US1825152A - Locomotive stoker - Google Patents

Description

N. M. LOWER Sept. 29, 1931.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed July 18, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 l 1 Ill.

N. M. LOWER Sept 29, 1931.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed July 18, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N. M. LOWER Sept. 29, 1931.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed July 18, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES.

PATENT f OFFICE- iu'rmiv M. LOWER, or rrrrsnunen, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY .MESNE ASSIGN- umrs, 'ro THE summer 'IION or DELAWARE TOKER COMPANY INC., OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., COBPORLA-.

moomo'rrvn sroxnn Application filed July 18, 1927. sem No. 200,701.

The invention, relates to locomotive stokers i of the type wherein conveyors carry the fuel from the tender and raise it to a suitable elevation for scattering over the grates, and

g has for its principal objects to simplify the structure, to reduce the number of parts, and to provide a light, small organization that can be readily applied to locomotives both new and old and will meet the requirements of locomotive service.

Further objects and advantages of the invent-ion will appear fromthe descriptlon read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich v Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of the backhead with the stoker applied thereto, the

Fig. 7 is a detail, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a structure appearing in Fig. 3.

The backhead of the locomotive, generally indicated by 10 in Fig. 1. is made up of the back sheet 11 (Figs. 2 and 3) ,thefront sheet 12, and the mud ring 13. As indicated in- Fig. 2,- this backhead frequently inclines for-' wardly and upwardly.

The grates are generally indicated at 14,

I and the firing opening is shown at 15 as being formed by flanges 16 and 17 of the sheets 11 and 12 overlapped and secured together at 18. One side wall of the cab is indicated at 19 in Fig. 2 and'a deck is shown in that figure at 20.

The stoker, generally speaking, is compose of a transfer conveyor A which serves to bring the fuel from the tender substantially along the center line and then carry it forwardly and laterally through an extension B on the locomotive to an upwardly directed elevator conveyor 0, which delivers'the fuel to a swinging chute D and which 'chutein turn delivers the fuel onto 'a firing plate from whence it is blown over the grates by a steam blast issuing from the box F. j

The transfer conveyor, or what may be termed the tender unit, may be of any particular form desired and is here illustrated as comprising a casing 21 within which is rotatably mounted a screw 22. In the preferred form this conveyor lies along the center line of the locomotive and tender, and'reaches the locomotive below the deck 20.

The elevator G includes an extension 24 on the intermediate conduit B which forms its base, a central section 25, and a remova le curved portion 26, which latter may inclu e the spout 27 from which coal is delivered to the chute D. The straight portion of the elevator C is set ofl at one side of and is parallel with the vertical center line of the locomotive. It also extends upwardly alongthe backhead and is substantially parallel with it so as to occupy the amount of space in the cab.-

W'ithin this straight portion there is mounted an elevating screw 28, the lower end of.

which has a shaft 29 extending therefrom and upon which a bevel gear 30 is secured. Another gear 31, suitably mounted in the gear casing 32, meshes with the gear 30, and motion is imparted to the gears for driving the elevator through the universal joint 33 by any desirable means.

The central section 25 and the curved portion 26 ofthe elevator are held in place by bolts 34 and studs 35 in order that they may be readily removable when it dismount the elevator screw.-

The box 36 substantially rectangularin form and open at its front side, forms the .is desired to upper portion of the stoker casing, and is provided at its rear side with an opening 37 corresponding to the firing opening 15, and

adapted to be closed by the conventional or anv preferred form of fire door. a

The chute D is mounted upon the shaft 38,

journaled in the box 36 near its upper left hand corner portion 39. By oscillating the shaft 38, the chute D may be made to swing shower over the grates. This oscillation may be accomplished in .a variety of ways. As shown, the arm 40, loosely mounted on the shaft 38, is connected with a link' 41 operated by abell crank 42 which, in turn, is operated by a rod 43 connected to a crank 44, driven by a gear 45 mounted in the casing 32 and meshing with the gear 30. Integral with the arm 40 is a notched segment 46 adapted to receive-a latch 47 carried b an arm 48 fitted to the shaft 38. The latch 4; has two arms 49 and 50, the latter cooperating with the segment 46 and the former 00- operating with the fixed segment 51, or a notch on the side of the box 36.

