IMPROVE- MENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER FURNACES OF SIMILAR CONSTRUCTION
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gay Newton Alleyne, of the Butterley Iron
Work, Alfreton, in the County of Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER FURNACES OF
SIMILAR CONSTRUCTION."
Sealed the 8th November 1867, and dated the 13th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gay Newton Alleyne
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Potition, on the
13th May 1867.
I, JOHN GAY NEWTON ALLEYNE, of the Butterley Iron Works, Alfreton, in
the County of Derby, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER FURNACES
OF SIMILAR CONSTRUCTION," to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference more particularly to puddling furnaces having
rotating beds, and consists in an improved arrangement for keeping such beds
cool. For this purpose the bed is made by preference of wrought iron, and is
supported centrally either directly by the vertical shaft from which it receives
rotary motion, or it is carried by means of a wrought or cast iron cylinder
fixed on a turntable upon the vertical shaft, the inner part of which cylinder
bas a communication by means of pipes or air tubes with the outer part to
allow of the circulation of the air and water jets. A large annular trough
supplied with water is fixed a short distance below the bed, and a circular
plate or flange fixed to or formed on the outer circumference of the bed passes
down, and either itself or a flange fixed thereto dips into the water in the said
trough, close to the outer edge thereof, while a second circular projecting plate

page_text: or flange fixed to the under side of the bed, close to the before-mentioned
central shaft or cylinder, also dips into the water in the annular trough near its
inner edge; by this means it will be seen that. while the bed is free to revolve,
yet by the hydraulic joints formed between the said rims or flanges thereof
and the water trough its under surface is enclosed in an air-tight manner. A
pipe communicating with a fan or other blast passes through the bottom of
the water trough and opens into the said enclosed space, and a jet of water
introduced into such pipe issues with the blast into the enclosed space in the
form of spray and penetrates together with the air to all parts of the under
surface_of_the_bed, whereby the latter is effectually kept cool. A second pipe
also passing through the bottom of the water trough at an opposite point to
the blast pipe serves to carry off the warm air from the enclosed space. The
water trough is constantly supplied with cold water through a small pipe, and
an overflow pipe carries off the warm water at the surface. In some cases a
spout is formed in the bottom of the bed, passing through the enclosed space
beneath, in order to run off the cinder, or iron, or steel, when in a fluid state.
In cases where it is objectionable to cause the bed to rotate I employ the
same system of water joint and the combined water and air jets- in one or
more enclosed spaces as may be required under stationary beds, so as to dis-
tribute the cooling action evenly over the whole bed of the furnace. I prefer
to cause the bed, to rotate, but I do not confine myself to that system, this
Invention being equally applicable to other furnaces of similar construction,
such as mill furnaces, whether with rotating or fixed beds."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Gay Newton Alleyne in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GAY NEWTON ALLEYNE, of the Butterley Iron Works, Alfreton, in the County
of Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date. the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight-hundred-and-sixty-seven,-in-the-thirtieth-year-of-Her-
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, Her special licence, that I, the said John
Gay Newton Alleyne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Gay, Newton Alleyne, my executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
FURNACES OF SIMILAR CONSTRUCTION," "upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, 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 saine 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 Gay Newton Alleyne; 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention has reference more particularly to puddling furnaces
having rotating beds, and consists in an improved arrangement for keeping
such beds cool. For this purpose the bed is made by preference of wrought
iron, and is supported centrally either directly by the vertical shaft from
which it receives rotary motion, or it is carried by means of a wrought or
cast iron cylinder fixed on a turntable upon the vertical shaft, the inner part
of which cylinder has a communication by means of pipes or air tubes with
the outer part, to allow of the circulation of the air and water jets. Or in
some cases the vertical shaft may be dispensed with and the bed itself
supported on rollers at its circumference, as a turntable. A large annular
trough supplied with water is fixed a short distance below the bed, and a
circular plate or flange fixed to or formed on the outer circumference of the
bed passes down, and either itself or a flange fixed thereto dips into the water
in the said trough, close to the outer edge thereof, while a second circular
projecting plate or flange fixed to the under side of the bed close to the before-
mentioned central shaft or cylinder also dips into the water in the annular
trough near its inner edge. By this means it will be seen that while the bed is
free to revolve, yet by the hydraulic joints formed between the said rims or
flanges thereof and the water trough, its under surface is enclosed in an air-tight
manner, a pipe communicating with a fan or other blast passes through the
bottom of the water trough and opens into the said enclosed space, and a
jet of water introduced into such pipe issues with the blast into the enclosed

