IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th May 1874. A communication from abroad by Felix Preusser;
of Leipzig, in the Kingdom of Saxony.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE,
AND APPARATUS THEREFOR (a communication to me from abroad by Felix
Preusser, of Leipzig, in the Kindgom of Saxony), to be as follows:-
"
This Invention of " Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial
Stone," relates to the manufacture of artificial stone or material for
building and other purposes of sand mixed with hydrate of lime, such
mixture being moulded into blocks or pieces of the required shape, and
subjected in suitable chambers (herein-after called " impregnating
chambers") to the action of carbonic acid drawn from the lime kilns,
wherein such carbonic acid is separated from the lime during the process
of burning.

page_text: of carbonic acid into carbonate of lime, which process will thus be
accomplished in a few days, whereas it would take years to achieve the
same in the atmospheric air.
The carbonic acid employed must be introduced as pure, cool, and
damp as possible. Cheap production of the carbonic acid is of vital
importance, and in order to attain this the carbonic acid separated from
the lime during burning is made use of.
The limstone is burned in lime kilns with generative firing according
to the best system. The volatile carbonic acid thereby produced is
drawn off by means of pumps erected at the egress of the kiln, and is
conducted through washers consisting of gravel filters and water, thence
through pipes and the accumulator, tending to purify and cool the
carbonic acid, which is lastly fed to the impregnating chambers.
The impregnating chambers are erections of moderate dimensions in
juxtaposition; their extent being in proportion to the extent of the
establishment and the size of the articles to be introduced.
:
The manipulation in the impregnating chambers is as follows:-When
the chambers are completely filled their doors are closed as hermetically
as possible, whereupon the carbonic acid is introduced near the centre of
the ceiling by means of conducting pipes capable of regulation. The
carbonic acid on being introduced will by reason of its specific gravity
settle to the bottom, thus gradually filling the space from below upwards,
the atmospheric air escaping through numerous openings in the ceiling.
Each of these openings is provided with a gas flame, and as soon as the
space is entirely filled with carbonic gas, so that the latter begins to
cscape through the said openings, such carbonic gas will extinguish the
flames, thus indicating that the space is entirely filled with carbonic
acid, whereupon the openings are hermetically closed by means of layers
of sand. The chamber is now left closed for twelve hours, whereupon
the process is constantly repeated during about five days. At the end
of this time the supply of carbonic acid is entirely cut off, the openings
in the ceiling are uncovered, the doors of the chambers are opened, and
all are suffered to remain open until the whole of the carbonic acid has
escaped from the chambers.
For ascertaining that the whole of the carbonic acid has escaped
made at annual of the
anmingen in
eiling fre

page_text: introducing a flame of gas down to the bottom of the chamber. About
two days after the uncovering of all the openings, including the door-
way, several gas flames are introduced through different openings down
to the floor. If these flames remain burning they will afford a sure
sign that all the carbonic gas has escaped, and the workmen may then
safely enter the chamber without detriment to their liealth, in order to
remove the manufactured material, which will now be in a perfectly
marketable condition, and to commence operations for the treatment of
a fresh batch.
The accompanying Drawing shews in plan an arrangement by which
this Invention may be carried out.
A is the lime kiln. The carbonic acid produced in this kiln is drawn
off by the pump C. On the way to the pump C the carbonic acid passes
through the washer or washing device B, in which the acid is cooled,
purified, and moistened or damped, and whence it is drawn by the
pump C and fed to the accumulator or reservoir D, from which reservoir
the acid is distributed in the impregnating chambers E. g are the pipes
for conducting the carbonic acid from the kiln A through the washing
device B to the pump C and reservoir D, and into the impregnating
chambers E;f, are the valves for regulating the entrance of the carbonic
acid into the chambers E.