IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDINGS USED FOR DRYING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clayton, of the Atlas Works, Upper Park
Place, Dorset Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDINGS USED FOR DRYING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER
11
Sealed the 4th March 1864, and dated the 15th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clayton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
October 1863.
I, HENRY CLAYTON, of the Atlas Works, Upper Park Place, Dorset Square,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDINGS USED FOR DRYING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in buildings used for drying
bricks, tiles, and other articles.
Heretofore bricks, tiles, and some other articles made of clay or brick-earth,
or other plastic materials have been dried by being piled, set up, or formed
into "hacks," either in the open air or in sheds or buildings, and in some
cases artificial heat has been employed in such buildings, together with appa-
ratus for facilitating the removal of the moisture passing off from the articles
when being dried.

page_text: My improvements are applicable to the construction of buildings wherein
bricks, tiles, or other articles made of clay or plastic materials are piled or
formed into hacks to be dried, and consists in constructing and arranging such
buildings with apparatus for supplying artificial heat to and for ventilating the
same in such manner that in place of providing for the passing away of the
moistened air and the moist vapours at the roof or upper parts of the building,
the vapours and moistened atmosphere may be caused by artificial means to
pass downwards into and then along passages that run lengthwise of the
hacks, and I also provide for the introduction of fresh and warm or heated air
into and by preference at the upper part of the building; by this means as the
bricks or other articles give off their moisture to the air in contact with them,
such air together with the moist vapours are caused immediately to descend
to and pass away through suitable passages in or below the hacks, whilst the
fresh warm or heated and comparatively dry air above the hacks will descend
to and come in contact with the surfaces of the bricks or other articles; thus
air which is not charged with moisture or with but as little as may be, is con-
stantly descending against the bricks or other articles, and from them into a
suitable passage or passages which is or are constructed. along each hack.
These passages are by preference above, or for the most part above, the
surface or ground whereon the hacks of bricks or other articles are to be piled
or set up, and such passages are formed with numerous holes into them
through which the air and moist vapours nearest the ground enter in conse-
quence of the interior of the passages being kept constantly exhausted by a
fan, screw, or other suitable exhausting apparatus. At one end or at other
suitable part of the building a furnace or furnaces is or are constructed, and
the heat of the fire or fires therein, or some part thereof, is employed for
heating air, which is forced or conveyed into the building, and diffused therein
either by the aid of suitable perforated pipes or passages above the hacks or
otherwise. It will thus be seen that with a building and apparatus con-
structed according to my Invention, the moistened atmospheric air and the
moist vapours near to and in contact with the bricks or other articles will not
get away by rising up therefrom and passing through the roof or upper part of
a building, but that on the contrary the roof and upper parts of the building
may be close or comparatively close; at the same time provision may with
advantage be made for allowing the outer atmosphere to pass into the
building at or near the upper parts or roof, so that in fine and dry weather
more or less of the outer atmosphere may be admitted into the building
without being artificially heated, and without the aid of a fan or other
mechanism. In all cases, however, the draft is caused to be downwards

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Clayton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CLAYTON, of the Atlas Works, Upper Park Place, Dorset Square, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year.
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Clayton, Her special licence that I, the said Henry
Clayton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the
said Henry Clayton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 BUILDINGS USED FOR DRYING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Clayton, 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 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 Henry Clayton, 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, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in buildings used for drying:
bricks, tiles, and other articles.
Heretofore bricks, tiles, and some other articles made of clay or brick earth..
or other plastic materials have been dried by being piled; set up, or formed
into "hacks" either in the open air or in sheds or buildings, and in some
:

