IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACE FIRE-GRATES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ashley Wilson, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, and James Smith, also of Liverpool aforesaid,
Baker for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACE FIRE-GRATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ashley Wilson
and James Smith, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 8th September 1863.
We, WILLIAM ASHLEY WILSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and JAMES SMITH, also of Liverpool aforesaid, Baker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACE FIRE-
GRATES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in so arranging and operating or moving furnace
bars, constituting furnace fire-grates, that the following desiderata are secured,-
the fuel as it is burnt down is carried towards the flue leading to the chimney,
and thereby the gases and smoke are more effectually consumed, the formation
of "clinker "is effectually prevented,-and free spaces or openings are main-
tained for the admission of air upwards between the bars. The bars, which
resemble in form those in ordinary use, are disposed lengthwise or across the
furnace, but preferably the former, and that arrangement is herein-after
described. Such bars may be in one or more lengths, but where they are in
more than one length they should be coupled together to act as if there was.
but one length; they rest on bearers in the usual way. In the ash-pit, and

page_text: near the front thereof, are two shafts or drums, with their ends resting on
bearings, geared together, say, by toothed wheels, to which motion is com-
municated in any convenient way. On one of these drums there is or are
one or a number of wings or projections which, as the drum revolves, is or
are brought in.contact with the bars to push or move them from front to back
of the furnace en masse, or in one, two, or more sections or lots, and in so
doing they carry the fuel towards the bridge. On the other shaft there are a
number of projections, preferably equal to the number of bars, disposed thereon
like the helix of a screw, or irregularly to come in contact as the shaft or
drum to which they are attached revolves with the bars, and move them, singly
or in numbers, but preferably singly, from back to front of the furnace to the
position necessary for contact with the wings or projections on the drum first
above named. The travel or motion need not, in a furnace of ordinary length,
exceed a few inches, for the continued motions will prevent the formation of
"clinker" and leave free openings for the admission of air.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Ashley Wilson and. James Smith in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
ASHLEY WILSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and
JAMES SMITH, of Liverpool aforesaid, Baker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and' grant unto
us, the said William Ashley Wilson and James .Smith, Her special license
that we, the said William Ashley Wilson and James Smith, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such. others as we, the said William Ashley
Wilson and James Smith, our 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 "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN FURNACE FIRE-GRATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said William Ashley Wilson and James Sinith, our executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands

page_text: 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 we, the said William Ashley Wilson and James
Smith, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists in so arranging and operating or moving furnace
bars, constituting furnace fire-grates, that the following desiderata are secured,-
the fuel as it is burnt down is carried towards the flue leading to the chimney,
and thereby the gases and smoke are more effectually consumed,―the formation
of "clinker" is effectually prevented, and free spaces or openings are main-
tained for the admission of air upwards between the bars. The bars, which
resemble in form those in ordinary use, are disposed lengthwise or across the
furnace, but preferably the former, and that arrangement is herein-after
described. Such bars may be in one or more lengths, but where they are in
more than one length they should be coupled together to act as if there was
but one length; they rest on bearers in the usual way. In the ash-pit, and
near the front thereof, are two shafts or drums, with their ends resting in
bearings, geared together, say, by toothed wheels, to which motion is com-
municated in any convenient way. On one of these. drums there is or are
one, or a number of wings or projections which, as the drum revolves, is or
are brought in contact with the bars to push or move them from front to back
of the furnace en masse, or in one, two, or more sections or lots, and in so
doing they carry the fuel towards the bridge. On the other shaft there are a
number of projections, preferably equal to the number of bars, disposed thereon
like the belix of a screw, or irregularly, to come in contact, as the shaft or
drum to which they are attached revolves with the bars, and move them, singly
or in numbers, but preferably singly, from back to front of the furnace to the
position necessary for contact with the wings or projections on the drum first
above named. The travel or motion need not, in a furnace of ordinary length;
exceed a few inches, for the continued motions will prevent the formation of
"clinker" and leave free openings for the admission of air.
That our improvements may be clearly understood we have hereunto
attached a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of one modification and arrange-
ment of parts which we employ in carrying our Invention practically into
operation.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a furnace fire-grate; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of

