IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Danks, of Cincinnati, Ohio, United
States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUDDLING AND HEATING
FURNACES.
"
Sealed the 27th December 1873, and dated the 1st November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Danks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st November 1873.
I, SAMUEL DANKS, of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America,
now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUDDLING AND
HEATING FURNACES," to be as follows:-
My present Invention relates to improvents in portions of the rotary
puddling and heating furnaces described in the Specification of my
former Letters Patent, dated April 13th, A.D. 1872, No. 1111.
In using these furnaces as described in the said former Specification
the cylinder ends and the facing or abrasion rings on the same are kept

page_text: from overheating or burning by supplying them with water or other
cooling medium. It has however been found in practise that if the
facing or abrasion ring should not be quite in contact all round its sur-
face with the cylinder end, and if the water supply is not very carefully
regulated, some of the water will find its way between the abrasion ring
and cylinder end into the mouth of the cylinder, and will injure the
lining or fettling and the charge in the furnace.
According to my present Invention I obviate this difficulty by con-
structing the said abrasion rings and applying them to the cylinder ends
as herein set forth. For this purpose I form at the inner periphery of
the said abrasion rings, or that portion which immediately surrounds the
mouth of the cylinder a flange or gutter which extends across the joint
between the abrasion ring and the plate forming the cylinder end, and
in such manner that the water supplied to keep the said ends and abra-
sion rings cool cannot pass beyond this flange or gutter, and therefore
cannot have access to the cylinder, but remains in the said flange or
gutter, and is carried around therein. And moreover I conduct the
water more directly to the inner portions of the plates and rings.
I may accomplish these objects by forming a flange on the cylinder
end by bending the said plate outward and forming the abrasion ring
with a circular recess to receive the said flange, the said ring being
secured upon the end plate by rivets and kept a slight distance apart
therefrom by washers or small plates, which permit the water to pass
between them to the part of the plate and ring immediately surrounding
the cylinder mouth.
Or instead of bending the inner periphery of the end plates of the
cylinder to form the flange thereon I may form the said flange of a
piece of angle iron rivetted or otherwise secured to the said end
plates.
Or I may modify the above construction of the abrasion ring and
plate by forming a flange or gutter upon the abrasion ring to project
inwardly and cover the inner periphery of the plate.
Or I may construct the abrasion ring in the form of a circular trough
or gutter, and so apply it to the cylinder end plate that the flat portion
of the latter is enclosed between the two sides of the trough.
In this last-described construction the ring must be made in two
halves, or a number of pieces which are fitted and secured together on

page_text: the cylinder end, and over the joints of the said halves or pieces inside
the trough or channel of the ring I place small covering plates secured
by rivets or otherwise.
The above-described abrasion rings are attached to the end plates of
the cylinder by rivets, but to obviate any inconvenience which may
result from this method of attachment in removing and replacing the said
rings, I employ the following contrivance :-I use screw bolts are passed
through nuts or screw sockets attached to the cylinder end by screwing
the said bolts down, so that their ends project over the edge of the ring.
The said ring is firmly secured in its place, and by simply screwing them
back the said ring will be detached.
Or I may use other means for securing the rings in the above-described
manner upon the cylinder ends.
The said abrasion rings when made of cast iron being unequally heated
on the inner and outer peripheries would be liable if not protected to
fracture by the unequal expansion and contraction of their different
portions.
To prevent this difficulty in casting the said rings I divide them from
their outer periphery inward, but not quite through them, into two or
more sections, by the insertion of thin wrought-iron plates. The divi-
sions thus formed permit the free expansion and contraction of the rings
without injury to them.
When the abrasion ring is made of cast iron I form around its outer
periphery a groove or channel, in which I fit tightly a wrought-iron
band or hoop. If the said ring should be fractured this hoop will keep
it in place until it is desired to remove the said ring.
30
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
DANKS, of Cincinnatti, Ohio, United States of America, now of No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the First day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Danks, Her
special license that I, the said Samuel Danks, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel
Danks, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Danks, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Danks, do hereby de-
clare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
My present Invention relates to improvements in portions of the rotary
puddling and heating furnaces described in the Specifications of my
former Letters Patent, dated 6th February, A.D. 1869, No. 370, and
2nd September, A.D. 1870, No. 2397.
In these furnaces, as described in the said former Specifications, the
cylinder ends are provided with metallic facings or abrasion rings bolted
or screwed on the cylinder ends in combination with fixed rings or
collars on the shiftable or movable piece, and on the bridge of the fur-
nace, and the overheating or burning of these rings and the adjacent
parts is prevented by supplying them with water or other cooling sub-
stance or medium. It has however been found in practice an advantage
to have a stream of water, or preferably jets of water, directed over the

