IMPROVE- MENTS IN PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES, AND IN THE FIRE-GRATES OF SUCH FURNACES, AND IN THE METHOD OF SUPPLYING THE SAME WITH FUEL
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Kirk, of Workington, in the County of
Cumberland, Iron Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES, AND IN THE FIRE-GRATES OF
SUCH FURNACES, AND IN THE METHOD OF SUPPLYING THE SAME WITH
FUEL."
Scaled the 7th September 1875, and dated the 10th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Kirk at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th March 1875.
I, PETER KIRK, of Workington, in the County of Cumberland, Iron
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING AND HEATING FURNACES, AND IN THE FIRE-
GRATES OF SUCH FURNACES, AND IN THE METHOD OF SUPPLYING THE SAME WITH
FUEL," to be as follows:-
-
My Invention relates particularly to the puddling and heating
furnaces employed in the manufacture of iron, but is also applicable to
reverberatory, steam, generator, and other furnaces in which fuel is con-
sumed upon grates.

page_text: The objects of my said Invention are to promote economy in the-con-
sumption of fuel, to obtain regularity in the working of the furnace,
and to provide for the regular discharge of the incombustible constituents
of the fuel. To this end I construct the bottom or main portion of the
grato of a cylindrical form, or partly of a cylindrical form, or of a form
which may be considered to be suitable to the conditions, one of which
is, that I cause the said grate bottom to revolve continuously or inter-
mittingly upon a horizontal or nearly horizontal axis.
The grate bottom or revolving grate, which, I now consider to be most
suitable is similar in form to an ordinary thread spool, and consists of a
hollow cylinder or barrel provided or formed with conical end flanches,
and is by preference made of cast iron. The barrel part and the
flanches are slotted, perforated, or formed with air passages. A sloping
plate or grate extends from the back wall of the furnace to the
revolving grate, which the said sloping grate approaches very nearly, or
the outer end of the said sloping grate may rest upon the revolving.
grate. A curved fixed grate or perforated plate projects from a breast
wall upon which the "bridge" is built and extends downwards and
1 7
11
'

page_text: grate, and are discharged through the space between the lower end of
the said curved grate and the said revolving grate.
In some cases, and especially in the cases of puddling and heating
furnaces I enclose the space below the grate or grates, and also in some
cases the space below the bed or hearth of the furnace, and I force air
into such enclosed space or spaces. The air becomes more or less heated
in its passage to the grate or grates, and flows through and between the
said grates into the body of fuel.
I prefer to make the aforesaid breast wall of cast iron, and to form it
with air passages through which air flows into the furnace or into the
body of fuel.
I also convey a current of air to an opening situated near the feed
opening or near each feed opening, and at about right angles therewith,
by which means the issue of smoke or flame through the feed opening
or openings is prevented entirely or to a great extent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Kirk in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
KIRK, of Workington, in the County of Cumberland, Iron Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Peter Kirk, Her special license
that I, the said Peter Kirk, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Peter Kirk, my executors, admini-
strators, 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 PUDDLING

page_text: "
AND HEATING FURNACES, AND IN THE FIRE-GRATES OF SUCH FURNACES, AND IN THE
METHOD OF SUPPLYING THE SAME WITH FUEL," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Peter Kirk, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under 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
Dadant

