Improvements in Shaft and Blast Furnaces.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Mar.. 187?
Improvements in Shaft and Blast Furnaces.
1, FRANZ BURGERS, Smelting Works Manager, of Gelsenkirchen, in the German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in shaft and blast furnaces, which
improvements are designed to obviate the necessity for frequent repairs and
alterations, whereby interruptions of working easily arise.
Heretofore shaft-furnaces and especially blast-furnaces for the smelting of iron
have been built with the outer wall of massive fire-brick about one-half of a
metre to one metre thick.
It is known that the boshes and also the shaft or stack are so acted upon by the
molten mass, that the interior of the furnace changes in form and thus irregularities
in working result, frequently causing great loss. To obviate this disadvantage, the
boshes have been protected by building into the same hollow metal plates in which
water is circulated for cooling the same.
The boshes have also been enclosed or surrounded by a sheet-iron casing having
annular hollow-spaces arranged therein, in which water has been circulated for
cooling.
These means for cooling have the great disadvantage that if they become
defective, the water can penetrate into the furnace without this fact being noticed
soon enough to prevent damage; moreover repairs are very difficult.
.
By my invention I obviate all these disadvantages by applying box-like iron
segments to the furnace, which segments are preferably arranged together to form
complete rings around the furnace; these rings can form the entire shaft-furnace
(hearth, boshes and shaft or stack). It is obvious that, if desired, any of these
segments and rings can be replaced by brickwork. However, the invention is not
limited to shaft-furnaces built entirely from box-like segmental rings as above
mentioned. In the following description, the invention will be explained with
reference to an example which relates to a furnace consisting entirely of these
rings.
By this arrangement, to be hereinafter described, the wall of the furnace (hearth,
bushes, shaft or stack) are made substantially thinner, and all these parts can be
cooled with water. This is effected by forming the wall of the furnace of iron
ring-sections. Each iron ring consists of segments which are connected to each
other by bolts and are held together by bands. The several ring-sections or
furnace rings, when they lie directly one upon another, are secured together by
flanges and bolts along their upper and lower edges. The lower flange is preferably
bent up and forms, at the foot of each segment, a trough or channel for the
reception of the cooling water, which is squirted against the segments or ring-
sections from a circular pipe having openings directed towards the wall of the
furnac. At the desired level, the tue-irons or tuyeres pass through the segments.
At the place, however, where the boshes lean against the shaft or stack, and where
previously the brickwork was especially thick, in the new forin of construction, &
furnace ring can be formed which serves as a bearing-ring for the stack, and offers
a special advantage over the previous old construction, since in this manner
extraordinarily thick brickwork is no longer necessary at this place, which was

page_text: sometimes as much as 2 metres thick and was so difficult to cool or could scarcely
be cooled at all, and exceedingly liable to be acted upon by the molten masses
resting thereon.
The internal surface of the furnace is formed, in this method of construction,
entirely or partly of these segments or rings which can, if desired, be protected
against direct contact with the furnace charge by a thin lining of fire-resisting
material. The uppermost ring of the boshes, which serves as the supporting
crown for the shaft or stack, can also be provided with a lining of this kind on its
inner surface, this however, can be dispensed with at will, so that the interior
surface of the furnace consists of. iron at this place. A similar arrangement can,
if desired, be also adopted at other places or with other of the said segments or
furnace-rings and especially at the furnace-ring at the level of the tue irons or
tuyeres and carrying the same.
When these iron segments are provided with a lining on the inside of the furnace,
the free surface of this lining lies in the internal surface of the furnace, i.e., it is
continuous with the adjacent part of the internal surface of the furnace. If the
segment or furnace ring in question be .not provided with a fire-resisting lining on
its inner side, the iron inner furnace-side of this segment or ring lies exactly in
the adjacent interior surface of the furnace, i.e. it is continuous with the latter.
Dated the 11th dox of Anril 1806
t
D. YOUNG. & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
1, FRANZ BURGERS, Smelting Works Manager, of Gelsenkirchen, in the German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by
the following statement :-
This, invention relates to improvements in, shaft and blast furnaces, which
improvements are designed to obviate the necessity for frequent repairs and
alterations, whereby interruptions of working easily arise.
Heretofore shaft furnaces and especially blast-furnaces for the smelting of iron
have been built with the outer wall of massive fire-brick about one-half of a metre
to one metre thick. A shaft furnace of this kind is shown in Figure 1.
It is known that the boshes and also the shaft or stack are so acted upon by the
molten mass, that the interior of the furnace changes in form and thus irregularities
in working result, frequently causing great loss. To obviate this disadvantage, the
boshes have been protected by building into the same hollow metal plates in which
water is circulated for cooling. Figure 2 shows an arrangement of this kind, in
which these hollow metal-plates are lettered m aud the tue-irous or tuyeres, of the
form usually employed, are lettered d while the water-supply is provided through
pipes which are cast into the plates m.
The boshes have also been enclosed or surrounded by a sheet-iron casing having
annular hollow-spaces arranged therein, in which water has been circulated for
cooling. In Figure 3 an arrangement of this kind is shown, in which bis the sheet-
iron casing having hollow spaces h.
These means of cooling have the great disadvantage that if they become
defective, the water can penetrate into the furnace without this fact being noticed
soon enough to prevent damage; moreover repairs are very difficult.