page_text: the same with part of a bridge, some framework, and part of a fuel container
and regulator, shewn in position; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bars
and section of the drums which give motion thereto. In all the views like
letters of reference denote the same parts.
a shews the bars made in two lengths and joined together by circular
projections and corresponding sockets. The main object in inaking the bars
in two lengths is to allow for expansion and bending and to keep the parts on
or againts which the projections on the drums act in position; b, the bearers;
the front one being shewn supported by the side framework c, and the back
one by two or more brackets d secured to the bridge e; f is an 'open space to
allow rough ashes and hard cinders to fall from the bars into the ash-pit;.g is
a strong stationary bar passing down the middle of the furnace, bnt intended
to be used only where the size of the furnace and quality of the fuel require.it;
h, framework, such as may be employed in a flued boiler; i, hopper for con÷
taining the fuel with regulating dampers i, , the amount of opening between
which and their seatings determine (the size of the coal or other fuel being
Of
taken into consideration) the quantity allowed to pass into the furnace.
course fuel could be supplied by hand in the usual way or supplied by other
means. is the connecting rod, and the lever; reciprocating motion is
communicated thereto from any available power; is a pawl, bit, or impulse
pallet, which is jointed to the lever k and rests against the ratchet wheel m, to
transmit the stroke or-motion of the lever k to the said ratchet wheel m; n is
a check pawl. The projection o on the lever k is provided to allog of the use
of a hand lever to give notion to the working parts when steam or other
The axis of the
power is unavailable, say, before steam has been "got up."
said ratchet wheel m is a continuation of the drum or shaft p which carries
the wings or projections 2 for pushing or driving the bars towards the back of
the furnace; two wings or projections 2 of equal length are here shewn, and
of course the bars are pushed towards the bridge of the furnace, say, about
four inches, in two lots or divisions. In small furnaces only one wing or pro-
jection should be used, in larger furnaces two will usually be found sufficient;
although a greater number could be employed. ris a toothed wheel, also on
the drum or shaft p; s is another toothed wheel gearing with and affixed on
a continuation of the shaft or drum t which is used to give the bars their turn
or forward stroke or motion. As shewn on the Drawings, the bars are not
returned singly the one after the other from side to side of the fire-grate, but
are returned in divisions of three, all those marked u returning at the same
time followed by u, u, and w³, respectively, as the tappets or projections come
round. In use or operation the. motion given to the connecting rod is trans-
ة

page_text: mitted by the lever k, pawl l, ratchet wheel m, toothed wheels r and s, to the
shafts or drums p and t, and their wings, tappets, or projections; these wings
or projections, marked q, drive or push the bars a, by coming in contact with
them, backwards into the furnace in two lots, the one lot after the other, whilst
those marked u, u', u³, and u³, also by coming in contact, during rotation, with
the said bars a, bring them forward an equal distance to that which they were
carried back in divisions singly the one after the other.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and particularized
the same by specifying means whereby it may be carried into effect, we would
have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to all the details laid down
and herein mentioned, as many modifications may be made without departing
from the leading features of our Invention, thus, as illustrations, it would be
an improvement on the furnace fire-grates now in use to cause two or more
bars to travel together during the return or toward-front motion or stroke;
stationary bars might also be introduced to the extent of being as numerous as
the moving bars, but neither of these arrangements would be so advantageous
as the one we bave described, although both of them would be modifications of
our Invention; we claim, therefore, in furnace fire-grates so operating or moving
the bars that such bars shall travel alternately in masses or in numbers together
in one direction, and return singly, the one after the other, in divisions singly,
or in or by irregular and mixed motions in the opposite direction, substantially
as herein described, and shewn on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, all
for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Ashley Wilson and James
Smith, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM ASHLEY WILSON. (L.S.)
(L.S.)
In the presence of
JOHN THOMSON KING,
Patent Agent,
JAMES SMITH.
4, Clayton Square,
Liverpool.