US1979574A - Sadiron - Google Patents

Description

Nov.6, 1934. A E, REMERS 1,979,574

SADIRON V Filed Feb. '17, 1934 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR lfmd E. Rez'nwns BY (L19 @94 I ATTQR EYS NOV. 6, 1934. RElMERs Q 1,979,574

SADIRON Filed Feb. 17, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR uglfma .Rez'mem atented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE '7 Claims.

My invention relates to steam iron constructions of the type in which an electric heatin element is employed to superheat the steam or maintain the temperature thereof.

Many such sad irons have been devised which, for the purpose of setting forth the principal object of this invention, may be divided into two classes, namely: those in which the steam passages arecored or drilled in a one piece base; and those in which the steam passages are formed by two or more complementary base portions assembled together by means of bolts or screws.

The advantages of the assembled base constructions mentioned are, in ,addition to economics in production, that tortuous passages may be obtained which assist in breaking up the water vapor carried by the steam and provide a greater surface area of heated metal in contact with the steam passing thru the iron, thereby obtaining a thorough superheating of the steam in order to insure that it will be discharged at thev pressing surface in a dry condition. When long tortuous passages are employed, these constructions also obtain a more even temperature of discharging steam and, therefore, safely permit of a comparatively low temperature pressing surfacehighly desirable in pressing certain classes of material, such as the new rayons, celonese, etc. However, as compared with the onepiece base constructions, I have found theassembled bases to have certain serious disadvantages, principal among which is leakage of steam between or from the steam passages due to relative expansion and contraction of the parts; also I have found that the one piece base conducts heat more emciently from the heating element to the pressing surface of the iron than do the assembled parts, particularly if a gasket or other 4% such packing is inserted between the parts in an eifort to obtain a tight Joint. This better conduction by. the one piece base conserves heat.

It is the principal object of my present invention, therefore, to provide an improved electric steam iron in which the advantages of both types of base construction are combined and their disadvantages obviated.

A further object is to provide an improved W electric steam iron having tortuous steam passages therein so arranged that the steam may be appreciably superheated in certain of the passages before it is introduced into other passages from which it is discharged at the pressing surface of the iron, and means for regulating and controlling the fiow of steam between such passages. Other and further objects will appear from the following specification.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a. side elevational view of a sad iron embodying the features of my invention,

and

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a view in partial section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 and illustrates the valve structure employed to regulate and control the flow of steam between the passages.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan view of the up-' per plate portion of my improved unit base construction.

Figure 5 is a plan view of'the means employed to integrate the upper and lower plate portions of the base construction.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the lower plate portion of the unit base construction. v

Figure '7 is a fragmental sectional view illustrating the manner in which the upper and lower plate portions of the base are integrated, the integrating means being shown on a greatly B0 exaggerated scale, and

Figure 8 is a similar view illustrating the unified base structure.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 3.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on line 1010 of Figure 9, and

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on line ll11 of Figure 2.

Figure 12 is a plan view of the base unit, and

Figure 13 is an inverted plan view thereof.

-The iron comprises a base unit 15 formed of two integrated plate portions, the upper portion 16 of which is recessed over an area 17 to receive an electric heating element, not shown. The lower plate portion 18 provides the pressing surface 19 of the iron and is recessed on its opposite face'to define the bottom andside walls of two tortuous passages, 20 and 21-respectively, as shown in Figure 6. A plurality of small drilled passages, 22-22 etc., are also formed in the lower plate portion and extend from portions of the bottom wall of the passage 21 to the pressing surface 19.

Formed as above described, the plates 16 and 18 are integrated to obtain a metallic bond between all the unrecessed portions ofthe upper surface of plate18 and corresponding portions of the lower plane surface of plate 16. By this construction a base unit is obtained (as illustrated in Figures 12 and 13) having tortuous steam passages formed internally therein between and from which there is no possibility of leakage. As thus constructed-the unit 15 may be most conveniently handled and dealt with in the course of further assembling the iron, and in use serves to conduct heat very efficiently from the heating element of the iron to the pressing surface thereof.

To unify the plates 16 and 18, I prefer to employ a brazing method in which a thin layer of spelter metal 23. (approximately .01 inch in thickness) is clamped between the plates, after the application of a suitable flux, and the parts thus assembled subjected to a temperature sufficient to melt the spelter and thus fuse the plates together. This method is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 in which the spelter .metal is to the fusing temperature of the spelter' material.

Heretofore, where it has been attempted to form steam passages in sad irons by means of recesses in separate complementary base portions, packing of metal or fibre has been depended upon to prevent leakage of fluid from the iron and between the passages, the partsbeing held together by bolts or other such devices. These constructions have been uniformly impractical because when the iron is heated, the base portions expand, thus compressing the intermediate packing and, when the iron cools, the packing is no longer tight. Thereafter, when fluid is introduced into the passages, leakage occurs. Such leakage may occur within the iron between the passages, in which case it cannot be observed but the efiiciency of the iron is nevertheless greatly reduced because of it.

It will be noted that all such difficulties are overcome in the present construction which precludes the possibility of any leakage whatever, either from the iron or between the passages, or between the walls of a single tortuous passage, and that the necessity for packing as well as for securing devices is entirely obviated.

A drilled passage 25 is formed in the base unit adjacent the butt end of the iron to conduct steam from a detachable supply line 251 into the adjacent end of the tortuous passage 20, thru which the steam may flow in the direction indicated to the other end thereof, and

'- thence thru an angularly drilled passage 26 ,to

a valve 27, the casing 28 of which is securely attached to the base unit as shown in Figure 9.

