Improvements in Self Igniting Incandescent Mantles for Gas-light.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self Igniting Incandescent Mantles for Gas-light.
I, GEORG BUHLMANN, of 55B Koepenickerstrasse, Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, German Empire, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to self-igniting incandescent mantles for gas-light and
has for its object various improvements in the construction of the same.
My improvements refer more especially to the arrangement of the self-igniting
part proper of the mantle and is especially characterised by this self-igniting
portion being independent of the material of the mantle but at the same time
in closest contact with the same.
In the case of self-igniting gas mantles hitherto known, either certain parts
of the incandescent mantle were impregnated with the igniting composition or
the mantles were brought into contact with a separate igniting body, which con-
sisted of an igniting substance carried by foreign substances.
It has also been tried to combine both of the above mentioned arrangements,
for the purpose of obtaining a certain ignition, that is to say, by a combination
of an igniting body proper, with an impregnation of a part of the mantle.
The above described arrangements have however been found to possess various
drawbacks, viz., the igniting bodies soon lose their effectiveness, either by slagging
or by other changes in the structure. The impregnation of the mantle itself also
soon forfeits its igniting power in consequence of the volatilization of the igniting
substance especially platinum.
The present invention has for its object to produce an igniter which shall make
the igniting mass proper entirely unnecessary, independent of the fact as to
whether the carrier consists of platinum-wire, meerschaum or the like. This
problem is solved in the following manner:-
In completing the sewing together of the impregnated bodies, and in forming
the head, I proceed in such manner that instead of the usual head of the one
bobbin net, I employ a combination of several strips which are alternately
charged with the igniting substance and the material of the mantle itself.
To give an example of my process:-
-
I first impregnate a strip with a solution of the oxides of thorium and cerium
and place upon this a strip impregnated with platinum chloride, and again upon
this last strip, another strip with the above named illuminating mixture and then
a further strip impregnated with platinum chloride. These strips are now sewn
together in a longitudinal direction to a combined strip, from which in known
manner the body of the incandescent mantle is formed.
If an incandescent mantle arranged in this manner is burnt, the remaining
sponge like platinum is supported and surrounded by the mineral pseudomorphism
of the bobbin net and follows the shape of the mantle in all its folds and curves.
The advantage hereby attained, consists in the fact, that the platinum can
develop its entire amount of heat, for the reason that I obviate a loss of heat by
the simultaneous heating of the material, (such as meerschaum, platinum-wire

page_text: &c.), serving as carrier for the sponge-like platinum, such loss of heat taking place
in the constructions hitherto known.
Furthermore the hitherto employed strips of igniting metal, serving to conduct
the ignition downwards from the mantle, can in the same manner be brought
outside the material of the mantle itself.
The use of single threads, impregnated with the igniting substance and which
are brought into fixed connection with the igniting material, has been found
to possess the drawback that when the mantles are placed upon the wood block
for the purpose of stretching the same into correct form before the burning,
these impregnated threads do not stretch to the same degree as the mantle and
on the other hand the irregular contraction in consequence of the burning causes
the entire destruction and loss of the mantle.
Besides this the single threads only suffice in the rarest cases to conduct the
ignition downwards as in proportion to the small volume of the threads the
cooling action of the air is too great to allow of the attainment of a sufficient
degree of heat.
This object is attained by attaching loosely knitted or woven heddles or healds
possessing but few meshes, such attachment being effected by rings or long
stitches of thread at several points of the mantle. The same effect can also be
obtained if a cylindrical, conical or similarly shaped mantle or basket like form
of woven fabric, asbestos, wire-netting or the like, consisting of one or more
threads and impregnated in the herein before described manner are suspended
from the head of the mantle. The said heddles or diminutive mantles expand
and contract in the above mentioned operations upon the wood block and sub-
sequently burn in exactly the same degree or to exactly the same extent as the
mantle itself.
This invention also enables other substances beside platinum to be employed
for self igniting purposes, the use of which was impossible or impracticable, as
long as the mantle was itself impregnated or a mineral support for the igniting
substance was employed.
