Improvements in Muffles for Annealing Metals, and for other like purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Apr.. 1807-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Muffles for Annealing Metals, and for other like
purposes.
We ELKINGTON & CO. LIMITED, of Newhall Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Silversmiths and Electro Platers and HENRY THOMAS
FELLOWS, of Shirley Road, Acock's Green in the County of Worcester,
Manager of Works do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be as
follows:-
The said invention consists of the construction and combinations hereinafter
described of the parts of muffles for annealing metals and for other like
purposes.
By constructing annealing muffles and like muffles according to the said
invention they are made very convenient in use and the heating of the same is
rapidly and economically effected.
The said improvements. are applicable to annealing muffles and like muffles in
which the bed or pan like body of the muffle is either stationary or capable of
rotation, the said bed or body in the latter case turning within the fixed cover or
hood of the muffle.
We will describe the said improvements as applied to a small muffle in which the
bed or body is capable of rotation within the fixed cover or hood, a. muffle of this
kind being particularly useful for silversmiths and jewellers and other workers in
small metal goods.
We make the bed or body in which the combustion of the fuel takes place and
in which the articles to be heated or annealed are contained, of a circular metal
pan internally lined at its sides, preferably, with sheet asbestos to protect the pan
from the action of the heat, but the said pan may be provided with other fire
protecting linings. The said bed or pan works closely and practically air tight.
within a fixed cover or hood provided with a pipe or passage at one side by which
the heat and products of combustion are conveyed from the muffle. The said fixed
cover or hood is also provided with a door at which the rotating bed or pan is
charged with the coke or solid fuel to be burned in the muffle and by which the
articles to be annealed are placed in the bed or pan and the annealed articles
removed therefrom. The bed or pan is supported on a joint on which it can be
readily turned by the attendant so as to bring any part of the said bed or pan
opposite the door in the fixed cover or hood for the introduction of the unannealed
articles into and the removal of the annealed articles from the bed or pan.
The combustion of the coke or solid fuel in the pan like bed is promoted and
maintained for the heating of the muffle by means of a forced draught or blasts of
air in the following manner.
On the outside and below the bottom of the pan like bed is an air feeding ring-
connected by radial tubes with a central vertical pipe by which air under pressure
is conveyed to the said ring and radial tubes. In the said blast or air feeding ring
and radial tubes equidistant short vertical jet pipes are made. These jet pipes are
screwed internally and are passed into holes in the bottom of the pan like bed of
the muffle. In each of the short jet pipes described, is screwed from the inside of
the pan, a rose jet perforated with fine holes in the top and sides. When injured or
worn these rose jets may be removed and replaced by fresh ones.

page_text: By means of the series of rose jets described or the bottom of the inside of the
pan or bed of the muffle a uniform distribution of blasts of air in the form of fine
jets among the fuel in the bed is obtained and the combustion of the fuel rapidly
and uniformly effected.
By means of a stopcock in the vertical pipe conducting the blast to the jets the
amount of blast may be regulated.
Although we prefer to cover the bed or body of the muffle with a fixed cover or
hood as described yet the said bed or body may be used without a cover or hood,
that is, in an uncovered state..
We apply the said improvements to muffles in which the beds or bodies are
fixed in the manner herein before described with respect to rotating beds or
bodies.
When the bed or body of the muffle is made stationary it may be square or
oblong or of other form in plan instead of circular; and may be lined with fire
bricks, asbestos or other fire protecting material.
Although the said improvements are particularly applicable for annealing
purposes yet they may be used for other heating purposes, such for example as the
calcination of ores.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of July 1896.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Muffles for Annealing Metals, and for other like
purposes.
We, ELKINGTON & Co. LIMITED, of Newhall Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick Silversmiths and Electro Platers, and HENRY THOMAS
FELLOWS, of Shirley Road, Acock's Green, in the County of Worcester, Manager
of Works, 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 :-
The said invention consists of the construction and combinations hereinafter
described of the parts of muffles for annealing metals and for other like purposes.
