IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROTECTION OF IRON AND STEEL SURFACES AND IN THE FURNACES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anthony Spencer Bower of Saint Neots in the County of
Huntingdon for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROTECTION OF
IRON AND STEEL SURFACES AND IN THE FURNACES OR APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED THEREIN
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anthony Spencer Bower at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th June 1883.
ANTHONY SPENCER BOWER of Saint Neots in the County of Huntingdon
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROTECTION OF IRON AND STEEL SURFACES AND IN THE
FURNACES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
"
My present Invention has reference to the furnaces or apparatus described in
the Specification of my former Letters Patent N° 3811 A. D. 1880 and N° 3304 A.D.
1881 dated respectively the 20th September 1880 and the 28th June 1881 and my
present Invention has for its object to enable steam and furnace gases to be used
in the same furnace together or separately for the production of magnetic oxide
upon iron and steel surfaces.
The following is the manner in which a furnace or apparatus constructed as
described in the said Specifications of the said former Letters Patent may be
supplemented or modified to carry out the purposes of my present Invention
Within the air inlet is provided a perforated steam pipe which communicates
with a steam supply pipe and regulating cock. There is also provided an outlet
for the steam as near to the bottom of the furnace as possible and a regulating
valve which can be pressed down to its seat by a set screw or equivalent means-
The inside surfaces of the regenerator walls combustion and oxydising chambers
are lined with some highly heat resisting and steam impervious cement. The
interior of the gas valve or damper is provided with a firebrick tile or lump sliding
in the said valve or damper and provided outside the valve or damper with
handles The valve or damper is closed with a covering plate bolted to it and

page_text: having holes through which the handles can be worked. The air inlet pipe is
provided with a slide plate which can be fastened down to its seat when necessary
by a set screw or otherwise. The steam inlet pipe is plugged at the end and has
numerous perforations through which the steam passes from the boiler. The
chimney damper consists of an iron plate which works in a grooved frame through
a closely fitting covering plate bolted to the frame. When it is required to oxydize
iron articles of such a character that steam alone is applicable, the muffle or
chamber and all the flues and regenerator chambers are raised to a good heat in
the ordinary way, then the articles to be treated are run into the chamber and the
doors are closed. Next all the valves are closed tightly with the exception of the
_steam_outlet.and_steam_is_turned_on_into_the_air_inlet. The steam_now-passes
through the regenerator tubes and connecting passages becoming highly heated,
thence into the oxydising chamber and out through the ports into the regenerator
chambers and finally away by the steam outlet after having- imparted-a-great.
portion of its waste heat to the regenerator tubes. In this way the articles in the
chamber are oxydised by steam alone and by the action of the regenerator the
heat stored in the brickwork is very slowly dissipated and ample time is given to
oxydize any Articles requiring steam alone before the temperature thereof has
fallen too low. There are however other ways of employing the steam which are
found very advantageous in practice. Heavy wrought iron for instance may be
beated up with reducing flame in the chamber before turning on the steam and
cast iron (after having been treated by furnace gases) may be subjected to
treatment by steam for an hour or two before being withdrawn and in fact every
combination of treatment by carbonic acid, air, carbonic oxide, steam and the other
various agents for which I have obtained Letters Patent may be accomplished in
one furnace.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Anthony Spencer Bower in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th December 1883.
ANTHONY SPENCER BOWER of Saint Neots in the County of Huntingdon
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROTECTION OF IRON AND STEEL SURFACES AND IN THE
FURNACES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
"
My Invention has reference to the furnaces or apparatus described in the
Specification of former Letters Patent granted to George Bower and myself dated
the twentieth September One thousand eight hundred and eighty and numbered
8811 and in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Frederick Settle Barff
George Bower and myself dated the twenty eighth July One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one and numbered 3304 and my present Invention has for
its object to enable steam to be used in the same furnace as that in which furnace
gases or any of the other combustible gases claimed in the Specifications of the
said former Letters Patent are used for the production of magnetic oxide upon iron
and steel surfaces.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
particularly to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings so
that it may be clearly understood in what way a furnace or apparatus
constructed as described in the said Specification of the said former Letters Patent
may be supplemented or modified to carry into effect the purposes of my present
Invention.
Figure 1 of the said Drawings represents in longitudinal section a furnace
constructed according to the former Specifications referred to but with my present
improvements applied thereto. Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same furnace
the section being taken along the line 1-2 in Figure 1 and Figures 3 and 4 are
transverse sections taken respectively along the lines 3-4 and 5-6 Figure 1. The
remaining figures are details drawn to an enlarged scale of parts illustrating my
present improvements A are the gas producing furnaces which are supplied with
fuel through the hoppers B the gas generated in these furnaces being conducted
therefrom by a flue Ċ to a combustion chamber D beneath the bed or bottom of
the muffle chamber E in which the goods to be treated are placed. The flue C is
provided with a valve or damper F for the purpose of regulating as required the
passage of the gas from the gas producing furnaces A to the combustion chamber D.
This chamber is provided with perforated or chequer walls G which serve to mix
the gas with air admitted to the chamber at H for the purpose of effecting the
combustion of the gas and also acting as accumulators of heat. The heated
products of combustion and gases from the interior of the chamber D enter and
travel along a flue I arranged along the exterior of one of the sides of the
chamber D passing thence through openings K into the oxydising muffle chamber E
and producing on the surfaces of the articles placed therein a coating of magnetic
oxide. The ends of the chamber E are closed by suitable doors L so that the
products of combustion escaping from the said chamber are compelled to pass
through openings M in the bottom thereof into a flue or chambers N arranged
beneath along the opposite side of the combustion chamber to that of the flue I.
From the flue or chambers N the products of combustion pass through openings O
into the regenerator P consisting of a chamber divided into two compartments by
a partition Q and provided with tubes R against the exterior surfaces of which the
products of combustion impinge and impart to them a high degree of heat and
pass thence through a Hue S to the chimney T, The entrance of the air for

