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Railway chairs
Railway Chairs.
305
The experiments were made on each of the three types of engine used on the Lyons Railway, v i z i ~ Passenger engine--not coupled. Mixed traffic engine~4-wheel, coupled. Goods engine--6-wheel, coupled. The composition and nature of the gases varies, ~ecessarily, with the quantity of air which passes through the fire; and this quantity depends, as we know, on th'e tension of the steam at the escape of blast pipe. The proportion of carbonic acid contained in the gases of the locomotive is greater than is contained in the gases from ordinary fixed-engine furnaces; whilst the proportion of free oxygen corresponding to the excess of air in the draft is less from the locomotive furnace, a result clearly proving that there is a greater usef~effeet oblained from the fuel. In the experiments on the passenger engines, and on the mixed traffic engines, the proporiion of carbonic acid rose from 12"42 to 18"49 per cent. of the volume of gas, without there being any production 0f carbonic oxide. The higher pet" centage represents a result approximating very remarkably to the number 20"80~ which represents the proportion of carbonic acid in the case of combustion theoreLicallyperfecl, or in which all the oxygen would be converted into carbonic acid. The combustion in passenger engines is almost perfect, and in the mixed engine, provided the fire is attended to by an experienced stoker, it is nearly as good. These furnaces produce little or no carbonic oxide; the proportion of this gas rarely exceeds "2 per cent. The goods engines, the grates of which are ofwn charged with a great depth of coke, produce a greater amount of carbonic oxide. The quantity rose as high as 7"58 per cent., when the fire was 40 inches deep. The composition of the gas varied according to the range of tube fi'om which it was collected. It would certainly be possible to adopt arrangements which would permit of this carbonic oxide being usefully burnt, and thus improve the useful effect of the fi~el in these engines. During the stoppages of locomotives, or after the shutting of the regulator, the gases have a larger proportion still of carbonic oxide. It gets as high as 12 per cent. of the volume. These results are quite in accordance with practical experienee in reference to the consumption of fuel in these different engines. They indicate a limit of the depth of fire which it is wrong to exceed, and also what amount of economy can be efl?eted by the intelligent employment .of expansion and variable blast pipes, according to the depth of the fuel m the fire.
Railway Chairs.* A gentleman who has seen Mr. Norris's patented method of chairing the rails on the London and North Western Railway describes it to us thus.* He says it consists of a traveling furnace containing the melted iron, with a bellows to keep the fire up. Where there is a defective chair or a new one wanted, the old one is removed or broken off with the blow t'From tIerapath's Journal, No. 732.
126"
306
,3merican Patents.
of a hammer, and the mould (which we presume must be in two parts) placed under the rail as it lies, the liquid iron is poured into it, and a new chair formed almost while one can say "Jack Robinson." As lhe iron of the new chair cools, it contracts and clips the rail with a grip much tighter than the present method of keying it. The iron of the old chair cast into the pot and remelted becomes material for a new chair. Thus a long length of line may be new chaired without any load of material or disturbance of the rails, and in a very short time. We have not seen this process, and therefore can give =o opinion of it; but taking it as deseribed~ there must be some provision at the rail joints for preventing the molten iron fi'om getting between the ends of the two rails; for if not~ by any great increase of temperature the whole line would burst up by the expansion of the rails.
AMERICAN
PATENTS.
List of American Patents which issued from September 13, to Oelobe'e11, 1853, (inclusive,) with Exemplifications by C a x a r ~ s hi. K ~ L r n , late Chief Examiner of Patents in the U. s. Palent Q~ice. S E P T E M B E R 13, 24. For Improvements ~n the Gear of Variable Cut-off Valves for Steam Engines; Matthias W. Baldwin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "The principle of varying the cut-off by means of a vibrating arm and sliding pivot block has long been known, but the contrivances for changing the position of the block upon the arm have been very defective. The radius of motion of the link by which the sliding block is changed on tile arm, the radius of motion of that part of the vibrating arm on which the block is placed, have in this kind of valve gear, as heretofore constructed, been difi~rent, which produced a continual rubbing of the sliding block upon the arm while the arm is vlhrating, and as the block for the greater part of the time occupies one position on the arm, and only has to be moved towards either extreme occasionally, that • part of the arm on which the block is most used soon becomes so worn that the block is loose, and jars. This can only be remedied by dressing up the arm throughout its entire length; for if the brasses of the block were set up so as to make the block fit on the narrow portion of the arm, it could not be moved towards the extremes, To remedy these defects in the link motion, has long been a desideratum. The plan, however, of most engines now built, does not admit of the position of the parts of the old motion being so disposed as to avoid the difficulties specified, while my improvement can with the greatest facility be applied to any of them. This contrivance I have essayed, and find that it works well in practice, overcoming all the difficulties incident to the use of the numerous other gearing for variable cut-off valves of which I have a knowledge, and because of the superiority of this device in practicc, I desire to patent it." Claim.--"The arrangement of the sliding pivot bh~ck, fitted with a stem, connected with the#ector by straps, chains, or cogs, the hand lever, and the intermediate connecting mechani~n, as herein described." 25. For an Improvement in India Rubber Soles for Boots and Shoes; John Chilcott and Robert Snell, Brooklyn, N~w York. "'The nature of our invention consists in making the sole of three parts, viz : the india rubber sole, a leather lining, and a leather border." • Clalm.~"What we claim is, constructing the whole or any portion of the sole of a boot or shoe, substantially as described, of india rubber, with its inside and edges covered and protected by leather, which is nnited wRh it by any water proof cement, with or without stitching, and forms a hard, firm~ leather edge."