page_text: By my invention I obviate all these disadvantages by applying box-like iron
segments to the furnace, which segments are preferably arranged together to form
complete rings around the furnace; these rings can form the entire shaft-furnace
(hearth, boshes and shaft or stack). It is obvious that, if desired, some of these
segments and rings can be replaced by brickwork.
Figure 4 is a vertical section showing a shaft furnace wall which, as an example,
consists entirely of such iron box-like rings. However, the invention is not limited
to shaft-furraces built entirely from box-like segmental rings as above mentione:l.
In the following description, the invention will be explained with reference to au
example which relates to a furnace consisting entirely of these rings.
By this arrangement, to be hereinafter described, the wall of the furnace (hearth,
boshes and shaft or stack) are made substantially thinner, and all these parts can be
cooled with water. This is effected by forming the wall of the furnace of iron
ring sections: Each iron ring consists of segments o which are connected to each
other by bolts sand are held together by bands B. The several ring-sections or
furnace-rings, when they lie directly one upon another, are secured together by
flanges and bolts s' along their upper and lower edges. The lower flange Fis
preferably bent up and forms, at the foot of each segment, a trough or channel for
the reception of the cooling water, which is squirted against the segments or ring-
sections from a circular pipe R having openings directed towards the wall of the
furnace. At the level E-E, the tue-irons or tuyeres d pass through the segments.
At the place, however, where the boshes lean against the shaft or stack, and where
previously (a-a, Figure 1) the brickwork was especially thick, in the new form of
construction, a furnace ring can be formed which serves as a bearing-ring for the
stack, and offers a special advantage over the previous old construction, since in
this manner extraordinarily thick brickwork is no longer necessary at this place,
which was sometimes as much as 2 metres thick and was very difficult to cool or
could scarcely be cooled at all, and exceedingly liable to be acted upon by the
molten masses resting thereon.
The internal surface of the furnace is formed, in this method of construction,
entirely or partly of these segments or rings which can, if desired, be protected
against direct contact with the furnace-charge by a thin lining of fire-resisting
material. The uppermost ring of the boshes, which serves as the supporting crown
for the shaft or stack, can also be provided with a lining of this kind on its inner
surface, this,.however, can be dispensed with at will, so that the interior surface of
the furnace consists of iron at this place. A similar arrangement can, if desired,
be also adopted at other places or with other of the said segments or furnace-rings
and especially at the furnace-ring at the level of the tue-irons or tuyeres and
carrying the same.
When these iron segments are provided with a lining on the inside of the
furnace, the free surface of this lining lies in the internal surface of the furnace,
i.e. it is continuous with the adjacent part of the internal surface of the furnace.
If the segment or furnace-ring in question be not provided with a fire-resisting
lining on its inner side, the iron inner furnace-side of this segment or ring lies
exactly in the adjacent interior surface of the furnace, i.e. it is continuous with the
latter. This can be easily seen from Figure 4 of the drawing.
Figures 5 and 6 show a construction in which the inner lining of the furnace-wall
is dispensed with, so that the furnace-charge lies directly against the inner surface
of the iron rings, which must be effectively cooled as above described..
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 :-
First. In a shaft or blast furnace, the employment of box-shaped metal segments,
in place of the corresponding part of the wall of the furnace, which segments can
be provided with a fire-resisting lining on the inner side and are adjusted to the
iuterior surface of the furnace, whilst on the outside a water-pipe is arranged for

page_text: supplying cooling water to the said box-shaped segments which are open externally,
and have their lower bearing flange formed into a collecting space for the water.
Second. The uniting of the box-shaped segments into complete rings, substantially
.as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Third. A furnace-ring, such as is hereinbefore described, employed as a substitute
for the uppermost part of the hearth, so as to serve as a supporting crown for the
shaft or stack, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The employment of a furnace-ring, such as is herein before described,
in the hearth of a shaft or blast furnace, the said ring being provided with tue-irons
or tuyeres, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 11th dor of Tanu 1907
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.