TREDDATEMENTS IN FURNACES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Smith Longridge, of Alderwasley Iron
Works, in the County of Derby, and James Mash, of Bowden, in the
County of Chanton for the Invention of 66 TREDDATEMENTS IN FURNACES "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Smith Longridge
and James Mash at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents with their
Petition, on the 13th January 1865.
We, WILLIAM SMITH LONGRIDGE, of Alderwasley Iron Works, in the
County of Derby, and JAMES MASH, of Bowden, in the County of Chester,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES," to be as follows:-
Hitherto in the ordinary construction of furnaces for the combustion of fuel
for heating purposes metal fire or grate bars of various kinds and forms upon
which the fuel under combustion is supported have been generally used.
Our improvements consist, first, in dispensing with the use of these metal fire
or grate bars, and using and employing instead thereof slabs or forms of fire
clay, or other similar or suitable fire-resisting materials, such slabs having
perforations or apertures through them and their external surfaces, corrugated,
or of such form that when two or more of such slabs are placed together there

page_text: shall be apertures between them, and through which perforations and
apertures atmospheric air passes to the fuel under combustion. The forms
and positions of the slabs, as also the forms and sizes of the perforations and
apertures, we regulate according to the nature and description of the fuel to be
used and the purposes for which the resulting heat is required.
Our improvements, secondly, have reference to furnaces employed for other
purposes than the heating of water or the generation of steam in steam
boilers, as for example the heating of iron in mill furnaces. This our
improvement consists in the adaptation to furnaces other than those for the
heating of water or the generation of steam in steam boilers of the improve-
ments described in the Specification of Patent granted to one of us, James
Mash, and dated the 12th day of April 1856, which consists in the adaptation
to the furnaces and fire-places of steam boilers of slabs of fire-clay or other
similar or suitable fire-resisting materials instead of the ordinary metal fire-
bars for the purpose of supporting the fuel under combustion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Smith Longridge and James Mash in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
SMITH LONGRIDGE, of Alderwasley Iron Works, in the County of Derby, and
JAMES MASH, of Bowden, in the County of Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said William Smith Longridge and James Mash, Her special
licence that we, the said William Smith Longridge and James Mash, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Smith Löngridge and James Mash, our 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 makė, 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said William Smith Longridge and James Mash, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of

page_text: 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 we, the said William Smith Longridge and James
Mash, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
Hitherto in the ordinary construction of furnaces for the combustion of fuel
for heating purposes metal fire or grate bars of various kinds and forms
upon which the fuel under combustion is supported have been generally used.
Our improvements consist, first, in dispensing with the use of these metal
fire or grate bars, and using and employing instead thereof slabs or forms of
fire-clay or other similar or suitable fire-resisting material, such slabs having
perforations or apertures through them, and their external surfaces corrugated
or of such form that when two or more of such slabs are placed together there
may be apertures between them, and through which perforations and apertures
atmospheric air passes to the fuel under combustion. The forms and positions
of the slabs, as also the forms and sizes of the perforations and apertures we
regulate according to the nature and description of tho fuel to be used and
the purposes for which the resulting heat is required.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Drawing illustrates this part of our improvements
adapted to a puddling furnace. Instead of the ordinary metal fire-bars, we use
the slabs A, A, of fire-clay or other convenient and suitable fire-resisting
material, arranged so as to form a general surface more or less inclined, and
upon or against which the fuel under combustion rests. In this arrangement
the slabs form ledges, but this is not essential, as we sometimes form the slabs
so that they present one uniform inclined surface, as shown in Fig. 3. These
slabs are perforated, and where several slabs are used the sides or edges of
them may be so corrugated or formed as to present when placed together like
or similar apertures to the perforations through the bodies or substance of the
slabs; the perforations or apertures may be of any convenient form or sizes,
the purpose of them being to admit air to the fuel under combustion. The
perforations through the slabs we prefer generally to make in an inclined
direction, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the ashes from the fuel may not obstruct
the passage of the air, though sometimes and with some descriptions of fuel they

page_text: The fuel
may be made more nearly or quite horizontal, as shown in Fig. 1.
is fed into the furnace through the hopper B, which being charged the fuel
falls gradually as the combustion proceeds; when it is necessary to disturb
or rouse the fuel it may be done by a rod through the perforations. Fig. 4
shows the application of our improvements to a crucible furnace for the
melting of steel and other metals; the crucible A is placed in the centre of
the furnace B upon the conical bottom C, which is perforated and allows the
products of combustion to pass through and into the downward flue D; the
fuel surrounds the crucible and rests on the perforated cone C; the upper part
of the furnace B is perforated, and through these the air is admitted to the
furnace, whether from a blast as at E, or direct from the atmosphere as
required. Fig. 5 shows the application of our improvements to a cupola
melting furnace, the lower portion of the sides of which are formed of
perforated slabs A, and through which the air for combustion is admitted,
whether from a blast or from the atmosphere direct, when a steam jet or
other means of exhaust is employed.
Our improvements, secondly, have reference to furnaces employed for other
purposes than the heating of water or the generation of steam in steam boilers,
as for example the heating of iron in mill furnaces; this our improvement
consists in the adaptation to furnaces other than those for the heating of
water or the generation of steam in steam boilers of the improvements
described in the Specification of Patent granted to one of us, James Mash,
and dated 12th April 1856, number 874, which consists in the adaptation to
the furnaces and fire-places of steam boilers of slabs of fire-clay or other
similar or suitable fire-resisting materials instead of the ordinary metal fire-
bars for the purpose of supporting the fuel under combustion. This improve-
ment is illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7, which show its adaptation to a puddling
furnace, Fig. 6, when the furnace is in operation, and Fig. 7 when it may be
necessary to discharge from the furnace ashes, slag, or clinkers formed or
resulting from the combustion of the fuel. The slabs A, A, of fire-clay or
other fire-resisting material are mounted on or supported by iron frames
movable upon bearings upon each side of the furnace so as to alter and vary
the inclinations of the slabs. Attached to the frames are the levers B, B, and
these are connected together, and to the handle or lever C so that the inclina-
tion or position of the slabs A, A, may be altered or varied at pleasure as
required; in front of the slabs A, A, are the gratings or bars D, D, for the
admission of air to the furnace.. The fuel during the working of the furnace lays
upon or is supported by the slabs A, A, and is fed through the hopper E; the
quantity of air required is regulated by the position or inclination of the slabs A, A,

page_text: through the lever or handle C, they when nearly or quite horizontal admitting
the greatest amount of air, and when inclined upwards wholly or nearly
closing the apertures through the gratings or bars D, D, and thereby suspend-
ing the admission of air. The intermediate positions between these will of
course regulate the quantity admitted. When it is required to clean the
furnace from ashes, slag, or clinkers the slabs are lowered to the position of
Fig. 7, when the whole contents of the furnace will be discharged; this opera-
tion may be done at any time during working, as the heat of the slabs will be
sufficient to ignite the fresh charge with facility; thus the furnace may always
be kept in a very efficient state.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of perform-
ing the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―-
First, the use and employment in furnaces of perforated slabs or forms of
fire-clay or of other fire-resisting or refractory material for the purposes
described.
Secondly, the use and employment in furnaces other than furnaces employed
for the purpose of heating water or generating steam in steam boilers of
movable or adjustable slabs or forms of fire-clay or of other fire-resisting or
refractory material, for the purposes described."
In witness whereof, I, the said James Mash, for myself and on behalf of
the said William Smith Longridge, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five.