The valve 27 is of conventional cone construction and is operable by means of a lever 29 to 4 control the flow of steam from the passage 20 3535 are drilled and their walls threaded to receive removable closure pieces 36--36 such as the Allen head screws illustrated. As employed in the subject construction, the bores 35 may be extended to provide a connecting part 21 of the steam passage 21, as illustrated in Figure 6.

A cover 40 serves to enclose the electric heating element in the recess 17 of the base, is perforate to accommodate the electric terminals connected in attachment plug 41, and carries a heat regulating switch 42. This cover, together with the iron handle 43, are securely attached to the base unit by means of machine screws 4444, as will be readily understood.

If desired, the cover 40 may be integrated with the base in the same manner as the base plates 16 and 18 are unified with the advantage that heat absorbed by the cover from the heating element will be more perfectly conducted to the base and thus further conserve heat. When so constructed, the body portion of the iron, in this respect, is substantially the equivalent of the well known one piece body portions having their heating elements cast in. However, there is an oifsetting advantage in having the heating element readily accessible for repair or renewal and I therefore prefer to construct the iron as illustrated and heretofore described.

In use the heating element is placed in operation and steam flowing thru the supply line 24 is led into the tortuous passage 20 thru passage 25 and thereafter follows the course indicated in Figure 6 by the arrows. During its flow .thru the long passage 20, the steam is appreci ably superheated and any water vapor carried by the steam is broken up, by reason of the pressure under which it flow against the twisting passage walls, and is converted into steam. The steam then flows thru the angular passage 26 to the valve 2'7 in a hot and substantially dry condition before it is introduced into the tortuous passage 21 thru the passages 30 and 31.

Positioned as described, the valve is operable to control the discharge of steam from the passage 20 rather than the introduction of steam into the iron as has heretofore been the parctice, and by its use the steam may be held in the passage 20 for a variable time by the operator to insure that steam flowing from the iron will be discharged at a proper temperature, depending upon the character of the material being pressed. In flowing thru the passage 21, the temperature of the steam is maintained or further slightly superheated and discharges at the pressing surface of the iron thru the outlets 22-22 etc.

It will be noted that the passage 31 is somewhat enlarged in communication with the wider entering end of passage 21. This facilitates relative positioning of the plates 16 and 18 and provides a relatively large heated wall area in contact with the steam immediately after it passes thru the valve 27'to insure that any possible moisture remaining will be converted into steam.

To clean out the passages, the closures 36 are removed and a suitable fluid detergent introduced to evacuate. any solids thru the ports 35.

Although I prefer to introduce steam into the iron thru the supply line 24, as heretofore described, I have discovered in using the ironthat by reason of the long heating passage 20 and the conservation of heat obtained by the integrated base construction, water led into the iron thru the supply line is satisfactorily com 50 verted into steam with the iron and that steam so generated attains a temperature before discharge satisfactory for many classes of pressing work.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sad iron having a base formed with a pressing surfaceon its underside and comprising two plates faced together, one of said plates having its facing surface recessed to define a plurality of connected steam passages, and means affording a metallic bond between the unrecessed portions thereof with the other plate whereby the plates are integrated, and means for leading fluid into said passages, said base having a plurality of steam discharge outlets formed therein leading directly from one of said passages to said pressing surface.

2. A sad iron having a base formed with a pressing surface on its underside and comprising two plates faced together, one of said plates having its facing surface recessed to define a tortuous steam passage, and means affording a metallic bond between theunrecessed portions thereof with the other plate whereby the plates are integrated, and means for leading fluid into said passage, said base having a plurality of steam discharge outlets formed therein leading directly from said passage to said pressing surface.

3. A sad iron having a base formed with a pressing surface on its underside and comprising two plates faced togethe one of said plates having its facing surface recessed to define a tortuous steam e, and means affording a metallic bond between the unrecessed portions thereof with the other plate whereby the plates are integrated, said means-comprising a layer of spelter metal fused between the plates, and

means for leading 'fluid into said passage. said base having a plurality of steam discharge outlets formed therein leading directly from said passage to said pressing surface.

4.Asadironhavingabaseformedwitha pressing surface on its underside and comprising two plates faced together and complementsage, said base having a plurality of steam discharge outlets formed therein leading directly from the dischargepassage to said pressing surface, and a heater for heating the base.

5. A sad iron having a base formed with a pressing surface on its underside and comprising a lower plate having its upper surface recessed to define a tortuous steam passageand an upper plate extending over the upper surface-of said lower plate whereby said recess is closed to form said passage, and means aifording a metallic bond between the unrecessed portions of the upper surface of said lower plate and corresponding portions of the lower surface of the upper plate whereby said plates are integrated to provide a leakproof construction, and means for leading fluid intosaid passage, said base having a plurality of steam discharge outlets formed therein leading directly from said passage to said pressing surface.

6. A sad iron having a base formed with a pressing surface on its underside and comprising a lower plate having its upper surface recessed to define a tortuous preheating passage and a tortuous discharge passage and an upper plate extending over the upper surface of the lower plate whereby said recesses are closed to form said passages, and means affording a metallic bond between the unrecessed portions of the upper surface of the lower plate and corresponding portions of the lower surface of the upper plate whereby said plates are integrated to provide a leakproof construction, said means comprising a layer of spelter metal fused between the plates, means for leading fluid into the superheating passage, means for leading fluid from the superheating passage into the discharge passage, said base having a plurality of steam discharge outlets formed therein leading directly from the discharge e to said pressing surface, and a heater for heating the base.

7. A sad iron having a pressing surface and a fluid heating unit, said unit comprising complementary plates faced together to form a tortuous passage interiorly between them, and means aflording a metallic bond between thefacing surfaces of said plates whereby they are integrated to provide a leakproof construction, means for leading fluid into said e, means for leading fluid from said e to said pressing surface, and a heater for said unit.

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