IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE MANU. FACTURE OF IRON, AND IN OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Halford, of Brettel Lane, Kingswinford,
in the County of Stafford, Coke and Breeze Burner, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE MANU.
FACTURE OF IRON, AND IN OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES."
Sealed the 20th July 1869, and dated the 5th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Halford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th February 1869.
I, JOHN HALFORD, of Brettel Lane, Kingswinford, in the County of
Stafford, Coke and Breeze Burner, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner
herein-after explained the parts of puddling furnaces used in the many,
facture of iron and other reverberatory furnaces.

page_text: I will describe my Invention with reference to a puddling furnace.
In lieu of the ordinary fire-place in which to effect the combustion of
the fuel I construct an oven or chamber without fire-bars, on the bottom
of which oven the fuel to be burned is supported. The fuel is supplied
to the said oven by an opening at one side or other convenient part.
The air to support the combustion of the fuel does not enter the said
oven direct from the atmosphere, but is supplied by flues made in the
top and back vertical wall of the oven. The air passes along the flues
at the top of the said oven, and descending the vertical flues at the back
of the said oven passes into the said oven through holes in the vertical
back wall. The heated air and products of combustion ascending from
the fire pass out at the upper part of the front wall of the oven, and
descending vertical flues in the said front wall enter horizontal flucs
under the said oven, and thence pass to the reverberatory chamber of
the puddling furnace. The vertical flues described as situated in the
front wall may be placed in the side wall or walls with the same
effect. By constructing and arranging the flues and parts of the furnace
in the way described the air before coming in contact with the fuel is
heated by passing through the flues in the top of the oven, and the
heated air and products of combustion by passing under the bottom of
the oven heat the fuel contained therein.
In furnaces constructed according to my Invention the fuel is burned
very economically, and a commoner kind of fuel can be employed than
in puddling furnaces of the ordinary kind. My Invention is applicable
to reverberatory furnaces in general.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Halford in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 30th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HALFORD, of Brettel Lane, Kingswinford, in the, County of Stafford, a
Coke and Breeze Burner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the

page_text: thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suo-.
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Halford, Her special
licence that I, the said John Halford, my executors, administrators,,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Halford, my exe-
cutors, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN
OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Halford, my executors or administrators, 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 John Halford, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging in the mannor
herein-after explained the parts of puddling furnaces used in the manu-
facture of iron and other reverberatory furnaces.
I will describe my Invention with reference to a puddling furnace.
In lieu of the ordinary fire-place in which to effect the combustion of
the fuel I construct an oven or chamber without fire-bars, on the
bottom of which oven the fuel to be burned is supported. The fuel is
supplied to the said oven by an opening at one side or other convenient
part. The air to support the combustion of the fuel may either entor
the said oven direct from the atmosphere or be supplied by flues made
in the top or roof and vertical walls of the oven. The air passes along
the flues at the top of the said oven, and descending the vertical fluos
at the back of the said oven passes into the said oven through holes in
the vertical back wall. The heated air and products of combustion
ascending from the fire pass out at the upper part of the front wall of
the oven, and descending by a vortical flue or flues in the said front

page_text: wall enter horizontal flues under the said oven, and thence pass to the
reverberatory chamber of the puddling furnace; or the reverberatory
chamber may be situated immediately under the oven.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in longitudinal
vertical section a puddling furnace constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the same taken through
the line C, D, Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section of
the same taken through the line A, B, Figure 2. The same letters of
reference are employed to indicate the same parts in each Figure.
a is the oven or combustion chamber on the bottom of which the
solid fuel to be burned is supported, and underneath and in commu-
nication with the said oven a is the reverberatory or puddling chamber b
in which the puddling operation is performed. The bottom of the
oven or combustion chamber a forms the reverberating arch c of the
puddling chamber b. The said puddling chamber 6 communicates by
the flue d with the stack e. Fuel is supplied to the oven a by the
hopper fpassing through an opening in the back end wall of the oven a.
The air to support the combustion of the fuel in the oven a is supplied
to the said oven by the flues marked respectively g, h, i, in the end walls
and roof of the oven and furnace. The bottoms of the end vertical flues g
are open
to the atmosphere. The air after ascending the said flues g, g,
passes along the horizontal flues h, h, in the roof of the oven, and
enters the vertical back flues i, i, (see Figure 3) at the opposite end of
the oven. From the flues i, i, the air enters the passage k, and from
into the oven or combustion chamber a. The passage
thence
passes
extends nearly from side to side of the back wall of the oven, the
flues i, i, opening into the said passage k. The air by passing along
the flues g, h, i, (after the oven has been in operation for a short time)
or combustion
becomes heated thereby before it enters the oven
chamber a. The heated air and products of combustion from the oven a
pass out by the flue at the end of the said oven, and descending the
vertical flue m enter the puddling or reverberatory chamber b. The
heated air and products of combustion after being reflected by the
reverberatory arch c upon the iron on the bed of the chamber 6 escape
by the flued to the stack o. The solid fuel on the bottom of the oven a
k

page_text: is heated by the heat from the reverberating arch of the puddling
chamber b. The passage of the air for combustion through the flues of
the oven a, as well as the passage of the heated air and products of
combustion from the oven a into the puddling chamber 6, is indicated by
arrows. The hopper fis provided with a sliding door f, which is closed
after fuel has been supplied to the oven a. n is the door in the front of
the puddling chamber b, through which the puddler passes his rabble for
puddling the iron in the said furnace. Below the puddling door n is a
tap hole p for removing. tap cinder from the bed of the puddling
chamber b. The ash may be removed from the oven or combustion
chamber a by a hole or passage o̟ at the back of the oven; or the
said hole or passage q may be dispensed with, and the ash removed
through the air hole or passage at k, the said passage in this case
being provided with a door. Instead of employing several flues in the
end walls and roof of the oven for heating the air for combustion a
single flue or continuous passage may be employed, as illustrated in the
furnace represented in transverse section in Figure 5, and longitudinal
section in Figure 6. In this arrangement the fuel is supplied by a
hopper in the roof of the oven instead of in the end thereof as in the
furnace previously described.
The arrangement for the supply of the fuel represented in Figures 1
and 2 may however be adopted in the furnace, Figures 5 and 6. The
parts of the furnace, Figures 5 and 6, are marked with the same letters
of reference as corresponding parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
In applying my Invention to reverberatory furnaces other than
puddling furnaces I construct and arrange the parts essentially in the
manner herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, such changes only being made as the particular furnace may
require. By constructing and arranging the flues and parts of the
furnace in the way described and illustrated the air before coming in
contact with the fuel is heated by passing through the flues in the top
and sides of the oven, and the heated air and products of combustion
by passing under the bottom of the oven heat the fuel contained
therein.
In furnaces constructed according to my Invention the fuel is
burned very economically, and a commoner kind of fuel can be
emnloved than in puddling and other reverberatory furnaces of the

page_text: Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described
and illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improve-
ments in puddling furnaces used in the manufacture of iron and in
other reverberatory furnaces herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, combining with the
reverberatory chambers of the said furnaces an oven or chamber
without fire-bars, in which oven or chamber the solid fuel is
burned by which the furnace is heated, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Also the arrangement of parts for heating the air before it comes in
contact with the solid fuel in the said oven or chamber, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Halford, have hereunto sot
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN, HALFORD. (L.S.)