IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Brown Wilson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1867.
I, EDWARD BROWN WILSON, of Bolton, in the County. of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in furnaces which are
applicable to furnaces generally, but more particularly to such as are used
for puddling iron, reheating and heating purposes. chemical purposes, melting
and raising steam.
In carrying this Invention into practice the furnace bottom on which the
fuel rests 1 make with a cast-iron plate, which plate I set at an angle of 25
degrees or any other angle suitable for the fuel to be consumed. This plate
I sometimes rock with a lever or other well-known mechanical contrivance,
and sometimes I insert bars therein, or it may be perforated, and sometimes
at the lower part of the rocking plate I construct a cast-iron quadrant with a
And sometimes I
plate projecting from one side so as to hold up the fuel.
construct it so as to admit air between it and the furnace bottom; I some-
ID 11

page_text: times perforate this plate or put bars therein; as also I sometimes perforate
the quadrant, or it may be constructed so as to hold water for being evaporated
into the furnace, I rotate the quadrant and plate by a lever or other well-known
mechanical contrivance so as to discharge the refuse from the bottom of the
furnace whilst the fuel is retained in its chamber.
The roof of the fuel chamber I construct with arched brickwork as usual and
towards the front I construct a hollow hanging bridge with one or more chambers;
when constructed with two chambers I construct the lower part with plain
bricks at the outsides and perforated in the centres with a division above them
to form the second chamber, and I supply the air into these chambers from
under the bottom of the plate used in the working chamber as also past the
sides and through the flame bridge regulating the admissions by a valve or
valves. The air highly heated passes through the perforations of the lower
chamber into the chamber containing incandescent fuel.
In the upper
chamber I construct the front, fixing the flame bridge with perforated bricks
or bricks on edge towards or at the highest point; 1 sometimes construct this
chamber to communicate with the fuel chamber. I sometimes construct a
second hanging bridge in front of the first some distance therefrom, having
thus a space between, constructing it so as to leave a space between the
hanging bridge and the roof for the passage of air or gas; and sometimes I
construct the air chamber with hanging arches with spaces between for the
passage of air to descend into the incandescent fuel. On the opposite side I
construct a wall which with the hanging bridge forms a hopper for containing
the fuel, and at the under side of the wall I construct an air chamber with
some distance between it and the fuel plate'; I construct a door for admitting
air into the said chamber or conduits in the sides, or I leave out bricks, or in any
other convenient manner; sometimes I admit all the air through the hanging
bridge and perforations on to the fuel. Then in such cases I construct an
open space on the fuel side overhanging the bricks so that the fuel should not
get into the chamber; the hanging bridge I sometimes construct some distance
below the level of the top of the flame bridge, and I sometimes construct the gas
passage with, only a few inches of opening. Sometimes I insert buttresses or
arches between the hanging bridge and the flame bridge with spaces between
for the gas to rise through, and on the top thereof I sometimes place a framework
constructed with bricks and iron, the bricks having spaces between corresponding
to the arches, which framework and bricks I use as a damper. I sometimes
insert perforated bricks in the flame bridge some distance above the fuel, I
recess these into the brickwork; these bricks admit air which may controlled
by a damper. Air may sometimes be admitted at the lower part of the furnace

page_text: by any well-known plan. I construct an opening at the top of the furnace for
putting in the fuel; it may be closed by a door or valve or have a hopper
placed over it, or the fuel may be put in at the front or the side. constructing
the usual openings which may be closed by doors or valves. The action of the
furnace is the air passes through, on to, and into the incandescent fuel, the gases
formed passing into the chamber to be heated and thence into the chimney. I
sometimes work with the damper lifted only a few inches, thus retaining the
heat in the furnace. It is obvious that this furnace is readily adapted to other
purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Brown Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
BROWN WILSON, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did. for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Brown Wilson, Her special license that I, the said Edward Brown
Wilson, executors, administrators, and 'assigns, or such others as I, the
said Edward Brown Wilson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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 "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward Brown Wilson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Edward Brown Wilson, 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

