CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANNEALING FURNACES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward James, Tin Plate Works Manager, of Tipton, in
the County of Stafford, and Edwin Handley, Metal Merchant, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, for an Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward James and Edwin
Handley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May
1881.
EDWARD JAMES, Tin Plate Works Manager, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford,
and EDWIN HANDLEY, Metal Merchant, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANNEALING FURNACES."
Our Invention consist of the improvements hereinafter described.
In furnaces for open or close annealing we purpose dividing the grate room
(which may be of any number) for the better equalization and diffusion of heat in
the furnace and rendering combustion more complete, each grate being supplied by
suitable means with what is technically called a blower with superheated hydrogen,
so as to increase the temperature of the furnace when required, the supply of such
being regulated in the ordinary way; also in the general arrangement of the
horizontal and vertical or upcast flues for causing and imparting to the boxes
containing the articles requiring annealing a more equal distribution of heat.
On each side and underneath the grate room we build up a wall the length of
each grate room, which walls takes the cross bearers for carrying the fire bars, and
which said walls are provided with suitable openings or air ways through them,
and which may be of any number; between thease walls and each grate room an air
chamber is formed, into which by means of suitable pipes the superheated hydrogen
is conducted by the means before mentioned, viz., a blower, the result of which is
that it immediately rushes and finds its way through the openings or air ways in
the walls before mentioned and up through the openings formed in the grate room
by the fire bars, thus greatly aiding and facilitating the combustion. Underneath!
the seige or bottom of the furnace we construct any number of suitably formed

page_text: horizontal flues, and in connection with then a suitable number of vertical or
upcast flues or openings through the bottom or seige of the furnace. On that side
of the furnace opposite the front of the grates we form an open flue of a suitable
size (the horizontal flues before mentioned opening into it) running the whole
length of the furnace, formed by means of another wall extending from the bottom
or floor line to the top of the furnace; this said wall is also provided with suitable
openings or air-ways throughout its entire length and height; opposite to this wall
last mentioned, on the other side of the furnace nearest the grates and running
parallel to it, we erect another wall also running from the floor line to the top of
the furnace; this wall is also provided with a number of air ways or openings, but
such openings or air ways in this case are kept close to the bottom of the furnace,
the object being to pull the flame downwards on its escape through the said
openings into the outlet flue which is formed between the wall last mentioned and
the side of the furnace, which flue can also be of any desired width, but which
runs the whole length of the furnace as the one on the other side opposite to it;
from this outlet or escape flue all gaseous and spent flame is conducted to the
stack, the draught of auch being regulated by means of a damper plate in the
ordinary way.
Furnaces so constructed for annealing iron and. tin plates with the heat and
flame conducted through the flues and openings herein described cannot fail but to
impart an uniform and equally diffused temperature throughout the whole of the
furnace, and to the articles or boxes contained therein for the purpose of being
annealed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward James and Edwin Handley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st November 1881.
EDWARD JAMES, Tin Plate Works Manager, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford,
and EDWIN HANDLEY, Metal Merchant, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANNEALING FURNACES."
$6
Our Invention consist of the improvements hereinafter described. In furnaces
for open or close annealing we purpose dividing the grate room (which may be of
any number) for the better equalization and diffusion of heat in the furnace and
rendering combustion more complete, each grate being supplied by suitable means
with what is technically called a blower with superheated hydrogen, so as to increase
the temperature of the furnace when required, the supply of such being regulated
in the ordinary way; also in the general arrangement of the horizontal and vertical
or upcast flues for causing and imparting to the boxes containing the articles
requiring annealing a more equal distribution of heat.
On each side and underneath the grate room we build up a wall the length of
each grate room, which walls takes the cross bearers for carrying the fire bars, and
which said walls are provided with suitable openings or air ways through them,
and which may be of any number; between these walls and each grate room an air
chamber is formed, into which by means of suitable pipes the superheated
hydrogen is conducted by the means before mentioned, namely, a blower, the result
of which is that it immediately rushes and finds its way through the openings or
air ways in the walls before mentioned and up through the openings formed in the
grate room by the fire bars, thus greatly aiding and facilitating the combustion.
