IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-GRATES AND HEATING APPARATUS
Year: 1858

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Little at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th December
1858.
I, JOHN LITTLE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Iron-
monger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-GRATES AND HEATING APPARATUS," to be as follows, that is to say:―
This Invention relates, in the first place, to open fire-places, such as are used
for domestic purposes in the warming of apartments, and it consists under
such modification of the attachment to the front of such fire-places or grates
of vertical or horizontal radial plates of metal, as a means of obtaining a
superior amount of effective and available heat, and improving the draught.
The plates or metal surface pieces may be attached edge on to the bars of the
grates or fire-places in various ways. According to one arrangement the
plates are thin cast-iron pieces or slips of metal of any neat or ornamental
form, extending downwards from the level of or above the top horizontal bar
of the grate to the lowest bar thereof, or beneath that level. They are set
pretty close together at regular intervals apart, being hooked or otherwise
attached by notches to the upper and lower bars of the grate. The front of
the grate thus presents an arrangement of board projecting pieces of metal
extending radially from the grate bars. These pieces of metal absorb the
heat from the burning fuel, and radiate it directly into the apartment to be
warmed, thus enabling the grate or fire-place to give off effectively a very
much larger proportion of the heat arising from the burning fuel than is

page_text: obtained by the ordinary grates. These plates have also the effect of improving
the draught of the fire-place by causing a strong rush of cold air to make up
.for the ascent of the heated air. Thin flat vertical radial pieces of metal are
preferred to be used in carrying out this Invention, but other forms and
sections may be used'; for instance, plates or pieces of a V or angular section
may be adopted, the hollows or concavities being next the grate, and the
central prominent edge or angle outwards.
The same arrangement or modifications thereof may be used in gas stoves
or heating apparatus. It is also capable of adaptation to common stoves and
other heating apparatus. In the case of the ordinary cylindrical stoves the
cylinder is open all round, or partially so, being fitted with the vertical or
horizontal metal slips on the exterior. The arrangement is indeed applicable
to most varieties of heating apparatus, the direct heat of the burning fuel
being always exercised or directed upon the metal pieces employed for radiating
the heat into the room. The same arrangement of radiating slips or pieces of
metal may also be applied according to this Invention in the construction of
.radial ash pans, the pieces of metal being continued downwards, and at an
angle so as to form the radial cover pieces of the ash pan, or otherwise.
Instead of fitting the radiating metal pieces in separate and distinct sections,
they may be cast in a solid piece, either with or separate from the grate itself.
The pieces or radiating mass may also be made of wrought iron.