IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN CONSTRUCTING AND ACTUATING THE MOVEABLE FIRE-BARS OF FURNACES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Griffiths, of Sheepbridge Ironworks, near
Chesterfield, in the County of Derby, Manager of Ironworks, and John
Beard, of Bilston, in the County of Stafford, Ironmaster, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN CONSTRUCTING AND ACTUATING
THE MOVEABLE FIRE-BARS OF FURNACES."
Sealed the 21st December 1866, and dated the 16th October 1866:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Griffiths and John
Beard at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 16th October 1866..
We, JOHN, GRIFFITHS, of Sheepbridge Ironworks, near Chesterfield, in the
County of Derby, Manager of Ironworks, and JOHN BEARD, of Bilston, in
the County of Stafford, Ironmaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN CONSTRUCTING AND ACTUATING
THE MOVEABLE FIRE-BARS OF FURNACES," to be as follows:-
Our improvements in furnaces consist in the use of perforated boshes for the
sides or ends or sides and ends and tops or crowns of the fire-places of furnaces,
the said perforated boshes effecting the more perfect combustion of the fuel
in the said fire-places, thereby preventing the formation of smoke, and also
preventing slag or clinkers adhering to the sides of the fire-place. The
perforated boshes consist of fire-bricks having a series of holes through them,
or of metal boxes having tubes passing through them, open at both ends; or
the said perforated boshes may be constructed of any material suitable for the

page_text: building of the sides of the fire-places of furnaces. Each of the said boshes is
provided with a sliding plate having a series of perforations corresponding with
the perforations in the bosh. By sliding the said plate in one direction its
perforations may be made to correspond with those in the bosh, when air can
pass through the holes in the bosh into the fire-place. By sliding the said
plate so as to make its perforations no longer coincide with those in the bosh
air can no longer pass through the holes in the bosh into the fire-place. The
said boshes may thus be used for regulating the admission of air into the
furnace, and thereby prevent the formation of smoke. The cooling action of
the air passing through the said boshes prevents the adhering of slag or
clinkers to the bars. The sliding plate may be supported by counterbalance
weights, and may be moved either by hand or by mechanical means. The
said perforated boshes are applicable to various kinds of furnaces, but are
especially applicable to puddling and heating furnaces used in the manufacture
of iron. When the boshes are made of boxes of sheet metal having tubes
through them, water may be put into the said boshes to keep them cool and
prevent the injurious action of the heat of the fire-place on them.
Our improvements in constructing and actuating the moveable fire-bars of
furnaces are as follows:-We make on the under side of each of the said bars
a transverse V-shaped depression, the part of the bar having this depression
being dropped upon one of the rocking bearers carrying the bars, and thereby
engaging with the said bearer, so as to take the motion of the said bearer.
The bars are strengthened laterally by projecting pieces at the parts where the
V-shaped depressions are made, the said projecting pieces being of the size
necessary to keep the bars at the required distance apart. The fire-bars are
supported on two rocking bearers which are lozenge-shaped in cross section,
the said rocking bearers being supported in V-shaped bearings. A rocking
motion is communicated in any convenient manner to one of the said rocking
bearers, and from that a rocking motion in a contrary direction is com-
municated to the other rocking bearer by a connecting rod. This connecting
rod is jointed at one end to an arm on the under side of the rocking bearer to
which motion is directly communicated, and at the other end to the upper
side of the other rocking bearer. The fire-bars are supported alternately on
these rocking bearers; that is, the V-shaped depression of one fire-bar is
dropped upon one of the rocking bearers, and the V-shaped depression of the
next fire-bar.is dropped upon the other rocking bearer. By this arrangement
the fire-bars move in opposite directions both horizontally and vertically.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by 'the said John Griffiths and John Beard in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th April 1867..
な
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, we; JOHN
GRIFFITHS, of Sheepbridge. Ironworks; near Chesterfield, in the County of,
Derby, Manager of Ironworks, and JOHN BEARD, of Bilston, in the County of
Stafford, Ironmaster, send greeting.:
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Griffiths and John Beard, Her special licence that, we, the 'said John
Griffiths and John Beard, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Griffiths and John Beard, our executors, adminis-
trators, or 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN CONSTRUCTING AND ACTUATING
THE MOVEABLE FIRE-BARS OF FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others).
that we, the said John Griffiths and John Beard, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 John Beard, on behalf of myself and the
said John Griffiths, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described' and
ascertained: in, and by the following statement thereof; that is to say:
Our. improvements in furnaces consist in the use of perforated boshes for.
the sides or ends or sides and ends and-tops or. crowns of the fire-places- of
furnaces, the said perforated boshes effecting the more perfect combustion of
the fuel in the said fire-places, thereby preventing the formation of smoke, and
also. preventing slag.or clinkers adhering to the sides of the fire-place. The
perforated boshes consist of fire-bricks having a series of holes through them,
or of metal boxes having tubes passing through them, open at both ends ;.or the