Underneath the seige or bottom of the furnace we construct any number of
suitably formed horizontal flues, and in connection with them a suitable number of
vertical or upcast flues or openings through the bottom or seige of the furnace. On
that side of the furnace opposite the front of the grates we form an open flue of a
suitable size (the horizontal flues before mentioned opening into it) running the
whole length of the furnace, formed by means of another wall extending from the
bottom or floor line to the top of the furnace; this said wall is also provided with
suitable openings or air ways throughout its entire length and height; opposite to
this wall last mentioned, on the other side of the furnace nearest the grates and
running parallel to it, we erect another wall also running from the floor line to the
top of the furnace; this wall is also provided with a number of air ways or openings,
but such openings or air ways in this case are kept close to the bottom of the
furnace, the object being to pull the flame downwards on its escape through the
said openings into the outlet flue which is formed between the wall last mentioned
and the side of the furnace, which flue can also be of any desired width, but which
runs the whole length of the furnace as the one on the other side opposite to it;
from this outlet or escape flue all gaseous and spent flame is conducted to the stack,
the draught of such being regulated by means of a damper plate in the ordinary
way. Furnaces so constructed for annealing iron plates and tin plates with the
heat and flame conducted through the flues and openings herein described cannot
fail but to impart an uniform and equally diffused temperature throughout the
whole of the furnace, and to the articles or boxes contained therein for the purpose
of being annealed; but as our Invention will be better understood by referring to
the Drawings hereunto annexed (which are made to about one 24th of the full
size) we will proceed to describe the same, reference being made to the various
figures and letters marked thereon.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the same furnace; while Fig. 4 is an elevation which
is partly in section of our improved furnace, which is better adapted for the
annealing of tin plates. A is the grate room; B, B, are the horizontal flues seen
in Fig. 2, and in dotted lines at Figs. 3 and 1; these said flues may be of any
suitable size and shape, and which run underneath the bed or seige of the furnace,
and in connection with these flues are several up cast flues or openings marked C,
and which are seen in Figs. 2, 3, and 4; the purpose and utility of these flues or
openings is to facilitate the proper combustion, and their tendency to destroy all
noxious gasses and smoke by the action of the heated air and flame which rush in
and through them from the horizontal flues B, B. The passage of such heated air
In connection with
and flame is indicated by the arrows seen in Figs. 2 and 4.
the horizontal flues before mentioned is a flue at the back of the furnace which
runs the whole length and height of the furnace marked D, and which is shewn in
Figs. 2, 3, and 4, into which they open; up this flue marked D a portion of the
heated air and flames rise and then escape through the air ways and openings
formed in the wall, which partly forms the flue D in connection with the outside
wall;
these said openings or air ways are marked E, and which are distinctly shewn
in Figs. 2 and 3, and in dotted lines at Fig. 4, the passage of the flame being
indicated by the arrows. The flame and heated air having escaped from the flue D
and through the openings E last described pass over equally the top of the seige or
bottom and consequently over the whole of the interior of the furnace; the heat
being thus equally distributed then passes through the openings or air ways
marked F formed in the wall at the opposite side of the furnace, the bottom of the
said openings being kept as low down as possible and level with the top side of the
bottom or seige of the furnace, as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, and in dotted lines at
Fig. 4, the object being to pull the heated air and flame down towards and over
the boxes containing the articles to be annealed; the spent flame then enters the
outcast flue G, which is shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, and in dotted lines at Fig. 4, the
arrows indicating its passage from the flue G to the chimney or stack which can
be erected on either side of the furnace, the draught of the stack being regulated
in the ordinary way. On each side and underneath each grate room marked A we
erect a wall running the whole length of the grate room, which walls are provided
with any number of suitable airways marked N through them; between these
walls and each grate room an hot air chamber is formed, for the purpose herein-
after to be described. For the better combustion, and for the means of equalizing
the heat of the furnace we introduce by suitable (means) pipes and connections
superheated hydrogen; such arrangement of pipes are shewn at the front of the
furnace in elevation at Fig. 1, in end views at Figs. 2 and 4, and in plan at Fig. 3;
the superheated hydrogen is conducted by the means of the blower into the cast iron
pipes marked H, shewn partly in dotted lines at Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and in plan at
Fig. 3, which said pipes are built in the wall, and in connection with the hot air
chambers between the grate rooms previously described; the result of this is that
the superheated hydrogen from the hot air chambers immediately rushes and finds
its way through the perforated walls in the air chamber and up through the fire
bar openings in each grate room, thus greatly inducing and facilitating the com-
bustion and increasing the temperature of the furnace. The superheated hydrogen
is supplied to the furnace by the feed pipe marked I, its supply being regulated by
means of the taps marked J which are shewn on the various Figs. The rails
marked K, shewn in plan at Fig. 3, and in section at Fig. 2, are merely for the
purpose of receiving the boxes (containing the articles to be annealed) in and out
of the furnace in the ordinary way. The furnace is fed with its supply of fuel, as
shewn by the fire doors marked L, which are shown in elevation at Fig. 1, and in
plan at Fig. 3, and in end view at Fig. 4. It is quite evident that our improved
furnace herein described must cause a thorough equalization of heat, which is
imparted to the whole of the interior, and consequently is imparted to any article
or articles of any description it may contain for the purpose of being annealed,
which is the great aim to be sought for in all descriptions of annealing furnaces,

page_text: for the maximum temperature of the furnace can be maintained when required;
the temperature can also be reduced or increased at will by the means of the
superheated hydrogen, the same being regulated in the way before mentioned.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be carried into effect, we wish
it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact details herein described
and illustrated, as the same may be slightly varied and diversified without departing
from the nature and spirit of our Invention, but what we do claim and wish to
protect under these our Letters Patent is, the general arrangement and combination
of the grates and horizontal and vertical flues with the air chambers between the
grate rooms, with the assistance of superheated hydrogen, so as to invigorate the
combustion of the furnace and augment the intensity of the heat, substantially in
the manner herein described and shewn on the accompanying Drawings, for giving
effect to the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward James and Edwin Handley, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of November, One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
EDWARD JAMES.
(L.S.)
20 Witness,
ALFRED PERRY, C.E.,
Patent Agent,.
Handsworth,
Birmingham.
EDWIN HANDLEY. (L.S.)