Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF FLOORS FOR DRYING BRICKS OR OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Short Batley and Jonathan Watkinson,
both of Leeds, in the County of York, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF FLOORS FOR DRYING
BRICKS OR OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 13th April 1875, and dated the 14th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Short Batley
and Jonathan Watkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th October 1874.
We, WILLIAM SHORT BATLEY and JONATHAN WATKINSON, both of
Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF
FLOORS FOR DRYING BRICKS OR OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
:-
Our Invention relates to drying floors upon which bricks, tiles, or
other articles to be dried are placed in their wet or damp state, and it
has for its objects improved methods of constructing and arranging such
floors, by which methods waste or exhaust steam (from steam engines or

page_text: other convenient sources) may be used for the purpose of heating the
floors more readily, effectively, and economically than has heretofore
been the case.
For this purpose we form the floor of a series of tiles of
considerable thickness laid together, their upper surfaces being flat and
forming the floor upon which the bricks or other articles which are to
be dried are placed.
The tiles have horizontal passages formed through them which when
they are properly laid together form pipes through which the steam is
admitted and passes. These tiles may be laid in any form in which it
may be convenient that the steam passages should pass, but we prefer to
arrange two lines of tiles side by side across the centre of the floor, each
line having a passage through it of considerable size, and each of the
tiles which form the line being flat at the top, and having its ends
arranged in contact with those of the adjoining tiles so that the passage
through them may be continuous. The steam is admitted into one or
both of these lines of passages by means of suitable regulating valves.
At each side of the two lines of hollow tiles described we arrange the
remainder, which are preferably square in plan, and which are fitted
against each other so as to fill up the entire space which forms the floor.
Through each of these square tiles we form one or more (but preferably
three) horizontal openings, which when the tiles are fitted together form
a series of continuous pipes or passages extending from the central
passages above described to the edge of the floor; and opposite the end
of each such continuous passage where it abuts against one of the
central lines of tiles first described we make a small opening through
the latter, by which steam has access into the entire series of passages
in the tiles which form the floor, and the latter is thus sufficiently heated
for the purpose required.
The edges of the several tiles may be dovetailed or rabbeted to fit into
each other, or they may have grooves formed in their edges, or their
upper edges may be chamfered so as to form recesses filled with dust or
other material sufficient to prevent the escape of the steam to an
injurious degree.
We prefer to arrange drain tiles or gutter tiles or troughs under the
junction of the main rows of cross tiles with the remainder, into which
the water arising from the condensed steam drains, and is conveyed away,
and openings may be formed where advisable for the discharge of the
surplus steam.

page_text: Sometimes instead of forming passages entirely in the substance of
the flat tiles which form the floor we make them open below, and we
form a bed of concrete or other suitable material, upon which they rest,
and which forms the bottom of the passages; or sometimes we make the
passages consist of a series of ordinary pipes embedded in a mass of
concrete, the upper part of which forms the floor.
In order to lighten the tiles additional perforations may be made
through them as well as those which form the steam passages.
Instead of the method described the passages through the tiles may
be arranged in any convenient way, so that the pipes formed by the
openings through the tiles when in their places may pass under the
whole of the drying floor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Short Batley and Jonathan Watkinson in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
Short Batley and JONATHAN WATKINSON, both of Leeds, in the County
of York, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said William Short Batley and
Jonathan Watkinson, Her special licence that we, the said William
Short Batley and Jonathan Watkinson, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Short Batley and
Jonathan Watkinson, our executors, administrators, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OP
FLOORS FOR DRYING BRICKS OR OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition
I