page_text: said performed boshes may be constructed of any material suitable for the
building of the sides of the fire-places of furnaces. Each of the said boshes
is provided with a sliding plate having a series. of perforations corresponding
with the perforations in the bosh. By sliding the said plate in one direction
its perforations may be made to correspond with those in the bosh, when -air
can pass through the holes in the bosh into the fire-place. By sliding the said
plate so as to make its perforations no longer coincide with those in the bosh
air can no longer pass through the holes in the bosh into the fire-place. The
said boshes may thus be used for regulating the admission of air into the
furnace and thereby prevent the formation of smoke. The cooling action of
the air passing through the said boshes prevents the adhering of slag or clinkers
to the bars. The sliding plate may be supported by counterbalance weights,
and may be moved either by hand or by mechanical means. The said
perforated boshes are applicable to various kinds of furnaces, but are especially
applicable, to puddling and heating furnaces used in the manufacture of iron.
When the boshes are made of boxes of sheet metal or cast metal having tubes
through them.water may be put into the said boshes to keep them cool and
prevent the injurious action of the heat of the fire-place on them.
•
Our improvements.in constructing and actuating the moveable fire-bars of
furnaces are as follows:-We make on the under side of each of the said bars
a transverse V-shaped. depression, the part of the bar having this depression
being dropped upon one of the rocking bearers carrying the bars, and thereby
engaging with the said bearer, so as to take the motion of the said bearer.
The said bars are strengthened laterally by projecting. pieces at the parts
where the V-shaped depressions are made, the said projecting pieces being of
the size necessary to keep the bars at the required distance apart. The fire-
bars are supported on two rocking bearers which are lozenge-shaped in cross
section, the said rocking bearers being supported in V-shaped bearings. A
rocking motion is communicated in any convenient manner to one of the said
-rocking bearers, and from that. a rocking motion in a contrary direction is com-
municated to the other rocking bearer by a connecting rod. This. connecting
rod is jointed at one end to an arm or crank on the rocking bearer to which
motion is directly communicated, and at.the other end to an arm or crank on
the other rocking bearer. The fire-bars are supported alternately on these
rocking bearers; that is, the V-shaped depression of one fire-bar is dropped
upon one of the rocking bearers, and the V-shaped depression of the next fire-
bar is dropped upon the other rocking bearer. By this arrangement the fire-
bars move in opposite directions both horizontally and vertically.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
----

page_text: with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan, Figure 2 in longitudinal section, and Figure 8
in cross section the fire-place end of an ordinary puddling furnace containing.
our several improvements. Figures 4 and 5 are portions of the same as
herein-after particularly explained. The same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in each Figure of the Drawing.
We will first describe our improvements for admitting air to the fire-place
of the furnace. We make the sides and end of the fire-place of the
furnace of three perforated boshes, marked respectively a, b, c. The per-
forated boshes represented in the Drawing are made of cast-iron boxes
with transverse wrought or cast iron tubes passing through them, but fire-
clay bricks or other material suitable for the sides of the fire-place may
be used, the said fire-clay or other bricks being perforated with holes of
about half an inch in diameter. Between the side boshes a, b, and the
outer walls of the fire-place spaces marked e, e, are left. The end bosh c
is situated in the hollow bridge f, a space being also left. between its
inner side and the side of the said bridge (see Figure 2). By means of
these spaces around the boshes a, b, c, air may pass therefrom through
the perforations of the said boshes into the fire-place. In the top or crown
of the fire-place a perforated bosh g made of fire-brick is inserted for the
admission of air to-the fire-place. We prefer that the perforations in the
bosh g should be numerous and of small diameter. The perforated bosh g
may either be placed immediately over the bridge f or over the middle of the
fire-place instead of in the position represented. On the outer side of each of
the boshes a, b, c, and 9, a perforated plate marked a, b, c, and g³, respectively
is placed, the perforations in the said plates corresponding with. the perforations
in the boshes. By sliding the perforated plates a², b, c, and g³, by means of
the handles a³, b, c, and 9³ in one direction the perforations therein may be
made to coincide with those in the boshes, when air can pass through the
said perforations in the boshes into the fire-place. By sliding the said plates
so as to remove their perforations from opposite those in the boshes air can no
longer-pass through the said perforations into the fire-place. The distance to
which the sliding plates of the boshes a, b, c, g, may move is regulated by pins
5 on the boshes, working in slots in the plates, as represented at h, h, in Figure 4
of the Drawing, which represents a front elevation of one of the perforated
boshes with its sliding perforated plate. Water may be made to circulate
through the metal boshes a, b, and c; and around the wrought or cast iron
tubes therein for the purpose of preserving them-from the injurious action-of

