IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING WIRE AND METAL IN OTHER FORMS "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Fox of 110 Gloucester Place in the County of
Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
ANNEALING WIRE AND METAL IN OTHER FORMS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Fox at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th November 1883.
SAMUEL Fox of 110 Gloucester Place in the County of Middlesex, " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING WIRE AND METAL IN OTHER FORMS
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for annealing wire
and metal in other forms.
For this purpose I employ a furnace having two chambers heated by flame.
Flame is caused to ascend in one of the chambers which I call the heating
chamber and in the other chamber which I call the cooling chamber, the cooler
but still highly heated products of combustion descend and they then pass out into
a flue.
Each of the furnace chambers contains two or it may be other number of
cylinders set vertically. Every cylinder stands upon a turn-table let into the
bottom of the furnace chamber and kept in rotation by gearing beneath.
These cylinders remain permanently in the furnace and they receive within
them other removeable cylinders serving as boxes and in which the coils of wire
or metal to be annealed are packed.
In packing the coils I insert also into the cylindrical box a central block or
dummy cylinder which is of a size to receive the coils around it. The dummy
cylinder serves to displace air from the box and is otherwise useful.
These boxes when packed and closed are dropt down into the cylinders contained
in the heating chamber one box into each cylinder. For this purpose there are
moveable covers upon the top of the furnace.
The boxes remain in the cylinders for some hours until sufficiently hot and they
are then lifted out of the cylinders in the heating chamber and placed at once in
the cylinders in the cooling chamber. Other boxes packed like the first are then

page_text: put into the cylinders of the heating chamber and the furnace is closed. When
the time comes for removing these boxes in turn, the boxes in the cylinders of the
cooling chamber will be ready to be removed out of the furnace; they may then
be at once unpacked.
In this way the work goes on continuously and it is unnecessary to cool the 5
furnace except for repairs.
It is often convenient to replace the dummy cylinder by an inner cylindrical box
containing smaller coils within it and in the centre of these coils a small dummy
cylinder may be placed if desired.
It is convenient that the draft of the furnace should be upwards in the heating 1
chamber and downward in the cooling chamber but this may be varied
In some cases I make the furnace with three chambers in place of two and so
I can provide for a longer and more complete cooling.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions' of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Samuel Fox in the Patent Office on the 5th May 1884.
SAMUEL Fox of 110 Gloucester Place in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING WIRE AND METAL IN OTHER FORMS
"
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for annealing wire
and metal in other forms.
For this purpose I employ a furnace having two chambers heated by flame.
Flame is caused to ascend in one of the chambers which I call the heating
chamber and in the other chamber which I call the cooling chamber the cooler
but still highly heated products of combustion descend and they then pass out into
a flue.
Each of the furnace chambers contains two or it may be other number of
cylinders set vertically. Every cylinder stands upon a turn table let into the
bottom of the furnace chamber and kept in rotation by gearing beneath..
These cylinders remain permanently in the furnace and they receive within
them other removable cylinders serving as boxes and in which the coils of wire or
metal to be annealed are packed.
In packing the coils I insert also into the cylindrical box a central block or
dummy cylinder which is of a size to receive the coils around it. The dummy
cylinder serves to displace air from the box and is otherwise useful. These boxes
when packed and closed are dropt down into the cylinders contained in the
beating chamber one box into each cylinder. For this purpose there are moveable
covers upon the top of the furnace.
The boxes remain in the cylinders for some hours until sufficiently hot and they
are then lifted out of the cylinder in the heating chamber and placed at once in
the cylinders in the cooling chamber. Other boxes packed like the first are then
put into the cylinders of the heating chamber and the furnace is closed.
When the time comes for removing these boxes in turn the boxes in the cylinder
of the cooling chamber will be ready to be removed out of the furnace; they may
then be at once unpacked. In this way the work goes on continuously and it is
unnecessary to cool the furnace except for repairs.
It is often convenient to replace the dummy cylinder by an inner cylindrical box
containing smaller coils within it and in the centre of these coils a small dummy
cylinder may be placed if desired.
It is convenient that the draft of the furnace should be upwards in the
heating chamber and downward in the cooling chamber, but this may be varied.
In some cases I make the furnace with three chambers in place of two and so
I can provide for a longer and more complete cooling.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of an annealing furnace with apparatus arranged
in accordance with my invention.
AA are the walls of the furnace.
B is a fire chamber where fuel is burned for heating the furnace-or the furnace
may be heated by the combustion of gas.
C is the outlet flue. The body of the furnace is divided into two compart-
ments D' D' by a central partition D. The flame and heated products of combustion
from the fire ascend on one side of the partition D in the compartment D¹ and
hey descend on the other side in the compartment D³.
E is a dome which closes in the furnace chamber at the top.

