IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEDS OR APparatus FOR DRYING BRICKS, POTTERY, OR OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bacon, of Church Gresley, in the County
of Derby, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEDS OR APparatus
FOR DRYING BRICKS, POTTERY, OR OTHER ARTICLES."
Scaled the 18th July 1873, and dated the 20th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bacon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on thic
20th January 1873.
I, JAMES BACON, of Church Gresley, in the County of Derby, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sheds or Apparatus for DRYING Bricks, Pottery, OR OTHER ARTICLES,” to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
brick, pottery, and other drying sheds, and to the mode of stacking the
bricks or other articles therein, whether on wood, iron pads, or shelves,-
as herein-after explained.
The shed consists of a number of chambers arranged in an endless
series round “continuous kilns," and by preference round the kiln
described in a Provisional Specification lodged by me on the 3rd day of

page_text: December 1872, No. 3635. In carrying out my present Invention I
make use of drying chambers, one to cach chamber of the kiln, and I
divide cach drying chamber from the next drying chamber of the series
by a double wall. I construct the inner wall of this double wall with
perforations or apertures to allow of the escape of the steam or moisture 5
given off by the bricks or other articles, and these perforations lead into
a chimney at the top.
To form the roof I turn or spring brick arches which rest on the side
of the kilu and outer wall. In some cases two or more of these aro
necessary, according to the size of the drying chambers.
1
The mode of using these sheds is as follows:-The sheds are succes-
sively filled with bricks from the mould (or with other articles) which
are laid on boards or on iron pads placed at about 4 inches apart, and
are stacked one over the other, resting on bearers at each end, with or
without intermediate bearers, as found desirable. When each chamber 1
is filled the entrance into the corresponding kilu chamber, which should
be the last cooling chamber, is taken down, and the door of the drying
chamber is closed. The chimney of this chamber draws the waste licat
out of the kiln (which heat would otherwise escape into the air and bo
lost) through the bricks, and by the time the kiln chamber is ready to 2
draw the bricks are dry, and they are ready for the kiln chamber when
drawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Bacon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BACON, of Church Grosley, in the County of Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Bacon, Her special licenco
that I, the said James Bacon, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Bacon, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, excrcise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for “ImpROVEMENTS IN SHEDS or APPARATUS for Drying
BRICKS, POTTERY, OR OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Bacon, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Bacon, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
brick, pottery, and other drying sheds, and to the mode of stacking the
bricks or other articles therein, whether on wood, iron pads, or shelves,
as herein-after explained.
The shed consists of a number of chambers arranged in an endless
series around kilns, and by preference around the "continuous kiln "
5 described in the Specification of Letters Patent previously granted to me
and bearing date the 3rd day of December 1872, No. 3635. In carrying
out my present Invention I make use of drying chambers, one to cach
chamber of the kiln, and I divide each drying chamber from the next
drying chamber of the series by a double wall. I construct the inner
O wall of this double wall with perforations or apertures to allow of the
escape of the steam or moisture given off by the bricks or other articles,
and these perforations lead into a chimney at the top.
To form the roof I turn or spring brick arches, which rest on the side
of the kiln and outer wall. In some cases two or more of these are
necessary, according to the size of the drying chambers.
The bricks (or other articles) are laid on boards or on iron pads, which
are placed at about 4 inches apart and stacked one over the other, resting

page_text: on bearers at each end, with or without intermediate bearers as found
desirable.
"
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a sectional plan of a drying
shed constructed according to my improvements, and Figure 2 is a
transverse section of one of the drying chambers. The continuous kiln
around which the drying shed is constructed is not shown, but the sides
or outer walls are seen at a, a, and the entrances into the several kiln
chambers are seen at b, b. e represents a flue passing under each of the
entrances b, b, and communicating at its inner end with the "continuous
bottom described in the Specification of my former Letters Patent
herein-before mentioned, while the outer end of the said flue opens into
the corresponding chamber of the drying shed. d, d, are the drying
chambers arranged in an endless series around the continuous kiln.
Each of these chambers is divided from the next chamber of the series
by a double wall g, g', the inner wall g of this double wall being con-
structed with apertures, as shewn, to allow of the escape of the steam or
moisture into the chimney or outlet e. h, h, are brick arches over the
chambers d. Where the width of the chamber requires it there should
be two archies, as seen in Figure 2, and in this case the chambers have
an inner dividing wall g² to form one of the supports to cach arch. This
wall is built with apertures to allow of free circulation for heat and
air in the drying chambers.
In some cases I substitute slabs for the arches, as shown at i, i,
Figure 3, and these I prefer to use where they can be readily obtained.
ff, are the entrances into the drying chambers. j,j, Figure 2, represent
the pads or boards upon which the bricks or other goods are laid. These
pads rest on bearers or supports at their ends, and there are besides
intermediate supports as indicated at k, k.
The mode of using these sheds is as follows:-Each chamber d of tho
shed is filled as the corresponding chamber of the kiln is burnt off and
has become sufficiently cool not to damage the goods in the shed. Tho
fluo c leading from the continuous bottom is then opened or unstopped
at the entrance to the kiln chamber, and the entrance to the drying
chamber is closed. The hot air from the kiln then passes through the
drying chamber, carrying with it the moisture from the goods to the
chimney e. As the drying proceeds the entranco & into the kiln chamber
is opened by degrees so as to allow a greater body of hot air to enter
and pass through the drying chamber and perfectly dry the goods.

page_text: The drying chambers are successively filled as the corresponding kiln
chambers are burnt off. I find it advantageous to bring hot air from
two or more of the last cooling kiln chambers into and through the
drying chamber in which goods are for the time being in course of being
dried. When the kiln chamber has been drawn it is reset with the
goods from the corresponding drying chamber, which is constructed to
hold sufficient for the purpose, and as the pads ; can be lifted with the
goods thereon and carried into the kiln chamber I avoid the necessity of
and the damage caused by picking up the dried bricks and stacking
them ready for the kiln.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to bo performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. Constructing and arranging drying sheds or drying chambers
around kilns in such manner that the hot air or waste heat from the
kiln chambers is admitted into the drying chambers for drying the goods
therein, substantially as herein-before described.
Second. The arrangement for or mode of stacking bricks or other
articles in drying sheds, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bacon, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Eighteenth day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.