IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Smith Casson, of Round Oak Works,
-
Brierley Hill, in the County of Stafford, Manager of Iron Works,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."
Sealed the 27th March 1874, and dated the 7th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Smith Casson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th November 1873.
I, RICHARD SMITH CASSON, of Round Oak Works, Brierley Hill, in
the County of Stafford, Manager of Iron Works, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES USED
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to such puddling furnaces as are provided
with heating or preparing chambers, in which the iron or steel is heated
or melted prior to its introduction into the puddling chamber, but parts

page_text: of my Invention as herein-after explained are also applicable to puddling
furnaces having no heating or preparing chambers.
In constructing the said puddling furnaces according to my Invention
I make the bed or floor of the heating or preparing chamber moveable,
the said moveable bed or floor being capable of rising and falling nearly 5
vertically, and having an inclined position when raised, the lower part
of the inclined bed or floor of the heating or preparing chamber being
turned towards the opening into the puddling chamber, so that the iron
or steel on the bed of the preparing chamber when the said bed is raised
shall, if liquid run from the said bed into the puddling chamber, or if 1
solid shall fall from the said bed into the puddling chamber, or may be
readily pushed from the said bed into the puddling chamber.
When it is intended to melt the iron or steel in the preparing chamber
before introducing it into the puddling chamber I make the bottom of
the moveable bed of a cup-like figure, and when the iron or steel is to 1
be heated without fusion the bed may be flat, or nearly flat.
In order to give the required rising and falling motion and inclination
to the moveable bed of the preparing chamber I cause the said bed to be
supported and carried by a horizontal arm or lever turning upon a
centre or fulcrum underneath the preparing chamber, the bed being 2
connected to the said lever near its outer end by a vertical support.
The raising and lowering of the lever carrying the bed of the chamber
is effected by a vertical rack, in which a pinion engages. By giving
rotation, either by hand or other power, to the said pinion the rack is
raised and lowered. The bottom of the said rack carries a loop having 2
an antifriction roller at its bottom, and the end of the lever engages in
the said loop and rests on the roller.
When the iron or steel has been sufficiently heated rotation is given
to the pinion, the rack rises and with it the end of the lever.
By the
motion of the said. lever about its centre or fulcrum the bed of the
preparing chamber is raised, and at the same time receives the required
inclination. By the reverse motion of the pinion the bed of the chamber
is restored to its normal position.
I do not limit myself to the arrangement described for lifting and
inclining the preparing chamber-bed as other mechanism may be used a
for that purpose.

page_text: In applying these improvements to the puddling furnaces described
and represented in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on
the Eleventh day of December 1872, No. 3763, it may be necessary or
desirable to make the reverberators or regulators and jambs moveable,
so that they may be raised on the raising of the bed of the preparing
chamber; and in some cases it may be necessary to raise the crown or
reverberating arch of the furnace to give sufficient room for the working
of the moveable bed.
I protect the workman from the heat of the puddling furnace during
the puddling operation by screens of sheet iron supported parallel to and
at a short distance from the front wall of the furnace, and extending
within a short distance of the ground. Currents of air ascend between
these screens and the wall of the furnace and keep the said screens
cool.
In order to prevent the accumulation of clinkers on the bars of the
fire-place of the furnace I place two rollers underneath the said bars and
near their ends respectively. These rollers carry tappets or cams so
arranged that on the rotation of the rollers alternate bars shall be
suddenly lifted and allowed to fall. This rising and falling of alternate
bars effected alternately on their front and rear ends effectually prevents
the accumulation of clinkers thereon. The said rollers are driven by
steam or other power. :
The screens described and mechanism for moving the fire-bars are
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Smith Casson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
O SMITH CASSON, of Round Oak Works, Brierley Hill, in the County of
Stafford, Manager of Iron Works, send greeting.

page_text: f
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Smith Casson, Her special
license that I, the said Richard Smith Casson, my executors; adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Smith Casson, 5
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 1
PUDDLING FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Smith Casson, 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 1
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 Richard Smith Casson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same 2
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention has reference to such puddling furnaces as are provided
with heating or preparing chambers, in which the iron or steel is heated
or melted prior to its introduction into the puddling chamber; but 2
parts of my Invention, as hereinafter explained, are also applicable to
puddling furnaces having no heating or preparing chambers.
In constructing the said puddling furnaces according to my Invention
I make the bed or floor of the heating or preparing chamber moveable,
the said moveable bed or floor being capable of rising and falling S
nearly vertically and having an inclined position when raised, the
lower part of the inclined bed or floor of the heating or preparing
chamber being turned towards the opening into the puddling chamber,
so that the iron or steel on the bed of the preparing chamber when the
said bed is raised shall, if liquid, run from the said bed into the 3
puddling chamber, or if solid shall fall from the said bed into the