page_text: At the bottom of the furnace chamber four turn tables F F are arranged they
are mounted upon the upper ends of the four vertical axes G. G.
HH are rollers which aid in supporting these turntables so that they may be
rotated with facility. The rotary motion is imparted to them by a horizontal
axis K on which are worms K K¹ which gear with worm wheels. G. G. fixed upon
the vertical axis G.
LL are sand troughs let in at the bottom of the furnace chamber and lips or
inverted flanges F F upon the turn tables F dip into the sand contained in
these troughs and so maintain close joints at the lower part of the furnace:
chamber.
M M are the annealing cylinders into which the boxes N N containing the coils
of wire or other metal articles to be annealed.
M'M' are the covers of the annealing cylinders closing them approximately air
tight.
O. O. are dummy cylinders inserted in the centre of the annealing boxes with
the object of displacing air.
The method of working is as already described. The box containing the wire
or articles to be annealed is placed first in one or other of the annealing cylinders
in the heating compartment 'D' of the furnace chamber and when it has remained
there a sufficient time to have become thoroughly and equably heated it is removed
and placed in one of the cylinders D' in the other compartment of the furnace
chamber and here it is allowed to remain whilst other boxes are heated in the
cylinders contained in the compartment D¹.
E' E' are removeable covers upon the dome E they are provided to admit of the
introduction of the annealing boxes and their transfer from one cylinder to another
as stated above.
pis a bye flue to divert the draft from the fire whilst the annealing chamber
is open. A damper is provided in this and also in the main flue and when the
annealing chamber is open for recharging the damper in the main flue is closed
and that in the bye flue is opened.
Where the coils to be annealed are comparatively small in diameter I place three
separate annealing boxes in each cylinder in place of one only and as well as
rotating the cylinder itself I cause each of the annealing boxes within to be rotated
also.
Figure 3 is a vertical section shewing this arrangement, and
Figure 4 is a horizontal section.
Mis the annealing cylinder standing on a turn table F and G is the axis upon
which these parts are mounted. The axis G is rotated by means of a worm and a
worm wheel upon it as already described. The axis however in this case is hollow
and a stationary stem P passes up through it and into the annealing cylinder.
The stem P has a pinion P' fixed upon it at its upper end within the annealing.
cylinder and each annealing box N has a corresponding pinion N' fixed upon it at
its lower end and gearing with the central pinion.
QQ. aro studs in the turn table F upon which the pinions N N and the
annealing boxes N to which they are attached revolve. Rotary motion being
imparted to them about the studs by the stationary central pinion P¹ about which
they are carried by the rotation of the annealing cylinder.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section through one of the annealing boxes it shows coils
of wire therein and a dummy cylinder Ō in the centre. By the use of the dummy
cylinders air is to a certain extent displaced from the interior of the annealing
boxes.
As already stated the dummy cylinder may in some cases be itself an annealing
box containing coils of wire of small diameter.
Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I claim :—
First. The arrangement of annealing furnaces and apparatus as herein
described the body of the furnace being divided into two compartments serving

page_text: the one as a beating and the other as a cooling chamber and containing annealing
cylinders to which a rotary motion is imparted substantially as herein described.
Second-The arrangement of annealing furnaces and apparatus consisting of an
annealing chamber containing rotating annealing cylinders each receiving within it
an annealing box which approximately fits it and which contains coils of wire to
be annealed substantially as described.
Third The employment in annealing apparatus in which rotating annealing
cylinders and annealing boxes are employed of dummy, cylinders within such
boxes and within the coils of wire which such boxes contain substantially as
described.
Fourth-The arrangement of apparatus for annealing wire and metal in other
forms substantially as herein described and represented by the annexed drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Samuel Fox have hereunto set my hand and seal
this second day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
eighty four.