Improvements in and relating to Fire Grates and Furnaces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application. 18th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 23rd May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and relating to Fire Grates and Furnaces.
I, WILLIAM MILES, of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Ironmonger, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction
and arrangement of the fire places or grates and their flues for burning the coals
downwards through the grate and specially designed and suitable for close and open
kitchen and cooking ranges; but which by slight modifications are capable of being
made suitable also for open room or domestic grates and for other close heating fires
or furnaces, which improvements will make such fires fitted with them burn their
own smoke, and give a better and quicker application of the heat than in fire places
and grates as heretofore constructed.
The nature and novelty of the improvements consist all as follows:-First, as
applied to cooking and kitchen ranges, the bottom grating of the fire place would
be made much higher than at present, and have a portion of its sides made close
above the top plate of the range, with a sliding or removable cover above for
making the fireplace act either as a close or open range or fireplace; and the
front bars would have doors hinged on either side opening in the centre for the use
of the heat in front, and above these doors a longitudinal sliding or folding plate
The coals or
with openings would be fitted for admitting the air of combustion.
fuel would be inserted down through the top plate or in through this upper front
folding air door, where the air would also be admitted to support combustion, and
pass down through the coals so fed in, to the flues at the lower part of the fireplace,
as hereinafter described, to keep the lower part of the fire always the hottest. The
flames and heated products of combustion would, by these improvements, pass off
into flue apertures immediately below or close above the bottom grate bars at each
side of the fireplace, and pass along over the oven on the one side or the boiler on
the other, and down the far side of the oven and boiler to the centre under these
where they would pass off into the uptake flues of the boiler and oven respectively;
thus heating the top heating plates of the range as they passed off, for boiling and
other cooking purposes over these plates, fitted with the usual removable sectional
covers for that purpose. A damper in the back coveplate of the flues would
A flue would also
control the amount of flame and heat passing off to either side.
lead up from the back upper part of the fire chamber behind the coveplate, also
fitted with a damper in the centre between the other two dampers, which would
only be opened when the fire was to be used as an open range or fireplace, but two
small lateral openings would lead from the lower part of this back flue below the
damper into the uptake flues of the oven and boiler behind the coveplate to
conduct off any little smoke which might be given off by the upper surface of the
coals when the draught was sluggish. In some cases a flue opening would be
formed also through the lower part of the fire into this central uptake flue, with or
without a separate damper in it, so as to be used to burn the fuel and fire down-
wards by the draught up through the back flue when the two side flues were not
required, and in this way get the use of the heat of the fire out through the front
ribs or over the top plate of the fire for cooking or other purposes, or as an open
fire by removing or folding up the top plate. Although the fire and fuel in these
improvements has been described preferably as raised in the grate to lead the
flames along the upper plate of kitchen ranges they might be made lower and of
different depths, and have the flames and heat drawn up from the bottom to heat
the parts most directly desired to be heated. For room and domestic fire grates
the opening and damper above the fire would be wholly or nearly closed, and the

page_text: said lower back flue would be the opening for the whole or main escape of the
heated products of combustion. Then for the application to furnace fires the
flames and heat from this back under Hue would be conducted to heat the stove,
oven, or boiler fitted in connection with this new fireplace in which the fuel is made
to burn downwards by admitting the air above the fuel and making the escaping
opening below. The chimney in all cases would be made tall enough and with
sufficient draught to draw the air and heated products down through the fuel and
fireplace.
Dated this 18th day of July 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Fire Grates and Furnaces.
I, WILLIAM MILES, of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Ironmonger, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon that is to say:
-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction
and arrangement of the fire places or grates and their flues for burning the coals
downward through the grate and specially designed and suitable for close and open
kitchen and cooking ranges; but which by slight modifications are capable of being
made suitable also for open room or domestic grates, and for other close heating fires
or furnaces, which improvements will make such fires fitted with them burn their own
smoke and give a better and quicker application of the heat than in fire places and
grates as heretofore constructed.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in the corresponding figures where shown.
Figure is a perspective front elevation of a cooking or kitchen range as
constructed in accordance with my improvements. And Figures 2 and 3 are front
and side sectional elevations corresponding to Figure 1. While Figures 4 and 5 are
a front sectional elevation and longitudinal section respectively of the front
furnace part of a single internal flue boiler showing my improvements as applied
thereto.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 3 which show my improvements as applied to
cooking and kitchen ranges, the bottom grating A of the fire place A is made
much higher than at present and has a portion of its sides at A and A" made close
below and above the portable sliding top plate A1 of the range, for making the
fire-place act either as a close or open range or fire-place by the folding doors A
in front of the close part A"; and the front bars A have a door A³ hinged on one
side, or it might be on both sides opening in the centre, for the use of the heat
from the front bars A. The coals or fuel would be inserted down through the top
plate A or in through the upper front hinged air door A' where the air is
admitted to support combustion, and pass down through the coals so fed in, to the
flues at the lower part of the fire-place, as hereinafter described, to keep the lower
part of the fire always the hottest. The flames and heated products of combustion
by these improvements, pass down and into the chamber a below the grate A' and
off into the flue apertures a', a, a, immediately below or close above the bottom
grate bars A' at each side of the fire-place, and pass along over the oven at all on
the one side or the boiler on the other side a or down under and up the far side
of the oven and boiler at a' to the centre at a³ or to the upper flue at a by means

