AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOT AIR STOVES FOR BLAST FURNACES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Cliff, of Wortley, near Leeds, in the County
of York, Fire-brick Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOT AIR STOVES FOR BLAST FURNACES."
Sealed the 5th September 1865, and dated the 9th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Cliff at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th March
1865.
I, JOSEPH CLIFF, of Wortley, near Leeds, in. the County of York, Fire-brick
5 Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOT AIR STOVES FOR BLAST FURNACES;".to
be as follows:
Heretofore the air flues or passages of the stoves or ovens for heating..the
air for hot-blast furnaces have usually been constructed of a series of iron
O pipes or flues.of circular or oblong shape, as was thought best. These pipes
or flues are placed in the interior of the stoves or ovens, and the air is forced
through them, so as to become intensely heated before it passes into the
furnace. Now my improvement consists in dispensing with iron pipes
altogether in the .construction of these stoves or ovens, and in constructing
5 the air flues or passages of bricks, tiles, or blocks, or hollow bricks, tiles, or
blocks, which bricks, tiles, or blocks I make of fire-clay, or from the materials
of which silica bricks are made, or from the earthen or siliceous or similar
substances of a refractory or fire-resisting nature.

page_text: By this improved mode of construction the first cost will be very greatly
reduced, the durability of the stoves or ovens will be much greater, and the
stoves can be kept at a much bigher temperature, and by these means a con-
siderable saving of fuel will be effected, and the make or yield of iron from
the furnace will be increased.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Cliff in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
CLIFF, of Wortley, near Leeds, in the County of York, Fire-brick Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 'give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Cliff, Her special license that I, the said Joseph
Cliff, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joseph Cliff, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IM-
PROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOT AIR STOVES FOR BLAST FURNACES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Cliff, 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 Joseph Cliff, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Heretofore the air flues or. passages of the stoves or ovens for heating the

page_text: air for hot blast furnaces have usually been constructed of a series of iron.
pipes or flues of circular or oblong shape, as was thought best.
These pipes
or flues are placed in the interior of the stoves or ovens, and the air is forced
through them, so as to become intensely heated before it passes into the
-furnace. Now my improvement consists in dispensing with iron pipes
altogether in the construction of these stoves or ovens, and in substituting
therefor air flues or passages of similar form and arrangement, composed of
bricks, tiles, or blocks moulded in fire-clay, or from the materials of which
silica bricks are made, or from the earthern or silician or similar substances
of a refractory or fire-resisting nature, and so secured together as to make the.
flues air-tight throughout.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shows in sectional elevation a well-
known arrangement of oven constructed according to my Invention, and
Fig. 2, a sectional plan of the same. I would, however, here remark that
the Invention is equally applicable to other arrangements of ovens, and that
the flues may be arranged horizontally instead of vertically, as desired, and
built of any desired sectional form.
arches A', which
The flues C are
Protecting
A, A, is the basement of the oven, upon which are built
carry the outer or enclosing walls B, and the air flues C, C.
ranged in two lines, and between them is the fire chamber D.
walls E are built up on either side of the fire chamber to protect the air flues
from the direct action of the flame. D' is the fire-place, supplied with air to
support combustion through vertical side air passages. Above the arches A',
and forming a base for the vertical flues C, are horizontal flues F, into which
the air intended to be heated is forced in their usual way. The bottom of
these main flues is made of fire-brick tiles a, with V-shaped grooves on their
upper surface, and upon them are built up side and middle walls, bricks or
blocks b, c, which have on their under side suitable tongues to fit into the
grooves, and on their upper side V-shaped grooves to receive the corresponding
V-shaped tongues of bricks or blocks of similar form laid upon them. They
are also tongued and grooved at their ends. The object of this arrangement
is to prevent the possibility of air which is supplied to the flues under pressure
escaping between the junctions of the bricks and tiles.
The construction of the tiles and blocks will be best seen by reference to
Figures 3, 4, and 5. At Figs. 3 the bottom tile a is shewn in plan,' side, and
end views. On its face it has three V grooves for receiving the three vertical
walls of the main air flue. It is formed square at its ends, and at its sides. it
locks with adjacent tiles, having a recess at one side and a projection on the
other for the like object. Figs. 4 shew similar views of the brick b, and

page_text: Figs. 5 shew plan and end views of the brick c. By referring now to Fig. 1,
it will be seen that the side and middle walls of the main flues F are built up
to a given height, and then covered by tiles d, which extend from one side
wall to the other. In order to connect with these tiles, the bricks or blocks
forming the uppermost course of the side walls have tongues both. on the
upper and under sides, the tongues on the upper side fitting into the grooves
on the under side of the cover tile d. At Figs. 6 plan views of upper side
and under side, and also an edge view of the cover tiles d for the main, are
shewn. In the main flues F cross walls G are built at given distances to stop
the forward traverse of the blast, and turn it into the vertical flues C, which
are set across the flues F, as shewn at Fig. 2. The bricks or blocks for these
cross walls G (see Fig. 6*) have tongues at both ends fitting into suitable
grooves in the wall, bricks, or blocks. By means of the grooves and tongues
fitting into them the main and cross walls are bound firmly together. On the
passage of the air to be heated into the part of the main marked 1, it is
carried up the group of tubes or flues C, and passes over the division wall C¹
(Fig. 1), and down the flues C³ into the part of the main marked 2. The
air then passes up the flues C³, and down the flues C, and so on to the end of
the series. The air, now highly heated in its passage through the series of
vertical flues C, is conveyed away to the blast furnace. Above the main F the
flues C are continued to any elevation within the stove by courses of bricks or
blocks of any required shape, and the furnace may contain as many pipes in
double ranges (as shown) as may be found convenient.
Fig. 7 is a side view of one of the hollow blocks of which the vertical flues
are constructed; and Fig. 8 is a plan view of two blocks placed side by side,
with key blocks placed between them.
Fig. 9 is a view shewing the mode by which the small compass blocks key
together the hollow blocks, which are cast with flanges at their sides, between
which the key blocks are inserted. The like precautions to that above
explained are observed for securing the junctions of the blocks air-tight, and
besides thus locking the blocks and tiles together, I cement them by applying
"slip" to the contact surfaces. At the top of the flues C are closing caps e,
shewn in section and plan view at Figures 10. These caps are connected to
the roof of the oven by blocks set over them, and stayed or fixed by the
block I, shewn in side elevation and plan at Figures 11.
By this improved mode of construction of hot air stoves or ovens the first
cost will be greatly reduced, the durability of the stoves or ovens will be much
greater, and the stoves can be kept at a much higher temperature, and by
these means a considerable saving of fuel will be effected, and the make or

page_text: yield of iron from the furnace will be increased. The course of the hot air
through the flues C will be readily traced by means of the arrows, and the
gases of combustion after circulating between and around the air flues, as
usual, will pass off to the chimney flues H, Fig. 1.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of an improvement in
the construction of hot air stoves for blast furnaces, and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, constructing the air flues of hot
air stoves of blocks, bricks, or tiles of fire-clay, or silicious compound capable
of resisting high temperatures, in the manner and for the purpose above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Cliff, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.