Improvements in or connected with Furnaces or Arrangements for Heating, Fusing, or Melting Compositions used in Making Glass or the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 29th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Furnaces or Arrangements for
Heating, Fusing, or Melting Compositions used in Making Glass
or the like.
I LEON MONDRON of Lodelinsart in the Kingdom of Belgium Manufacturer do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
In the making of glass it is in many cases necessary to use compositions of various
kinds and my Invention has for its object to provide efficient means for enabling the
special compositions to be readily manipulated according to special requirements in
furnaces of the kind known as basin furnaces I arrange in connection with the basin
of the furnace means as hereinafter described whereby I can place therein or in
connection therewith so as to be heated thereby any desired number of pots for the
special compositions as required so that I effect economy in fuel and in labour and 1
can use the special compositions in as small quantity as may be desirable.
My Invention consists in placing at any level in or in connection with the furnace
for instance under the arch of the furnace or at the side thereof one or a number of
pots in such a manner that the heat of the fires which heat the basin and also the
heat of the basin itself effect the fusion of the special compositions in the pots.
My Invention can be arranged in various ways but I prefer to place the pot or pots
in a little furnace situated between two fire chambers. The air and the gas from the
fires enter into this small furnace by openings provided in the walls between the fire
places and the said small furnace and they circulate under and around the pot or pots
the products of combustion afterwards escaping into the basin by a passage leading
thereinto. The breaking of a pot is prevented by the floor of this passage and also
the "siege" or bottom of the little furnace being sufficiently sloped to prevent the
improper passage of glass. Moreover raised stops formed between the fire places
and the aforesaid small furnace prevent the flowing of glass into the fire places and
even if from any cause the glass does go over the stops it is deflected away from the
fire places by inclined surfaces which conduct it to escape passages. A register or
valve controls the passage from the small furnace to the basin.
To prevent the gas injuring the composition that is in the pots I may cover or
partly cover the pots.
Dated this 20th day of August 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Furnaces or Arrangements for
Heating, Fusing, or Melting Compositions used in Making Glass
or the like.
I LÉON MONDRON of Lodelinsart in the Kingdom of Belgium 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:-
In the making of glass it is in many cases necessary to use compositions of different
natures which it is desirable to keep separate and my Invention has for its object to

page_text: provide efficient means for enabling different compositions to be melted at the same
time in furnaces of the kind known as basin or tank furnaces.
I arrange in connection with the tank of the furnace means as hereinafter described
whereby I can place therein or in connection therewith, so as to be heated thereby,
any desired number of pots for the different or special compositions as required.
In the old fashioned plan of melting in pots it was easy to melt different materials
in the same furnace at the same time but with the modern system of melting in tanks
a large mass of a homogeneous nature is in fusion at a time and when any special
materials are required it is necessary to employ either furnaces with pots independent
of the tank or to employ a tank furnace divided into compartments.
This method is attended with numerous disadvantages especially in the manufacture
of coloured glass. These disadvantages are obviated by means of my invention which
consists in so arranging the tank furnace as to enable a number of pots to be heated
therein as required. A considerable saving in fuel and labour is thus effected and
special compositions or materials such as coloured glass, enamels, opals, and the like
are enabled to be readily and cheaply melted in small quantities according to the
requirements of the manufacturer. One or any number of pots may be employed with
the same advantages.
The pots are arranged at any convenient level either under the arch or roof of the
tank or at the side thereof and their contents are melted by the heat employed to fuse
the materials in the tank and by the heat radiated from the tank itself.
In dealing with coloured glass according to this plan it is necessary to so arrange
the furnace that the coloured materials in the pots cannot be dropped or splashed over
into and spoil the batch or charge in the tank.
This danger is obviated by employing a "trompe" furnace for blowing the glass.
It is evident that the details of construction may be modified in various ways according
to the requirements of individual manufacturers without departing from the principle
of the invention.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section an example
of an arrangement according to this invention and Figure 2 represents in horizontal
section the part of a furnace containing the melting pot. Figure 3 represents this
part of the furnace in a vertical section on the line 1-2 figure 2.
Z represents the pot which is placed in a small auxiliary furnace chamber Y
forming a species of anti-chamber or "chapel" to the tank furnace and situated
between the burners or flues from the producers or fuel chambers. The air and gases
enter the chamber Y through passages or openings A and G formed in the walls of
the furnaces or burners and circulate over and around the pots in the chamber Y
where combustion takes place after which they pass through a passage B into the
tank at X.
The accidental breakage of the pots is provided for by making the floor of the
passage B and of the chamber Y incline away from the tank as indicated in figure 3
in such a manner as to prevent the coloured metal from a broken pot from flowing
into the tank X.
Bridges Care provided to prevent this metal from flowing into the burners or fuel
chambers and any metal that may accidentally pass over these bridges is intercepted
by wells or passages p into which it flows without passing into the said chambers.
A damper R is provided in the passage B which can be closed in order to prevent
any dust from being blown into the tank or into the burners when fresh charges of
materials are being placed in the small auxiliary furnace chamber Y.
In cases where the nature of the materials requires it the pots may be covered or

page_text: partly covered so as to protect their contents from the direct action of the gases in the
furnace.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In furnaces for heating fusing or melting compositions used in making glass or
the like the arrangement in combination with tanks or burners of melting pots heated
by the heat of the furnace or burners substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a furnace for melting vitreous materials the combination of a tank with a
space or chamber for the reception of pots for melting materials of a different colour
or quality from the batch in the tank the said pots and the said tank being heated by
the same source of heat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
3. The general arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improve-
ments in or connected with furnaces or arrangements for heating fusing or melting
glass or the like substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 90th dox of Mo 1900
J. H. JOHNSON & Co..
Agents.