JS46.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



The annexed figure shows a vertical 

 section of a stove, a is the fire-cham- 

 ber, of fire-briclis, about two inches 

 thick, of a cylindrical shape (or eitlier 

 conical, square, or polygonal, if prefer- 

 red), and the lop is perforated with nu- 

 merous holes, from ith to ith of an 

 inch in diameter, on the side, as 

 shown at y, for the escape of the gases 

 from the lire; at the bottom is an iron 

 grating b, and beneath it an ash-pit or 

 chamber <?. rf is a packing of sand or 

 ciay, between the fire-chamber and the 

 outer cylindrical case of iron e, to pre- 

 vent the radiation of heat at that part ; 

 and/is a door-way or opening for the 

 introduction of fuel. The smoke and 

 gases, in their escape from the lire- 

 chamber, having to pass through the 

 apertures in the top or side (which in 

 time becomes red-hot), are consumed or 

 intensely heated. The combustion is 

 earned on in the lower part of the chamber;' the upper part serving as a 

 magazine or store of fuel. 



Besides these methods of constructing fire- chambers, they may be com- 

 posed of two vessels of a cylindrical or other shape, one within the other ■ 

 the gases from the fire being allowed to escape between the two bv openings' 

 in the side of the inner one, which contains the fuel, and is closed at the 

 top; or the current of gases may be made to descend through the body of 

 the Ignited fuel and grate, and then pass up between the two vessels, by 

 admitting air above the fuel, instead of from below. 



The heat retainer of ihe stove, through which the gases have to pass in 

 their course to the flue i is made of slabs or discs of burnt clay or brick, 

 fitting closely within the casing or body of the stove ; or the retaining mass 

 may be composed of any number of smaller parts, with intervening spaces 

 tor the passage of the gases, instead of the perforations above-mentioned 

 Ur slabs of soft stone or brick, of any shape, may be employed ; the gases 

 either passing through openings in the slabs, or circulating between them, 

 ur the body of the stove may consist of a vessel of iron or other material, 

 lilled and packed with sand, day, or other suitable substance, as represented 

 at 4, tlirough which tubes of metal or pottery I, about an inch in diameter, 

 extend ; in this arrangemant, as well as when perforated slabs or discs are 

 used, a solid mass, of not less than two feet in sickness, is considered 

 desirable. A series of hollow cones, or cyUnders of pottery or brick, might 

 also be arranged one within the other, to act as a heat-retaining mass ; the 

 gases passing between them. Or a "tubulated cvlinder," filled with tallow 

 oil, or other fiuid possessing a great capacity for caloric, might be employed 

 lor the same purpose. ' 



The patentee does not confine his invention to stoves for heating apart- 

 ments ; but proposes to apply it also to apparatus for cooking. 



JIOTIVE POWER. 



^.i^tJ"""' ^f,"^'^-?'' f'"-^^/' Of" I'aris, for " Impv^remnU in obtaining 

 1846 P'""'- -^'^"^''•^ ^"S"^' 281h, 1845 ; Enrolled February 28tb, 



r^Itll '"f*^°''7 ™°^'^'^ '" "^'^ application of the reaction of steam for the 

 purpose of producing rotary molion, and in the peculiar combination of 

 parts forming a rotary engine. Fig. l shows a sectional elevation of an 



Fig. I. 



Of l"e ramewtk f '°'''i°° '^k''^'' '°'''"'°°' '" "'''^•' « ^l-""^ « ?''>■"'"' 

 form shown aT^A fP?"'''"'^ ">« engine, which consists of a vessel of the 

 rhow",.. /' .° ''." °P'=°J"Satci this vessel is supported upon 



^ hollow aiis d, so as to admit of the same turDiug freely ;e e are one 



121 



two, or more, coils of pines, and are marlp in ti,a e r 



double threaded screw.^^^nd'ngTportt LtLT.SetZlt:^ 

 tach of these pipes commuoicale with the hollow ax s j hv T*^ ^ ; 

 Pipesyy, and are provided with outlet pipes ., ,, madrto 'paL thro^^h 



Fig- 2. 



flf^^'' "^ ".f ''^'''' '' *' "'^^ P'S- 2. which shows a plan of two pipes 

 coiled one w.thm or between the other, h (Fig. I) is a pipe leading from 

 a torce pump (worked by the engine), and is intended to supply the pipes 

 wiin water, k k represents the combustible matter of which the fire is 

 composed winch is lighted within the vessel 6 i, and provided at the 

 lower end with a number of openings, i i, for supplying the fire with air. 

