Improvements in Mantles for Incandescent Gas Lights, and in Supports therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SIMULFICATION.
Improvements in Mantles for Incandescent Gas Lights, and in
Supports therefor.
J, THOMAS TERRELL, of New Court, Temple, in the County of Middlesex,
Barrister-at-Law, 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 :—
An incandescent gas mantle is manufactured by impregnating a fabric of cotton
with various metallic salts and then exposing it to a high temperature which
destroying the cotton and decomposing the salts leaves a network of the oxides of
the metals used for impregnation. The mantle is made conical the fabric being
gathered in towards the top so as to partially enclose the flame of the Bunsen
burner over which it is mounted leaving an aperture at the top for escape of
products of combustion. The mantle is supported by means of a rod of steatite or
other refractory substances held on the top of the burner passing through the
centre of the flame and mantle and terminating in a forked end upon which the
mantle is suspended by an asbestos or platinum thread which passes across the open
top of the mantle.
This method of manufacture and suspension is defective in the following respects.
1st. It is necessary that the hole at the top of the mantle should be relatively small
so that the pressure of the gas and air within the mantle may be sufficient to bring
every part of the mantle in contact with the flame but not so great as to permit of
any such excessive pressure in any direction as might cause fracture of the mantle.
As the mantle is at present made it is impossible to regulate this hole or to give it
uniformity of shape and position and this is a frequent cause of destruction of
the mantle. 2ndly. Should the mantle not happen to hang quite truly from the
rod or be a little too large to fit over the top of the burner a rocking movement is
produced which very rapidly destroys the mantle.
To obviate these defects I manufacture and support the mantle as I shall
describe referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section and Fig. 2 a plan of a mantle formed and supported
according to my invention.
A is a ring of steatite, fire clay or other suitable refractory material made with
a transverse bar through which there is a hole to fit upon the upright supporting
rod R. The spaces on each side of the transverse bar are equal and similar; if
there is only one bar as shewn in Fig. 2 there are two open spaces. There might
however be two transverse bars like spokes of a wheel giving four equal and
similar spaces. The central supporting rod R. is shouldered at the top and is made
of steatite or other suitable refractory material. It is held in a socket in the top
of the burner B and the ring A being placed on it resta on the shoulder at
the top.
I make the mantle of the form shewn in Fig. 1 its upper part tapering to a
reduced diameter and terminating with an inwardly projecting lip which rests on
the ring A the mantle being thus supported uniformly all round. In this way the
area of escape for products of combustion is regulated and adjusted and rocking or
swinging of the mantle is prevented.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:<-
The arrangement and combination of parts hereinbefore referred to consisting of
the ring A the support R and the mantle shaped at the top as described all for the
purpose and substantially in the manner described and illustrated.
Dated this 28th day of February 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.