Process for the Manufacture of Automatic Igniters for Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process for the Manufacture of Automatic Igniters for Illuminating
Gas.
I, MAX BERNSTEIN, Proprietor of the Firm of Joh. Friedr. Wallmann & Co., of
Blumenstrasse 74, in the City of Berlin, in the German Empire, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
-
The subject of the present invention is a process for the manufacture of automatic
igniters for illuminating gas, similar to those used for igniting the mixture of air
and gas in the case of glow-light burners. These latter igniters have this draw-
back, that they frequently fail to act by reason of their not producing the tempera-
ture necessary for ignition.
The cause of this defect is that the platinum, or palladium, of the igniter does
not present a sufficient surface to the gas, that is, to the oxygen of the air, the
igniters being manufactured of inorganic substances, the pores of which naturally
close during the state of continual glow, the material sintering together.
According to the present process, the igniter is manufactured of porous material
in such manner that a far larger surface is offered to the oxygen of the air. This
is attained by any suitable organic, combustible materials, such as web, fibres,
filaments or the like, being combined with an inorganic substance, either in the
form of solutions or otherwise.
Such inorganic substance may be selected from (1). The oxides, or salts, of the
alkaline earth-metals, as calcium, barium, strontium; or (2). The group of earth
metals, as aluminium, chromium, beryllium, zirconium, yttrium, erbium, cerium
lanthanum, didymium, thorium.
The mass so formed is then saturated in a solution of platinum, or palladium,
or a mixture of the same. In the case where the inorganic material is added to the
organic in the form of a solution, the two above mentioned platinum and palladium
soluticus may be previously mixed, and the organic material saturated with same.
The material so prepared is then dried and submitted to the glowing process, so
that the organic materials are consumed and a mineralised, porous body remains
behind. The material is now capable of condensing a large quantity of oxygen
from the air, and in consequence of the platinum it contains, it comes to a glow on
the illuminating gas streaming upon it, and ignites the latter automatically.
This automatic igniter may be manufactured in a variety of forms and may
be combined with incandescent mantle or body in such manner, for instance, as
shown on the drawing at a, in order either directly, or through the medium of the
usual platinum wire by its glowing condition to enable the platinum constituent
of the part of the incandescent body saturated with a decomposable solution of
platinum, to effect with certainty automatic ignition on opening the gas-cock.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
The process for the manufacture of automatic igniters for illuminating gas,
according to which organic combustible materials (web, filaments, fibres and the
like) are incorporated with inorganic substances in the form of solutions or other-
wise, and the mass so formed saturated with a solution of platinum or palladium,
or a mixture of the same, whereby after the glowing process, a mineralised, porous
body impregnated with platinum or palladium remains, which offers a large surface
to the oxygen of the air, for the purpose of increased condensation, and on the supply
of illuminating gas comes to incandescence in the well known manner, either
directly, or through the medium of the incandescent mantle or body saturated with
a platinum solution, bringing about ignition, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of November 1897
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.