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 Post subject: Corrugated fire boxes
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:12 pm 

Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:24 pm
Posts: 462
Location: Scranton, PA
While searching Wikipedia through random related items, I came across, by way of Cornelius Vanderbilt III's biography, the term corrugated firebox.
This Vanderbilt is known for developing the Vanderbilt tender for steam locomotives. He also developed the corrugated fire box, which made the steam engine more fuel efficient. That part makes sense, since it increases the heating surface area.
What Wikipedia did not tell me is how often it was used. Are any examples of a corrugated firebox in existence? A google search led me to a book from 1908 that explains the functionality, but it may have been "new" technology that did not take off.

My question is: do you know of any steam engines which used this design? Was it impractical in the long term use? Thank you for any help.

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 Post subject: Re: Corrugated fire boxes
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 3:11 pm 

Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:30 am
Posts: 53
In the early years of the C20th the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in England experimented, unsuccessfully, with corrugated fireboxes on a batch of 0-8-0 heavy freight locos. Wikipedia does, actually, have a page describing them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%26YR_Class_30
Hope this helps,
Ray.


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 Post subject: Re: Corrugated fire boxes
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 7:49 pm 

Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm
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The principal problem with the Vanderbilt firebox was that it did not 'scale' well to larger power. There was also some difficulty in providing adequate opening for primary air in the somewhat restricted 'chord' of the tubular firebox under the grate. The design did not do well when 'forced' to the high power at light weight expected of locomotive service; it was much more of a success in its original marine service.

In my opinion, the Jacobs-Shupert firebox was an 'expanded' version of the 'corrugated' box idea. Had welded and not riveted construction been available in the pre-WW! years this was under development, its fate might have been much more positive; while its use on ATSF power suffered somewhat from the 'small firebox' mentality that affected too much motive-power design at that time, there is no particular reason the construction method would not have served for wider fireboxes or deeper legs.

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 Post subject: Re: Corrugated fire boxes
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 9:22 pm 

Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm
Posts: 2226
I would think if you were expecting most of the heat to stick around the firebox that would be practical but the heat is moving towards the front thru the flues to do all that work.
Would work well on low pressure heating systems.


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