IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE GRATES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Edward Clarke at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October 1881.
Captain THOMAS EDWARD CLARKE, of Minehead, in the County of Somerset.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE GRATES."
The object of this Invention is to provide a smoke consuming and ventilating
fire grate.
In carrying out my Invention I maintain the open fire, and the smoke is caused
to pass downwards through the fire, where it is consumed, and the products of
combustion pass off in the shape of slightly colored vapor.
The cheeks of the fire place with the register and the fire grate may be made in
the usual manner. I prefer however that the bottom of the grate and the front
bars shall be movable. The grate bottom I form with feet, which rest on a plate
placed an inch or two above the hearth. Between the grate bottom and the plate
I make in the cheeks two openings, one on either side of the grate, and I connect
these openings by tubes with a smoke box or chamber above the fire place. The
gases of combustion pass through the pipes to the smoke box, and from thence to
the chimney. A damper is placed in the smoke box to regulate the draft through
the tubes. The space below the grate bars is closed in any suitable manner, so that
the products of combustion shall be obliged to pass off through the tubes.
The grate is enclosed in a case, and the spaces between the cheeks and the case
form pockets in which the cold air entering through openings at the bottom will
be heated by coming in contact with the tubes. The heated air may be allowed
to escape into the apartment through openings formed in the upper part of
the case.
When the fire is first lighted I prefer to open the register, so that the smoke can
pass direct to the chimney, partitions being provided to prevent it passing to the
air spaces

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Edward Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th April 1882.
Captain THOMAS EDWARD CLARKE, of Minehead, in the County of Somerset.
"IMPROVEMENTS, IN FIRE GRATES."
The object of this Invention is to effect an economy in the consumption of fuel
in open fire grates by consuming the smoke given off by the fuel without inter-
fering with the ventilation created by open fires.
In carrying out my Invention I cause the smoke given off by the fuel to pass
down into the fire, where it is consumed, the products of combustion passing off to
the chimney in the shape of slightly coloured vapour.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a front view partly in section
of an open stove or grate arranged according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical
transverse section of the same taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a
sectional plan taken in the line 3, 4, of the same Figure.
A is the fire place, behind the cheeks of which are air chambers B, B, which
communicate with each other at the front part of the grate above the fire place,
and also at the back of the fire place, and extend down to the hearth, where they
are furnished with air openings b. C is the bottom of the fire place, which is sup-
ported by feet that rest upon a plate D raised a little above the hearth.
E is the back plate of the grate, which closes in the air spaces B, B, leaving a
passage between them formed by the back of the fireplace, which may if desired be
lined with fireclay.
The plate D extends from the front of the grate to the back plate E, and in rear
of the fire place it is furnished with openings & for admitting air to the chambers B.
These chambers serve to heat the air that passes into them, and when heated the
air passes out through openings 61 into the apartment.
The plate D is made fast to the castings which form the chambers B, B, by lugs
and screws in the well known manner, and the bottom C, which rests upon this
plate, is made so as to provide for a free passage for the gases of combustion from
the fire place to the space F between the bottom C and the plate D.
This space is closed by a fender G, which will catch any ashes that may fall
between the grate bars, and on being removed will allow of the space F being
cleared of any deposit.
Opening into this space F, and at opposite ends thereof, are two tubes H, H, which
extend upwards through the air heating chambers B, and enter a smoke box I in
connection with the chimney.
Below this smoke box, and serving to close the upper part of the fire place, is a
register K, which when thrown back will open the fireplace to the chimney. The
smoke box I is provided with a damper, which is to be kept open when the register
is closed, and closed when the register is open.
Supposing now the fire to be lighted, the register is thrown back and kept open
until the fire has well ignited. So soon as this has occurred the direction of the
gases of combustion may be reversed in order to effect the consumption of the
smoke. To this end the damper of the smoke box is opened and the register K is
closed. The draught set up in the chimney will now commence to exhaust the
smoke box, and thereby cause the tubes H, H, to suck down the gases of com-
bustion through the incandescent fuel, and conduct them off to the smoke box.
In their downward passage any solid carbon which they contain will be speedily
consumed, and the gases as they escape from the chimney will appear as a slightly
coloured vapour.

page_text: In Sheet II. of the Drawings I have shewn another form of open grate arranged
according to my Invention, which grate is provided with a movable envelope or case
for ensuring a slow combustion of the fuel when the apartment in which the grate
is situate is for the time unoccupied.
Fig. 4 is a front view of the grate and its appendages, and Fig. 5.is a sectional
plan of the same taken in the line 5, 6, of Fig. 4.
A is the fire place formed of, say, a cylindrical case with fire bars all round the
same, and open at top and bottom.
This case fits closely over a hole of corresponding shape formed in a hollow
base B, and standing upon feet is a bottom plate C fitting the case loosely, so as to
allow of, as in the preceding example, the gases of combustion being drawn down
past the bottom plate.
Situate immediately above the fire place and pendent from the chimney, which
in this case is closed in any convenient manner, is a pipe E, which serves as a guide
for an envelope F to slide upon, and cover in the fire place when desired.
This envelope, which may be made ornamental, has attached to it counter
weighted chains G, G, which passing over guide pulleys will facilitate the raising
and lowering of the envelope F, and retain it in any desired position.
The pipe E is flared at its lower end to conduct the smoke upwards, and it is
furnished with a damper e for closing the pipe when desired.
Entering into this pipe at opposite sides thereof, and a little way above the
damper e, are pipes H, H, which rise from the hollow base B and communicate
therewith.
To use this grate the envelope F is raised to the drawn position of Fig. 4, and the
damper e is opened. The fuel is then ignited, and when the fire is well drawn the
damper may be closed. The draft established in the chimney will then exhaust
the pipe E above the damper, which portion of the pipe will serve as the smoke
box I of the first described arrangement.
The pipes H will then, from their connection with the exhaust pipe, draw down
the gases of combustion through the fuel and cause the combustion to the
smoke, while the remaining products, leaving the hollow base B, will pass up
through the tubes H, and so on to the chimney.
When it is desired to reduce the rate of combustion it will only be necessary to
draw down the sliding envelope F to the dotted position of Fig. 4, when access of
air to the fire through the fire bars will be stopped, and a small admission only
of air will be admitted through a radial ventilator f in the envelope to keep up
combustion.
When however a bright or open fire is required the envelope may be raised, and
a quickened combustion will be immediately established.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improvements in Fire
Grates," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
The means above described whereby the direction of the ascending gases of com-
bustion given off by open fire grates may be reversed and the gases drawn through
the fuel, as and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Edward Clarke, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
AHA