page_text: inwardly and cover the inner periphery of the plate a, as shewn in
Figure 4..
In the modification of my Invention illustrated in Figure 5 the
cylinder end plate a is made of cast iron, and the flange or rim d is cast
on its inner edge or periphery. The abrasion ring 6 is also made of cast
iron, and is a plain ring with a groove around its outer periphery for the
reception of a wrought-iron band or hoop i, which in case the ring
should be fractured will keep the parts in place, but if desired the
flange d may be formed on the ring 6 instead of on the plate a.
Or I may place a separate band or hoop between the plate a and ring b
instead of forming a flange on either. The surfaces of the plate a and
ring 6 should be turned or otherwise made true to insure the making of
a water-tight joint between them.
I also construct the abrasion ring 6 in the form of a circular trough
or gutter, and so apply it to the cylinder and plate a that the inner por-
tion of the latter is enclosed between the two sides of the trough, as
shewn in Figures 6 and 7.
In this last-described modification of my Invention the ring 6 may be
made in one piece, or in two or any desired number of pieces or sections
fitted and secured together on the cylinder end a. Over the joints of
the said pieces or sections inside the trough or channel of the ring as
shewn at j, or outside of the channel, I place small covering plates
secured by rivets or otherwise. I prefer however to make this ring in
one piece as shewn, therefore it will be necessary to construct the
cylinder end plates in two or more pieces to allow the same to be inserted
between the flanges of the said ring. I have shewn the said end
plate made in two halves; one half may be permanently attached to the
cylinder, the other half being so secured thereto as to be readily
removed and replaced when necessary.
In the above-described Figures of the Drawings the abrasion rings are
shewn attached to the end plates of the cylinder by rivets, but to obviate
any inconvenience which may result from this method of attachment
with regard to removing and replacing the said rings, I adopt the con-
trivance illustrated in Figure 8, that is to say, I employ screw bolts k
passed through nuts or screw sockets 2, which are attached to the
cylinder end plate a, as shewn, by screwing the said bolts down so that

page_text: their ends project over the edge of the ring 6 the said ring is firmly
secured in its place, and by simply screwing them back the said ring
will be liberated.
b
Or I may use other similar means for securing the rings 6 upon the
cylinder ends in such manner that they may be conveniently removed 5
when necessary.
The said abrasion rings when the furnace is working are unequally
heated on their inner and outer peripheries, and this unequal heating
would tend to fracture the said rings by causing an unequal expansion
and contraction of their different portions, but I adopt the following 1
means for preventing this effect of the heat upon the said rings, that is
to say, in casting the rings I divide or split them as shewn at t from
their outer periphery inward, but not quite through them, by the insertion
of thin wrought-iron plates. The divisions thus formed permit the free
expansion and contraction of the inner and outer parts of the rings 1
without injury to them; or I may make the said abrasion rings in two
or more sections.
In all cases when the abrasion ring is made of cast iron I form
around its outer periphery a groove or channel, in which I fit tightly a
wrought-iron band or hoop, as shewn in Figure 5. If the said ring a
should be fractured this band will keep it in place until it is convenient
to remove the ring. I also make the inner edge of the ring rough, so
that it may hold the fettling or lining more securely.
For this purpose the said ring may be corrugated or have square or
dovetailed recesses 6* made in it, as shewn in Figure 1. The lining or a
covering of the inner parts of the furnace and rings, to protect them
from the direct contact of the fire, is composed of pulverized iron ore or
best tap mixed with a sufficient quantity of good lime and water to make
a good stiff mortar, so that it can be readily applied as a covering, and
will become hard when dry. The whole interior is so. covered. When
charges or heats are withdrawn from the furnace more or less molten
cinder is left in the furnace.
I sometimes introduce crushed iron ore or best tap into the fluid or
semi-fluid cinder left in the furnace after the charge is withdrawn, and I
also sometimes throw in large lumps and allow the upper portion of a
them to project up through and above the fluid cinder. The cinder

page_text: rapidly sets and holds the small or large lumps fast in their respective
places. With this method of fettling I can puddle continuously. without
the necessity of stopping to melt ore or best tap or roll scales to form a
bath to hold them. I thereby economize time, labour, and fuel in the
melting. Moreover if I deem it necessary to do so I can line the ends
of the cylinder with the vitreous coatings that will accumulate on them
from the puddling of iron in the furnace without any previous coating
or lining.
In order to more perfectly keep the cylinder of the furnace in its
proper place and to permit its ready adjustment, when a solid bed plate
is used with pillar blocks for carrying rollers cast on the plate I provide
the contrivance shown in Figure 9, and which consists of a movable
wedge-shaped piece n under the bearing. This wedge-shaped piece is
drawn outward by the bolt and nut o, o¹, or is allowed to go back, by
slacking the nut to raise or lower the bearing at pleasure.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. Constructing the cylinder of a rotary puddling or heating fur-
nace with channels or gutters in the ends surrounding the central
apertures of the said cylinder, which channels or gutters permit the free
access of the water supplied for cooling the abrasion rings and adjacent
parts to the portions of the same most exposed to the heat, but prevent
the entrance of any of the water into the interior of the furnace.
Second. The combination with the end plates of the said cylinder of
abrasion rings, which are secured to the said end plates, and have a flange
or rim formed thereon and fitted to the central aperture or mouth of the
said cylinder, as herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
Third. Constructing the end plates of the said cylinder with a flange
or rim formed thereon surrounding the central aperture or mouth of the
said cylinder, and with the abrasion ring fitted to the said flange or rim,
and secured to the end plate, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.

page_text: mouth of the said furnace, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Fifth. The cylinder end plate made in two or more pieces fitted and
secured together upon the said cylinder, and in combination with the
double-flanged abrasion ring or trough, as herein set forth and for the 5
purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Danks, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
H. J. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
SAMUEL DANKS. (L.S.)