IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES OR FIRE- PLACES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Shaw, of Ilkeston, in the County of Derby,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES OR FIRE-
PLACES."
Sealed the 5th June 1857, and dated the 27th December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Shaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th December 1856.
I, THOMAS SHAW, of Ilkeston, in the County of Derby, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES OR FIRE-PLACES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in furnaces or fire-places relates to a novel
mode of actuating the grate bars, for the purpose of preventing clinkers from
adhering thereto or sticking between the bars and stopping the draft. The
fire bars are supported at their under sides and at each end upon rocking
arms or levers, which are arranged together in pairs, and are mounted upon
two common rocking shafts, connected together by means of a rod extending
longitudinally under the fire bars from back to front of the furnace, so that
upon communicating a rocking motion to either shaft by means of suitable
mechanism every alternate bar of the whole series will be raised up at both
ends simultaneously to the same height, while the remaining alternate bars
will be depressed simultaneously in a similar manner. This effect is produced

page_text: by mounting the rocking arms or levers upon. their shafts in such a manner
that one arm of each pair will be before the rocking centre, while the other
arm of each pair will be behind the said centre. It will therefore be evident,
that when one of the arms is raised, the other must be depressed, and vice
versâ; and by the oscillation of the rocking shafts one half of the fire bars will
be raised while the others are depressed, and thus all danger of clinkering the
fire bars is effectually prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Shaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SHAW, of Ilkeston, in the County of Derby, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Shaw, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Shaw, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Shaw, 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 FURNACES OR
FIRE-PLACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Shaw, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Thomas Shaw, 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,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say .)
My Invention of "Improvements in Furnaces or Fire-places" relates to a
novel mode of actuating the grate bars of furnaces or fire-places, for the

page_text: purpose of preventing clinkers from adhering thereto or sticking between the
bars and stopping the draft.
For the purpose of effecting the object of the Invention, the fire bars are
supported at their under sides and at each end upon rocking arms or levers,
which are arranged together in pairs, and are mounted upon two common
rocking shafts, connected together by means of a rod extending longitudinally
under the fire bars from back to front of the furnace, so that upon com-
municating a rocking motion to either shaft by means of suitable mechanisni
every alternate bar of the whole series will be raised up at both ends simul-
taneously to the same height, while the remaining alternate bars will be
depressed simultaneously in a similar manner. This effect is produced by
mounting the rocking arms or levers upon their shafts in such a manner that
one arm of each pair will be before the rocking centre, while the other arm
of cach pair will be behind the said centre. It will therefore be evident, that
when one of the arms is raised, the other must be depressed, and vice versâ ;
and by the oscillation of the rocking shafts one half of the fire bars will be
raised while the others are depressed, aud thus all danger of clinkering the
fire bars is effectually prevented.
In order, however, that my improvements may be clearly understood, I
have shewn in the accompanying Drawing an arrangement or construction of
parts whereby the object of the Invention may be effected.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, taken through a set of grate bars, showing
all the bars as being on the same level; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
a, a, a, and b, b, b, are sets of fire bars arranged alternately side by side, and
supported at their ends upon the rocking arms c, c, which are mounted on the
rocking shafts d, d, and are connected together by the long rods e, so that
both shafts may act together. The end a of the rocking arms supports the
fire bars a, and the other end of the rocking arms supports the fire bars b.
f is a lever, fixed to one of the rocking shafts & or to the rocking arms c,
keyed thereon, and by moving the lever up and down the necessary vibrating
motion is communicated to the rocking shafts and arms, and by this means
a rising and falling motion is imparted to the fire bars, as will be clearly
understood by referring to the sectional view, Fig. 8, in which one set of bars
is represented as elevated while the other set is depressed. Of course when
the rocking shafts are vibrated in the opposite direction the position of the
fire bars will be reversed.
I have not thought it necessary to shew or describe in the Drawing any
mechanical contrivance for actuating the lever f, as the means for effecting
this object form no part of my present improvements, and they will readily

page_text: suggest themselves to any intelligent mechanic. I would also observe that
the effect intended to be produced by the Invention can be obtained as well.
by moving the lever from time to time by manual labour as by actuating the
same by mechanical means, as it is not necessary to keep the fire bars con-
stantly in motion. I do not therefore mean or intend to confine myself to
any particular manner of actuating the various parts, nor do I intend to claim
the exclusive right of actuating the grate or fire bars of furnaces or fire-places,.
as I am aware that this has been done heretofore, although not in the manner
above described; but that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, is the
mode herein shewn and described of actuating the grate or fire bars of
furnaces or fire-places for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Shaw, have hereunto set my
band and seal, the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
PAUL DAYKIN,
of Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
THOMAS SHAW. (L.S.)