page_text: the fire. The water for this purpose may enter at the end marked * of the
bosh c (see Figure 1), and pass into and circulate about the side boshes a, b.
Or water may be supplied to each of the boshes, in any other convenient way.
Instead of moving the perforated plates of the boshes a, b, c, and g, by
hand, for the purpose of regulating the quantity of air entering the fire-place,
the said plates may be moved by mechanical means; and instead of the plates
having a horizontal sliding motion, they may have a vertical sliding motion,
and be supported by counterbalance weights. Instead of admitting atmo-
spheric air of ordinary pressure into the fire-place through the perforated.
boshes described and represented atmospheric air or a gaseous mixture may
be forced under pressure through the said perforated boshes into the fire-place.
By the use of perforated boshes at the sides, end, and crown of the fire-place,
or sides only of the fire-place, the quantity of air admitted to the fire-place can
be regulated with the greatest nicety, so as to effect the perfect combustion
of the fuel in the fire-place, and thereby prevent the formation of smoke; in
addition to which the cooling action of the air or gas passing through the
said boshes prevents the slag or clinkers from adhering to the fire-bars of
the grate.
1
We will now proceed to describe our improvements in constructing and
actuating the moveable fire-bars of the fire-place: i, i, are the fire-bars
(shown separately in elevation in Figure 5), supported on the horizontal
bearers k, l, the ends of which bearers are capable of a vibrating or rocking
motion in their pedestals or bearings m, m; the said rocking bearers k, l, are
of a lozenge shape in cross section, the pedestals or bearings m, m., being
angular or V-shaped to receive them (see Figure 2). On the fire-bars i, i,
are projecting pieces for strengthening them and keeping them at the
required distance apart. On the end of each of the lozenge-shaped bearers k, l,
is a crank n, o, the crank o being made in one piece with the handle or
lever p. The two cranks n, o, are situated at opposite sides of the bearers, one
being on the upper and the other on the lower side, and the said cranks are
connected together by the connecting rod 9. By moving the lever or handle p
a vibratory or rocking motion may be communicated to the bearers k, l, the
said bearers moving in opposite directions, and to the fire-bars i supported on
them, as herein-after explained; or motion may be communicated to the
rocking bearers k, l, in any other convenient way. On the under side of each
of the fire-bars i, and at one end thereof, a transverse V-shaped depression i³
(see Figure 5) is made; the said depressions dropping upon one of the rocking
bearers k or 1, so as to engage with and take the motion of the said bearer,
the opposite ends of the bars resting upon and being free to slide on the

page_text: opposite bearer k or l. The firé-bars i are supported alternately on the rocking
bearers k, l, in the manner-best seen in the separate view, Figure 5; that is.
to say, the V-shaped depression of the fire-bar marked i in the said Figure 5.
is dropped upon the rocking bearer k, and the V-shaped depression of the next.
fire-bar, marked i, is dropped upon the other rocking bearer 1, the opposite;
straight end of the bar i resting on the bearer 7, and that of the bar i* upon
the bearer k. The action of the rocking bearers k, l, upon the bars will be
readily understood by an examination of Figure 5, by reference to which it
will be seen that the lozenge-shaped bearers k, l, vibrate on each side of their
central position or position of rest, and that the motion of the upper point of
each bearer is in an opposite direction to the other, so that in vibrating they
are either approaching to or receding from each other. In Figure 5 the bars
are shown in one of their extreme positions, the recessed ends of the bars
being raised and their opposite ends being depressed; the bars in taking these
positions moving at the same time horizontally in opposite directions. When
the bearers are in their middle position, as represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
the surfaces of the bars are in the same plane. By the vibratory motion
which may be communicated to the. fire-bars of the grate the slag or other
impurities may be detached from them and deposited with the ashes in the
ash-pit without disturbing the incandescent fuel sufficiently to cause it to fall
into the ash-pit and be wasted.
Although we have only described and represented our improvements in
connection with a puddling furnace, yet our said improvements are equally
applicable to heating furnaces and other furnaces and grates, such as the
furnaces of steam boilers and stoves.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details berein described and illustrated in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
our Invention; but we claim as our Invention,―
Firstly, the improvements in furnaces berein-before described and illus-
trated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the introduction into the
sides and ends and tops or crowns of the fire-places of furnaces of perforated
boshes, for the admission of air or gas to the said fire-places, the said boshes
being constructed and the passage of air or gas through them regulated
substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly, the improvements in constructing and actuating the moveable
fire-bars of furnaces, herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, that is to say, making the bearers upon which the firc-bars

page_text: are supported of a lozenge shape in cross section, and making on the under
side of one end of each of the said fire-bars a V-shaped depression to fit or
drop upon the said lozenge-shaped bearers, so that when motion in opposite
directions is communicated to the said bearers a rocking or vibratory motion
is communicated to the fire-bars, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Beard, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight, hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
JOHN FELLOWs,
Bilston.
JOHN BEARD. (L.S.)