Improvements in or relating to Fastening Devices for the Doors. of Gas Retorts.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct.,
1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th. Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
0
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Fastening Devices for the Doors.
of Gas Retorts.
We, JONATHAN MITCHELL, of 7, Annandale Road, East Greenwich, in the
County of Kent, Foreman of Gas Works, and JOSEPH TYSOE, of Ardavon,
Westcombe Park Road, Blackheath, Gas Engineer do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the fastening devices for the doors of gas retorts
including the hanging or supporting of the door itself. In carrying out the inven-
tion I prefer to proceed as follows ;—
The mouth-piece of the retort may be of usual construction with a hinge socket
at one side and a latch boss or equivalent at the other; the door may be made of
cast steel or iron or other suitable material and I prefer to have a faced end to the
mouth-piece and an approximately shaped edge upon the door.
The door may be carried upon a cross bar pivotted upon a bolt passing through
the binge socket of the mouth-piece the bar extending at the other end beyond the
door underneath the pivot catch to be presently described.
The bar which carries the door is connected to the door by a central bolt passing
through a lug upon the door and preferably two set screws are provided near the
edges of the door and screwing into the bar by which the door can be turned upon
its pivot and its edges or working face accurately adjusted to the face of the mouth-
piece.
I also prefer to employ a curved supplementary or supporting bar also pivotted
upon the hinge bolt and bolted or otherwise suitably connected to the door or bar
or both.
The catch or fastening device consists of a latch carried upon the eccentric boss
of the handle by which it is worked the said boss being carried upon a pivot pin
suitably secured upon the side of the mouth-piece, or the previously mentioned boss
thereof. To release the door the handle which when the door is closed normally
stands in an approximately vertical position is drawn forwards into a horizontal or
a vertical position below the pivot upon which it turns; this movement has the
effect, by reason of the eccentric boss upon the handle, of bringing the latch (the
back end of which has a large opening to fit upon the eccentric boss of the handle)
forwards so that the door can be opened to a slight extent and the gases from the
retort lighted. When it is required to open the door entirely the latch can be
struck up from the end of the bar by the attendant, when the door is entirely
released and can be pulled completely open.
By this means it will be seen that besides dispensing with the eccentric hinge
device at present commonly employed, and providing a simpler and more efficient
device I am able to obtain two important results. First, when the door is closed
I am able to lock it firmly against the end of the mouth-piece by the power of the
eccentric upon the handle; secondly. I am able to allow of the door being
partially opened and the retort gases fired without danger of the door being blown
wider open.
Dated this 20th day of October 1894.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Fastening Devices for the Doors
of Gas Retorts.
We, JONATHAN MITCHELL, of 7 Annandale Road, East Greenwich, in the
County of Kent, Foreman of Gast Works, and JOSEPH TYSOE of Ardavon,
Westcombe Park Road, Blackheath, Gas Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to the fastening devices for the doors of gas retorts,
including the hanging or supporting of the door itself, and will be best understood.
by reference to the accompanying drawings; in which
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are a side elevation, a front elevation, and a plan of a door
and fastening devices therefor constructed according to this invention.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In apparatus constructed according to this invention the mouthpiece. A of the
retort (the latter not shown in the drawings) may be of usual construction with
a hinge socket A' at one side and a latch boss or equivalent A at the other; the
door B may be made of cast steel or iron or other suitable material and I prefer to
have a faced end' A* to the mouthpiece A and an approximately sharp edge B¹ upon
the door B.
The door B may be carried upon a cross bar C pivotted upon a bolt D passing
through the hinge socket A' of the mouthpiece, the bar C extending at the other
end beyond the door B underneath the pivot catch to be presently described.
The bar C which carries the door B is connected to the latter by a central
bolt C passing through a lug B2 upon the door B, and preferably two set screws C
are provided near the edges of the door B and screwing into the bar C by which
the door can he turned upon the bolt C and its edges or working face B' thereby
accurately adjusted to the face A' of the mouthpiece A.
We also prefer to employ a curved supplementary supporting arm E also pivotted
upon the hinge bolt D and bolted or otherwise suitably connected to the door
or bar or both, as, for example by means of the bolt C¹ as represented in the
drawings.
The catch or fastening device before referred to consists of a latch F pivotted
upon the eccentric boss G¹ of the handle G by which it is worked, the said boss G¹
itself being carried upon a pivot pin G' suitably secured upon the side of the
mouthpiece A, or the previously mentioned boss A³ thereof. To release the door B,
the handle G, which, when the door is closed, normally stands in an approximately
vertical position above the pivot pin G' as shown in the drawings, is drawn forwards
into a horizontal position or into a vertical position below the pivot pin G'; this
movement has the effect, by reason of the eccentric boss G' upon the handle G, of
bringing the latch F (the back end of which has a large opening to fit upon the
eccentric boss G¹) forwards, so that the door B can be opened to a slight extent
and the gases from the retort lighted. When it is required to open the door
entirely the latch F can be struck up from the end of the bar C by the attendant,
when the door is entirely released and can be pulled completely open.
A is a stop or projection formed on the mouthpiece A for acting upon the
shoulders FF of the latch F, the former (F1) for preventing the latch from
falling too low when the door B is open and the latter (F) for preventing the latch
from moving too far upwards when it is struck up for the opening of the door.
The outer end of the latch F is curved or otherwise so shaped that when the door
is pushed-to, the end of the bar C will cause the latch to rise to allow the bar to
pass beneath it and be engaged by the latch when it falls again which it may
conveniently do under its own weight.

page_text: By the before described means it will be seen that besides dispensing with the
eccentric hinge device at present commonly employed, and providing a simpler and
more efficient device we are able to obtain two important results. First, when the
door is closed we are able to lock it firmly against the end A' of the mouthpiece by
the power of the eccentric G¹ upon the bandle G; secondly, we are able to allow
of the door being partially opened and the retort gases fired without danger of the
door being blown wider open.
By constructing the closing device in the manner illustrated in the drawings we
secure the advantage that there are no parts which project in front of the door B
to such an extent as would interfere with the free use of mechanical retort charging
or discharging apparatus.
The before described latch F, handle G, and eccentric boss G¹ may be employed
in conjunction with a projection or bar C which, instead of being adjustably secured
to the door B may be rigidly attached to or form an integral part of it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a device such as described the combination with a door such as B of a
cross-bar such as C bolt C' and adjusting screws C substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a device such as described the combination with a door such as B cross-
bar such as C adjusting screws C' and bolt C₁ of a supplementary supporting
arm such as E substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a device such as described a door such as B cross-bar such as C adjusting
screws C' bolt C¹ and supplementary supporting arm such as E in combination with
an eccentrically operated latch such as F the whole combined and operating
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete fastening
device for gas-retort doors substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
100%
J. MITCHELL.
JOSEPH TYSOE.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.