By this means the chute may be connected with the rocking mechanism to swing back and forth and direct the stream of coal on the grate, or it may be set in a selected position to direct the stream of coal to one side or the other, or -the intermediate portion of the fire box, or it may be set as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, entirely above the firing opening and out of the way of the fireman in hand firing. F

The left side of the chute D is provided with an upward extension D which will receive the coal from the spout 27 when the chute is in a position todeliver coal to the right portion of the distributing plate.

The spout 27 may be in one piece with the section 26 of the elevator casing, on it ma be welded to the wall of the box 36.

The'extensiontransfer conduit B is preferably a casting and forms the base of what may be termedthelocomotive unit. On its forward side (Fig. 3), it is secured to a bracket 53 which, in turn, is secured to the i backhead, or other suitable part of thelocomotive.

At its rear side the base Bhas an opening toreceive fuel from the tender unit A, to

which it is connected by a suitable universal joint, generally indicated by23.

One wall 54 (Fig. 4) of the unit B is substantially straight in vertical section, and extends forwardly and laterally from the right side of the tender unit curving sufliciently gently to facilitate the passage of'the fuel and then curves rearwardly into the semi-cylindrical portion 55 and then returns to the left side ofthe transfer, conveyor.

The semi-cylindrical portion 55 forms the lower left side of the elevator casing. The

transfer screw 22 terminates a sufiicient distance from the wall 54 to prevent compacting the fuel against that wall. The pressure of the screw, however, moves the fuel forwardly and laterally through the intermediate conduit and delivers it directly against the elevating screw 28 at which time the fuel is moving substantially at right angles to the direction in which it is to e elevated. Thus, the fuel reaches the elevating screw with sufficient pressure to permit the screw to work in the most efficient manner and to prevent the fuel from rotating with the screw and not rising.

The construction here disclosed permits the conveyor A to be located substantlally at the center line while the elevator is offset laterally from that line, and yet only a single universal connection will permit the necessary flexibility.

The extension conduit B can generally be located entirely below the deck of the locomotive. and hence will. not intrude upon the limited space in the cab. This conduit, being short and having little or no upward inclination, offers a minimum of resistance to the travel of the fuel, and its presence permits the bend at the u per end of the elevator (where a change of direction of the travel of the fuelpresents more difiiculty) to be materially reduced.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 5

and 6, the transfer coveyor A is shortened base of the locomotive unit. Preferably the elbow 61 is inclined downwardly toward its c, delivery end as shown in Fig. 6, thereby facilitating the movement of the fuel.

These two constructions will serve to illustrate the fundamental organization which may be embodied in a variety of other forms and yet preserve the substance of the invention. s o

Although in both they forms illustrated, the extension of the transfer conduit is shown as being in the base of the locomotive unit, it is, in reality, a part of the transfer mechanism as distinguished from the elevator mechanism.

I claim as my invention:

1. Ina stoker for use with a locomotive including a cab, a deck, and a backhead having a firing o ening leading into the fire box, and a tender ehind the locomotive, the combination of an elevator located adjacent to the backhead and at one side of and parallel with the central longitudinal vertical plane of the locomotive, its lower end being extended laterally and curving backward in a substantially horizontal plane to such central plane, and a transfer conduit carried by the tender and universally jointed to the elevator extension.

2. In a stoker for use with a locomotive, including a backhead having a firing opening leading into the firebox, a tender behind the locomotive, the combination of a transfer the locomotive, and located substantially along the center line thereof, a sole elevator conduit spaced laterally at one side of the transfer conveyor for delivering fuel to a point adjacent the firing opening, distributing means receiving fuel from said elevator conduit for delivering it to the fire through said firing opening, an elevator screw in the elevator conduit and a connecting conduit curvin laterally in a substantially horizontal

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