IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DOORS AND DOOR FRAMES OF FURNACES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Coulson, of Shamrock House, near the
City of Durham, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
DOORS AND DOOR FRAMES OF FURNACES."
Sealed the 26th November 1867, and dated the 28th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Coulson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th May 1867.
I, WILLIAM COULSON, of Shamrock House, near the City of Durham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE DOORS AND DOOR FRAMES OF FURNACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the doors and frames for
boiler, forge, puddling, or any other furnaces, and for these purposes the doors
are to be made hollow and water-tight, of either wrought or cast iron, copper,
or other suitable material, and of either a rectangular, circular, or other form,
and of any convenient sizes and attached to frames (which are also hollow)
in any of the usual modes by means of bolts and hinges, or made so as to
slide on frames and worked with levers or rack-and-pinion motion, and
these hollow doors and frames are to be supplied with water by pipes attached
to the doors either by means of proper swivel joints or in a telescopic form to
allow for the lifting or working of the door in opening and shutting, and such
waste water as may be required for the safe working of the door, to be

page_text: allowed to escape by the same means to any convenient place, either for
supplying boilers or a supply cistern, dr for any other purpose.
It is to be particularly observed that this Invention of water doors and
frames is applicable to all descriptions of marine or land boilers, and also to
forge, puddling, or other furnaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Coulson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COULSON, of Shamrock House, near the City of Durham, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto ine, the
said William Coulson, Her special licence that I, the said William Coulson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Coulson, iny 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE DOORS AND DOOR FRAMES OF FURNACES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Coulson, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said William Coulson, 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in doors and frames for

page_text: boiler, forge, puddling, or any other furnaces, and for these purposes the doors
are to be made hollow and water tight, of either wrought or cast iron, copper,
or other suitable material, and of either rectangular, circular, or other form,
and of any convenient sizes and attached to frames (which are also hollow)
in any of the usual modes by means of bolts and hinges, or made so as to slide
on frames and worked with levers or rack-and-pinion motion, and these hollow
doors and frames are to be supplied with water by pipes attached to the doors
either by means of proper swivel joints or in a telescopic form, or by flexible
tubing to allow for the lifting or working of the door in opening and shutting,
and such waste as may be required for the safe working of the door to be
allowed to escape by the same means to any convenient place, either for
supplying boilers or a supply cistern, or for any other purpose.
It is to be particularly observed that this Invention of water door and
frames is applicable to all descriptions of marine or land boilers and also to
forge, puddling, or other furnaces.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improvements
in the Doors and Door Frames of Furnaces," I will now proceed to describe
more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be distinctly
understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof,
and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say:-
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 is a frout elevation of a hollow furnace
door made according to my Invention so as to open and close by sliding
vertically; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same through the line A, B;
and Figure 8 is a longitudinal section through the line C, D.
a, a, is the hollow fire-door composed of two wrought-iron plates, rivetted
on to a rectangular frame; into this frame are screwed or otherwise fixed two
tubes b, b, and c, c; the former of which projects downwards into the hollow
fire-door towards the bottom, and is for the introduction of the cold water
thereinto (from a cistern or reservoir, whilst the latter leads only from the
top, and is for the exit of the water therefrom as it becomes heated, and thus
a constant circulation of the water through the hollow fire-door is maintained.
In order to allow of the door a, a, sliding up and down to open and close the
5 furnace, the pipes b, b, and c, c, slide telescopically in tubes d, d, which are
provided at their lower extremities with water-tight stuffing boxes e, e, so
that the pipes b, b, and c, c, can slide up and down therein without allowing
of the escape of any water therefrom. The pipe b, b, is to be furnished with
a stop-cock to shut off or admit the supply of water; f,f, is an air cock to

page_text: allow of the escape of air from the hollow fire-door when the water is
admitted; the weight of the fire-door is to be counterbalanced by means of
weights attached thereto by means of chains passing over pulleys above or in
any other convenient manner. All that is necessary in making the door
frames is to make them hollow and to provide suitable outlet and inlet pipes to
establish the circulation of the water. The method of doing this will vary
with each case according to the form or the frame, but its application is
so obvious and simple as to require no illustration or further description to
enable any ordinary mechanic to construct and fit up the same.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
Improvements in the Doors and Door Frames of Furnaces," together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that although I have shewn in
the Drawings and described above only a sliding furnace door with tubes
sliding telescopically through stuffing boxes yet it will be evident that the
Invention is equally applicable to swinging fire-doors, and that india-rubber or
other elastic or flexible hose piping or rigid pipes with union joints might be
used in place of the sliding tubes and stuffing boxes, I do not therefore desire
to limit myself to the arrangement shown in the Drawing, but I claim as my
Invention making the doors and door frames of furnaces hollow and water-
tight, and causing water to circulate through the same.
Firstly, in order to keep the doors cool and prevent or diminish the action
of the fire on the metal.
And, secondly to keep the engine and boiler rooms cool in steam ships and
to obtain from the waste heat thus absorbed a supply of heated water for
feeding the boiler or for other useful purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Coulson, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM COULSON. (L.s.)