page_text: space in the form of spray, and penetrates together with the air to all parts
of the under surface of the bed, whereby the latter is effectually kept cool.
In some cases a jet or jets of air or of water alone may be introduced into
the enclosed space in place of air and water combined. A second 'pipe, also
passing through the bottom of the water trough at an opposite point to the
blast pipe, serves to carry off the warm air and water spray or steam from
the enclosed space. The water trough is constantly supplied with cold water
through a small pipe, and an overflow pipe carries off the warm water at the
surface. In some cases a spout is formed in the bottom of the bed, passing
through the enclosed space beneath, in order to run off the cinder or iron or
steel when in a fluid state. In cases where it is objectionable to cause the
bed to rotate, I employ the same system of water joint and the combined
water and air jets-in-one or morc-enclosed-spaces, as may be required, under
stationary beds, so as to distribute the cooling action evenly over the whole
bed of the furnace, I prefer to cause the bed to rotate, but I do not confine
myself to that system, this Invention being equally applicable to other furnaces
of similar construction, such as mill furnaces,, whether with rotating or fixed
beds.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is shown my Invention as applied
to a puddling furnace with rotating bed. Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation
of the rotating bed, and Figure 2 shows a sectional plan on line X, X;
Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in both Figures. :
A is the rotating bed, constructed by preference of strong wrought iron,
and provided with a suitable lining of fire-clay, slag, or other material.
This bed is supported upon a strong wrought-iron cylinder B fixed on the
turntable C, carried by the shaft D, and by rollers E at its circumference.
A slow rotary motion is imparted to the shaft D, and through this.to the
turntable C. and furnace bed A, either by means of a worm F and worm
wheel G, or by any other suitable known means. Between the bottom of
the bed A and the turntable C, and surrounding the cylinder B, is the
annular water trough H, carried by the girders I, in which trough a
continuous circulation of cold water is maintained by means of the inlet
pipe J, and the overflow pipe K. To the outer circumference of the bed A
is fixed a cylindrical flange L, passing down as shown, and having fixed to it
a second flange or rim M-projecting-over-the outer edge of the trough H,
and dipping into the water contained therein. A second cylindrical flange
or rim N is fixed centrally. to the under surface of the bed A, which flange
also dips into the water in the trough H. By this arrangement it will be
seen that while the flanges L and N are free to revolve with the bed A, they

page_text: form by means of the hydraulic joints an enclosed air-tight space surrounding
the entire outer surface of the bed A except the central portion, that part
enclosed by the cylinder B being however put in communication with the
air-tight space by means of pipes O, O. A pipe P passing through the
trough H projects into the enclosed space below the bed A, through which
pipe air is forced by means of a fan into the space, a jet of water entering
such pipe being at the same time made to mix with such air in the form of
spray. This mixture of air and water spray, in circulating in the space,
passes in contact with the under surface of the bed A and very effectually
absorbs the heat therefrom, and then passes away through a second pipe Qas
indicated by the arrows, the escape of the air being, if necessary, accelerated
by the application of an exhaust fan to the pipe Q; R is a spout to the
bed A passing through the enclosed space for running off fluid slag or
metal when required. The brickwork S of the furnace is made to project
over the edge of the rotating bed, as shown, in order to protect the same as
much as possible from injury.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, what I claim is,―
First, so constructing the beds of puddling and other similar furnaces,
that the outer surface of the bottom and sides thereof are enclosed in a
chamber, the bottom of which is a water tank or trough forming hydraulic
joints with the sides, into which chamber a jet or jets of air or of water spray,
or of air and water spray combined, is or are forced through one or more
pipes, while the hot air and water spray or steam are caused to pass away
through one or more other pipes substantially as herein-before described.
Second, constructing rotating furnace beds with flanges dipping into a
water tank or trough below the bed, so as by means of hydraulic joints to
form an enclosed space surrounding the outer surface of such bed, into which
space a jet or jets of air or of water spray, or of air and water spray com-
bined is or are forced, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before set
forth with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
J. G. N. ALLEYNE. (L.S.)