IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACE BARS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Finlay, of Red Hill, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACE
BARS."
Sealed the 28th January 1876, and dated the 3rd December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Finlay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd December 1875.
I, WILLIAM FINLAY, of Red Hill, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS
In Furnace Bars,” to be as follows :—
My Invention relates to a particular construction of fire-bar, whereby
clinking is greatly reduced, an equal draught obtained over all the
surface of the bars, the durability of the bar increased, and with which
side bars may in nearly all cases be dispensed with.
My Invention further relates to a particular formation of carrying
bar, permitting the ashes from the fuel to drop freely into the ash-pit,

page_text: and giving a uniform and constant admission of air, no matter how
many lengths of fire-bars are used in the furnace.
I propose to make my fire-bar with a thin flat horizontal plate, having
air openings rapidly increasing in breadth or diameter from the top to
the bottom, and a central vertical longitudinal web beneath, plate and
web being strongly supported by brackets at intervals.
A fire-bar embodying my improvements is shown on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawing, upon which,
A indicates the horizontal plate; the thinness of this plate promotes
the durability of the fire-bar, as it is prevented from getting red hot by
the free action of the air underneath, and consequently clinker adheres
but slightly to the surface of the bar in contact with the fuel; further,
there being no dead heads for rubbish to adhere to, the draught is the
same over all the surface of the bars. B, the central longitudinal web
of one piece with A; C, the brackets supporting web and plate. I
find it preferable to fix these brackets as indicated by the dotted lines
G, H, I, J, K, L, on the plan view of fire-bar, but they might be set at
a right angle or other, angle to the web, if desired. D, air holes in A,
undercut to a quick angle, as shown in the section at X, X. I prefer
to use diagonal slits, as shown on the plan, but these air holes might be
parallel to the longitudinal web, and of circular or other form; they
will however in every case increase rapidly in breadth or diameter from
the top to the bottom of the plate A, so that the ashes may drop easily
through them into the ash-pit. E, ends of fire-bar, by which it rests
upon the carrying bar, which I prefer to be of the form shown on the
Drawing; F indicates my improved carrying bar; it is made with
openings, through which the ashes from the fuel drop freely into the
ash-pit below, and which permit a uniform and constant admission of
air, the fire-bars being set therein as shown in the section through C, D.
g, strengthening pieces, of one piece with the bar. The openings ƒ may
be of any suitable length and breadth, and this carrying bar be used in
conjunction with my improved fire-bar, as shown, or with any other fire-
bar to which it may be found applicable.
"
My improved furnace bars may be of cast or wrought iron, according

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Finlay in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st May 1876.
-
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FINLAY, of Red Hill, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Finlay, Her special
licence that I, the said William Finlay, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Finlay, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FURNACE BARS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Finlay, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Finlay, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My Invention relates to a particular construction of fire-bar, whereby
clinking is greatly reduced, an equal draught obtained over all the
surface of the bars, the durability of the bar increased, and with which
side bars may in nearly all cases be dispensed with.
I make my fire-bar with a thin flat horizontal plate, having air
openings rapidly increasing in breadth or diameter from the top to the

page_text: bottom, and a central vertical longitudinal web beneath, plate and web
being strongly supported by brackets at intervals.
Fire-bars embodying my improvements are shown on the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawing, upon which Figure 1 represents a bar with
diagonal slits or air holes; and Figure 2 a bar with air holes parallel
with the web. Similar letters of reference denote similar parts in each
of the Figures respectively.
A indicates the horizontal plate; the thinness of this plate promotes
the durability of the fire-bar, as it is prevented from getting red hot by
the free action of the air underneath, and consequently clinkers do not
adhere to the surface of the bar in contact with the fuel; further, thero
being no dead heads for clinker to adhere to, the draught is the same
over all the surface of the bars. a, recess formed in fire-bar when it is
desired that the ends of each bar should butt against each other. B,
the central longitudinal web of one piece with A.; C, the brackets
supporting web and plate. In the bar with diagonal slits I find it
preferable to fix these brackets at an acute angle, as indicated by the
dotted lines G, H, I, J, K, L, Figure 1, but they may be set at a right
ungle or other angle to the web, if desired. It will be seen that in the
bar shown, Figure 2, I have given preference to brackets placed at a
right angle to the web. D, air holes in A, undercut to a quick angle, as
shown in the section at X, X. These slits or air holes D, whether
diagonal, as at Figure 1, or longitudinal, as at Figure 2, will increase
rapidly in breadth or diameter from the top to the bottom of the plate A,
so that the ashes may drop easily through them into the ash-pit. I find
a length of from two and a half to three inches very suitable for these
slits, and in the bar with longitudinal slits I prefer that the brackets O,
Figure 2, should be placed. at each division h, separating one slit from
another as giving greater strength to the bar than if they crossed the
slits, and the projections i on edge of bar, to keep them at a suitable
distance from each other, should also be in the same line as the brackets.
It will be seen that the projections i are also against the end of brackets
C of Figure 1. E, ends of fire-bar, by which it rests upon the carrying
bar, which I prefer to be of the form shown on the Drawing; F indi-
cates the carrying bar to which I give preference; it is made with
openings f, through which the ashes from the fuel drop freely into the
ash-pit below, and which permit an uniform and constant admission of

page_text: air, the fire-bars being set thereon, as shown in the section through C, D.
9, strengthening pieces of one piece with the bar.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is or may be performed, I would
have it understood that I do not limit myself to any precise dimensions
in the manufacture of my improved fire-bar, and that what I claim as
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
use of a fire-bar with thin plate combined, with web and brackets,
substantially as herein-before sot forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Finlay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.