page_text: statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to certain improvements which are applicable
to several varieties of furnaces, but more particularly to such as are used for
puddling iron, reheating and heating purposes; chemical processes, and raising
steam..
The Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed represent several different
modifications of furnaces constructed in accordance with my said Invention,
and which I shall now proceed to describe and refer to, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the corresponding
Figures on each Sheet of Drawings.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical
section of one arrangement of my improved furnace as applied to the puddling
of iron, the section being taken along the line 1, 2, in Figure 2; Figure 2 is
a horizontal section of the said furnace corresponding to Figure 1, and taken
along the broken line 3, 4, 5, 6, in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a transverse
vertical section of the same taken along the line 7, 8, in Figure 1.
A is a cast iron or other metal plate covered with fire-clay B, and forming
an inclined bed or surface for the fuel which is fed into the combustion
chamber I through the side door Y; U is another plate also covered with
fire-clay forming the bottom of the furnace upon which the ashes rest; U'
is a door for cleaning out the ashes from the front, and G is a door in the side
for a similar purpose. An arched hanging bridge Z is built above the
combustion chamber, and between the arched roof of this chamber and the
outer roof H there are constructed 2 hot air chambers K and L which are
divided from each other by an internal partition and valve or damper N; the
chamber K communicates through the damper N when open with the chamber L,
and also communicates by the passage with the upper part of the combustion
chamber I at the front end thereof. The bottom of the hot air chamber L
is formed with perforated bricks or open brickwork M in order to allow of
the entrance of the hot air into the upper part of the combustion chamber near
the back or inner end thereof in front of the flame bridge P; d is the throat
or entrance to the working chamber e, the hearth of which is covered by the
plate O; is the chimney. In the two side walls of the furnace and in the
hollow metal casting forms the sides of the hearth I construct air conduits
or passages R and R', the conduit R passing round one side and end of the
working chamber to an air inlet situate at R2 for the admission of fresh air
into the conduit R; the conduit R¹ branches off from the conduit R and passes
along a hollow casting which supports the flame bridge P and opens into an
:

page_text: air passage made in the opposite side wall, these two conduits R, R. com-
municate by the openings r. r, with the hot air chamber K as shewn in
Figure 2. In order to assist combustion I induce air into the lower part
of the furnace through an air pipe a in the side wall by the aid of a steam
jet pipe a'; h, h, are apertures provided with regulators for admitting air
when required into the front of the combustion chamber amongst the fuel.
On Sheet 2 of my Drawings I have represented sectional elevations
of four other modifications of my improved furnace. In these modifi-
cations which I shall now proceed to describe. make the furnace
bottom on which the fuel rests of a cast-iron plate A, which plate I
set at an angle of 25 degrees or any other suitable angle for the fuel to be
consumed. This plate may be covered with fire-bricks if desired, I some-
times rock the fuel plate A with a lever or other well known mechanical
contrivance, and I sometimes insert bars C (Figures 2, 3, and 4) (Sheet 2) or
make perforations therein, and sometimes at the lower part of the plate I
construct a cast-iron quadrant D with a plate E (Figure 2) projecting from
one side in order to hold up the fuel, and sometimes I construct the plate A
so as to admit air between it and the furnace bottom as shown at F; if
desired the plate E projecting from the quadrant may be perforated or have
bars placed therein, and I sometimes perforate the quadrant D which may also
be constructed so as to hold water to be evaporated into the furnace. The
quadrant and its plate are rotated by a lever or other well known mechanical
contrivance (not shown in my Drawings) so as to discharge the refuse from
the bottom of the furnace whilst the fuel is retained on the fuel plate A... The
furnace may be cleaned out by side doors G on the standing, as shown in
Figures 1, 3, and 4; the upper roof H of the fuel chamber or gas generator I
I construct with arched brickwork as usual, and towards the front beneath the
roof, I construct a hanging bridge with one or more chambers K, L, enclosed.
When constructed with 2 chambers I make the lower part or chamber L
with plain bricks at the outside and with perforated bricks M in the centre,
with a division and valve or damper N above them to form the second chamber,
or the chamber may be continuous, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, with a
division or valve N therein. I supply the air into these chambers from under
the bottom of the plate O which carries the hearth in the working chamber as
also past the sides and under the flame bridge P. I take all the air from
suitable inlets up past the front side of the furnace by a conduit formed in the
side, bringing such conduit into the chamber K. On the far side I take the
air from the chimney and passing it all along the side, and I prefer torutilise
the waste heat passing into the chimney in any well known manner; for