page_text: cases artificial heat has been employed in such buildings together with
apparatus for facilitating the removal of the moisture passing off from the
articles when being dried.
My improvements are applicable to the construction of buildings wherein
bricks, tiles, or other articles made of clay or plastic materials are piled or
formed into hacks to be dried, and consist in constructing and arranging such
buildings with apparatus for supplying artificial heat to and for ventilating the
same in such manner that in place of providing for the passing away of the
moistened air and the moist vapors at the roof or upper parts of the building,
the vapors and moistened atmosphere may be caused by artificial means to
pass downwards into and then along passages that run lengthwise of the hacks,
and I also provide for the introduction of fresh and warm or heated air into
and by preference at the upper part of the building. By this means, as the
bricks or other articles give off their moisture to the air in contact with them,
such air, together with the moist vapours, are caused immediately to descend to
and pass away through suitable passages in or below the hacks, whilst the
fresh, warm, or heated, and comparatively dry air above the hacks will descend
to and come in contact with the surfaces of the bricks or other articles; thus
air which is not charged with moisture or with but as little as may be, is con-
stantly descending against the bricks or other articles, and from them into a
suitable passage or passages which is or are constructed along (each back.
These passages are by preference above or for the most part above the surface
or ground whereon the hacks of bricks or other articles are to be piled or set
up, and such passages are formed with numerous holes into them through
which the air and moist vapours nearest the ground enter in consequence of the
interior of the passages being kept constantly exhausted by a fan, screw, or
other suitable exhausting apparatus. At one end or at other suitable
part of the building a furnace or furnaces is or are constructed, and the heat
of the fire or fires therein or some part thereof is employed for heating air,
which is forced or conveyed into the building, and diffused therein either by
the aid of suitable perforated pipes or passages above the hacks or otherwise.
It will thus be seen that with a building and apparatus constructed according
to my Invention the moistened atmospheric air and the moist vapours near to
and in contact with the bricks or other articles will not get away by rising up
therefrom and passing through the roof or upper part of a building, but that
on the contrary the roof and upper parts of the building may be close or com-
paratively close, at the same time provision may with advantage be made for
allowing the outer atmosphere to pass into the building at or near the
upper parts or roof, so that in fine and dry weather more or less of the

page_text: outer atmosphere may be admitted into the building without being artificially
heated and without the aid of a fan or other mechanism. In all cases,
however, the draft is caused to be downwards through and amongst the
bricks, tiles or other articles arranged in hacks or piles, and thence into
and through constantly exhausted passages.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
Figure 1 is a general plan, Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation,
and Figures 3, 4, and 5 are transverse sectional elevations of the building and
apparatus, embodying my improvements used for drying bricks, tiles, and
other articles.
A, A, are the external walls forming the drying room, which may be of any
shape or any extent required; B is a furnace of sufficient capacity for gene-
rating heat for the drying room or chamber; C is an underground flue to
convey the heat and smoke from the furnace B to the upground flue C' in
the room for heating the same, this up-ground flue being on one side of and
the length of the drying room to C2, whence it is continued underground
across the room to avoid loss of drying space, and rises again at C³, thence it
is continued as an upground flue on the opposite side to the other upground
flue, and the length of the room to C, at which point it is made the return
and underground flue to convey the smoke into and pass it through iron
tubes R placed in the furnace B for the purpose of consuming the smoke, or
partially so, and of creating a thorough draught in the smoke flues C to C, and
from thence is continued to the chimney E, as an outlet. F is a rotary fan or
air-blast machine placed between the furnace B and the end of the drying
room, from which atmospheric air (heated or otherwise) is discharged into
tubes G and conveyed by them into the drying room; these air tubes G within
the drying room are perforated on some or all of their sides to admit of the
of the air into the drying room; H, H, are "air flues" forming hollow
hakes the length of the drying room, and upon which are to be stacked or
placed bricks or other articles intended to be dried, these "air flues" being
perforated or formed with apertures in their entire length, through which is to
be drawn, by an exhausting machine or air pump and be conveyed away, the
humidized air of the drying room; these "air flues" H or hollow bakes all
run into two main air flues I which unite at J. K is an exhauster attached
to the main air flues" I at the furnace end of the drying room, and by
escape

