IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES USED FOR PUDDLING, MELTING, AND HEATING IRON, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Benjamin Shakespeare and William,
Shakespeare at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 31st May 1867.
We, BENJAMIN SHAKESPEARE, of Wollaston, near Stourbridge, in the County
of Worcester, Manager of Iron Works, and WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, of
Wollaston, aforesaid, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES USED FOR
PUDDLING, MELTING, AND HEATING IRON, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements in reverberatory furnaces used
for puddling, melting, and heating iron, and for other purposes herein-after
described, whereby the said furnaces are made more efficient in action, and
great economy is effected in the consumption of fuel in the said furnaces.
Our improvements are especially applicable to furnaces used for puddling,
melting, and heating iron, but are also applicable to other reverberatory
furnaces.
We will describe our Invention with reference to a puddling furnace. In a
puddling furnace as ordinarily constructed the fire-grate is placed at one end
of the furnace, and the flame after passing along the arch of the furnace and
over the iron contained on the bed of the furnace passes to a flue at the end
of the furnace opposite to that at which the fire-place is situated. The opening
at which the puddler operates is situated at the front of the furnace about
midway between the fire-grate and stack.

page_text: In constructing a puddling furnace according to our Invention we build a
fire-grate at each end of the furnace, and we make a flue at about the middle
of one side of the back of the furnace, by means of which flue the heated air
and products of combustion are conducted to the stack or chimney which may
be placed near to the said flue. The flame from the fires on the said fire-
grates passes from either end of the arch and over the bed of the furnace, and
meeting at the middle of the furnace passes by the flue described to the stack
or chimney. By this arrangement the heat of the furnace is uniform or nearly
uniform at every part, and the puddling process is conducted more rapidly and
efficiently than in puddling furnaces of the ordinary construction. When we
-construct the arch and bed of the puddling furnace of the ordinary size we
prefer to make the opening at which the puddler operates at the middle of the
front of the furnace and opposite to the flue described.
From the greater heat which may be obtained in furnaces constructed
according to our Invention the bed and arch may be conveniently made of
larger size than usual and a larger quantity of iron subjected to the puddling
process at one time. In this case we prefer to make the two openings in the
front of the furnace.
In constructing melting, heating, and other reverberatory furnaces we
.arrange two fire-grates at the ends respectively of the furnace, and cause
the flame to pass from the ends to the middle of the furnace in a manner
.essentially the same as that described with reference to a puddling furnace.
Reverberatory furnaces constructed according to our Invention are not only
more efficient and economical than reverberatory furnaces of the ordinary
description, but they may be used with a commoner kind of fuel than that
ordinarily employed.