IMPROVEMENTS IN BLAST FURNACES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ferrie, of the Monkland Iron and Steel
Works, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLAST FURNACES."
Sealed the 28th October 1868, and dated the 30th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ferrie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th April 1868.
I, WILLIAM FERRIE, of the Monkland Iron and Steel Works, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLAST FURNACES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object the constructing of blast. furnaces
in an improved- manner, and so as to lessen the labor in connection
with it. The improvements also lead to other advantages.
The Invention consists in constructing or placing the dam imme-
diately below-the tymp, and with its inner face flush or nearly flush with
that of the tymp instead of placing it about two and a half feet out.

page_text: from the tymp, as ordinarily practised. A space is left between the top
of the improved dam and the tymp, such as to admit of the ordinary
clay stopping being attached to the tymp, which can be easily removed,
and the furnace can be worked in the usual way if required. In con-
nection with this improved arrangement it is preferred to introduce a
tuyere above the tymp at a level somewhat higher than that of the
tuyere on the opposite side. With the improved arrangements the
preparations ordinarily necessary for putting the furnace in blast after
the iron has been run off, the raising of the cinder, and the working of
the furnace are avoided. The off-throwings, which consist chiefly of
coke and iron, remain in the furnace and are utilised; the blast is
more continuously kept in the furnace, and the production is thereby
iased. Finally, the bar iron tools, clay, and other materials required
for a furnace with the ordinary dam are for the most part dispensed with
in furnaces with the improved dam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Ferrie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FERRIE, of the Monkland Iron and Steel Works, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Ferrie, Her special licence that I, the
said William Ferrie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Ferrie, 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 BLAST FURNACES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Ferrie,

page_text: my executors 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 William Ferrie, do hereby declare
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 in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the constructing of blast furnaces
in an improved manner, and so as to lessen the labor in connection with
it. My improvements also lead to other advantages.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a
Sheet of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and
representing a blast furnace as constructed with my improvements.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 is a vertical section as at
right angles to Figure 1, whilst Figure 5 is a horizontal section as at
the tuyere openings; Figures 3 and 4 are an enlarged elevation and
vertical section of parts in connection with the tymp and dam.
The blast or iron-smelting furnace represented in the Figures is con-
constructed like existing furnaces, excepting in respect of those parts
to which my present Invention applies; and my improvements. consist
in the first place in constructing or placing the dam 1 immediately
below the tymp 2, and with its inner face flush or nearly flush with
that of the tymp, instead of placing it about two and a half feet out
from the tymp as ordinarily practised. The dam and. tymp.are as usual
strengthened with external cast-iron plates 3, 4, which plates may be
kept cool in the ordinary way. by currents of water. passing: through.
pipes cast in them. A space 5. is left between the top of the improved
dam 1 and the tymp 2, such as to admit of the ordinary clay stopping
being applied, which stopping can be easily removed for working the
furnace in the usual way if required. In connection with the improved
arrangement herein-before described I proposed to introduce a tuyere
above the tymp 2: at a level' somewhat higher than that of the tuycres:

page_text: on the other side; but I find in practice that satisfactory results are
obtainable with the tuyeres all on about the same level, as indicated
by the positions of the tuyere openings 6 in the Figures.
In carrying out my improvements in practice it is necessary in order
to obtain their full advantages to have the discharge of the slag regulated
so as to proceed in a uniform and continuous manner, and for this
purpose I provide outlets 7, which are not liable to choking or derange-
ment; there are three of these outlets 7 arranged at slightly different
levels, the higher ones being used in succession as the quantity of iron
in the hearth increases. The slag outlets 7 are formed in a block of
refractory composition strengthened by an iron frame 8 and by back
and front plates, whilst a pipe is embedded in the composition so as to
lead a stream of cold water round the outlets 7. This outlet frame 8
is by preference held by a bar 9 between the dam plate 3 and tymp
plate 4, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, but it may be fixed in a separato
opening formed for it at any convenient part. The refractory com-
position which I prefer for the outlot block consists of a well-known
mixture of rust, fire-clay, red lead, and salt, but other suitable refractory
materials may be employed.
By another modification the outlet block may be made principally of
cast iron with a water pipe cast in it, but with the actual outlets of
fire-clay or other refractory material in the form of tubular plugs fixed
in openings made for them in the cast-iron block. These tubular plugs
may be simply formed by filling the openings in the block with fire-clay
and then boring a hole through cach when it is required. With my
improved arrangements the preparations ordinarily necessary for putting
the furnace in blast after the iron has been run off, the raising of the
cinder, and the working of the furnace are avoided. The off-throwings,
which consist chiefly of coke and iron, remain in the furnace and are
utilised; the blast is more continuously kept in the furnace, and the
production is thereby increased. Finally, the bar iron tools, clay, and
other materials required for a furnace with the ordinary dam are for the
most part dispensed with in furnaces with my improved dam.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the

page_text: Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
1. The constructing of blast furnaces with the dam immediately below
the tymp, substantially as herein-before described.
And, 2. The adaptation to blast furnaces of improved outlets for
slag. formed in refractory material, substantially as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ferrie, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM FERRIE. (L.S.)