Improvements in, and Apparatus for, Applying Heat to the Surfaces of Armour Plates and other Articles
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in, and Apparatus for, Applying Heat to the Surfaces
of Armour Plates and other Articles."
I, TOLMIE JOHN TRESSIDER, Captain late of Her Majesty's Royal Engineers, now of
Atlas Iron and Steel Works, Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for applying heat to surfaces
and is especially applicable to that stage in the manufacture of armour plates where
it is necessary to heat one side of the plate only whilst the other side is kept at a
lower temperature. By my said invention, operations such as this are brought more
under control and are performed more expeditiously, effectively, and economically
than hitherto.
According to my invention I provide an apparatus by means of which I can cause
flames to issue and come into contact with one or both sides of the plate or other
object to be heated the said flames acting after the manner of what I may term a
fire douche.
In combination therewith there may or may not be used means for cooling one side
of the article while the other side is being heated.
When the object is for example to harden one side only of a plate without
interfering with the temper previously given to the other side, the plate to be
treated may be put in position over the lower water douche and whilst in that position
the fire donch be applied and when the necessary temperature has been attained the
fire douche apparatus may be removed and the upper water douche be run into place
over the plate and then the upper water douche and lower water douche or
either of them be applied. Or the fire douche apparatus may itself, after the heating
has been effected, be used to convey the water of the upper douche to the plate, or
the gas only being shut off the remaining air blast may be used to chill the plate.
Intense external hardness may also be given to such articles as projectiles by heating
them with a fire douche and then suddenly spraying them with cold water from the
same or another similar apparatus.
To prevent the fire douche from decarbonising the surface of the article to which
it is applied there may be placed on the said surface a thin layer of carbonaceous
natter in a condition such that it will not be blown from the said surface.
Anthracite coal dust mixed with tar is a suitable material for the purpose.
The apparatus for applying the said fire douche may be constructed as follows:-
By means of a fan or other suitable means gas and air are forced into a mixing
chamber from whence the mixture passes through a number of tubes open at
bottom and top and secured at top into the bottom plate of the mixing chamber.
The mixture of gas and air issuing from the bottom open ends of these tubes is ignited
and constitutes the fire douche. The tubes pass through, and their lower open ends
are fixed in, the bottom of a vessel through which water circulates to prevent the
apparatus becoming too hot. The bottom of this vessel may advantageously be

page_text: covered with perforated fire brick or other bad conductor to conserve the heat and
impede its escape through the water. There may be any suitable number of such
apparatus used side by side according to the size of the plate or other article under
treatment and each apparatus may have any desired number of tubes in it. Sprays
of naptha or other inflammable oils may also be used insted of gas to constitute the
douche of fire.
Where the supply of gas is obtained from town mains as they probably could not
be relied upon to supply the whole of the gas required in the short time which the
operation occupies the gas may during the intervals between successive operations be
pumped to pressure into a receiver from which it is supplied to the fire douche
apparatus as required and in addition to the control by valve which would be
provided of course for cutting off and opening the passage for gas there may be
provided a valvular arrangement operated by hand or automatically by the pressure
in the receiver to regulate the amount of gas passing notwithstanding the variation
of pressure in the receiver.
.
The apparatus is of course capable of being used in any case where heat is to be
applied and be shaped to accord with the article to which it is applied. For instance
it may be used for heating one side only of such an article as a plate or a projectile
to harden that side by subsequent chilling, or to soften or anneal that side in which
subsequent chilling would be omitted, or it may he used on both sides or all around
an article to heat it throughout or superficially only for any purpose.
At places where heat is not desired such as beyond the edges of a plate or opposite
passages in it for instance gun ports, scupper holes and the like- the tubes opposite
such ports may he temporarily closed or plugged so that the fire douche does not
play at those places.
It is obvious that the fire douche which is the essence of this invention may be
applied in any direction upwards, downwards, or sideways.
This occ 1
1002
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX
47 Lincolns Inn Fields London W.C. Agents.
66
* Improvements in, and Apparatus for, Applying Heat to the Surfaces
of Armour Plates and other Articles."
I, TOLMIE JOHN TRESIDDER, Captain late of Her Majesty's Royal Engineers, now of
Atlas Iron and Steel Works, Sheffield, in the County of York, 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 :-
My Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for applying heat to surfaces
and is especially applicable in the manufacture of armour plates if it be desired to heat
one side of the plate only whilst the other side is kept at a lower temperature. By
my said Invention, operations such as this are brought more under control and are
performed more expeditiously, effectively and economically than hitherto.
