US1026920A - Locomotive front end. - Google Patents

Description

L. G. MOONEY.

LOUOMOTIVE FRONT END.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 19,10.

Patented May 21, 1912.

. COLUMBIA LAWRENCE C. MOONEY, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

LOCOMOTIVE FRONT END.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Application filed May 25, 1910. Serial No. 563,441.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE C. MOONEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at- Montgomery, in the county of Montgomery and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive Front Ends, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in front ends of smoke arches of locomotives, and the invention has for its primary object an improved construction of front end which will tend to promote combustion in the operation of burning the fuel, which will produce economy in the consumption of the fuel, and which will tend at all times to keep the smoke box hot and exclude cold air which has a tendency to sweep down the stack into the box.

lVith these and other objects in view as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a locomotive front end embodying the improvements of my invention and, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the smoke box or arch of a locomotive, the same being of any construction, type or design except as hereinafter noted, 2 designates the smoke stack which 1s mounted on the base or saddle 3 and secured thereto and to the top of the arch or smoke box as by bolts 3 which extend through the base and through the lugs 2 cast on the stack 2 at the lower edge thereof. The base 3 of the stack is provided with a tubular downward extension 4 of any desired shape and length, said extension being formed at its lower edge with an outstanding flange 5 by which it is bolted to a corresponding fiange 6 formed on the upper edge of the upper section 7 of an updraft plpe.

It is to be noted that the base of the smoke stack embodying the parts 3 and 4, is so constructed and arranged that economics are effected in fitting and applying it to the smoke arch and that the bolt construction that fastens the smoke stack passes through the lugs of the stack base or saddle 3 and fastens it firmly to the smoke arch sheil, thereby forming a close joint on the arc I have found by actual practice that the ordinary long tapered draft pipe or petticoat or lift pipes heretofore used have proven to be very extravagant in the matter of consumption of fuel. \Vith this in view, I have provided novel means for controlling the draft while the engine is rolling and not working steam, the specific means employed in the present embodiment of the invention for this purpose being a short conical section 8 flaring outwardly from the lower end of the upper section of the updraft pipe. Projecting into the flared portion 8 of the section 7 is a frusto-conical thimble 9, the upper open end of which is of the same size or area as the lower end of said section 7, and spaced therefrom to form a substantially annular passageway 9 between the thimble and the flared portion 8. VVeb-blocks 1O connect the thimble or lower section 9 permanently to the upper section 7 of the updraft pipe. This annular passage ispro vided for the purpose of admitting by suction air and gases exterior of the th'un'ole into the updraft pipe, which will commingle with the column of air or vapor that is constantly drawn upward through the bottom of said pipe and thimble by the action of the exhaust thus producing the suction. From the fact that the inner diameter of the upper end of the t-himble 9 is the same as the inner diameter of the lower end of the pipe 7, the suction produced by the upward current through the updraft pipe will cause the air and gases entering through the annular passage-way 9* toconverge and thereby impede the draft on the fire to a great extent, and act as an automatic damper therefor.

It is one of the objects of my invention to divide the smoke arch into two chambers, namely, the lower chamber or draft space A and an upper gas or vacuum chamber B, the same being separated on a longitudinal line somewhere near the center of the arch by a substantially horizontal dividing crown sheet 12, here shown as slightly arched but which may be made flat. At its rear edge, the crown sheet is secured to a transversely extending and rearwardly and upwardly inclined plate 13 and at its forward edge the crown sheet is connected to an upwardly and forwardly inclined plate 14 provided with a man hole covered by screen 15, as clearly illustrated in the drawing. It is to be particularly noted that the man hole over which the screen 15 extends is not designed to act, nor does it act as a draft opening on the fire because there is not the proper relation between its posit-i011 and the boiler fiues. The only use for this manhole is to afford a convenient means for entering the top chamber or to inspect the condition of the same through the screen.

The rear end of the upper chamber B is partly formed by the diaphragm or deflecting sheet 13, which excludes the cold air from the flues, and which is provided preferably with a draft sheet 17 on its lower edge, said draft sheet extending transversely of the smoke box and is provided with slots 17 through which bolts 17 pass for the purpose of fastening the draft sheet 17 to the deflecting sheet 13. By loosening these bolts the draft sheet may be raised and lowered as much as desired or necessary and then fastened, thus holding the draft sheet firmly in place.

The thimble 9, which as previously stated, projects downwardly through an opening 12 larger than said thimble formed in the crownsheet 12, and extends into the chamber or space A, terminates at such a distance from the top or outlet of the exhaust nozzle that the gases, smoke and products of combustion may enter the smoke stack without obstructionaround the exhaust noz- 'zle, either by natural draft or by the force draft of the exhaust. The thimble 9 projects into a netting basket 16 made in the form of a thimble, fastened at its top to the underside of the crown sheet 12 and at its bottom to a flange formed on the exhaust nozzle, and serving as a spark arrester. The spark arrester 16 is larger than the thimble 9 and entirely surrounds that portion of the thimble extending below the crown plate 12, so that smoke and gases from the furnace may pass readily through its walls and bottom around the exhaust nozzle.

18 designates a spark breaker which may be of any desired character, shape or design, but is preferably in the form of a plate with upwardly projecting fingers, which may be located in any suitable position in the bottom chamber A. In the present instance it is shown situated between the base of the exhaust nozzle 11 and the adjacent end of the bottom flue of the boiler.

