PROVEMENTS IN HEATING FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Campbell and James Summerhill, both of the Firm
TM-
of Isaac Summerhill and Company, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Iron and Tin Plate Manufacturers, for the Invention of
PROVEMENTS IN HEATING FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND
STEEL."
ealed the 24th May 1878, and dated the 29th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Campbell and James
Summerhill at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th Novem-
ber 1877.
DAVID CAMPBELL and JAMES SUMMERHILL, both of the Firm of Isaac Summer-
hill and Company, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Iron
and Tin Plate Manufacturers... "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING FURNACES USED IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."
This Invention relates to the feeding or supplying of fuel and heated air to iron
and other metal-heating or reverberating furnaces which have the fuel fed on to
angled furnace bars, either with or without horizontal furnace bars below, at or near
the one side or end of the furnace where the gases from the fuel pass in over an
ordinary solid or hollow flame bridge, all so as to give a more uniform supply of
fuel and hot air, which, besides being more economical by consuming the smoke,
also enables the workmen to regulate the heat of the furnace to that required for
the time being in a more efficient manner than heretofore.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consists in erecting a large hopper
for containing the small coal or other fuel over the entrance to the furnace at the
top of the inclined bars, close to the arched or other roof of the furnace, fitted with
a sliding door or damper near the immediate entrance to the furnace below the fuel,
either actuated by handwheel or screw gearing to regulate the supply or feeding in
of fuel as required.

page_text: In some cases, and for some purposes this might be done automatically by the
said damper, and gravitation of the fuel through the aperture left by it, or a slow
revolving automatic feeding cylinder or vane drum might be fitted for the positive
feeding and pressing in the fuel with differential speed feed motion which could be
shifted by the attendant as desired to regulate the feed of fuel and heat of the
furnace.
A second or further improvement consists in building in fire-clay or other air-
heating pipes undulating along the walls of the furnace, or in the escape back flue
of the furnace, and through its floor or roof, so as to admit the air at one end from
the outside, and pass it through these pipes and bridge when that is hollow, and
lead it up to transverse hollow tuyer blocks built into the roof of the furnace at
suitable distances longitudinally, with rows of perforations along their under sides,
which admit the heated air in jet streams across the whole furnace, over the gases,
being evolved from the fuel below, so as to completely consume the gases without
the formation of smoke.
The large funnel-shaped hopper for the fuel would be made large enough to
contain a sufficient supply of fuel for many hours work, and which may then be
filled in in quantity direct from the trucks. And valves or dampers would be fitted
on the entrance to these air-heating pipes or ducts, or at the entrance to the per-
forated tuyers, so as to regulate the amount of air passing in through them to ignite
the gases; and small holes might be formed in the side of the furnace, filled up by
fire-clay blocks for the easy inspection of the state of combustion and heat of the
furnace, so that the furnceman may regulate the proper supply of fuel and heated
air through the tuyers at any desired part of the furnace to ensure the perfect com-
bustion and heat desired within the furnace.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said David Campbell and James Summerhill in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th May 1878.
DAVID CAMPBELL and JAMES SUMMERHILL, both of the Firm of Isaac Summer-
hill and Company, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Iron
and Tin Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING FURNACES USED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."
Our said Invention relates to the feeding or supplying of fuel and heated air to
iron, steel, and other metal, reheating reverberatory furnaces Z, Z, which have the
fuel fed in from above by a lateral opening 2¹, either on to angled furnace bars, or
on to horizontal furnace bars Zu below, at or near the one end or side of the fuel
burning part Z of the furnace, from which the gases pass in over an ordinary hollow
or solid flame bridge Z to the arched melting hearth or basin Z"; all so as to give
a more uniform supply of fuel and hot air, which, besides being more economical, by
consuming all the gases and smoke, also enables the workmen to regulate the heat
of the furnace to the temperature required for the time being in a more efficient
manner than has been possible heretofore.
And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing our said Invention
may be properly understood, we shall now proceed to describe the several Figures
on the Sheet of Drawings which we have hereunto appended for the purpose of
showing the best modes and means we are at present aware of for putting the
Invention into effect or practice, the same reference letters indicating the same parts
in all the Figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are a longitudinal, vertical, and a horizontal section, and Figure 3
is an end elevation, all respectively of a puddling or other reverberatory furnace Z, Z³,
shown as fitted with our improvements, and constructed in accordance with and
illustrative of one modification or adaptation of our Invention.