page_text: (amongst others) that we, the said William Short Batley and Jonathan
Watkinson, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 we, the said William Short Batley and Jonathan
Watkinson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
Drawing (that is to say) :-
.
.
This Invention relates to drying floors upon which are placed in their
wet or damp state bricks, tiles, or other articles which it is required to
dry. It has for its objects improved methods of constructing and
arranging such floors in such a manner that waste or exhaust steam
from steam engines or other convenient sources may be applied to the
purpose of heating the floors more readily, effectively, and economically
than has heretofore been the case.
In order to carry our Invention into operation we form the drying:
floor of a series of tiles of considerable thickness laid together with
their sides or edges in contact so that their surfaces (which are flat) form
the floor upon which are placed the bricks or other articles which are to
be dried.
The tiles, arranged as described, are preferably rectangular in plan,
and we form through them horizontal openings or passages which, when
they are properly laid in position, form continuous pipes through which
the steam which is admitted for heating the floor, as above described, is
admitted and passes.
The tiles, constructed as described may be arranged or laid in any
form or position in which it may be most convenient that the steam
passages may pass, but we prefer to arrange the lines of tiles side by
side across the centre of the floor, each such line having a passage
through it of considerable size, and each of the tiles which form such
lines having a flat top and having its ends in contact with those of the
adjoining tiles so that the passage through them may be continuous
from end to end. Steam is admitted into one or both of these lines of

page_text: pipes as may be desired by means of suitable regulating valves, by
which also the quantity of steam admitted can be regulated.
At each side of the two principal lines of hollow tiles which are
arranged across the drying floor, as described, we arrange other tiles,
which are preferably square in plan, and which are fitted side by side
against each other so as to cover the entire space which forms the drying
floor. Through each of these square tiles we form one or more (but
preferably three) horizontal openings or passages, which when the tiles
are fitted together form a series of continuous pipes or passages at right
angles to the central passages already described, and extending from
them to the boundaries of the floor. Opposite the end of each such
continuous passage where it abuts against one of the central lines of
tiles we make a small opening through the latter, which allows access
for the steam into the entire series of passages in the tiles which form
the drying floor, and the latter is thus sufficiently heated for the purpose
required.
The sides or edges of the several tiles which form the floor may bo
dovetailed, rabbeted, or otherwise fitted into each other, or they may
have grooves formed in them, or their upper edges may be chamfered so
as to form recesses, which when filled with dust or other material serve
to prevent the escape of the steam to an injurious degree.
Drain or gutter tiles may be arranged under the junction of the rows
of cross tiles with those containing the principal passages first described
so that the water arising from the condensation of the steam or other
sources drains into them and is conveyed away, and openings may be
formed where advisable for the discharge of the surplus steam.
Instead of forming passages for the steam entirely within the sub-
stance of the tiles which form the floor, as described, we sometimes
make these passages open on the lower side of the tiles, and we form a
bed of concrete or other suitable material, upon which the tiles are
placed, so that it forms the bottoms of the passages; or sometimes we
make the passages consist of a series of ordinary pipes embedded in a
mass of concrete, the upper surface of which forms the drying floor.
And in order to lighten the tiles constructed and arranged as described
we sometimes make through them additional perforations as well as
those which form the steam passages.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of our Invention.

page_text: Figure 1 is a section of part of a drying floor constructed according
to our Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan, Figure 4 an end view, and Figure 5 a side view of
one of the cross tiles.
Figure 6 is an end view of one of the steam tiles having the passages
through it open below and resting on a bed of concrete.
Figure 7 is a cross section of part of a drying floor constructed with
ordinary pipes embedded in concrete.
Figure 8 is a general plan upon a smaller scale of a drying floor con-
structed according to our Invention.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the
several Figures.
a, a³, are the two main lines of pipe across the drying floor having
openings 6, b², through them, and arranged end to end, as shewn in
Figures 2 and 8; c, c, c, &c., are square tiles forming the drying floor,
and having passages d, d, d, &c., through them at right angles to the
principal passages a, a¹, with which they communicate by the openings
e, e, e, e, &c.; drain or gutter tiles f, g, are shewn in Figure 1, arranged
under the junctions of the main lines of tiles a, a¹, and the cross tiles
c, c, c, &c.
Having now described our Invention, and the manner in which it is
to be performed, we claim, the methods of constructing and arranging
drying floors of tiles containing passages, into which steam is admitted
for the purpose of heating them, substantially as and for the purposes
described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Short Batley and Jonathan
Watkinson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.