The exhaust pipe or nozzle is provided with a top formed with an annular passage 19 and a series of upwardly facing orifices 20, the passage 19 being connected to a blast pipe 21, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, so as to discharge steam upwardly into the updraft pipe, thus forming a blower. The nozzle is divided at its lower end into two chambers 22 produced by a vertically disposed partition 23 extending through the base of the nozzle and up into the body portion, said chambers being located respectively over each cylinder exhaust port 30. The body portion of the nozzle is formed with forwardly and rearwardly facing hollow projections 2a which are covered by perforated plates 25. Through the hollow projections 24 there is a suction when the engines exhaust which from their position act more directly on the lower fire tubes or flues and greatly aid combustion in the furnace and generation of steam by drawing heated gases through these tubes.

It is well known that there is a tendency in locomotives, for cold air to be drawn in through the smoke stack, filling the front end of the arch and materially interfering with the draft and the proper combustion of fuel. This is prevented by the present invention, because the smoke box is divided by means of the crown sheet into two chambers, the lower one of which is in direct communication with the stack, and the upper one having slight communication therewith through the annular space 9 surrounding the upper end of the thimble 9. The available space, therefore, for the gas and smoke within the smoke box is reduced to such an extent that while not interfering with the draft, so fills the chamber that cold air cannot enter thereinto from the stack. The upward movement, therefore, of these gases both from the furnace and from the engine tend to create a vacuum in the lower chamber and hence cause a sufiicient draft through the fire to increase the combustion of fuel.

It is to be particularly noted that the inner wall of the upper portion of the thimble 9 stands close to and is of substantially uniform diameter with the adjoining wall of the substantially vertical portion of the pipe 7, which, with said thimble, forms a part of the updraft pipe connected to the smoke stack of the locomotive. It is also to be noted, in this connection, that the opening or annular space 9 between the thimble and the downwardly flared lower end 8 of the pipe section 7 opens into the lower end of the section 7 from all sides inwardly and upwardly at oblique angles to the vertical line of the draft.

The movement of the steam and gases forwardly within the smoke stack will cause a suction through the annular space 9, which it will be remembered, is disposed at an angle to the direction of the draft through the pipe. Air and gases, therefore, entering through said annular space will tend to converge from the sides toward the center of the smoke stack and thereby tend to retard a too rapid movement through the stack, thereby reducing the draft on the fire and consequent waste of fuel, an advantageous feature lacking in all other devices of this character with which I am familiar.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. In a locomotive front end, a substantially horizontal crown dividing the said front end into upper and lower chambers, a downwardly tapering smoke stack, an updraft pipe mounted in the upper chamber forming a downward extension of the smoke stack and having a like taper with a spreading lower end, a conical thimble projecting through an opening larger than itself in said crown in spaced relation to the spreading lower end of the updraft pipe, and a spark arresting basket shaped screen in the lower chamber entirely surrounding the lower end of the thimble and attached to said crown exterior of the opening therethrough.

2. In a locomotive front end, a substantially horizontal crown dividing said front end into upper and lower chambers, a downwardly tapering smoke stack, a base for said stack projecting into the upper chamber and forming a continuation of said stack and tapered like it, an updraft pipe mounted in the upper chamber forming a down ward extension of the smoke stack and having a like taper with a spreading lower end, a conical thimble projecting through an opening larger than itself in said crown in spaced relation to the spreading lower end of the updraft pipe and having a short cylindrical upper end, the inner diameter of which is the same as the lower tapering end of said updraft pipe, a spark arresting basket screen in the lower chamber entirely surrounding the lower end of the thimble and attached to said crown exterior of the open ing therethrough, and an exhaust pipe projecting through the bottom of said spark arresting screen co-axially with the updraft pipe and spaced below the same.

3. In a locomotive front end, a substantially horizontal crown sheet dividing said front end into upper and lower chambers, a downwardly tapering smoke stack, the base for said stack having a tubular portion pro jecting into the upper chamber and forming a continuation of said stack and having the same taper, an updraft pipe mounted in the upper chamber forming a downward extension of the smoke stack and having a like taper, an outwardly flaring flange on the lower end of said updraft pipe, a conical thimble projecting through an opening larger than itself in said crown sheet having a short cylindrical upper end projecting into said flange and spaced a short distance from the lower end of said updraft pipe and of the same internal diameter as said lower end, and means connecting said thimble to said flange whereby a passageway is left between said parts through which passageway air currents are adapted to pass and converge a short distance above said thimble, an exhaust nozzle in axial alinement with the updraft pipe and smoke stack spaced below the thimble, and a spark arresting screen entirely surrounding the lower end of the thimble and the upper end of said nozzle and attached to said crown sheet exteriorly of the opening therethrough and to the nozzle below its outlet.

4. In a locomotive front end, a substantially horizontal crown sheet dividing said front end into upper and lower chambers, a front sheet connected to the front edge of said crown and to the shell of the front end above said crown sheet, a deflecting sheet attached to the rear end of the crown sheet and to the front tube sheet of the boiler, a draft sheet adjustably connected to the lower end of the deflecting sheet, a downwardly tapering smoke stack, an updraft pipe mounted in the upper chamber attached to said stack and having a like taper, an outwardly projecting flange on the lower end of said updraft pipe, a conical thimble projecting through an opening larger than itself in said crown sheet and in spaced relation to the spreading lower end of the updraft pipe, an exhaust nozzle below said thimble in axial alinement with the stack, and a spark arresting screen surrounding the thimble and upper end of the nozzle and attached to the latter and to the crown sheet.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAWRENCE c. MOONEY. [L.s.]

Witnesses:

WM. T. SEIBELS, A. H. AvnINcroN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

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