Improvements in or relating to Fire-bars or Grates.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 27th May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Fire-bars or Grates.
I, THOMAS HENRY HARRIS of Clifton Villa, Allison Road, Acton in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is to adapt ordinary open grates such as are
commonly in use for domestic purposes to burning anthracite coal, coke and the like.
In burning this class of fuel a stronger draught is required to secure proper com-
bustion than is the case with bituminous coal and consequently some alteration
has to be made in the grates to suit them for this purpose.
In carrying out my invention I remove the grid or bottom of the ordinary grate
and substitute a set of thin deep fire-bars placed side by side so as to leave a deep
and narrow space or channel between each two bars; where the shape of the grate
requires it these bars may be set somewhat radiating from the back. These bars are
preferably formed with their upper faces curved and sloping towards the front and can
be threaded on rods or cast all together.
By this means the air in the channels between the bars is rapidly heated and a
correspondingly strong draught produced.
Dated this 31st day of August 1888.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Fire-bars or Grates.
I, THOMAS HENRY HARRIS of Clifton Villa, Allison Road, Acton, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
The object of the present invention is to adapt ordinary open grates kitcheners and
the like such as are commonly in use for domestic purposes to burning anthracite
coal, coke and the like. In burning this class of fuel a stronger draught is required
to secure proper combustion than is the case with bituminous coal and consequently
some alteration has to be made in the grates to suit them for this purpose.
In carrying out my invention I remove the grid or bottom of the ordinary grate and
substitute a set of thin deep fire-bars placed side by side so as to leave a deep and
narrow space or channel between each two bars; where the shape of the grate
requires it these bars may be set somewhat radiating from the back. These bars are
preferably formed with their upper faces curved and sloping towards the front and can
be threaded on rods or cast all together.
By this means the air in the channels between the bars is rapidly heated and a
correspondingly strong draught produced.
In the accompanying drawings ;-
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side and a front elevation of one form of the
fire-bar constructed according to my present invention, and
Fig. 3 is a plan of portion of a grate formed by some of the said bars.
Fig. 4 being a view of figure 3 partly in front elevation and partly in section.
Figs. 3 and 4 are drawn to a scale smaller than figures 1 and 2.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the bar which, as shown in figure 1, is, having regard to its length and width,
of considerably greater depth than bars as ordinarily constructed. The upper edge Ai

page_text: which as shown in figure 2 is preferably wider than the lower part of the bar may
with advantage be curved to the form shown in figure 1, the position in which it is
there represented being that in. which it is held in the grate the lower portion of the
bar being at the front of the fire-place.
There are several ways in which I may support the before described bars in a fire-
place for example as shown in the accompanying drawings each of the said bars may
be formed at its ends with trunnions A2 which are adapted to rest in recesses B¹
formed in the upper edges of the back and front of a frame B as shown in figures 3
and 4 which frame is intended to be secured in the fire-place by rivets or other such
fastenings passing through the back and sides or ends of the said frame; or each of
the bars A may be formed with only one trunnion or projection at its forward end so
as to enable it to rest on the lowest of the front bars of any existing grate while the
back end of the said fire-bar may be supported by merely resting against the fire-clay
or other back of the grate; or the said bars may all be threaded on rods one of which
as shown in the accompanying drawings, where it is marked C, may be used for
rocking the bars sidewise so as to cause the dust or ash to fall between the bars A into
the ash-pit below them. The bars A at their lower parts may be maintained at the
proper distance apart by bosses or distance pieces (which may either be formed on
the bars themselves or formed separately and threaded on the rod between the
bars. At one end the rod C is formed with a head (or its equivalent and at its
other end it is preferably connected to a lever by means of which it may be
longitudinally reciprocated when by reason of the inclination of the axis of suspension
of the bars sufficient motion can be imparted to their upper edges to remove the
dust. If desired the before described bars may all be cast together to form a grate in
the usual manner.
If preferred the rod C may be formed with slots or notches which fit onto the bars
after the rod has been passed through the holes in the bars. Or other means may
be adopted for procuring the connection of the rod and bars with sufficient freedom
to allow of the bars rocking as much as may be required.
By curving the top of the bar as shown in Fig. 1 or otherwise, I get a larger
surface with more room for the passage of the air; but it is not necessary that the
back end or any particular part should be higher than the front end or any other
particular part, or the trunnions at different heights; I prefer however the construction
shown in figure 1.
The bars of the grate may be arranged at any desired distance apart.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;
1. A fire bar adapted for burning anthracite or similar coal or coke in domestic
grates constructed substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
2. A domestic grate adapted for burning anthracite or similar coal or coke and
consisting of a series of deep pivotted fire bars connected and adapted to be rocked
by a rod passing through them the whole constructed and operating substantially as
and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. A deep curved fire bar thicker at the top than in the web adapted for burning
anthracite or similar coal or coke in domestic grates hung on pivots higher at the back
than the front substantially as herein described and illustrated in figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. A deep fire-bar adapted for burning anthracite or similar coal or coke in domestic
grates hung on end pivots substantially as herein described.
Dated this 24th day of May 1889.
THOMAS HENRY HARRIS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.