IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR CALCINING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Stirling Newall, of Ferndene, Gateshead-upon-
Tyne, in the County of Durham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES FOR CALCINING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 28th February 1878, and dated the 15th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Stirling Newall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th September 1877.
ROBERT STIRLING NEWALL, of Ferndene, Gateshead-upon-Tyne, in the County of
Durham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR CALCINING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in furnaces for calcining, and
other purposes. For this purpose I form the bottom of the furnace chamber, in
which the materials to be calcined or treated are placed, of a circular disc, which
may be either flat or conical, or arched upwards; the circular bottom is supported
on wheels, and is made to revolve round a centre pin by toothed wheels, or other-
wise. It has over it an arch of fire-brick or other material, resting on a circular
ring of the required height for allowing the flame from the furnace to play on the
material to be calcined, which is placed on the rotating disc. This material may be
kept stirred by means of ploughs or otherwise, and when sufficiently calcined it is
removed by being drawn out at an opening in the ring which supports the arch, and
within which the disc rotates concentrically and with the least practicable clearance.
The removal of the materials is easily effected by reason of the circular disc or
bottom having no rim standing up around its edge.
For supplying fuel to the fire-place of the furnace I prefer to use a circular grate
with an opening in the centre, in which is fixed a short cylinder through which the
fuel is pushed on to the grate. Underneath this are placed two bars, on which
slides another short cylinder having a tail piece, which closes the bottom of the
upper cylinder while the lower one is pulled forward to be filled with fuel When
this sliding cylinder is replaced under the fixed one the fresh fuel is pushed through
the upper cylinder by a piston acting in the lower one, and it falls on to the fire-
bars. This arrangement for supplying fuel to the fire-grate can be applied to other
furnaces.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Stirling Newall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th March 1878.
ROBERT STIRLING NEWALL, of Ferndene, Gateshead-upon-Tyne, in the County of
Durham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR CALCINING AND OTHER PURPOSES.'
This Invention has for its object improvements in furnaces for calcining and other
purposes. For this purpose I form the bottom of the furnace chamber, in which the
materials to be calcined or treated are placed, of a circular disc, which may be either
flat or conical, or arched upwards; the circular bottom is supported on wheels, and
is made to revolve round a centre pin by toothed wheels, or otherwise. It has over
it an arch of fire-brick or other material, resting on a circular ring of the required
height for allowing the flame from the furnace to play on the material to be
calcined, which is placed on the rotating disc. This material may be kept stirred
by means of ploughs or otherwise, and when sufficiently calcined it is removed by
being drawn out at an opening in the ring which supports the arch, and within 1
which the disc rotates concentrically and with the least practicable clearance. The
removal of the materials is easily effected by reason of the circular disc or bottom
having no rim standing up around its edge.
For supplying fuel to the fire-place of the furnace I prefer to use a circular grate
with an opening in the centre, in which is fixed a short cylinder through which the 2
fuel is pushed on to the grate. Underneath this are placed two bars, on which slides
another short cylinder having a tail piece, which closes the bottom of the upper
cylinder while the lower one is pulled forward to be filled with fuel. When this
sliding cylinder is replaced under the fixed one, the fresh fuel is pushed through
the upper cylinder by a piston acting in the lower one, and it falls on to the fire- 2
bars. This arrangement for supplying fuel to the fire-grate can be applied to other
furnaces.
The Drawings hereto annexed illustrate my Invention.
Figure 1 is a horizontal section, and Figure 2 a vertical section.
The bottom or pan a, a, of the furnace chamber is formed of iron plates arched 3
upwards and tied by an angle iron ring forming a rim, which is level with the
lining of fire-brick which covers the iron bottom, and on which the material to be
calcined is placed. A circular rail b, b, is fixed to the iron bottom, and is bevelled
so as to rest properly on the supporting wheels c, c, which are fixed to the floor. The
centre pin d guides the rail on the wheels, so that when the bottom or pan is made 3
to revolve it shall do so in an even manner within the outer ring e, e, e, e, which
forms the support of the top arch f. f. In the centre of the pan I form a pillar of
fire-brick 9, which does not touch the top arch f, but it divides the flaine coming
from the fire-place, and at the same time it protects the ploughs h, h, which are used
for stirring the material to be calcined. The ploughs are inserted through an 4
opening in the top arch f, f, and are supported on a framework, one end of which
rests on the ring e, e, and the others on a girder, thrown across the top arch and
supported on pillars. The material is fed into the furnace at openings i, i, in the
top arch ff, and is prevented from coming over the edge of the pan by ploughs
arranged round the ring e, e, at requisite distances, so as to push the material on to 4
the pan as it revolves. The ploughs h, h, are set so as to stir the material alter-
nately towards and from the centre; and when the material is sufficiently calcined it
is pushed by the ploughs h, h, out at an opening in the ring at k. The gases and
products of combustion are led off by flues l.
I give motion to the pan or bottom by driving by a belt or otherwise one of the 5
wheels c on which the rail runs with sufficient adhesion to acquire the motion, and
by means of the ploughs the materials are stirred or mixed and exposed to the
action of the flame coming from the fire-place, which may be as described above, or
it may be a gas furnace of the usual construction.
$

page_text: I claim as my Invention the constructing and using the revolving bottom or
pan of the furnace, as described, and the driving of revolving pans by friction, as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Stirling Newall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
K. S. NEWALL (LB)