Improvements in Crucible Furnaces.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Crucible Furnaces.
I, JOHN SOLOMON VIVIAN BICKFORD, of Tredouvra, Falmouth, in the County of
Cornwall, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to means of fusing or otherwise treating by heat, metals
or other bodies in crucibles by direct impact of a blow pipe flame upon them.
For this purpose, I place the crucible with its metallic or other contents within
a furnace chamber having near the bottom an outlet leading to a chimney.
Through the top of the chamber centrally over the crucible there is a vertical
duct into which is led laterally gas from a producer, or a mixture of air with gas
or combustible vapour, into the centre of which a jet of air is directed downwards.
A flame of intense heat is thus caused to issue from the vertical duct and to
impinge directly on the material in the crucible, the products of combustion
ascending along the interior of the crucible wall, passing over its upper edge,
and theu descending outside the crucible to the chimney outlet at the bottom of
the chamber.
Dated this 24th day of December 1896
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Orucible Furnaces.
I, JOHN SOLOMON VIVIAN BICKFORD, of Tredouvra, Falmouth, in the County of
Cornwall, 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:-
My invention relates to means of fusing or otherwise treating by heat, metals
or other bodies in crucibles by direct impact of a blow pipe flame upon them.
For this purpose, I adopt an arrangement such as is shewn in the accompanying
drawings. Fig. 1 is a section of a crucible and furnace chamber with blow pipe
in elevation, Fig. 2 is a section of the blow pipe to an enlarged scale. I place
the crucible C with its metallic or other contents. M within a furnace chamber
having near the bottom an outlet O leading to a chimney.
Through the top of the chamber centrally over the crucible there is a vertical
duct Dinto which is led laterally by a branch B a mixture of air with gas or

page_text: combustible vapour supplied by a pipe G acting as an injector nozzle so as to
draw in air.
In the centre of the duct D a jet of air is directed downwards from a pipe A.
A flame of intense heat is thus caused to issua from the duct D and to impinge
directly on the material M in the crucible, the products of combustion ascending
along the interior of the crucible wall, passing over its upper edge, and then
descending outside the crucible to the chimney outlet at the bottom of the
chamber, as indicated by the arrows.
Through the cover of the chamber there may be a number of holes H governed
by a turning valve, for admission of air, so that a flame is produced surrounding
the crucible and so accelerating the fusion of its contents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
In combination with a crucible a blow pipe arranged and operating substantially
ás described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of Sontomlion 1907
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.