Improvements in Brick Burning Kilns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick Burning Kilns.
WILLIAM SERCOMBE Brickworks Manager Lower Hamworthy Poole Dorset.
I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Improvements in brick burning kilns with main flue in middle which forms
foundation for inside part of arches the arches forms continuous tunnel main flue leads
through one end of kiln to the stack, it is parted in chambers size to suit con-
venience. The one flue leads through to the outside part of every chamber, drops
through damper hole 4 ft. 6 in. back under the same chamber with a radius
2 ft. run towards the stack into the main flue thence to stack size of main flue
2 ft. 4 in. x 4 ft. 6 in. one flue to every chamber that leads to main flue
size 1 ft. 6 in. x 1 ft. 6 in.
Dated this 6th day of January 1891.
WILLIAM SERCOMBE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick Burning Kilns.
I, WILLIAM SERCOMBE, of Lower Hamworthy, Poole, in the County of Dorset,
Manager of Brickworks, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to what are known as continuous or chamber kilns, such for
instance, as the "Hoffmann" kiln, for burning bricks and other articles, the chief
objects of my invention being:
Firstly, to so equalize the heat of the chambers that the bricks therein will all be
burnt of equal hardness;
Secondly, to produce perfect combustion and thereby to economize fuel and
prevent smoke from entering the chimney shaft; and,
Thirdly, to utilize better than heretofore the waste heat escaping from chambers
which are cooling, for drying green bricks in other chambers before firing, and
thus preventing the staining or discolouring of the same.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional plan of a kiln provided with my improvements:
Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section on the line x, Figure 1; and,
Figure 3 is a section on the line y y, Figure 1:
Figure 4 is a sectional view drawn to a larger scale than the other figures and
hereinafter described; and,
Figures 5 and 6 are a vertical section and plan respectively of a detail.
Figure 7 is a view illustrating the method of packing the bricks into the
chambers.
My improved kiln, which is of oblong or rectangular shape, is provided with two
arches placed side by side and connected at their ends to form a continuous chamber
or tunnel. These arches upon their inner or adjacent sides are supported upon the
brickwork a in which the flue b, connected to the chimney, is formed, the said flue
being preferably four feet six inches (4' 6") in height and two feet four (2′ 4″) in
width. The arches of the kiln are enclosed in an outer shell or covering c which,

page_text: .
in order to avoid the use of an unnecessary number of bricks, is formed with
pockets d, d filled with rubble.
e, e are apertures for affording access to the kiln, the number of apertures corre-
sponding to the number of chambers into which the kiln is adapted to be divided:
as shewn upon the drawing this number is fourteen.
Each portion of the kiln designed to serve as a chamber is connected by a fluef
to the main flue b, the said flue (which is preferably one foot six inches (1'6") in
height and one foot six inches (1' 6") in width) extending from an opening in the
wall of the arch through an arched passage outwards, then downwards for a depth
of, say, four feet six inches (4' 6") and then beneath the floor of the kiln to the
said flue b. Each flue fis provided with a damper g by means of which it may be
closed, the said damper being arranged to slide in the arched passage, the mouth of
which is closed, when desired, by means of, say, a piece of clay.
l
In the upper part of the kiln is a flue h which is connected with the several
portions of the kiln designed to form chambers by means of passages i, i, each of
which passages is provided with a damper j for shutting off communication between
the kiln and the flue and with a cover k, the edge of which is adapted to fit into a
trough surrounding the opening in the crown of the arch through which the heat
enters the passage i, the said cover being removed through the opening m closed by
a cover, all as clearly shewn in Figure 4. The flue h, it will be noticed, is placed
between the arches in order that the heat escaping from one chamber shall pass
as directly as possible to another chamber and thereby suffer as little loss as
possible.
n, n are holes extending from the top of the kiln to the interior of the chambers,
and serving for the introduction of fuel, the said holes being normally closed at the
top by covers o, o fitting into seats p, p, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6.
indicate inner ribs or arches up to which the bricks are built to form a
separation between two chambers. In forming a division, the upper part of the
bricks, say, the part above the dotted liner, Figure 3, is plastered over with loamy
clay, whilst the lower part is closed by a removable shutter formed in sections to
enable it to be readily removed, this shutter only being removed when the chamber
following it is filled and ready for sealing in a similar way.
In packing the bricks into a chamber, vertical passages s, s are formed beneath
the holes n, n so that the fuel shall fall amongst the bricks; and horizontal flues
are formed at certain intervals by placing some of the bricks across the others, as
shewn in Figure 7, so as to leave spaces between through which the fire can pass
from chamber to chamber. In the vertical flues I place bricks transversely at
certain intervals as at t to prevent all the fuel from falling to the bottoms of the
passages 8, s.
Transverse passages are also formed across the chamber opposite the opening in
the outer wall connected with flue f, Figure 3, crossing at right angles all the
horizontal flues shewn in Figure 7.
The working of the kiln will be understood from the following:-Assume that
the chamber I is being emptied that the bricks in the chamber 2 have become
cooled after burning, that the bricks in chambers 3 and 4 are cooling, that those in
chamber 5 have just had enough fire, that chamber 6 is in full fire, the chamber 7
white hot, the chambers 8 and 9 red hot, the chamber 10 black hot, the chamber 11
quite dry, the chambers 12 and 13 steaming or drying, and the chamber 14 setting.
In this case the dampers g, g of the chambers 6 and 7 are closed tight, and those of
the chambers 8, 9 and 10 are more or less open and of 11 fully open, so that part
of the products of combustion escaping from the chamber 6 will pass through the
chambers 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 before escaping to the flue b, also the dampers j, j of
chambers 3, 4 and 5 and of chambers 12 and 13 are open, so that the waste heat
escaping from the cooling chambers 3, 4 and 5 will pass into the chambers 12 and 13
to dry the bricks therein prior to the application of the fire, so that the said bricks
will not be discoloured by the direct action of the fire when applied.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The construction of a continuous kiln in such a manner that the brickwork
for the main flue carries the inner sides of the arches of the kiln, other flues crossing
underneath the chambers from the outside walls, substantially as described.
2. A continuous kiln constructed substantially as described with the flue between
the arches, so that the heat escaping from the cooling chambers may pass directly
to the chambers in which green bricks are stacked ready for firing, substantially as,
and for the purpose, described.
3. The improved kiln hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.