Referring to the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 3, the nature, novelty and
mode of performing the Invention consist in errecting or fitting a hopper A,
preferably closed in by a hinged or other lid A¹ on top, for receiving and containing
the small coal or other fuel z, over and into the entrance z¹ of the furnace Z at the
top of this inclined entrance or bars, preferably close to the upper part of the one
end of the arched or other roof Z of the whole furnace Z, Z¹.
A swivelling, or it might be a sliding door or damper a is fitted near the imme-
diate entrance z¹ to the furnace below the fuel z in the hopper A, actuated by a
hand lever or wheel and screw gearing or other equivalent, to regulate the supply
or feeding in of the fuel z as required.
In some cases and for some purposes, this feeding in of the fuel might be done
automatically by its own gravitation, and the slow motion of the damper a, or it
might be by a slow revolving positive motion of a vaned cylinder or drum fitted in
the opening at 2, with suitable differential speed feed motion, which could be
shifted and set by the attendant, as desired, to regulate the feed of the fuel and heat
of the furnace.
The funnel-shaped hopper A, erected at the upper outer end of the furnace Z,
would be made large enough to contain a sufficient supply of the fuel for
many hours' work, and which may then be filled in in quantity at intervals direct
from the trucks.
The bridge Z is made hollow of fire-clay block, with tuyer holes or perfora-
tions across the whole top or front of the bridge at ; and iron or other pipes B,
led from the upper part of the fuel z and hopper A, through the hot brickwork at
the sides of the furnace Z, to enter the ends of the hollow bridge Z¹¹, so as to
convey all gases or air from the fuel and hopper out through the openings,
in a heated state, so as to burn in flame in front and over the bridge, and assist
in burning the gases rising off the fuel fed on to the grate bars Zu in the fur-
nace, all as indicated by the arrows in Figure.1.

page_text: A sliding clinker grate ¹¹ is fitted behind and below the ordinary fire-bars Z¹l
pulled forward at intervals by the side handles 22, to let the waste ash and clinkers,
pushed back to the bridge as burned, fall down into the ash-pit Z¹¹¹ below.
The front of the furnace over the grate Z¹¹ is fitted with an opening grating at 23,
preferably with a controlling inlet door for regulating the adinission of the air to
the incandescent or burning fuel z on the grate Z". Small holes C are formed in the
side of the furnace Z, and which may have loose doors for the easy inspection of the
state of combustion and heat of the furnace, and for loosening the burning fuel, so
that the furnaceman may regulate the proper supply of fuel z and heated air through
the front at 3, or of the air admitted to the bridge, to insure the perfect combustion
and heat desired within the furnace.
In some cases fire-clay or other heating pipes D may be fitted along the side
walls at D' of the furnace Z', or in its escape back flue Z³, or through its floor or
roof, so as to admit the air from one end from the outside, and pass it through these
pipes D into the hollow bridge Z, along with the gases entering by the pipes B,
shown in Figures 1 to 3, thus leading the air and gases into transverse hollow tuyer
blocks 21 in jet streams of flame across the whole furnace, and igniting the gases
being evolved from the fuel, so as to completely consume the gases without the
formation of smoke. Valves or dampers might be fitted on the entrance to these.
air-heating pipes or ducts, as at B¹, or at the entrance to the perforated tuyers, so
as to regulate the amount of air passing in through them to ignite the gases.
Figure 4 shows a side elevation of the fuel-feeding hopper A. and furnace end Z,
showing a slightly different arrangement from that shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the
feeding slide or damper a, and a hand-charging door z¹¹ below this, at the feeding-in
throat, and arrangement of hinged or lowering and raising discharge clinker
grate at the back, the front air-admitting bars 3 being here shown horizontal
instead of vertical, as shown in the other Figures.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but what we consider novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and construction of reverberatory furnaces fitted
with feeding hopper and gas and air-supplying apparatus, and movable ash and
clinker grate ¹, for the re-heating or heating of iron, steel, or other metal, all:
substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The construction, arrangement, and us of a fuel-feeding hopper A, and gas
and air inlet, conducting and heating fittings or ducts 2, B, D, for reverberatory
furnaces for treating iron, steel, and other metals, all substantially as herein described
in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Summerhill, on behalf of the said David
Campbell and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
seventh day of May. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight
Witness,
JOHN BROWN,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES SUMMERHILL. (L.S.)