According to my invention I provide an apparatus by means of which I can
cause flames to issue and come into contact with one or both sides of the plate
or other object to be heated the said flames acting after the manner of what I may
term a fire douche.
In combination therewith there may or may not be used means for cooling one
side of the article while the other side is being heated.

page_text: When the object is for example to harden one side only of a plate without
interfering with the temper previously given to the other side, the plate to be
treated may be put in position over the lower water douche and whilst in that
position the fire douche be applied and when the necessary temperature has been
attained the fire douche apparatus may be removed and the upper water douche be run
into place over the plate and then the upper water douche and lower water douche
or either of them be applied. Or the fire douche apparatus may itself, after the
heating has been effected, be used to convey the water of the upper douche to the
plate, or the gas only being shut off the remaining air blast may be used to chill
the plate. Intense external hardness may also be given to such articles as projectiles
by heating them with a fire douche and then suddenly spraying them with cold
water from the same or another similar apparatus.
To prevent the fire douche from decarburising the surface of the article to
which it is applied there may be placed on the said surface a thin layer of
carbonaceous matter in a condition such that it will not be blown from the said
surface. Anthracite coal dust mixed with tar is a suitable material for the
purpose.
The apparatus for applying the said fire douche may be constructed as follows:-
By means of a fan or other suitable means gas and air are forced into a mixing.
chamber from whence the mixture passes through a number of tubes open at bottom
and top and secured at top into the bottom plate of the mixing chamber. The
mixture of gas and air issuing from the bottom open ends of these tubes is
ignited and constitutes the fire douche. The tubes pass through, and their lower
open ends are fixed in, the bottom of a vessel through which water circulates to
prevent the apparatus becoming too hot. The bottom of this vessel may
advantageously be covered with perforated fire brick or other bad conductor to
conserve the heat and impede its escape through the water. There may be any
suitable number of such apparatus used side by side according to the size of the
plate or other article under treatment and each apparatus may have any desired
number of tubes in it. Sprays of inflammable fluids, for instance, naphtha, gasified
or not previous to ignition, may also be used instead of gas to constitute the douche
of fire.
Where the supply of gas is obtained from town mains as they probably could not
be relied upon to supply the whole of the gas required in the short time which the
operation occupies the gas may during the intervals between successive operations
be pumped to pressure into a receiver from which it is supplied to the fire douche
apparatus as required and in addition to the control by valve which would be
provided of course for cutting off and opening the passage for gas there may be
provided a valvular arrangement operated by hand or automatically by the pressure
in the receiver to regulate the amount of gas passing notwithstanding the variation
of pressure in the receiver.
The apparatus is of course capable of being used in any case where heat is to be
applied and it may be shaped to accord with the article to which it is applied. For
instance it may be used for heating one side only of such an article as a plate or a
projectile to harden that side by subsequent chilling, or to soften or anneal that side
in which case subsequent chilling would be omitted, or it may be used on both sides
or all around an article to heat it throughout or superficially only for any purpose.
At places where heat is not desired such as beyond the edges of a plate or opposite ·
passages in it for instance gun por.s, scupper holes and the like--the tubes
opposite such parts may be temporarily closed or plugged so that the fire douche
does not play at those places..
It is obvious that the fire douche which is the essence of this invention may be
applied in any direction upwards, downwards, or sideways.
Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings represent a fire donche apparatus
arranged according to my invention for treating armour plates.
Figure represents in vertical longitudinal section, and Figure 2 in horizontal
section, one element of the apparatus.

page_text: Figures 3, 4 and 5 represent respectively a side elevation, a cross sectional
elevation and a plan of the general arrangement of the fire douche apparatus.
Each element of the apparatus consists of an inlet a for gas and air opening into
a nixing chainber 6 beneath which is a water chamber c through which water is
circulated to keep the apparatus cool.
Tubes or blow pipes & are inserted in the plates forming the top and bottom of
the water chamber c through which tubes or pipes the mixture of gas and air issues
and is ignited and impelled onto the armour plate.
