Improvements in Ovens for Baking or Firing Ceramic Ware and other Refractory Products.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th N v., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Sept.. 1894
Improvements in Ovens for Baking or Firing Ceramic Ware and
other Refractory Products.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE HANQUINAUX, of Rue de la Rampe, Charleroi, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to ovens, and consists in the construction of an oven with
a gas-generating fire-place having a movable bottom, which oven is capable of
being duplicated or combined with any number of similar elements in such a
manner as to form a continuous oven with separate compartments or chambers
in which the refractory, ceramic and other products to be baked are not in
contact with the fuel, but only with the flames produced in gas-generating
fireplaces situated between the several compartments, said gas-generating fire-
places being charged from above and ignited in succession. The chambers of the
ovens communicate with one another by the gas-generating fireplaces, and can
also be placed in communication with a common chimney by means of flues
provided with suitable valves, dampers, or registers. The gases of combustion
formed in the gas-generating fireplace when working can only reach the chimney
after having passed through those compartments the valves of which are closed
and thus reach the one whose valve is open.
In like manner the air required for combustion can reach the gas-generating
fire-place when working only by passing into the compartment the door of which
is opened to enable the baked products to be removed from said compartment,
and by passing through the compartments situated between the last mentioned
compartment and the compartment whose gas-generating fireplace is ignited and at
work. Suitable valves allow of interrupting the communication made between
two adjacent compartments by the gas-generating fireplace which separates them.
The division walls of the compartments are double, one is open at the bottom,
that is to say, it commences at a certain height above the floor of the oven and
extends up to the roof thereof. The other is open at the top, that is to say, it
begins below the floor of the oven, but stops short of the roof thereof.
By this arrangement the gases are enabled to pass from one compartment to
the other.
Below the first wall, that is to say, the one open at the bottom, is the movable
bottom which is a simple plate of cast iron or sheet metal covered with refractory
brickwork, and which can be raised or lowered by means of levers suitably
fulcrumed. The space under said movable bottom is completely closed.
The air required for combustion is that which has passed through the preceding
compartments. It comes in contact with the superficial layers of the fuel which
is charged in through passages in the thickness of the first wall, and which are
provided with hoppers with lids.
The compartments traversed by the air being filled with bricks or other materials
which have just been subjected to a baking operation, the air in passing through
the same becomes raised to a very high temperature, and the fuel with which it
comes in contact takes fire at once and is completely consumed so that after
combustion there remains on the movable bottom only a layer of dust or fine ashes.
The movable bottom is caused to be lowered in proportion as the thickness of said
layer increases, so as to maintain to its normal extent the opening through which
the hot air enters, and so as not to necessitate the cleaning of the gas-generating

page_text: fireplace whilst in operation, and which fireplace should be opened for emptying
purposes ouly at long intervals of time and when the baked products are removed.
In the thickness of the first wall there may be formed lateral openings in
alignment for conducting hot air directly into contact with the flame, and for
effecting the combustion thereof in cases where the fuel contains a considerable
proportion of volatile substances.
In the floor of the oven there are formed openings above a lower passage which
leads to a common flue ending in a chimney. Suitable valves are arranged to allow
of making or of breaking the communications of the compartments with this
chimney. The compartments are entered by suitable doors.
A common flue arranged above the oven allows of establishing a direct com-
munication between any two compartments by means of a movable tube arrangement
which may be of sheet metal, and which is connected at one end to openings formed
on top of the common flue aforesaid, and at the other end to one, or preferably
to several sight-holes formed in the roofs of the compartments.
In this manner a portion of the hot air can be taken from one compartment
into another compartment in which it is desired to dry articles to be baked.
For this purpose it is sufficient to cut off said compartment from the two adjacent
ones by means of suitable valves or registers, and to place it in communication
with another compartment (filled with hot baked articles) by means of two tubes
fitting on the sight-holes of the two compartments and on the nearest openings of
the common flue which thus serves as a coupling for the two tubes.