It is a known fact that for instance oxides of cerium when heated to a tem-
perature of 300° C., become incandescent in a mixture of gas and air. Use can
be made of this phenomenon by the manufacture of the above mentioned alter-
nate strips or layers in the head of the mantle, said strips being impregnated
alternately with a solution of platinum or cerium.
Furthermore such strips of oxide of cerium may be carried downwards upon
the mantle for the purpose of leading the ignition downwards.
The platinum hereby effects the necessary preliminary heating of the oxide
of cerium and as soon as the oxide of cerium reaches the required degree of
heat, the same comes to incandescence and ignites the gas promptly and with
certainty.
Both the platinum and the oxide of cerium can be reduced to a finely divided
state, by mixing the same with fire-proof substances.
Nearly all the oxides of such metals, which form various oxide compounds, for
instance oxide of iron, chromium, silver, &c. act in the same manner as oxide of
cerium.
It is also a known fact that the other metals of the platinum group, act in a
similar manner to the platinum.
For this reason, and for the purpose of forming the head as also for conducting
of the ignition downwards the strips can be impregnated with mixtures of the
salts of platinum and of the metals of the platinum group, as also with solutions
of the latter metals alone and all these may be used in connection with salts of
cerium, iron chromium, silver &c.

page_text: improvements in Seir igniting Incandescent Mantles for Gas-light.
I, GEORG BUHLMANN, of 55B, Köpenicker Strasse, Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, Germany, Manufacturer, 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 self-igniting incandescent mantles for gas-light, and
has for its object various improvements in the construction of the same.
My improvements refer more especially to the arrangements of the self-igniting
part proper of the mantle and is especially characterised by this self-igniting.
portion being independent of the material of the mantle but at the same time
in closest contact with the same.
In the case of self-igniting gas-mantles hitherto known, either certain parts
of the incandescent mantle were impregnated with the igniting composition or
the mantles were brought into contact with a separate igniting body, which con-
sisted of an igniting substance carried by foreign substances.
It has also been tried to combine both of the above mentioned arrangements,
for the purpose of obtaining a secure ignition, that is to say, by a combination
of an igniting body proper. with an impregnation of a part of the mantle.
The above described arrangements have however been found to possess various
drawbacks, viz. the igniting bodies soon loose their effectiveness, either by slagging
or by other changes in the structure. The impregnation of the mantle itself also.
soon forfeits its igniting power in consequence of the volatilization of the igniting
substance especially platinum.
The present invention has the object to produce an igniter which shall make
the igniting mass proper entirely unnecessary, independent of the fact as to
whether the carrier consists of the platinum wire, meerschaum or the like. This
problem is solved in the following manner:
In completing the sewing together of the impregnated bodies, and in forming
the head, I proceed in such manner that instead of the usual head of the one
bobbin net, I employ a combination of several strips which are alternately
charged with the ignited substance and the material of the mantle itself.
To give an example of my process:
I first impregnate a strip with a solution of the oxides of thorium and cerium
and place upon this a strip impregnated with platinum chloride, and again upon
this last strip another strip with the above named illuminating mixture and then
a further strip impregnated with platinum chloride. These strips are now sewn
together in a longitudinal direction to a combined strip, from which in known
manner the head of the incandescent mantle is formed.
If an incandescent mantle arranged in this manner is burnt, the remaining
sponge like platinum is supported and surrounded by the mineral pseudomorphose
of the bobbin net and follows the shape of the head in all its folds and curves.
The advantage hereby attained consists in the fact, that the platinum can
develop its entire amount of heat, for the reason that I obviate a loss of heat by
the simultaneous heating of a supporting material, such as meerschaum, platinum-
wire etc. serving as carrier for the sponge-like platinum, such loss of heat taking
place in the constructions hitherto known.
Furthermore the hitherto employed strips of igniting metal serving to conduct
the ignition downwards from the mantle can in the same manner be brought
outside the material of the mantle itself.
The use of single threads, impregnated with the igniting substance and which
are brought into fixed connection with the igniting material, has been found

page_text: to possess the drawback that when the mantles are placed upon the wood block
for the purpose of the stretching the same into correct form before the burning,
these impregnated threads do not stretch to the same degree as the mantle and
on the other hand the irregular contraction in consequence of the burning causes
the entire destruction and loss of the mantle.
