234 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[July, 



silver and gallic acid. The operation requires to be executed with great care 

 and precision, but is not difficult in other respects. The theory of the pro- 

 cess remains, at present, unexplained. — .Ithc-nitwm. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES .•VND BOILERS. 



Charles Wye Williams, of Liverpool, gentleman, for certain improvements 

 .in the construction of furnaces and boilers. Enrolled at the Petty Bag 

 Office;, .May 17. Claim first. — The use and application of metallic pins as 

 conductors for transmitting heat. This part of the invention consists iu in- 

 serting metal pins in the plates of which boilers, evaporating pans, &c., and 

 pipes, Ac, attached to the same, are composed ; part of each pin extending 

 through the bottom of the vessel into the liquid to be heated or evaporated, 

 and the other part projecting outside of the vessel into the (ire beneath it, 

 by which arrangement a greater quantity of heat is transmitted to the liquid 

 than there would be by the usual method. 



Claim second. — The mode of giving the longitudinal and vertical move- 

 ments to the fire-bars of a furnace ; also the extension of the fire-bars outside 

 of the furnace, so as to receive fuel from a hopper, and spread it evenly over 

 the fire-grate. 



The fire-bars are serrated (the elevated parts being wedge-shaped, and the 

 -depressions (piite smooth), and incUne dowuwards from the fire-door towards 

 the bridge of tlie furnace, their lower ends resting ou a bar, on which they 

 are capable of moving verticallly up and down as on a centre ; the other ends 

 terminate beneath a hopper outside of the fire-place, but within the fire-door ; 

 they are supported at this end by eccentrics placed ou a horizontal shaft, 

 which, being turned by hand, or by gearing from the steam-engine, com- 

 municates the up-and-down movements to the fire-bars, and the fuel being 

 received from the hopper on to the outer ends of the fire-bars, is urged with 

 a gradually diminishing force towards their inner ends, and spread evenly 

 over the surface of the fire-grate. By the continued movements of the fire- 

 bars the generation of clinkers is prevented. — Invento-s' Adoocate. 



IMPROVED APPAR.\TUS FOR CUTTING .4.ND SHAPING MET.VLS. 



Joseph Whitworth, of Manchester, engineer, and John Spear, of the same 

 ■place, gentleman, for certain improvements in machinery, tools, or apparatus 

 for cutting and shaping metals, and other substances. Enrolled at the Petty 

 Bag Office, May 17. 



The first part of this invention consists of an improved die for cutting screws. 

 The principle upon which this die is formed may be described as effecting 

 xhe following object, viz. to cut a screw-thread at any required depth with 

 "dies, which have themselves been cut by a master-tap, double the depth of 

 the thread, larger in diameter than the shaft on which the thread is to be 

 cut. The improved die is formed from the common die, by dividing the 

 same either into two equal parts (the plane of section being parallel to the 

 sides of the die), or into three unequal jiarts, in which latter case the two 

 planes of section are parallel with each other, but at an inclination to the 

 sides of the die. In working this die, its plane of direction, instead of pass- 

 ing from the axis of the shaft on which the thread is to be cut to the centre 

 line of the die, as in ordinary dies, passes outside of the said line. The 

 patentee shows an improved stock, of a very simple coustruction, to be used 

 with the die. 



The second part of this invention is an improved mode of actuating the 

 planing machine, described in the specification of a patent obtained by Mr. 

 Joseph Whitworth, in 1839. 



The third part of this invention consists of improvements in slotting ma- 

 chines, the chief feature of which is the compound moving table. This table 

 consists of three parts, the lower part shding along the bed of the machine ; 

 the middle part moving at right angles to the lower one ; and the top one 

 having a rotary movement communicated to it. 



The fourth part is an improvement in the slotting bar. An angular groove 

 is cut down the back of the bar to receive a strip of metal tapped for small 

 set screws, by which the positions of the cutters are adjusted, and in the 

 front of the bar recesses are scooped out round the cutters, to afford room 

 for the cuttings. 



The fifth part is an improvement in the slide lathe, and consists in at- 

 taching an apparatus to the headstoek or mandril frame of the lathe, for the 

 purpose of forming, together with the change-wheels, a more perfect com- 

 munication between the mandril and guide-screw. 



The last part consists of an apparatus for " truing up " the wheels of car- 

 riages and engines on railways. The apparatus is applied to a jiair of wheels 

 in the following manner ; — one end of a connecting rod is attached by a stud 

 to the outside bearing of each wheel below the axle, and the other ends of 

 these rods arc fastened to a horizontal bar parallel to the axle ; on this bar 

 a sliding bar comi)Osed of two parts moves, each of its outer ends being pro- 

 vided with a grinder or cutter, placed opposite to ami in contact with the 

 outer rim or tire of each wheel ; the inner ends of this sliding bar are joined 

 together by an eccentric pin passing through them, fastened on a horizontal 

 wheel, which has its bearings on the under jiart of the horizontal bar; this 

 wheel is turned by an endless band, from a small pulley on the axle of tlie 



running wheels. Motion being communicated to the horizontal wheel, it 

 will, by means of the eccentric pin, cause the two parts of the shding bar to 

 move alternately a short space backwards and forwards, by which means the 

 grinders on their outer ends will be caused to traverse from side to side of 

 the tire of the wheels as they revolve, and thereby grind down any inequali- 

 ties of the same. — Ibid. 