By constructing annealing muffles and like muffles according to the said invention
they are made very convenient in use and the heating of the same is rapidly and
economically effected.
The said improvements are applicable to annealing muffles and like muffles in
which the bed or pan like body of the muffle is either stationary or capable of
rotation, the said bed or body, in the latter case, turning within the fixed cover or
hood of the muffle.
We will describe the said improvements as applied to a small muffle in which the
bed or body is capable of rotation within the fixed cover or hood, a muffle of this
kind being particularly useful for silversmiths and jewellers and other workers in
small metal goods.
We make the bed or body in which the combustion of the fuel takes place and
in which the articles to be heated or annealed are contained, of a circular metal
pan internally lined at its sides, preferably, with sheet asbestos, to protect the pan
from the action, of the heat, but the said pan may be provided with other fire
protecting linings. The said bed or pan works closely and practically air tight
within a fixed cover or hood provided with a pipe or passage at one side by which
the heat and products of combustion are conveyed from the muffle. The said fixed

page_text: cover or hood is also provided with a door at which the rotating bed or pan 18
charged with the coke or solid fuel to be burned in the muffle and by which the
articles to be annealed are placed in the bed or pan and the annealed articles
removed therefrom. The bed or pan is supported on a joint on which it can be
readily turned by the attendant so as to bring any part of the said bed or pan
opposite the door in the fixed cover or hood for the introduction of the unannealed
articles into and the removal of the annealed articles from the bed or pan.
The combustion of the coke or solid fuel in the pan like bed is promoted and
maintained for the heating of the muffle by means of a forced draught or blast of
air in the following manner.
On the outside and below the bottom of the pan like bed is an air feeding ring
connected by radial tubes with a central vertical pipe by which air under pressure
is conveyed to the said ring and radial tubes. In the said blast or air feeding ring
and radial tubes, equidistant short vertical jet pipes are made. These jet pipes are
screwed internally and are passed into holes in the bottom of the pan like bed of
the muffle. In each of the short jet pipes described is screwed, from the inside of
the pan, a rose jet perforated with fine holes in the top and sides.
When injured or
fresh ones.
worn these rose jets may be removed and replaced by
By means of the series of rose jeta described on the bottom of the inside of the
pan or bed of the muffle, a uniform distribution of blasts of air in the form of fine
jets among the fuel in the bed is obtained and the combustion of the fuel rapidly
and uniformly effected.
By means of a stop-cock in the vertical pipe conducting the blast to the jets the
amount of blast may be regulated.
A cooling chamber may be combined with the muffle for slowly cooling the
heated or annealed articles after they are removed from the bed or pan of the
muffle.
We apply the said improvements to muffles in which the beds or bodies are
fixed in the manner hereinbefore described with respect to rotating beds or
bodies.
When the bed or body of the muffle is made stationary it may be square or
oblong or of other form in plan instead of circular, and may be lined with fire
bricks, asbestos or other fire protecting material.
Although the said improvements are particularly applicable for annealing
purposes yet they may be used for other heating purposes, such for example as the
calcination of ores.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation an annealing
chamber or muffle with which is combined a cooling chamber for receiving the
heated articles from the annealing chamber: Figures 2, 3 and 4 represent the said
annealing and cooling chambers in plan, longitudinal vertical section and horizontal
section respectively.
Figures 5 and 6 represent cross sections through the annealing and cooling
chambers respectively.
Figure 7 is a section of a portion of the pan of the annealing muffle and one of
the rose jets of the same, drawn to a larger scale, than the other figures of the
drawings.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
The hood or chamber a in which the anuealing bed or pan is arranged. is
preferably built of brick-work with a reverberating or arched roof a' and conical
cover a², the annealing chamber and conical cover communicating with each other
by a pipe or passage b at one side thereof. The bed of the annealing muttle consists
essentially of a rotary metal pan lined with a protecting material, or used without
a lining, in which pan the fuel (ignited coke or charcoal) for the heating of the
muffle or chamber is placed. The combustion of the said fuel is maintained by a
forced draught supplied through the hollow stand or shaft d of the pan to the

page_text: rose Jere of the said pan and by the radiating branch pipes,,, to the
other, rose jets e², 3, e², e..