In this manner
a current of hot dry air will be caused to pass into the
compartment in which it is desired to subject the articles to be baked to a
preliminary drying operation, and this drying operation may be effected as slowly
as desired by regulating by means of the valve of the drying compartment the
amount of air which is to pass through the latter, and which is only a fractional
part of that which passes through the compartment from which said hot air is
being taken
Also, if it be desired to operate with the gas produced by an external gas
producer; such gas may be brought successively to the upper openings of the walls
above each fireplace by means of a common flue arranged on the top of the oven
and furnished with valves located on top of each compartment.
It is obvious that elements similar to those herein before described can be grouped
together in many different ways according to the sites at disposal, and the chambers
may be of any desired forms; the essential condition to be fulfilled being in all
cases the arrangement below a double partition of two adjacent chambers, of a
gas-generating fireplace having a closed movable bottom, in which the fuel bursts
into flame by the passage above its surface of the current of air which has become
heated by passing through the preceding chambers.
Dated this 25th day of November 1803
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Ovens for Baking or Firing Ceramic Ware and
other Refractory Products.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE HANQUINAUX, of Rue de la Rampe, Charleroi, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Builder, 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 :-
My invention relates to ovens and consists in the construction of an oven with a
gas-generating fire-place having a movable bottom, which oven is capable of being
duplicated or combined with any number of similar ovens in such a manner as to

page_text: form a continuous oven with separate compartments or chambers in which the
refractory, ceramic, and other products to be baked are not in contact with the
fuel, but only with the flames produced in gas-generating fire-places situated
between the several compartments, said gas-generating fire-places being charged
from above and ignited in succession.
My invention comprises also certain other elements and I will fully describe a
continuous oven constructed according to my invention in reference to the
accompanying drawing in which like letters of reference denote similar parts.
Fig. 1 is a part back elevation, Fig. 2 a part longitudinal section, Fig. 3 a plan
of same partly in section, Figs. and 5 cross-sections hereinafter referred to.
The chambers 1, 2, 3, 4, of the series of similar ovens O coinmunicate with one
another by the passages P, P, arranged above gas-generating fire-places M, and
they can also be placed in communication with a common chimney (not shown, but
approached by flue X,) by means of flues G with top openings g and provided
with suitable valves, dampers, or registers such as N. The gases of combustion
formed in the gas-generating fire-places M when working can only reach the
chimney flue X after having passed through those compartments O the valves N
of which are closed, and thus reach the one whose valve N is open.
In like manner the air required for combustion can reach the gas-generating
fire-place M when working only by passing into the compartment the door V of
which is opened to enable the baked products to be removed from said compartment,
and by passing through the compartments situated between the last mentioned
compartment and the compartment whose gas-generating fire-place M is ignited
and at work. Suitable valves may be placed in view to allow of interrupting the
communication made between two adjacent compartments by the passage P over
the gas-generating fire-place M which separates them.
The division walls of the compartments are double, one L is open at the bottom,
that is to say, it commences at a certain height above the floor of the oven O and
extends up to the roof thereof. The other J is open at the top, that is to
Bay, it begins below the floor of the oven, but stops short of the roof thereof,
see Fig. 2.
By this arrangement the gases are enabled to pass from one compartment to the
other, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2.
Below the first wall L, that is to say, the one open at the bottom, is the
removable bottom M which is a simple plate of cast iron or sheet metal covered
with refractory brickwork and which can be raised or lowered by means of levers m
suitably fulcrummed as shown in Fig. 5. The space or chamber under said movable
bottom M is completely closed.
The air required for combustion is that which has passed through the preceding
compartments. It comes in contact with the superficial layers of the fuel which is
charged in through passages K in the thickness of the first wall L. The wall is
double, consisting of two similar walls L, L, above the passage P. The openings K
are provided with hoppers k with suitable lids to which charging boxes may be
applied if desired.
The compartments traversed by the air being filled with bricks or other materials
which have just been subjected to a baking operation, the air in passing through
the same becoines raised to a very high temperature, and the fuel upon M with
which it comes in contact takes fire at once and is completely consumed so that
after combustion there remains on the movable bottom M only a layer of dust or
fine ashes. The movable bottom M is caused to be lowered in proportion as the
thickness of said layer increases, so as to maintain to its normal extent the
opening P above it through which the hot air enters, and so as not to necessitate
the cleaning of the gas-generating fire-place whilst in operation, and which fire-place
should be opened for emptying purposes only at long intervals of time and when
the baked products are removed.