Below the water chamber c is a fire brick facing e containing perforations in
continuation of the tubes & the said fire brick facing being held in place by rods f
secured at top by a nut and with turned in ends engaging in recesses at the edge of
the facing. The circulation of water through the chamber c may be effected by
flexible inlet and outlet pipes or in any convenient manner. These pipes are
omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness but their arrangement will be
obvious and will need no detailed description. g is the main inlet pipe for gas and
air the said pipe being provided with flanged branches h to each of which is secured
one member of telescopic branch pipes i the securing being preferably effected by a
surfaced male and female joint and a central bolt about which bolt as a centre the
pipes i are free to turn. The other member of each of the pipes i is provided with
a T piece similarly connected at j to the inlets a of two of the elements, Figures 1
and 2-k are rods passing through eyes on the chamber c to which rods are pivotally
connected suspension rods provided with a screw thread at the upper part on
which work nuts m resting on the top of the main framework n, and forming points
of suspension for the rods and therefore also for the rods k which carry the
elements of the apparatus. By turning these nuts by means of a ratchet spanner
the elements can be raised lowered or inclined to suit different shapes of plates and
the manner of their suspension permits also a limited bodily lateral movement of the
elements towards or from each other.
o represents an armour plate to be surface heated. On the left of Figure 3 this
plate is represented as flat, and on the right of the same Figure it is represented as
curved, and the elements of the fire douche are shown in corresponding position for
each case.
The armour plate is represented as being carried by a bogie so that it can
conveniently be introduced and withdrawn from under the fire douche.
Figure 6 represents in vertical section and Figure 7 in horizontal section a fire
douche apparatus arranged for operating upon projectiles.
o represents the projectile to be treated. p is a hollow supporting pillar, bolted to
the revolving arm or carrier q and screwed into the base of the projectile where it is
threaded for the usual base plug.
The arm or carrier q can revolve round the rigid post and also slide up and
down it; the counterweight & bringing the centre of gravity of the arm q and the
attached projectile o into the vertical axis of the post and the counterweight 82
balancing the dead weight of the arm and projectile so that one man can manipulate
the apparatus.
2 is an adjustable stop on the post limiting the upward movement of the arm q.
The fire douche apparatus consists of parts, such are herein before described with
regard to the apparatus for treating armour plates and they are marked with the
a are the gas and
• same letters of reference but they are arranged as an annulus.
air inlets to the chamber b, and c is the water chamber and d are the tubes or
blow-pipes passing from the outer chamber 6 through the water
c2 are
directing the ignited gas and air onto the projectile o.
water to, and care the outlets for water from, the water chamber c.
brick for checking if necessary the upward escape of the flames.
chamber c and
the inlets for
e² is a fire
Figure represents in vertical section a water douche placed so that by lowering,
revolving, and then raising the arm 9 the projectile can be rapidly brought from
the heating to the chilling position. The water douche may either be a cascade

page_text: of water smothering the projectile or it may have an inner perforated envelope
as shewn at t in the drawing to produce a spray of chilling fluid.
A jet of water or air or other cooling medium may be caused to play on the
interior of the projectile while its exterior is being heated or while it is being
chilled or both. For this purpose a hole is left through the arm q and the
pillar p for the introduction of the jet pipe.
The whole apparatus may be arranged, if more convenient, in an inverted position
so that the projectile with its point down would be lowered into the heating and
chilling chambers instead of, as shewn, having its point up and being raised into
these chambers.
I have illustrated in the drawing the best forms of apparatus with which I am
acquainted for carrying my invention into effect but I do not limit myself to the
precise details described and illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I -
claim is :-
1. The application for heating armour plates projectiles or other articles of flames
applied as what has hereinbefore been termed a "fire douche " as hereinbefore
explained.
2. An apparatus for applying what has herein before been termed a "fire douche"
to armour plates projectiles or other articles the said apparatus consisting of
means for supplying or forcing combustible gas or liquid into a chamber from
which lead tubes at the outer ends of which the combustible mixture forced
therethrough from the said chamber ignited substantially as herein before
described.
3. An apparatus for applying what has hereinbefore been termed a "fire douche "
to armour plates projectiles or other articles the said apparatus consisting of a fan
or forcing device in connection with a passage to which combustible gas or liquid
are admitted and a chamber into which they are forced and tubes leading from the
said chamber through which the mixture passes to the points of ignition and a
chamber surrounding the said tubes or the outer portions thereof with means for
passing a cooling agent through the last named chamber substantially as
herein before described.
4. Apparatus for the purposes indicated constructed and arranged substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying
Drawings.
5. Apparatus for the purposes indicated constructed and arranged substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Dated this 7th day of October 1907.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincolns Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.