 1 lie action ot this engine is as follows : the pipes e e being filled with 

 watei, a file is lighted within the vessel b b, and steam is generated withia 

 tne pipes e e, which is allowed to escape through the outlet pipes g- g, the 

 reaction of which against the air causes the vessel b b, together with the 

 pipes ec and hollow axle d, to rotate. Upon Ihe hollow axle d is keyed a 

 Wheel (not shown in the diagram) for the purpose of imparting such mo- 

 tion to the force pump, which supplies the pipes e e with water as steam is 

 „eneiated; trom such wheel, motion may also be imparted to other ma- 

 climery intended to be driven by the aforesaid engine. I I is the ash-pit 

 which receives the ashes as they fall from the openings m m. 



IMPROVED CUPOLA FOR MELTING IRON. 



Constructed by Messrs. Franklin Townsend, & Co., Albany, N. Y. 



This cupola is of the ordinary construction, only being of enlarged di- 

 mensions and made ot cast iron. Us diameter at the Uyives, when lined 

 with fire brick, is three feet ; and its height, from the hearlh to the charg- 

 ing door eleven feet. When charged full, it will contain three tons of pi- 

 iron, and IS capaole of melting upwards of twelve tons at one blast ThS 

 air IS admitted into the cupola by six tuyeres, which are placed about 

 fifteen uiches above the hearth, aud equidistant on the circumference of 

 the cylinder. To avoid the number of pipes which would be necessary if 

 the air were conducted into the cupola by the usual method, an air cham- 

 ber IS made to surround the cylinder and enclose all the tuyeres, and into 

 this the main blast pipe is introduced. An opening is made throu-h the 

 outside of this air chamber, and directly opposite to each tuyfere which 

 being protected by a plate of glass, allows the mdUr to observe the world 

 lug of the furnace. This plate of glass is so attached that it can be easily 

 removed, and tuus give free entrance to clear the tuyeres whenever it mav 

 be necesssary. ■* 



The air is heated by being forced through a number of small pipes, 

 placed in such a manner in the interior of the stalk immediately above and 

 directly over the cylinder of the cupola, that their outside surfaces are 

 exposed to the full action of the waste heat of the furnace. For reason of 

 the diihculty caused by Ihe expansion of Ihe metal when healed, these 

 pipes are required to be of peculiar construction. By this arrangement, 

 tlie air becomes heated during iis passage from the blast reservoir to the 

 tuyeres, upwards of 400° Fahrenheit's thermometer. 



This cupola has been in operation during the past three months, meltin>r 

 en tons of iron daily. The iron is charged in the shape of ],ig and scran 

 (sprues, gates, S,-c) in about equal proportions, and is cast into stove plates 

 which require that it should be very hot and liquid. The average con- 

 sumplion of coal (Lehigh) in melling this quantity of iron, is 225 lb to 

 the ton of iron, and the rate of melting is from two to three tons per hour 

 Ano;dmary cupola, operated with cold blast, consumes upwards of 5001b 

 ot coal to the ton of iron, and its rate of melling is from one to two tons 

 per hour. 



Not having the results of the operation of any hot blast cupola in this 

 country, the comparison of the working of this improved cupola with them 

 cannot be given ; but its evident superiority to those of England is shown 

 by the following extracts from a report made by M. Dufresnoy, chief en- 

 gineer of mines; — 



" rbe cupola furnaces at the Tyne Iron Works are operated with heated 

 air. Ihe consumption of coke is 309 lb. to the ton of iron : rate of melt- 

 ing, one ton per hour. 



" At Wednesbury, the cupolas are operated with hot blast, and consume 



]6 