page_text: the means of which the moist air is to be drawn from the drying room through
the perforations or apertures in the air flues or hakes H from and about the
bricks or other articles being dried, and from thence is discharged by the
exhauster through a vertical shaft or chimney L into the atmosphere; M is the
main inlet or conduit for obtaining the supply of the outer atmospheric air for
discharge into the drying room by the rotary fan blast F; N is a valve or
regulator to the air inlet M; O is an auxiliary inlet passage or air chamber at
the end of the ash-pit of the furnace B; to the opening of this passage or
chamber O is a series of valves P for regulating the extent of air to be admitted
for transmission through the iron tubes D in the furnace B for closing the
inlet to this passage or chamber O; Q, Q, are tubular fire-bars in the fur-
nace B so constructed and arranged for the purpose of and as an auxiliary
means, of transmitting and heating air in its passage through the fire-bars Q to
the air blast F; D is a series of metal tubes arranged in the furnace B for
transmitting the supply of outer atmospheric air to the rotary fan or blast F,
and that the air in its passage through these tubes D shall be heated; S is a
valve or regulator with a pipe or tube attached thereto for connecting the air
spaces or chambers of the exhauster K and of the rotary fan or air blast F,
by means of which a portion of the humid air extracted from the drying room
(if required) may be returned to the drying room, thereby forming a means of
regulating the extent of humidity in the drying room and prevention to the
articles cracking if the air in the room is found to be too dry for the nature of
the clay or other material or the wares being dried; T is a valve or regulator
for adjusting the extent of inlet of the heat and smoke into the underground
flue C from the furnace B. The bricks, tiles, or other articles intended to be
dried are piled or placed upon the bakes or air flues H in the usual and
customary manner, except that I prefer bricks should be placed wider apart
from each other than is done for out-door drying to admit of the heated
air passing freely and amongst the bricks. As it is intended and desirable
at all times that the drying room should be heated when used, the furnace B
should first be set to work, which will produce a draught of heat and smoke
through the whole of the smoke flues C to C in the drying room and to the
return flue in the furnace B, and thence to the chimney E, as also create or
give off heat within the drying room. The rotary fan or air-blast F is then
put into motion by a steam engine or other motive power taking the supply
of air from the atmosphere through the main inlet M, through the tubular
fire-bars Q, and also through the passage or inlet O at the end of the ash-pit,
or through some or one of them, thence through the iron tubes D in the
furnace B to the fan blast F, from which it is forced by the fan F into and

page_text: along the perforated air-tubes G in the upper part of the drying room, where
it escapes and diffuses itself in a heated and comparatively dry state into the
body of the drying room, and thus becomes distributed throughout the whole
of the drying room in and amongst the bricks, tiles, or other articles being
dried.
As the air in the drying room becomes charged with moisture, it is drawn
out by an exhauster or air-pump K, worked by a steam engine or other power
from the drying room through the apertures of and along the air flues or
hollow hacks H to the junction of these air flues I and J, from thence to the
exhauster K, and then is forced to the vertical shaft or chimney L, and dis-
charged into the atmosphere, thus keeping up a constant supply of heated air
into the drying room and amongst the goods to be dried, as also a constant
extraction and discharge of the air from the drying room as it becomes
humidized.
As a means of adjusting the degree of moisture of the air in the drying
room, a valve or regulator S, with a pipe attached thereto, is placed so as to
connect the exhauster K with the air blast F, and by the aid of such that a
portion of the moist air that is drawn from the drying room may (if required)
be returned into the drying room in quantity more or less according to the
nature of the articles or the materials being dried. By this system of drying,
a constant course of drying may be kept up, as wet goods may be put into the
drying room as dried articles are taken out without any interruption, cessation,
or damage occurring to the means employed or the articles being dried.
As a means of regulating the degree of heat in the drying room according
to requirements, there is a valve or regulator T in the smoke flue C leading
from the furnace B. Likewise it will be evident, by reference to the
description of the means employed, that the quickness or slowness at which
the articles can be dried may at all times be regulated by the speed at which
the exhauster K and fan-blast F, or either of them are worked. In fine or
summer weather an additional supply of air to the drying room by the
admission of the natural atmosphere may be had recourse to, and admitted
through suitable inlets at the upper part of the drying room.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that what I claim, is the con-
structing and arranging buildings for drying bricks, tiles, and other articles
with apparatus for supplying artificial heat, and for ventilating the buildings
in such manner that the vapours and moistened air may be caused to pass
from the articles to be dried downwards into suitable channels to conduct the
vapours and air away, fresh and warm or heated air being at the same time

page_text: introduced into the building, by preference at the upper part thereof. I
also claim the general construction or arrangement. of buildings for drying
bricks, tiles, and other articles, as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Clayton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord 5
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
HENRY CLAYTON. (L.S.)