IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bird, of Chance's Fire Brick Works, near
Dudley, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES."
Sealed the 12th January 1855, and dated the 7th November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bird. at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the 7th November
1854.
I, JOHN BIRD, of Chance's Fire Brick, Works, near Dudley, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY
FURNACES".to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reverberatory furnaces with
a view to reduce the quantity of fuel employed; and the Invention consists of
combining the use of closed ash-pits with the use of, two sets of fire bars, one
set being horizontal, or only slightly inclined, the other set of fire bars being
considerably inclined, by which the fuel on the fire bars will offer a much more
extensive surface for the passage of air from the closed ash-pit than if only
one set of fire bars was employed; and in order that the air coming into
the closed ash-pit may be as highly heated as may be before it comes into the

page_text: ash-pit, it is preferred to build the arch or top of the reverberatory furnace
hollow, and to admit the atmosphere to such hollow portion of the structure,
and thence into the ash-pit; or the air may be introduced through passages
built in the sides or bottom of the furnace, or otherwise introduced into the
closed ash-pit. Suitable openings and doors are constructed in order to get at
the fire bars and to the fire thereon when desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Bird in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th May
. 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BIRD, of Chance's Fire Brick Works, near Dudley, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Bird, Her special licence that J the said John Bird, my executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Bird, 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 REVERBERATORY FURNACES," upon the
.condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Bird, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 Bird, 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):
This Invention has for its object improvements in reverberatory furnaces
with a view to reduce the quantity of fuel employed, and the Invention consists

page_text: of combining the use of closed ashi-pits with the use of two sets of fire' bars,
one set being horizontal, or only slightly inclined, the other set of fire bars being
considerably inclined, by which the fuel on the fire bars will offer a much
more extensive surface for the passage of air from the closed ash-pit than
if only one set of fire bars was employed; and-in order that the air, coming
into the closed ash-pit may be as highly heated as may be before it comes into
the ash-pit, it is preferred to build the arch or top of the reverberatory, furnace
hollow, and to admit the atmosphere to such hollow portion of the structure,
and thence into the ash-pit; or the air may be introduced through passages
built in the sides or bottom of the furnace, or
otherwise
se introduced into the
closed ash-pit. Suitable openings and doors are constructed in order to get at
the fire bars and to the fire thereon when desired!
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
a
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a reverberatory furnace constructed
according to my Invention. Figure 2 is a plan, in section, of the furnace.
is the fire-place, consisting of two sets of fire bars; one set being horizontal, or
nearly so, and the other set inclined thereto, so that the fuel placed thereon
may slide down on to the horizontal set of bars; I would, however, state that
I do not claim such an arrangement of bars. 6 is the ash-pit, which is to be
closed by a sliding or other door c. The fire-place a has two doors, d and e,
to introduce the fuel, but I prefer that the fuel should be introduced at the
upper door, and that the workman should stir the fire through the lower
door. The closed ash-pit is supplied with heated air from two sources; the
one is from above, by having a double arch with a space f between, over the
furnace, into which space f the air is allowed to flow, as indicated by the arrows,
and from which it descends heated to the ash-pit, as shown by the arrows.
The other sources of supply of air to the closed ash-pit are at g, g, from which
points the air passes below the bottom of the reverberatory furnace into the
closed ash-pit, as indicated by the arrows.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim generally
to make reverberatory furnaces with closed ash-pits, whether the same be
supplied with heated or cold air; nor do I claim separately the arranging of
the fire bars of such a reverberatory furnace, partly horizontal and partly
inclined; but what I claim is, the constructing reverberatory furnaces with

page_text: fire bars arranged; as herein described, combined with the closing of the
ash-pits and supplying heated air thereto.
.
In witness' whereof, I, the said John Bird, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
JOHN BIRD. (L.S.)