page_text: the "
"bridge" is built and extends downwards and below the said
revolving grate.
The fuel is fed continuously or at intervals through an opening or
through two or more openings situated in the upper and back part of
the furnace.
The revolving grate is mounted upon a shaft to which a slow
continuous or intermittent revolving motion is imparted, or the said
revolving grate may be formed with gudgeons. To effect this revolving
motion a worm wheel may be fixed on the said shaft or on one of the
said gudgeons, with which worm wheel gears a worm fixed on a screw
shaft which is rotated at intervals or is driven continuously, as may be
preferred.
I prefer to place the fuel in a hopper, which is fitted with a shaker or
with shakers which is or are acted upon at intervals by cams, tappets,
or levors, which may derive motion from the shaft which actuates the
said worm wheel, but I do not confine myself to this method of feeding.
The fuel is moved forwards by the action of the aforesaid revolving
grate, and the clinkers and such of the unconsumed portions of the said
fuel as do not fall through the openings in the grates are carried down-
wards between the revolving grate and the aforesaid curved grate, and
are discharged through the space between the lower end of the said
curved grate and the said revolving grate.
In some cases, and especially in the cases of puddling and heating
furnaces, I enclose the space below the grate or grates, and also in some
cases the space below the bed or hearth of the furnace, and I force air
into such enclosed space or spaces. The air becomes more or less
heated in its passage to the grate or grates, and flows through and
between the said grates into the body of fuel.
I prefer to make the aforesaid breast wall of cast iron, and to form it
with air passages through which air flows into the furnace or into the
body of fuel.
I also convey a current of air to an opening situated near the feed
opening or near each feed opening, by which means the issue of smoke
or flame through the feed opening or openings is prevented entirely or
to a great extent,

page_text: And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I have
appended hereunto a Sheet of Drawings mado about one-sixth of the
full size, and marked with letters of reference, corresponding marks
indicating the same parts in the various Figures.
Referring in this place to the said Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a
vertical longitudinal section of a puddling furnace fitted with my said
Invention, Fig. 2 representing a horizontal section on the line A, and.
Fig. 3, an end elevation.
The
In the said. Figures B is the said revolving grate, which in this
example consists of two castings, each casting being in the form of two
conoids connected by a short cylinder, as also scon also at Fig. 4, which
represents a diametrical section of either one of the two castings.
cylindrical and conoidal parts of each casting are formed with per-
forations a, a, and pyramidal projections b, b, are formed between the
said perforations.
Fig. 5 shows a portion of the surface of one one of the conoidal parts
of the castings, and illustrates the arrangement of the perforations.
The perforations have been omitted in Figures 1 and 2 in order to
simplify the Drawings. Each casting is formed with bosses which are
connected with the periphery of the casting, and are formed with squaro
holes by means of which the two castings are mounted on a squaro
shaft c.
The said shaft is formed with journals which work in
bearings d, d, which are fixed to the outer wall plate of the furnace. A
worm wheel e is fixed on one end of the said shaft, and a worm f
on a shaft engages with the said wheel. The shaft g is fitted to
revolve in bearings, and is actuated by means of an excentric i which is
connected with a lever & which is mounted on the said shaft and carrics.
a pawl which engages with a ratchet wheel which is fixed on the end
of the shaft. The said excentric is fixed on a shaft which derives its
motion from a prime mover in any suitable manner, the effect of the
arrangement being to impart an intermittent revolving movement to
the grate B.
The arrangements for imparting a revolving movement to the said
grate may be varied as preferred, and to meet variations in the con-
ditions two bearers m, m, are carried by the outer wall plates, and one
bearer sustains the sloping plate n which is made to nearly touch the
grate B so as to prevent the fuel from falling to any great extent