page_text: instance, by evaporating water the steam from which may pass along the side
and so up into the chamber K; I sometimes evaporate water in the chamber K
by inserting a pipe and injecting spray, or a steam pipe with jets may be placed
therein; S. S are swivel doors on the standing; T', are doors into the ash-pit U:
(Figure 4) represents the slabs or close bars at the bottom of furnace, and V
a side door.
Figure 3 shows a set of open fire-bars U at the bottom of the furnace.
When water is evaporated by the waste heat of the chimney the steam may
also be taken into the closed chamber under the fuel plate and. pass up
through the conduits and openings in the chamber K or may enter the
furnace by the openings at F or at X. I sometimes inject steam or water from
the pipes a, b, on to the hot plate Q in the flame bridge as also in the flue
bridge so that it may enter with the air into the side conduits, or it may be
caused to enter at any other desirable point, for instance, at the lower part
of the furnace through the bars (if such are used) with the entering air.
The air highly heated passes through the perforations at M of the chamber L
or of the continuous chamber K, L, into the chamber I containing the
incandescent fuel. Sometimes I construct the air chamber with arches with
air spaces between for the passage of air to descend on to and into the incan-
descent fuel; on the opposite side I construct a wall c, Figure 1, which with
the hanging bridge Z forms a hopper for containing -fuel. At the under side
of the wall I sometimes construct an air chamber leaving some space between
it and the fuel plate;..I construct an opening. Y at the top of the furnace for
putting in the fuel. It may be closed by a door or valve or have a hopper
placed over it, or the fuel may be put in at the front, or the side constructing
the usual opening which may be closed by a door. or valve. When the furnace
is in action the air passes through, on to, and into the incandescent fuel; the
gases formed passing into the chamber to be heated and thence to the chimney.
I sometimes work. with the valve or damper N partly closed, thereby retaining
the heat in the furnace for a period. It is obvious that these furnaces may be
readily adapted to.. other purposes and that the different adaptations may be
variously combined.
The rest of the parts..in the several Figures on this Sheet of Drawings
may be briefly referred to as consisting of an arch L which may be built on a
tymp
if desired as in Figure 4, the front wall C of the furnace which with Z
forms a hopper for the reception of fuel, which fuel may be let in at the top
or at the front Z', the air entrances into conduits built one in each side and
entering above the fuel as shown by the arrows; d is the entrance to the
working chamber; e is the tymp supporting the flame bridge P; f is another

page_text: tymp at the bottom of the fuel plate A or bars C; g is the refuse pit; his a
plate forming with A the air conduit F. If desired the bottom plate may be
made to open in order to drop the fuel, or the bottom of the ash-pit U may
be put in with loose bars or plates. In Figure 3, i, k, is a plate on to which
water is injected; a (Figure 1) is the steam pipe with jets directed into a
closed ash-pit.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, 1. would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The application and use of the upper hot air chambers K, L, arranged
and operating substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by my
Drawings.
Second. The application and use of a rotating or partially rotating quadrant
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described and illustrated by Figure 2 on Sheet 2 of my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
EDW. B. WILSON. (L.S.)