page_text: effecting the combustion of the gas in the chamber D is regulated by a valve U
which is shown in detail on an enlarged scale at Figure 5 the air admitted to the
valve box passing thence through the tubes R. and absorbing the heat therefrom
(which had been imparted thereto by the escaping products of combustion) enters
the combustion chamber D at H in a highly heated condition whereby the
combustion of the gas is more completely and economically effected.
This is the action when combustible furnace gases alone are generated and
consumed for producing a coating of magnetic oxide upon the surfaces of iron and
steel the said operations being thus far analogous to those described in the
Specifications to the said former Patents. In order to enable steam to be used in
one and the same furnace_as_that_in_which_furnace gases_or_any_of_the_other_
combustible furnace gases claimed in the Specifications of the said former Letters
Patent are used according to my present Invention the air inlet valve box U is
provided in the interior with a perforated steam pipe W which communicates with
a steam supply pipe X leading from the steam generator and provided with a
suitable regulating cock. There is also provided as near to the bottom of the
furnace as possible an outlet for the steam provided with a regulating valve Y
which can be pressed down to its seat by a set screw Z or by equivalent means in
any position required so as to regulate the exit of the steam as shown in the
enlarged views at Figure 6. The inside surfaces of the regenerator walls the
combustion chamber and the oxidizing chamber are lined with some suitable
cement which is impervious to steam and capable of resisting a high degree. of
heat such for example as Purimachos Cement. The interior of the gas valve or
damper F which is drawn to an enlarged scale in figure 7 is provided with a fire
brick tile or lump a fitted to slide in the said valve or damper and provided
outside the valve or damper with a handle or handles as at 6 for the purpose of
adjusting its position. The valve or damper is closed with a covering plate b
bolted to it and having holes through which the handles b can be worked. The air
inlet U is provided with a plate d which is fitted to slide in V grooves at the top
of the valve box and which can be fastened down to its seat when necessary by a
set screw e or otherwise in any position to regulate the entrance of air as required
The steam inlet pipe W is closed at its end and has numerous perforations f through
which the steam passes into the box U and thence through the tubes K into the
oxidising chamber E. The flue S leading to the chimney T is provided with a
damper g shown on an enlarged scale at Figure consisting of an iron plate
working in a grooved frame h through a closely fitting covering plate i bolted to
the frame h. When it is required to oxidize iron articles of such a character that
steam alone is applicable the muffle chamber E the flues and regenerator
chamber D are all raised to a good heat in the ordinary way then the articles to
be treated are run into the chamber E and the doors are closed. All the valves
except the steam outlet valve Y are then tightly closed and steam is turned on.
The steam then enters the air valve box U through the perforations fand passes thence
through the regenerator tubes R and connecting passages where it becomes highly
heated and passes thence through the openings K into the oxidizing chamber E
producing a coating of magnetic oxide on the surfaces of the articles placed therein
and passing thence out through the ports or openings M into the flue N thence
into the regenerator chambers P and finally escaping by the steam outlet Y after
having imparted a great portion of the heat picked up in the combustion chamber
and contingent flues to the regenerator tubes. In this way the articles in the
chamber are oxidized by steam alone whilst the heat stored in the brick work of
the regenerator is very slowly dissipated and ample time is given to oxidize any
articles requiring steam alone before the temperature of the regenerator connecting
passages and chamber has fallen too low. There are however other ways of
employing the steam which are found very advantageous in practice. Heavy
wrought iron for instance may be heated up with a reducing flame in the chamber
before turning on the steam, and cast iron (after having been treated by furnace
gases) may be subjected to treatment by steam for an hour or two before being

page_text: withdrawn and in fact every combination of treatment by steam and furnace gases
or any of the other combustible gases claimed in the Specifications of prior Letters
Patent No. 862 in the year of Our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and seventy
six No 2051 in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy seven
No 1280 in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy eight
No 4195 in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy
eight No 3811 in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty
and N° 3304 in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one)
may be accomplished in one furnace.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is :-
First-Protecting Iron or Steel surfaces by subjecting them to the action of
steam and furnace gases or any of the other combustible gases claimed in tho
Specifications of the hereinbefore named former Letters Patent in the same furnace
or apparatus for producing a coating of magnetic oxide on the said surfaces, substan-
tially in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
Second: In furnaces or apparatus for producing a protective coating on iron and
steel surfaces by means of steam and furnace gases or any of the other combustible
gases claimed in the Specifications of the herein before named former Letters Patent
the combination of valves and dampers for regulating the admission and exit of
steam and furnace or the other said gases to and from the oxidizing chamber the
said valves and dampers being arranged or constructed and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third: In combination with furnaces or apparatus for producing a protective
coating on iron and steel surfaces the gas regulating valve or damper constructed
and arranged substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated more especially in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourth In combination with furnaces or apparatus for producing a protective
coating on iron and steel surfaces an air inlet valve and a perforated pipe for the
purpose of introducing steam and air substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Fifth-In combination with furnaces or apparatus for producing a protecting
coating on iron and steel surfaces the chimney valve or damper constructed and
arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated
more especially by Figure 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
Sixth-The general construction arrangement and combination of parts consti-
tuting the furnace or apparatus for producing a protective coating on iron or steel
surfaces by means of steam and furnace gases or any of the other combustible gases
claimed in the Specifications of the herein before named former Letters patent
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings
In witness whereof I the said Anthony Spencer Bower have to this my Specifica-
tion set my hand and seals this Eleventh day of December One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
ANTHONY SPENCER BOWER (L.S.)