UNIVERS.\L CHUCK FOR TURNING .\ND BORING. 



.\lexander Stivens, of Manchester, engineer, for certain improvements in 

 machinery or apparatus to be used as a universal chuck for turning and boring 

 purposes. Enrolled at the Petty Bag OlEce, May 19. The patentee claims 

 the peculiar and novel arrangement of apparatus constituting a universal 

 chuck, without confining himself to the number, size, or dimensions of the 

 levers working on the central boss. 



The chuck is formed of two plates, viz., a front plate and a hack plate, in 

 the former of which are formed three radial mortices ; the three holding 

 nogs or dies are attached by screws to dove-taU slide-pieces, which slide 

 backwards and forwards iu the mortices. In one of these pieces a nut is 

 formed, in which a screw works, its outer end being supported in a bearing 

 on the edge of the front plate, so that on turning the screw round by means 

 of a key applied to its outer end, the slide-piece will be made to traverse to 

 and fro in its mortice. To each shde-piece is attached one end of a straight 

 lever, the other ends of which levers are attached to an equilateral triangular 

 lever, working loosely on the centre boss of the chuck ; by this means, on 

 the screw being turned, the sUde-pieces will advance or recede simultaneously 

 within their mortices. — Ibid. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN DETACHING LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER 

 C.\RRI.\GES. 



Francis Pope, of Wolverhampton, Engineer, for improvements in detaching 

 locomotive and other carriages. Enrollment Office, May 24. This invention 

 consists of an ingenious piece of mechanism by which a horse can be instantly 

 detached from the vehicle to wliich he is attached, or one carriage can be sepa- 

 rated from another on railways. When applied to horse carriages, each shaft 

 terminates iu two iron side plates carrying a pin which form the axis of the 

 shafts, and is the means by which they are attached to the carriage. There 

 are also two side plates attached to the carriage, carrying a pin which forms 

 the axis of motion to a bent lever or tongue ; this tongue when turned back 

 embraces the pin on the end of the shafts, and holds it securely in the recess 

 formed for it. The tongue is held down by a peculiarly formed spring catch, 

 to which a lever is affixed. So long as the tongue is held down by tliis 

 catch, the shafts are securely held to the carriage, but on pulling the lever 

 the catch is disengaged, the tongue fUes over and the shafts and horse are 

 released. When applied to railway carriages three of these attachments are 

 employed, the centre one being a bar corresponding to the end of the shafts 

 in the former case, and the two outer ones being chains. The three catches 

 are simultaneously acted upon by an apparatus terminating in a handle which 

 nms up to the seat of the guard. The claim is to the mode of constnicting 

 and applying apparatus as described. — Mechanics' Magazine. 



CASE-HARDENING IRON. 



Robert Roberts, of Bradford, Lancashire, Blacksmith, for a new method or 

 process of case-hardening iron. Enrolled at the Petty Bag Office, May 25. 

 This method consists in heating the iron and plunging it into cast iron in a 

 state of fusion and turning it about, when it will become cased to any re- 

 quired thickness from .j% to 4 an inch, when it is to be plunged into cold 

 water, and will then be found to be effectually case hardened. The claim 

 is to the method or process of case-hardening iron, by coating, covering, 

 or combining wrought iron with c:!St iron. — Ibid. 



IMPROVEMENT IN r.UJDLE-WHEELS. 



Henrry Charles Daubeny. Esq., Boulogne-sur-mer, France, for a certain 

 invention or improvement in the making and forming of paddle-wheels, for 

 the use of vessels propelled in the water by steam or other power, and appli- 

 cable to propel vessels and mills. Enrollment Office, May 25. The floats are 

 mounted on spindles or axes, one end of which work in a box or centre, the 

 others in the circimiference of the paddle-wheel. Near the ends of the spindles 

 which works in the box, there are short levers which work against a traverse, so 

 as to expose their broad surface to the water, while they enter and quit it 

 edgeways. By this feathering operation, all the inconveniences arising from 

 back water are obviated. In order to reUeve the paddles from the effects of 

 heavy seas, they are provided with an escapement consisting of two or more 

 cogs let into the box of the wheel, and traversing round with it in a groove 

 provided for that purpose in the flanch or carrier, fixed on the end of the 

 main shaft ; in this groove there are bridges wliich cause the cogs in passing 



