IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES AND OTHER FURNACES USED IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Burgum at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th September
1866.
I, JOHN BURGUM, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES AND OTHER FURNACES USED IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts herein-
after described for admitting air to the fire-places of the said furnaces, by
which arrangement or combination of parts the quantity of air admitted to the
fire-place can be adjusted with the greatest nicety, and perfect combustion of
the fuel obtained as well as the suppression or partial suppression of smoke.
1 (.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a puddling furnace. In the
end or side wall of the fire-place, and near the arch of the same, I make
a longitudinal opening, through which air may pass to the interior of the
fire-place; the said opening is opened and closed by a valve or plate turning
on centres at either end after the manner of a ventilating louvre. When the
said valve or plate is in a horizontal plane the opening in the fire-place is
opened, and air may enter through the said opening, and when the valve or plate
is in a vertical plane the said opening is closed and the admission of air to the
fire-place through the said opening is cut off. The said valve is opened by a
lever or handle at one end; and is gradually allowed to close by self-acting.
mechanism constructed as follows:-Upon the roof of the furnace and at the

page_text: fire-place end thereof is an upright or standard which carries a box or case
containing a drum, train of wheels, escapement, and pendulum, similar in
construction to the corresponding parts of a clock. A chain passes over the
drum and is connected at one end to the valve or plate already described, and
carries a weight at the other end. After the fire has been charged with fuel
the valve or plate is turned upon its centres by the lever at one end, so as to
admit air to the fire-place through the opening in the end or side wall.
The chain attached to the valve having been tightened over the pulley, and
the pendulum set in motion, the weight of the said valve or plate gives motion
to the pulley, which is allowed slowly to revolve by the escapement; the
valve or plate is thereby permitted slowly to descend and close the opening in
the end wall and gradually cut off the admission of air to the fire-place. The
time at which the valve or plate is gradually closed may be regulated at
pleasure by raising or lowering a slide or bob on the pendulum. By the
arrangement described the quantity of air which is allowed to enter the fire-
place is regulated by self-acting mechanism, which permits a large quantity
of air to enter the fire-place immediately after stoking, and then gradually
cuts off the admission of air. By these means perfect combustion of the fuel
is obtained, and the production of smoke is prevented or mainly prevented.
Instead of the arrangement described for closing the valve or plate a lever
may be employed. In this case I connect the valve or plate to one arm of
the lever and suspend the other arm of the lever by means of a float or box
in a cistern or vessel filled with water. When the valve is open the arm of
the lever is suspended in the vessel or cistern, and when the valve is required
to be gradually closed the water is drawn off from the said vessel, when the
arm in the vessel is raised by the greater weight of the opposite arm, and the
valve or plate connected with the last-named arm is thereby gradually closed.