Besides this the single threads only suffice in the rarest cases to conduct the
ignition downwards as in proportion to the small volume of the threads the
cooling action of the air is too great to allow of the attainment of a sufficient
degree of heat.
This object is attained by attaching loosely knitted or woven heddles or healds
possessing but few meshes, such attachment being effected by rings or long
stitches of thread at several points of the mantle. The same effect can also be
obtained, if a cylindrical, conical or similarly shaped mantle or basket like form
of woven fabric, asbestos, wire-netting or the like, consisting of one or more
threads and impregnates in the hereinbefore described manner is suspended
from the head of the mantle. The said heddles or diminutive mantles expand
and contract in the above mentioned operations upon the wood block and sub-
sequently burn in exactly the same degree or to exactly the same extent as the
mantle itself.
This invention also enables other substances beside platinum to be employed
for self igniting purposes, the use of which was impossible or impracticable, as
long as the mantle was itself impregnated or a mineral support for the igniting
substance was employed.
It is a known fact that for instance oxide of cerium when previously heated to a
temperature of 300° C., become incandescent in a mixture of gas and air. Use
can be made of this phenomen by the manufacture of the above mentioned alter-
nate strips or layers in the head of the mantle, said strips being impregnated
alternately with a solution of platinum or cerium.
Furthermore such strips of oxide of cerium may be carried downwards upon
the mantle for the purpose of leading the ignition downwards.
The platinum hereby effects the necessary preliminary heating of the oxide
of cerium and as soon as the oxide of cerium reaches the required degree of
heat, the same comes to incandescence and ignites the gas promptly and with
certainty.
Both the platinum and the oxide of cerium can be reduced to a finely divided
state, by mixing the same with fire-proof substanecs.
Nearly all the oxides of such metals, which form various oxide compounds, for
instance oxide of iron, chromium, silver, etc. act in the same manner as oxide of
cerium. It is also a known fact that the other metals of the platinum group act in
the similar manner to the platinum.
For this reason and for the purpose of forming the head as also for the conducting
of the ignition downwards the strips can be impregnated with mixtures of the
salts of platinum and of the metals of the platinum group, as also with solutions
of the latter metals alone and all these may be used in connection with salts of
cerium, iron, chromium, silver etc.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a self igniting incandescent mantle, having no separate igniting body
and no platinum impregnated part the employment of platinum metal strips and
of strips impregnated with incandescent material arranged alternately in the head
of the mantle, substantially as described.
2. Process for the production of a self-igniting incandescent mantle, characterised
by combining the strip of fabric fastening or surrounding the head, from strips
impregnated with platinum salts or the like without incandescent material and
strips impregnated with incandescent salts, sewing said strips together and

page_text: forming the head of the mantle from this combined strip, substantially as
described.
3. In combination with a self-igniting mantle for conducting downwards the
ignition, the attachment of loosely knitted or woven igniting heddles or healds
on the head of the mantle, said attachment being effected by rings or long
stitches of thread, substantially and for the purpose as described.
4. In a self-igniting mantle for conducting downwards the ignition, the com-
bination with a cylindrical, conical or other suitably shaped small mantle, im-
pregnated with igniting substances and suspended from the head of the mantle,
substantially and for the purpose as described.
5. In self igniting incandescent mantles, the employment of oxide of cerium
for conducting the ignition from the platinum metal to the incandescent mass,
substantially as described.
6. In self igniting incandescent mantles, the employment of fire-proof sub-
stances as carriers of both, as well the platinum as the oxide of cerium, for
reducing the same to a finely divided state, substantially as described.
7. In self igniting incandescent mantles, the employment of oxides of metals,
forming various degrees of oxide, such as iron, silver, chromium and the like,
instead of oxide of cerium, substantially as described.
8. In self-igniting incandescent mantles, the combination of platinum metal
with oxide of cerium for effecting the initial heating and conducting the ignition
substantially and for the purpose as described.
Dated this 12th day of May 1899.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.