provements in the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel Blocks, and Apparatus for that purpose.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 10th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 2nd Apr.,
1898
'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel Blocks, and
Apparatus for that purpose.
I, WILLIAM BAKER HARTRIDGE, of No. 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in
the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
-
In my Specification No. 12389 of 1893 I have described an artificial fuel block
consisting of an outer case of porous combustible material such as coal dust with
vegetable fibre or the like filled with fuel of a bituminous character.
My present invention relates to a process for manufacturing such blocks and
apparatus for that purpose. I pug together coal dust, vegetable matter such
as fine wood shavings, or wood dust spent hops peat or the like and
maize starch or the like as an agglutinant. I force this mixture
through a suitable die in the form of a continuous tube as in making
drain tiles. I cut off suitable lengths of this tube as it is extruded from
the die, and I lay a number of these lengths, say for instance a dozen, side by
side on a board with their rear ends bearing against a back board and their front
ends projecting a little over the front edge of the board along which there runs
a fillet projecting upwards and sloped at the back down to the board at an angle
which may be about 45°. A board with a corresponding sloped fillet is pivotted
above its fillet projecting downwards. The last mentioned board being forcibly
depressed the front ends of the tubular lengths are all closed by the pressure of
the fillets, so that the closed end has the form of a blunt wedge. The tubes thus
closed at one end are then placed in a vertical position with their open mouths
upwards, a frame carrying a number of funnels charged with coal dust is then
placed over the tubes and on withdrawing a slide the contents of the funnels arc
emptied into the tubes. Instead of filling the cases with fuel in a loose condition
I in some cases fill them with solid briquettes. These are made from a mixture
of small coal or coal dust preferably of a bituminous character agglutinated with
pitch or the like, and cut in suitable lengths from a column extruded from a
die. Two boards having sloping fillets are then brought forcibly together closing
the mouths of the tubes in the same way as their other ends had been closed.
tubes thus charged and closed are then piled on trucks which are run into a stove
having a blast of hot air mixed with products of combustion blown through it.
The blocks when thus dried are ready for use as fuel.
The
For kindling fires I employ short lengths of the fuel tubes which are left open
at both ends and after being dried have several lateral holes drilled through their
sides. They are then coated with a thin layer of highly combustible material
such as resin, and before this material sets they are rolled in wood fibre or the
077

page_text: like which adheres to them. One of these blocks laid in a fire grate and covered
with fuel is readily lighted and kindles the fuel.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel Blocks, and
Apparatus for that purpose.
I, WILLIAM BAKER HARTRIDGE, of No. 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in
the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In my Specification No. 12389 of 1893 I have described an artificial fuel block
consisting of an outer case of porous combustible material such as coal dust with
vegetable fibre or the like filled with fuel of a bituminous character:
My present invention relates to a process for manufacturing, such blocks and
apparatus for that purpose.
I pug together coal-dlust, vegetable matter such as fine wood shavings, or wood
dust, spent hops, peat or the like and maize starch or the like, as an agglutinant.
I force this mixture through a suitable die in the form of a continuous tube
as in making drain tiles. I cut off suitable lengths of this tube as it is extruded
from the die, and I deal with these length's as I shall describe referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Fig. is a side view of one of the lengths of the tube T¹ cut off. Fig. 2 shews
it as Ta with one of its ends closed, and Fig. 3 shews it as T3 with both ends
closed.
Fig. 4 is a front view, Fig. 5 is a transverse section and Fig. 6 is a plan of
apparatus for closing the one end of each of a number of tube lengths, Fig. 7
is a front view and Fig. 8 is a transverse section of apparatus for charging and
finally closing the lengths of tube.
The dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 indicate transverse sections.
Referring to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, A is a box open at the top, having one side B
made in wedge form, and separated into equal spaces by low partitions C. To
one end of the box is hinged a cover D provided with a handle, and having along
one side of it a projecting wedge shaped piece E.
A number of the tube lengths T' are laid in the spaces between the partitions C,
their front ends resting on the top of the wedge B. The cover D is then folded
down in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 so that the ends of
the tubes Tare squeezed between the two wedge pieces B and E, being thus
closed in wedge form T as shewn in Fig. 2.
Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, a grooved' base F has hinged to it two side
cheeks G, H, having handles and wedge pieces K, L along their edges. A
number of the tube lengths T, already closed at one end, are placed upright with
the closed ends resting in the groove of F. They are charged with coal dust,
and then the two side cheeks are brought together each against stops M as
indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8, the wedge pieces K and L squeezing the
upper ends of the tubes together and closing them in wedge form T3 as shewn
in Fig. 3. A number of the tubes T3 thus charged and closed are pushed on
trucks and wheeled into a suitable stove or oven in which they are dried, being
then in condition for use as fuel blocks.

page_text: Instead of filling the tubes with fuel in a loose condition, they may be filled
with solid briquettes made from a mixture of small coal or coaldust agglutinated
with pitch or like bituminous matter, and cut in suitable lengths from a column
extruded from a die.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The herein described process for manufacture of artificial fuel blocks by
forming lengths of tube consisting of agglutinated combustible material, closing
one end of each tube in wedge form, charging the tube with coal or briquettes
then closing the other end in wedge form and drying substantially as described.
2. The apparatus described with reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 for closing the
front ends of the tube lengths.
3. The apparatus described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 for charging and
closing the other ends of the tube lengths.
4. Fuel blocks manufactured as above set forth.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.