305
The experiments were made on each of the three types of engine used on the Lyons Railway, v i z i ~ Passenger engine--not coupled. Mixed traffic engine~4-wheel, coupled. Goods engine--6-wheel, coupled. The composition and nature of the gases varies, ~ecessarily, with the quantity of air which passes through the fire; and this quantity depends, as we know, on th'e tension of the steam at the escape of blast pipe. The proportion of carbonic acid contained in the gases of the locomotive is greater than is contained in the gases from ordinary fixed-engine furnaces; whilst the proportion of free oxygen corresponding to the excess of air in the draft is less from the locomotive furnace, a result clearly proving that there is a greater usef~effeet oblained from the fuel. In the experiments on the passenger engines, and on the mixed traffic engines, the proporiion of carbonic acid rose from 12"42 to 18"49 per cent. of the volume of gas, without there being any production 0f carbonic oxide. The higher pet" centage represents a result approximating very remarkably to the number 20"80~ which represents the proportion of carbonic acid in the case of combustion theoreLicallyperfecl, or in which all the oxygen would be converted into carbonic acid. The combustion in passenger engines is almost perfect, and in the mixed engine, provided the fire is attended to by an experienced stoker, it is nearly as good. These furnaces produce little or no carbonic oxide; the proportion of this gas rarely exceeds "2 per cent. The goods engines, the grates of which are ofwn charged with a great depth of coke, produce a greater amount of carbonic oxide. The quantity rose as high as 7"58 per cent., when the fire was 40 inches deep. The composition of the gas varied according to the range of tube fi'om which it was collected. It would certainly be possible to adopt arrangements which would permit of this carbonic oxide being usefully burnt, and thus improve the useful effect of the fi~el in these engines. During the stoppages of locomotives, or after the shutting of the regulator, the gases have a larger proportion still of carbonic oxide. It gets as high as 12 per cent. of the volume. These results are quite in accordance with practical experienee in reference to the consumption of fuel in these different engines. They indicate a limit of the depth of fire which it is wrong to exceed, and also what amount of economy can be efl?eted by the intelligent employment .of expansion and variable blast pipes, according to the depth of the fuel m the fire.
Railway Chairs.* A gentleman who has seen Mr. Norris's patented method of chairing the rails on the London and North Western Railway describes it to us thus.* He says it consists of a traveling furnace containing the melted iron, with a bellows to keep the fire up. Where there is a defective chair or a new one wanted, the old one is removed or broken off with the blow t'From tIerapath's Journal, No. 732.
126"
306
,3merican Patents.
of a hammer, and the mould (which we presume must be in two parts) placed under the rail as it lies, the liquid iron is poured into it, and a new chair formed almost while one can say "Jack Robinson." As lhe iron of the new chair cools, it contracts and clips the rail with a grip much tighter than the present method of keying it. The iron of the old chair cast into the pot and remelted becomes material for a new chair. Thus a long length of line may be new chaired without any load of material or disturbance of the rails, and in a very short time. We have not seen this process, and therefore can give =o opinion of it; but taking it as deseribed~ there must be some provision at the rail joints for preventing the molten iron fi'om getting between the ends of the two rails; for if not~ by any great increase of temperature the whole line would burst up by the expansion of the rails.
AMERICAN
PATENTS.
List of American Patents which issued from September 13, to Oelobe'e11, 1853, (inclusive,) with Exemplifications by C a x a r ~ s hi. K ~ L r n , late Chief Examiner of Patents in the U. s. Palent Q~ice. S E P T E M B E R 13, 24. For Improvements ~n the Gear of Variable Cut-off Valves for Steam Engines; Matthias W. Baldwin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "The principle of varying the cut-off by means of a vibrating arm and sliding pivot block has long been known, but the contrivances for changing the position of the block upon the arm have been very defective. The radius of motion of the link by which the sliding block is changed on tile arm, the radius of motion of that part of the vibrating arm on which the block is placed, have in this kind of valve gear, as heretofore constructed, been difi~rent, which produced a continual rubbing of the sliding block upon the arm while the arm is vlhrating, and as the block for the greater part of the time occupies one position on the arm, and only has to be moved towards either extreme occasionally, that • part of the arm on which the block is most used soon becomes so worn that the block is loose, and jars. This can only be remedied by dressing up the arm throughout its entire length; for if the brasses of the block were set up so as to make the block fit on the narrow portion of the arm, it could not be moved towards the extremes, To remedy these defects in the link motion, has long been a desideratum. The plan, however, of most engines now built, does not admit of the position of the parts of the old motion being so disposed as to avoid the difficulties specified, while my improvement can with the greatest facility be applied to any of them. This contrivance I have essayed, and find that it works well in practice, overcoming all the difficulties incident to the use of the numerous other gearing for variable cut-off valves of which I have a knowledge, and because of the superiority of this device in practicc, I desire to patent it." Claim.--"The arrangement of the sliding pivot bh~ck, fitted with a stem, connected with the#ector by straps, chains, or cogs, the hand lever, and the intermediate connecting mechani~n, as herein described." 25. For an Improvement in India Rubber Soles for Boots and Shoes; John Chilcott and Robert Snell, Brooklyn, N~w York. "'The nature of our invention consists in making the sole of three parts, viz : the india rubber sole, a leather lining, and a leather border." • Clalm.~"What we claim is, constructing the whole or any portion of the sole of a boot or shoe, substantially as described, of india rubber, with its inside and edges covered and protected by leather, which is nnited wRh it by any water proof cement, with or without stitching, and forms a hard, firm~ leather edge."