In the thickness of the first wall L, L', there may be formed lateral openings I
in alignment for conducting hot air directly into contact with the flame, and for

page_text: effecting the combustion thereof in cases where the fuel contains a considerable
proportion of volatile substances.
In the floor of each oven there are formed openings g above a lower passage G
which leads to a common flue ✗ ending in a chimney. Suitable valves N are
arranged to allow of making or of breaking the communications of the compartments
with this chimney. The compartments are entered by suitable doors V arranged
as in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.
A common flue S arranged above the whole series of ovens allows of establishing
a direct communication between any two compartments by means of a movable
tube arrangement T, Figs. 3 and 4, which may be of sheet metal, and which is
connected at one end to openings s formed on top of the common flue S aforesaid,
and at the other end to one, or preferably to several sight-holes t, t, formed in the
roofs of the several compartments, 1, 2, 3, 4.
In this manner a portion of the hot air can be taken from any one compartment
into another compartment in which it is desired to dry articles to be baked.
For this purpose it is sufficient to cut off such compartment from the two
adjacent ones by means of suitable valves or registers, and to place it in
communication with another compartment (filled with hot baked articles) by
means of two tubes such as T fitting on the sight holes tt of the two compartments
and on the nearest openings of the common flue S which thus serves as a coupling
for the two compartments.
In this manner a current of hot dry air will be caused to pass into the
compartment in which it is desired to subject the articles to be baked to a
preliminary drying operation, and this drying operation may be effected as slowly
as desired by regulating by means of the valves of the drying compartment
the amount of air which is to pass through the latter, and which is only a
fractional part of that which passes through the compartment from which said hot
air is being taken.
Also, if it be desired to operate with the gas produced by an external gas
producer, such gas may be brought. successively to the upper openings K of the
walls L, L', above each fire-place M by means of a common fiue, such as is
shown dotted at C₁ in Fig. 2, arranged on the top of the oven and furnished
with valves c located on top of each compartment 1, 2, 3, etc., and controlling the
openings K.
It is obvious that ovens similar to those hereinbefore described can be grouped
together in many different ways according to the sites at disposal, and the
chambers may be of any desired forms; the essential condition to be fulfilled being
in all cases the arrangement below a double partition L', L, J, between two
adjacent chambers, for example, 2 and 3, of a gas-generating fire-place M having
a closed movable bottom in which the fuel bursts into flame by the passage above
its surface of the current of air which has become heated by passing through the
preceding chambers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A continuous oven consisting of a series of compartments 1, 2, 3, 4, in
communication one with another through passages P in a double partition L', L, J,
having internal fuel feed passages K arranged above a gas-generating furnace
upon a movable bottom M adapted to be raised and lowered as required,
communication between any or all of the compartments and a common chimney
being established or interrupted by means of flues G and valves N, all constructed
and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposes above set forth.
2. In a continuous oven such as is above referred to, the grouping together of
these compartments by joining the walls L L', in such a manner that the air
entering a chamber of which the charging door V is open to allow of the removal
of the baked products, passes in succession under the walls L and over the walls J

page_text: of the several chambers filled with hot baked products, then passes to the
gas-generating fire-place M in operation, where the fuel bursts into flame, the
burning gases of which pass in the same manner into the following chambers, 2,
3, 4, etc., until they reach the chamber whose valve N has been raised, and which
thus communicates with the common chamber, substantially as set forth.
3. The placing when desired of any two chambers in communication by means
of a common flue S formed above said chamber, and which can be placed in
communication with each chamber by means of light tube connections such as T
fitting in openings in said flue and in sight holes of the chambers, substantially
as above described and illustrated.
4. In cases where it is desired to fire by means of an external gas producer,
the arrangement in combination with ovens constructed as above described of a
common. conduit such as C therefrom whereby by the valved connections c and
openings K each gas-generating fire-place M may be placed in communication with
said gas producer, substantially as above set forth.
5. The arrangement and combination of parts forming continuous ovens for
baking or firing refractory products substantially as above described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.