and ar- 

 rangement of n heels and rails to the floors of the kilns, and to the flattening 

 stone. The bridge is similar to those generally adopted by iron masters, 

 engineers, and smiths, for furnace doors, by constructing a frame of 

 wrought or cast iron, to cover the opening between the kilns ; this is filled 

 full of fire-bricks, and su-pended from the end of a rod passing through 

 the roof of the kiln, and attached to the end of a chain, which after passing 

 over pulleys, has a counter-balance weight attached to it, in a position for 

 the workmen to open or close the communication between the kilns. 



The patentee states that this moveable bridge is very useful in bending 

 glass for tiles, or for roofs of conservatories, &c. The mode of manufac- 

 ture is as follows : havin.; placed the mould on which the glass is to be 

 bent on the flattening stone, the glass is inserted through the push hole, 

 where, after it is properly heated, it becomes the shape of the mould ; 

 the communication between the kilns is opened by raising the bridge or 

 partition, and the mould is pushed back into the piling kiln, where it is 

 removed from the mould by suitable instruments used for that purpose, 

 and may be piled there, either on its edge or on its side; the bridge is then 



closed, and the operation of preparing another article is commenced as 



before. 



The second improvement relates to building in the floor of the spreading 

 and piling kilns, and furnishing the spreading stone with suitable rails, to 

 run thereon. The wheels employed for this purpose are of cast iron, 

 about 17 inches diameter, by an inch broad in the rim ; they are built in 

 the floors of the kilns in two rows, each row about two-thirds the breadth 

 of the spreading stone from the other, and the wheels from centre to centre, 

 at a distance in proportion to the length of the stone; the floor is built 

 close up to the sides of the wheels, till nearly on a level with the periphery ; 

 any dust or broken glass falling down into a chamber below, from whence 

 it may be drawn by suitable instruments. The rails on which the spread- 

 ing stone is supported is straight along the lower edge, or that which comes 

 in contact with the wheels ; the upper edge has several raised clipping 

 pieces which are reduced until the stone is fairly bedded thereon ; and 

 furnished with lugs at either end to embrace the stone and keep it in a 

 proper position with the rails. One of the rails is furnished with a groove 

 in the direction of its length rather wider than the periphery of the wheels, 

 which guides the carriage as it traverses backwards and forwards on the 

 circumference of the wheels, from the spreading or flatting kilns, to the 

 annealing or piling kilos. 



TUBULAR BRIDGES. 



William Fairb.iirn, of Manchester, civil engineer, for "Improve- 

 menls in the construction of iron beams /or the erection of bridgei and 

 other structures." — Granted Octobers, 1846; Enrolled April 8, 1847. 



Fig. I. 



Fip. 2. 

 ^^,;33j^^^^IJ__j^^^ These improvements relate to the construc- 

 wy ^f ^ 'ion of iron beams or girders, for bridges and 

 Ai I / otl'er structures, by the use of plates of metal 



united bv rivets and angle iron. Fig. 1, is a side 

 elevation of part of a hollow iron beam, or 

 girder; and fig. 2, a transverse section,— a, side 

 plates; b, bottom plates; c, c, interior vertical 

 angle or T iron for connecting the plates, a, a, 

 with the covering plates, or styles, d, and rivets. 

 The side plates are to be put together with butt 

 joints, and rivetted in a similar manner to boiler 

 making. The top of this hollow beam is formed 

 of two or more rectangular cells, composed of 

 plates /, and angle iron g, fastened by rivets, 

 and attached to the side plates a, by the angle 

 iron i. The bottom of the hollow beam or girder 

 is formed of iron plates b, fastened by means of covering plates over 

 the cross joints, and rivets attached to the side plates by ancle iron. 

 The top of the hollow beam, or girder, may be constructed of cast or 

 malleable iron, either cellular rectangular, as shown in fig. 2, or of an 

 elliptical or any other suitable form, to prevent the top giving way, or 

 puckering from compression; or other methods may be employed, such 

 as thick metallic casting, or lighter iron plates, arranged so as to form 

 hollow cells. The bottom of the hollow beam or girder mav be also con- 

 structed of a series of plates, 6, either of single or double thickness, 

 rivetted together ; the plates are united to each other by alternating 

 or breaking joint, and by a peculiar mode of riveting, called by the 

 inventor chain-riveting, as it forms an entire chain of plates through- 

 out ; and the structure so unites the covering plates over the joints as 

 not to weaken or otherwise injure the plates by rows of transverse 

 rivet holes, but to form a connecting link to each joint, by a series of 

 longitudinal rivets or pins. The drawings attaclied to the specifica- 

 tion show various forms of girders to render theni applicable to fa«- 

 torics, warehouses, dwelling-houses, &c. 