page_text: puddling chamber, or may be readily pushed from the said bed into the
puddling chamber.
When it is intended to melt the iron or steel in the preparing
chamber before introducing it into the puddling chamber I make the
bottom of the moveable bed of a cup-like figure, and when the iron
or steel is to be heated without fusion the bed may be flat or nearly
flat.
In order to give the required rising and falling motion and inclination
to the moveable bed of the preparing chamber I cause the said bed to
bo supported and carried by a horizontal arm or lever turning upon a
centre or fulcrum underneath the preparing chamber, the bed being
connected to the said lever near its outer end by a vertical support.
The raising and lowering of the lever carrying the bed of the
chamber is effected by a vertical rack, in which a pinion engages. By
giving rotation, either by hand or other power, to the said pinion the
rack is raised and lowered. The bottom of the said rack carries a loop
having an antifriction roller at its bottom, and the end of the lever
engages in the said loop and rests on the roller.
When the iron or steel has been sufficiently heated rotation is given
to the pinion, the rack rises, and with it the end of the lever. By
the motion of the said lever about its centre or fulcrum the bed of the
preparing chamber is raised and at the same time receives the required
inclination. By the reverse motion of the pinion the bed of the
chamber is restored to its normal position.
In applying these improvements to the puddling furnaces, described
and represented in the Specification of Letters Patent, granted to me
on the Eleventh day of December 1872, No. 3763, it may be necessary
or desirable to make the reverberators or regulators and jambs moveable,
so that they may be raised on the raising of the bed of the preparing
chamber; and in some cases it may be necessary to raise the crown or
reverberating arch of the furnace to give sufficient room for the working
of the moveable bed.
I protect the workman from the heat of the puddling furnace during
the puddling operation by screens of sheet iron supported parallel to
and at a short distance from the front wall of the furnace and extending

page_text: The lever d
state the said bed a has the horizontal position a³, and after the iron or
steel upon it has been heated to the required temperature the bed is
brought into the inclined position a, when the iron passes from the bed
into the basin x in the puddling chamber c. When it is intended to
melt the iron or steel in the preparing chamber 6 before introducing it
into the puddling chamber c I make the moveable bed a of a concave
or cup-like figure, but when the iron or steel is not to be raised to the
melting point in the preparing chamber I prefer to make the bed a flat
or nearly flat. The moveable bed a of the preparing chamber is carried
by an arm or lever d turning upon a centre at d², the bed a being con-
nected to the said arm or lever d by the vertical support f.
may be raised into the inclined position represented in Figure 2 or
depressed position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 by means of the
vertical rack g, with which rack a pinion ⁄ on the axis h³ of the toothed
wheel h³ gears; y is a winch by which rotation can be given to the
pinion y gearing with the toothed wheel ³. By turning the winch y in
one or other direction the rack g and arm d may be raised or lowered at
the pleasure of the workman. At the lower end of the rack g is a loop i
having at its bottom an antifriction roller k. The end of the lever d
passes through the loop i and rests on the roller k. The bed a in its
normal position occupies the place indicated by the dotted line a,
Figure 2, and the iron or steel to be heated is put upon the bed a when
at a², and is there heated by the waste heat from the puddling furnace c,
When sufficiently heated the winch y is turned and the moveable bed
brought from the position a² to the position a, Figure 2, when the iron
or steel slides, or may be pushed from the bed into the basin æ; or when
the iron or steel on the bed has been melted it runs from the inclined
bed a into the basin x. By the reverse motion of the pinion the bed a
may be brought to the position a³.
I do not limit myself to the arrangement described and represented
for lifting and inclining the preparing chamber bed, as other mechanism
may be used for that purpose.
The reverberators or regulators
and jambs of the furnace may be
made moveable so that they may be raised on the raising of the bed of
the preparing chamber, and the reverberating arch m, n, of the furnace
must have sufficient height to permit of the working of the moveable
bed a

page_text: The screens of sheet iron or steel which I employ for protecting the
workman from the heat of the furnace are represented in Figure 1, and
are marked p, p.
The screens are convex, as seen by the end view p³, Figure 1, and are
fixed on either side the door p³ of the furnace, through which the work-
man operates. The said screens p, p, terminate at a short distance from
the ground, and currents of air passing up the channels formed by the
said screens p, p, and the side of the furnace as indicated by the arrows
in Figure 1, keep the said screens so cool that the heat radiated from
them does not distress the workman.
In order to prevent the accumulation of clinkers on the bars of the
fire-place q of the furnace I place a roller r underneath the front ends
of the said bars. This roller carries tappets & so arranged that on the
rotation of the roller alternate bars are suddenly lifted and allowed to
fall. The roller r is worked by the pulley t driven by a chain or band u
from a steam engine or other motive power; or the roller r may be
worked by hand. In addition to the roller and tappets & at the front
ends of the fire-bars a similar roller and tappets may be situated under
the rear ends of the bars so that a rising and falling motion may be
given to both the front and rear ends of alternate bars.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in puddling
furnaces used in the manufacture of iron and steel,―
First. Making the beds of the heating or preparing chambers of
puddling furnaces capable of being moved from their normal horizontal
position into a raised inclined position so as to discharge or facilitate the
removal therefrom of the heated or melted iron or steel and its intro-
duction into the puddling chamber, and combining with the said
moveable bed mechanism for raising and lowering the same, substantially
as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. Protecting the workman from the heat of the puddling

page_text: furnace by means of screens constructed and arranged substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Smith Casson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
RICHARD SMITH CASSON. (L.S.)