The rose jets are fixed in the pan by providing them with internally screwed
stems which screw from the inside of the pan upon short vertical.screwed connecting
pipes carried by the radial pipes f, ff, f (see Figure 7). By this means the rose
jets when, injured or worn may be readily removed and replaced by fresh ones.
The force of the draught of air supplied to the rose jets is regulated by the stop
cock n in the air supply pipe p.
The chamber a is provided with a vertical sliding door g counterbalanced by a
weight (see Figure 1). The sliding door g of the annealing chamber having
been raised the articles to be annealed are placed on the ignited fuel in the pan c
the said pan being slowly turned by the band i connecting the pulley k with a
driving shaft not shown in the drawing. Or the pan may be tuned by hand.
When the whole of the articles to be annealed have been placed on the pan cit
is brought to rest and the sliding door g is closed and the articles are kept in the
closed chamber until they have been raised to the desired annealing temperature.
When it is desired to remove the articles from the annealing chamber the sliding
door y is again raised and the articles are transferred from the annealing chamber
to the cooling chamber which is opened and closed by a similar counterbalanced
sliding door y to that employed for opening and closing the annealing chamber a.
The cooling chamber is provided with a rotating table m worked by the band
for receiving the articles transferred from the annealing chamber to the cooling
chamber.
Instead of driving the pan c of the annealing chamber and the table m of the
cooling chamber by independent driving bands i, as represented, two pulleys may
be arranged on the vertical shaft or stand of the cooling table and the annealing
pan be driven by an endless band from the second pulley of the cooling table; or
the said arrangement may be reversed, that is, the table of the cooling chamber
may be driven by belt gearing from the rotating pan of the annealing chamber.
Although we prefer to combine and arrange a cooling chamber in juxta position
with the annealing chamber yet a chainber situated at a short distance from the
annealing chamber may be utilized for the reception of the heated articles and in
some cases a cooling chamber may be dispensed with. A cooling chamber is only
necessary where the metal or alloy to be anaealed requires to be cooled slowly to
prevent injury to the said metal or alloy such for example as in the annealing of
German silver.
And although we prefer to rotate the pan or bed of the muffle yet the said pan
or bed may be fixed, two or more doors being arranged in the hood or chamber by
which access may be gained to the fixed pan or bed for placing the articles on and
removing them from the muffle.
Instead of arranging the muffle or pan in a closed chamber or closed hood it
may be arranged under a hood with a reverberating or arched roof supported on a
framework or legs, the said hood being open at bottom; but we prefer the
arrangement,described and illustrated.
The application of the said improvements to muffles for other heating purposes
differs in no essential respect from their application to muffles for annealing metals
and metallic alloys as herein before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as the said invention.
First. The improvements in muffles for annealing metals and for other like
purposes hereiubefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the
said improvements consisting essentially in arranging in or combining with a closed
chamber, or arranging under a closed hood, a rotating or stationary bed or pan, in
which bed or pan the ignited fuel, for the heating of the metals to be annealed or
for heating other substances, is placed, the combustion of the fuel in the said bed

page_text: or pan being maintained by a bottom forced draught of air supplied to the said bed
or pan substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The combination with anuealing muffles of the kinds claimed in the
prior claim of a cooling chamber provided with a slowly rotating table on which
the heated articles from the annealing chamber are placed substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2005
ELKINGTON & CO., LIMITED,
FREDERICK ELKINGTON, Directors.
HYLA ELKINGTON,
ROBERT SMITH,
Secretary.
ELKINGTON & CO., LIMITED,
N₁} Directors."
FREDERICK ELKINGTON,
HYLA ELKINGTON,
ROBERT SMITH,
Secretary.
HENRY THOMAS FELLOWS.