Improvements in and in connection with the Fire Bars of Boiler and other Furnaces.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895
Improvements in and in connection with the Fire Bars of Boiler
and other Furnaces.
We, WALTER ARTHUR AYRES of Dace Road, Bow, London E. Engineer and
HAROLD PELHAM RANGER of 56 St. Georges Road Leyton, Essex Engineer 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in and in connection with, the fixed fire
bars of boiler and other furnaces, and in the movable bars of such furnaces as are
or may be employed for use in conjunction with mechanical stokers, and has for its
object to so construct such fire bars that the part or parts of same subjected to the
greatest heat, and which wear or burn away the quickest may be portable and
renewable, and we estimate that the life of a set of fire bars constructed or adapted
according to our invention may be prolonged or extended to twice that of the fire
bars as at present made and used.
In order that our said invention and the manner of carrying the same into effect
may be fully understood we have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings of
which :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary fire bar as at present made and used,
the object of this view being to shew the manner in which it is found in practice
that certain parts of these burn and wear away while the remainder remains
comparatively intact.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such a bar showing the renewable portions according
to our invention detached therefrom.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the said bar (Fig. 2) with the renewable or detachable
portions removed.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the detachable horizontal portion of Figs. 2 and 3
while Figs. 5 and 6 are end views of the detachable portions at the end of the bar
in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of such a bar according to our invention
taken upon the line A B Fig. 8 which is a plan view of same, showing one
method of fixation when the said bar has two or more detachable horizontal
portions.
Fig. 9 is a like section taken upon the line C D of Fig. 10 which is a plan view
of same, showing an alternative method of fixing the said detachable portions.
It is well known in practice that the back ends, or that portion near the back
ends of the upper surfaces of a set of fire bars, both in fixed bars and those that
have movement by connection with a mechanical stoker usually burn or wear away
quicker than other parts of the bars, by the reason of the fuel having attained its
greatest heat when arriving at this part in the process of stoking, an example of
which is shewn in Fig. 1 in which an ordinary firebar is indicated by A while the
said burnt away portion is indicated by A. In like manner the extreme back
ends of such bars A also become perished or burnt away by reason of the intense
heat given off from the accumulation of live ash or coke in the pit, an example of
which is shewn by A" in Fig. 1, and in most cases such a worn bar has to be
discarded and replaced by a new one, notwithstanding that the remainder of the
bar may be for all practical purposes as good as new.
To overcome the hitherto financial losses occasioned by such uneven wear, and
the time and labour expended in fixing new ones in place of those so worn, we

page_text: 1
construct our improved bars substantially as at Fig. 2, in which the bar A is
provided upon its upper surface, and near its back end, with a recess or dip such
as B, and to occupy such recess or dip we provide of steel or chilled iron a
detachable portion such as C, which, when placed and seated in B, would be
perfectly flush with the upper surface and the sides of A.
We do not confine ourselves to any particular shape or contour in the formation
of the ends of the recess B, nor to the means of fixing the portion C therein, but
for preference, we form the ends of B of V shape in plan, with its back end a
undercut or splayed inwardly, while its opposite end b is splayed or inclined
outwardly, or vice versa, that is to say b may be undercut while a is inclined
outwardly, but whichever method may be adopted the portion C would be
V shaped at both ends, inclined inwardly at one end c and outwardly at its opposite
end d, which provides its adaptability for fitting into B regardless of whether a
or b be undercut as described. It is obvious that the ends a b of B may be semi-
circular, dovetailed or otherwise formed in various ways in plan, so as to prevent
lateral displacement occurring to C when placed therein, conditionally that the
ends c d of C be formed to correspond therewith. Although not absolutely
necessary for the maintenance of the rigidity of C when in B, in order to prevent
possible buckling or warp occurring to C, we prefer to attach to the under surface.
of this, or cast or otherwise form integrally therewith, one or more pins, studs or
equivalent projections such as D, and for the reception of same a correspondingly
shaped recess or recesses E in the recess B, as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3.
In the extreme back end of the bar A we provide a preferably circular shaped
recess G, into which we fit a detachable like shaped steel or iron portion H,
tempered in the same way as C, and we may provide for the fixation of H into G
by forming in the upper portion of the back end of A a rectangular or other shaped
aperture e and a like shaped tongue or projection upon H for engaging therewith,
while a rectangular or other shaped recess g, formed in the lower portion of the
back of A, may form a seating for a like shaped tongue or projection h, upon the
detachable portion H. Or in lieu of the aperture e in A we may provide in the upper
surface of the back end of A a dovetailed or other shaped recess capable of forming
a key for a like shaped tongue attached to or formed upon H, in lieu of the
portion f.
In addition to the herein described means of fixing C in B, and H in G,
suitable
holes may be formed in the bar A passing through some portion of C and H or the
tongues or other projections thereon, and with these suitable pins or bolts may
engage, or other suitable means may be employed for attaining the same ends.
.
We may find it convenient or desirable that other portions of the upper face of
the bars A may be rendered renewable to compensate wear, or in other words two-
or more recesses such as B may be provided, end to end along the upper surface of A,
each provided with a detachable portion such as C, fixed therein in like manner.
In Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 we illustrate how a second or third detachable portion C¹
may be employed, and Figs. 7 and 8 show one method of forming upon the bar A
a raised portion of any desired shape against which the ends of C and C¹ may abut,
while Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate how the ends of C and may abut against each
other, and if desired be keyed one into the other, and both resting upon the raised
portion j of A.
From the foregoing it will be understood that the detachable portions C and G,
occur in the bar where the greatest wear takes place as previously explained, and
shewn by Fig. 1, and that such detachable portions when worn or burnt through
may be easily renewed and replaced by new ones, in most cases without the need of
removing the bar from the furnace.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1st. In the construction of fixed or movable bars for boiler and other furnaces, the

page_text: formation of suitably shaped recesses in such bars where the greatest wear usually
occurs and the fixing therein of like shaped pieces of steel or chilled iron capable
of easy removal when worn, to be replaced by new substantially as herein described
and shewn.
2nd. In fixed or movable fire bars such as A the formation therein of a recess.
such as B, of any desired shape or contour at the ends a b thereof, and the
manner of fixing therein by any suitable means, detachable or renewable metallic
portions such as C, preferably having one or more projecting studs pins or equivalent
projections such as D, fitting into a like shaped recess or recesses E in B,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by the appended
drawings.
3rd. In fixed or movable fire bars such as A the formation therein of a recess such
as G, having at its upper end a rectangular dovetail or other shaped recess such
as e, and at its lower end a rectangular or other shaped recess such as g, for receiving
tongues or projections f and h respectively or their equivalents of a detachable and
renewable metallic portion such as H, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by the appended drawings.
4th. In fixed or movable firebars such as A, the combination of recesses such
as B G, and detachable and renewable metallic portions such as C C' and G, the
latter retained in position in said recesses by the means of suitable pins, dowells or
other projections thereon engaging with like apertures in the fire bar A, with or
without other or supplementary means of fixation substantially as herein described
and shewn.
DL: 07th dow of Nanombor 1005
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1 Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.