Improvements in Fire-bars.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire-bars.
I, JOSEPH RUSSELL of 22 Charing Cross in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In dealing with fuel particularly when of a very fine or dusty description I
have experienced the well-known difficulty of the clinker forming on the top of
the fire bar obstructing the air and burning the bars, and also of the fine fuel
falling between the bars causing loss or extra labour in returning to the fires; my
improved bars are designed to overcome these difficulties.
"
In carrying my invention into effect I employ a bar of a section entirely different
I believe to any that have been employed before; the exact sizes may vary but
the following dimensions will indicate the sort of bar that I prefer to employ. A
bar three-sixteenths of an inch broad across the face and one-eighth of an inch
thick at the top of the web tapering down to one-sixteenth of an inch at the bottom
of the web and the web being nine inches deep, and a series of these bars coupled
together by means of bolts or otherwise, preferably in-sets of five or six each, or
carried in suitable framework with a space of about one-sixteenth of an inch
between the bars, produces most excellent results. The above dimensions would
give a proportion of air or cooling surface to surface exposed to the fire of about
56 to 1. The bars may with advantage be made of steel though other metal may
be employed for their construction
If a broad head bo not employed the bar may be simply about one-eighth of an
inch wide at the top and tapered down to about one-sixteenth or thereabouts at the
bottom.
By employing so great a depth in proportion to the exceeding thinness of the bar
I have no difficulty in keeping the bars cool at the top without the aid of such
plans no placing the bottoms of the bars in water as has before now been tried.
The exceedingly large cooling surface presented to the action of the air passing up
between the bars to the fire in conjunction with the exceedingly narrow space
between the bars which causes the air to impinge strongly upon the whole of the
surfaces of all the bars produces the desired result keeping the bars cool in a most
efficient manner, and at the same time heat the air as it enters the fire.
Dated this 25th day of August 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire-bars.
1, JOSEPH RUSSELL, of 22 Charing Cross, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
In dealing with fuel particularly when of a very fine or dusty description I have
experienced the well-known difficulty of the clinkers forming on the top of the fire-
bars obstructing the air and burning the bars, and also of the fine fuel falling
between the bars causing loss or extra labour in returning to the fires; my improved
bars are designed to overcome these difficulties.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ a bar of a section entirely different

page_text: I believe to any that have been employed before; the exact sizes may vary but
the following dimensions will indicate the sort of bar that I prefer to employ.
Since filing ny Provisional Specification experience has shown me that I may
with advantage slightly increase some of the proportions in the illustration therein
given, and I have therefore altered those figures in this my Complete Specification,
notwithstanding that I still wish it clearly understood that I do not bind myself to
any special proportions.
A bar one-quarter of an inch broad across the face and one-eighth of an inch
thick at the top of the web, tapering down to one-sixteenth of an inch at the
bottom of the web-or it may be the same thickness throughout-and the web
being nine inches deep, and a series of these bars coupled together by means of
bolts or otherwise, preferably in sets of five or six each, or carried in suitable
framework, with a space of about one-sixteenth of an inch between the bars, pro-
duces most excellent results. The above dimensions would give a proportion of
air or cooling surface to surface exposed to the fire of about 56 to 1. The hars
may with advantage be made of steel, though other metal may be employed for
their construction.
If a broad head be not employed the bar may be simply about one-eighth of an
inch wide at the top and tapered down to about oue-sixteenth or thereabouts at the
bottom.
By employing so great a depth in proportion to the exceeding thinness of the
bar I have no difficulty in keeping the bars cool at the top without the aid of such
plans as placing the bottoms of the bars in water as has before now been trică.
The exceedingly large surface presented to the action of the air passing up between
the bars to the fire in conjunction with the exceedingly narrow space between the
bars which causes the air to impinge strongly upon the whole of the surfaces of
all the bars produces the desired result keeping the bars cool in a most efficient
manuer, and at the same time heating the air as it enters the fire.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved bars,
Fig. 2 a vertical cross section, upon a larger scale,
Fig. 3 a similar view of a tapered bar, and
Fig. 4 a similar view of a bar with a slightly modified head.
Like letters represent the same parts throughout the drawings.
Referring first to the cross section, Fig. 2, it will be seen that each bar is com-
posed of a long thin web A having an enlarged head B, and that the bars are
arranged in groups, side by side, secured together by bolts or rivets passing
through the set of bars while washers or distance pieces D are employed to main-
tain the bars at the proper distance apart. In Figs. 2 and 4 the bars are shown
joined by bolts having heads and thin nuts upon them, while in Fig. 3 rivets are
employed in Figs. 2 and 4 the bolt-heads and nuts may be made of the proper
thickness to separate each group of bars, so that the space between the adjacent
heads of the two groups will be the same as that between the heads of the bars
forming each group. In the case of rivets, the rivet-heads may be extended or
any other convenient means may be adopted for this purpose.
In Fig. 3 the bars are tapered so that the heads or tops do not project beyond
the immediately lower body portion of the web as they do in Fig. 2, while in
Fig. 4 each bar is formed of a flat plate of the same thickness throughout with the
edge turned over at B3 to form the head. In Figs. 2 and 4 the web is shown of
even thickness throughout excepting where in Fig. 2, the thickness is increased to
form the head B; in Fig. 3 the web tapers evenly from the thick portion forming
the head down to the bottom of the web. In all these cases it will be observed
that the space through which the air has to travel in its course to the fire is very
deep and very narrow, so that the air is brought into very intimate contact with
the surfaces of the bars resulting in two very important advantages; first, that the
har is kept cool and secondly, that the air is heated! In the three arrangements
illustrated may also be pointed out that the space through which the air at the

page_text: top escapes into the fire is narrower than the space below so that a full body of air
is retained in the spaces between the bars and there is no danger of the fire drawing
too fast and producing a partial vacuum between the bars.
By arranging these bars in groups the interchange of the bars, and the removal
of any spoiled bar is facilitated, as any group having a spoiled bar in it can he
temporarily removed and the spoiled' bar withdrawn from the group and replaced
with a new bar. Each group may be taken to represent a single fire-bar of
ordinary construction, but will be considerably lighter than the ordinary bar.
The shape of the bars may be varied according to circumstances and the side
elevation, Fig. 1, is merely given as an illustration of the form of bar which I have
successfully employed. These bars may be employed for the whole or a portion
of the grate surface as required.
The construction above set forth may generally be considered preferable but it
will be understood that a bar presenting the above characteristics, but formed in a
single piece, as for example by casting and coring out the air space between the
webs of each group, could be made.
As it is important to keep the air-space between two webs as narrow as practic-
able I usually prefer not to make these more than the thickness of the beads. To
prevent the choking up of the narrow space between the bars, it is desirable that
the lower portion of such space should always be wider or at least as wide as the
upper portion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. A "group" fire-bar composed of a number of thin bars secured together
side by side substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. A "group" fire-bar composed of a number of thin bars secured together side
by side with air-spaces between them substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
3. A "group" fire-bar substantially as described.
4. A fire-bar consisting of a deep thin web such as A having a head formed by
turning over the edge as at B substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 4
of the accompanying drawings.
5. A fire-bar consisting of a deop thin web with an enlarged head substantially
as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings.
Dated this 25th day of May 1892
JOSEPH KUSSELL.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.