page_text: through the space between the conoidal flanches of the grate. The
other bearer sustains the curved grating o which is perforated or formed
with slots, or as a grating of bars, so as to permit of the passage of air.
This grating is also formed to suit the form of the grate B and to retain
the unconsumed fuel. The last-named bearer also sustains a metal per-
forated breast wall p upon which the fire-bridge q is built. Metal side
plates r, r, having their lower edges curved and recessed to suit the
circular sides of the grate B are sustained by the said bearers and
project to some extent over the ends of the said grate. Air passages
aro also formed in the said side plates. A cross plate or bar & formed
with air passages extends from one side plate to the other, and partly
sustains the back wall, the side walls being built upon or extending on
to the side plater. A rectangular (furnace is thus formed, the bottom
of the furnace consisting of the revolving grate B and the plate and
grating and o. The space below the said furnace and below the
hearth of the puddling furnace C is enclosed, and air is forced into tho
enclosed space. The air receives heat from the bottom plates of
the hearth and from the hollow side castings u, u, and also from the
castings forming the sides and bottom of the fire-grate to which the air
has free access.
A hopper D to contain the fuel is mounted above the furnace, and is
fitted with a spout v which is suspended from the back of the hopper
and from the bridge w. A bar x projecting from the front of the spout
engages with one arm of a bell-crank lever / which is mounted on a
stud fixed to the end wall plate of the furnace. The outer end of the
other arm of the lever is formed to engage with serrations formed on a
segmenty which is attached to a vertical arm formed on the lever k.
As the last-named lever vibrates the scrrations on the segment y cause
the lover to vibrate, whereby a shaking motion is imparted to the
spout v. A hand wheel on a screwed rod which is connected with the
lever furnishes means for regulating the intensity of the said shaking
motion by moving the end of the horizontal arm of the said lever nearer
to or further from the segment y.
The feeding of the fuel may also be regulated by raising or lowering
the outer end of the inclined spout. The fuel falls through side openings
in the lower end of the spout into two feed openings a². This arrange-
ment for feeding the fuel to the furnaces may be varied.

page_text: The action of the arrangement may be described as immediately
follows: The fuel fed through the openings a¹ falls on to a bed of
burning fuel which is supported on the grate B and the plate and
grating n, o. Streams of air heated by the means hercin-before
indicated flow through the passages in the grate B, the grating o, and
the enclosing castings p, r, and s, and also through a space b¹ between
the castings and the plate n, and enter the body of fuel. Air is also
admitted through a passage c¹ to openings g¹ situated close to each feed
opening a. The issuing streams of air tend to prevent the emmission
of smoke and flame from the feed openings, as herein-before mentioned.
Valves are employed to regulate the flow of air. Air may also be
admitted at as many additional openings situated above the fuel as may
be found to be desirable.
An intermittent revolving motion is communicated to the grate B by
the means herein-before described, whereby the burning fuel is slowly
moved towards the bridge. Openings fitted with sliding doors are
formed at e¹ and f¹ in the end wall plates, through which openings the
working of the furnace may be inspected. When necessary a bar may
be introduced through the openings e¹ and b₁ to stir up the mass of fuel
or to break up or detach clinkers.
The movement of the grate B has also an useful effect in gently
stirring up the fire, and in lessening the tendency to the formation of
clinkers. A portion of the ashes is discharged through the openings and
air passages as the grate rotates, and the remaining ashes and clinkers
are gradually discharged through the space between the lower ends of
the grating o and the grate B.
Although I have represented my Invention as applied to a pud-
dling furnace, it must be understood that it is applicable to other
descriptions of furnaces, as hercin-before indicated.
Instead of forcing air into the enclosed space the air may be drawn in
by the draught of the chimney, and in some cases the space below the
fire may be open, as is most usual.
The form of the revolving grate and the mere details of the arrange-
ment illustrated by way of an example may be greatly varied, the most
important feature of my Invention being the employment of a grate
bottom revolving on a horizontal or nearly horizontal axis carrying
forwards the fuel and delivering the clinkers into the ash-pit.

page_text: Having now fully described and indicated the nature of my said
Invention and means whereby the same may be carried into effect, I
would in conclusion have it to be understood, that I claim,―
First. The employment of a revolving grate or grate bottom, arranged
and acting substantially as and for the purposes herein-before set forth
and indicated.
Secondly. The revolving grate B, the plate n, and the grating o,
substantially as and for the purposes herein-before set forth and
indicated.
Thirdly. The furnace for effecting the combustion of fuel, substan-
tially as set forth and indicated herein-before, and in the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourthly. The arrangements for feeding the said furnace with fuel,
substantially as herein-before set forth and indicated.
And, lastly. The combination and arrangement of parts of a complete
puddling furnace, substantially as set forth and indicated herein-before,
and in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Kirk, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Signed and sealed by the
said Peter Kirk, in tho
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentee,
3, Princess Street,
Manchester.
PETER KIRK.
(L.S.)