page_text: of the regulating dampers a' and as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2. The
gases then pass off into the uptake flues b of the boiler and oven respectively fitted
with the usual dampers b¹ in the cove plates B¹; thus heating the top heating
plates B of the range as they passed off, for boiling and other cooking purposes
over these plates, fitted with the usual removable sectional covers for that purpose.
The ash chamber a below the grate A.' is fitted with a door c in front with slide
regulating air apertures c¹ to support combustion of the flames and gases within
the chamber a when passing down through the grate. The usual dampers in the
back cove-plates B₁ of the flues control the amount of flame and heat passing off to
either side. A flue is also led up from the back upper part of the fire-chamber
behind the cove-plate B₁ at 3 and fitted with a damper in the centre between
the other two dampers 6' which would only be opened when the fire was to be used
as an open range or fire-place, but two small lateral openings 6 lead from the
lower part of this back flue below the dampers "into the uptake flues of the
oven and boiler behind the cove-plate B' to conduct off any little smoke which
might be given off by the upper surface of the coals when acting as an open range,
or when the draught was sluggish. In some cases a flue opening would be formed
at c also through the lower part of the fire into this central uptake flue 6 with
or without a separate damper in it, so as to be used to burn the fuel and fire down-
wards by the draught up through the back flue when the two side flues were not
required, and in this way get the use of the heat of the fire out through the front
ribs or over the top plate of the fire for cooking or other purposes, or as an open
fire by removing the top plate A and opening the doors A Although the fire
and fuel in these improvements have been described preferably as raised in the
grate to lead the flames along the upper plate B of kitchen ranges, they might be
made lower and of different depths, and have the flames and heat drawn up from
the bottom to heat the parts most directly desired to be heated. For room and
domestic fire-grates the openings and doors above the fire would be wholly or
nearly closed, and the said lower back flue c and would be the opening for the
whole or main escape of the heated products of combustion. Then for the applica-
tion to furnace fires as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the furnace D would be formed
in the front part of the central flue E' of the boiler E by having a transverse hollow
water hearth box d and back box d' fitted with tubular water circulating fire-
bars d between them, with the usual fuel charging and closing furnace doors at D'
in front which may have air admission apertures at D111 controlled by sliding plates
and with a closing plate D" at the back end, and with a closing door D' under the
centre of the furnace bars d* dividing the ash pit into two parts D³, D.
indicated by the arrows in Figure 5, the air to support combustion would pass in
through the furnace door at D and by the front open part of the ashpit D' and
pass up through the front of the hollow furnace bars and down through the
back part of these parts behind the division D2 and back part of the ashpit D',
to heat the furnace flue E' of the boiler E, and other outer flues of the brickwork
and shell of the boiler not shown in the drawings; air to support combustion in the
back part D of the furnace D passing in through apertures in the hinged
door D' of the ashpit which apertures may be fitted with a sliding plate to
regulate the admission of air. And to keep the tubular furnace bars d from
burning, water would be made to circulate through knee branches and cocks at d"
from the lower front part of the boiler E into the front hollow hearth box d back
through the tubular bars a to the back supporting hollow box d¹ through tubes d³
to knee branches and cocks d', leading into the front upper part of the water space
of the boiler E, these cocks at dd regulating or shutting off the circulation as
desired, or preventing the blowing-off of the water from the boiler, in the event of
any of the tubes bursting, when that was required, all as indicated by the arrows
in Figure 5; or it might be vice versa in the contrary direction carrying the
pipes forward to the back hollow bridge d' under the tube bars, and cause the
current of water to return through these to the front hollow bridge d, and lead
As

page_text: the water from this by the knee branches and cocks into the front upper space
of the boiler.
Having nows particularly described, and ascertained: the nature of my said
invention and in what manner, the same is to be performed, declare that
what claim-is-
'
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of cooking
ranges, and other house grates, and the fire-grates of furnaces fitted with their
bottom grate bars and fire-flues and making the fuel to burn downwards. and the
flames and hot gases to pass through the bottom grates to the heating flues,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described, in reference to and shown in
the accompanying drawings
Second. The constructing of close and open cooking ranges with fire flues, and
dampers or valves, so as to burn the fuel downwards and pass the flames and gases
through the heating flues, substantially as and for the purposes, herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The constructing of the furnaces or fire-places of boilers, to burn the fuel
and gases down through the furnace bars to heat the flues, substantially as herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 17th April 1891
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.