Kimball's Spark Arrester

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The annexed engravings are views of an improvement in Spark Arresters, for locomotives, invented by V. P. and B. Kimball, of Water-town, N. Y., for which a patent was granted on the 5th of last October (1832). The nature of the invention consists in the employment of a revolving fine screen, in combination with a chamber for creating a downward draught, said chamber being connected at its lower end with the smoke-pipe at a point below the upper ends of the exhaust tubes. The creen allows the smoke to pass through it,but prevents the cinders, the most of which fall below upon touching it; those cinders, however, which stick, as is usually the case, in the meshes of the screen, are cleared from the same, while the screen in its revolution is passing over the chamber mentioned, which has the downward draught. The downward draught is to clear the screen, and this allows such fine wire gauze to be used as will, it is believed, prevent all sparks passing up through it. Figure 1 is a vertical section, and fig. 2 is a horizontal section,mdash;fig. 1 being taken through the dotted lines, fig. 2. The same letters refer to like parts. A represents the upper part of the smoke pipe ; it passes into the main funnel, B. C C are exhaust tubes, which pass upwards in the smoke-pipe, and terminate a short distance below its top. D is a shield placed over the smoke pipe a short distance above it ; this shield is attached to a vertical partition, a, in the centre ot the funnel. E is a chamber, the top of which extends from the partition, a, to the side of the funnel, B. This chamber narrows gradually to the tube, b, which tube communicates with the smoke-pipe, A, below the ops of the exhaust tubes, C C. F is a circular-shaped screen made of wire-cloth and placed in the upper part, on a vertical shaft, G, which passes through the centre of the funnel, B. The horizontal view shows the screen. Rotary motion is communicated to shaft, G, by gearing from the engine, which consequently rotates the screen, F, and as the smoke and cinders pass up the pipe, A, as shown by the arrows, and through the screen, F ; the cinders, however, strike against the screen and fall down to the bottom of B, and the shield, D, prevents them from returning into the smoke-pipe. Soma cinders generally adhere to the screen, and, in time, it becomes clogged and obstructs the draught ; to obviate this difficulty, the chamber, E, is employed, and as the lower end of it connects with the smoke-pipe, A, at a point below the exhaust tubes, C C, (these tubes convey the exhaust steam into the funnel and are the grand sources of rapid steam generation), a downward draught is created in said chamber, E, and by this means all the cinders which adhere to screen F when it is revolved over said chamber, are drawn downwards by the suction of the air from above, by thej blast of the exhaustj pipes.mdash; The object and operation of this improvement is so simple that every person will comprehend it and se into its utility. More information may be obtained by letter addressed to the patentees.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 18This article was published with the title “Kimball's Spark Arrester” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 18 (), p. 140
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican01151853-140f

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