Improvements in Fire-bars or Grates for Furnaces or Fire Places.
Year: 1887

page_text: 1887
Date of Application, 2nd Sept,
Complete Left, 1st June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 6th July, 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire-bars or Grates for Furnaces or Fire Places.
I BENJAMIN WILLCOX of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Michel Perret of Paris in the Republic of France
Manufacturer to be as follows:-
This invention consists in forming and arranging firebars or grates for furnaces or
fireplaces as hereinafter described whereby they are rendered less liable to injury from
the heat of the fire.
With this object the air supporting combustion is utilised for cooling the bars the
webs of the bars being made to present an extended surface to the action of the air
and for this purpose the said webs are extended downwards in the form of a trellis or
open work structure through the openings in which the cold air passing to the fire is
caused to circulate in such a manner as to prevent overheating of the upper part of
the bars by absorbing heat from the lower part or extension thereof.
The bars may be arranged in any ordinary or suitable position but in certain cases
they may be arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the furnace and a water
pipe or pipes is or are passed transversely through the bars at or near the upper part
thereof being provided near each bar with a small orifice or orifices from which the
water flows down the sides of the deep or extended web of the bar or along the sides
or edges of slots or openings or grooves formed therein for this purpose the said webs
being made of such a depth as to present a large amount of surface to the action of
the cooling agent.
The water supply pipe may evidently also be employed in combination with bars
arranged longitudinally or in the usual position.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire Bars or Grates for Furnaces or Fireplaces.
I, BENJAMIN WILLCOX of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Michel Perret of Paris in the Republic of France
Manufacturer, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention consists in forming and arranging firebars or grates for furnaces or
fireplaces as hereinafter described whereby they are rendered less liable to injury from
the heat of the fire.
In the Specification to Leiters Patent granted to John Henry Johnson and dated
August 30th 1881 No. 3783 fire bars are described which are cooled by means of a
deep web on their underside the said webs being described as being immersed in cold
water. This means of cooling the bars cannot be advantageously applied in practice
in certain furnaces such as locomotive or marine boiler furnaces where the movement
of the locomotive or vessel render it impossible to maintain a uniformly level or
horizontal surface of the cooling water.
By means of the present invention this difficulty is overcome by causing a thin
stream or film of water to flow slowly over the webs of the bars in grooves or channels
which also serve to facilitate the expansion and contraction of the bars. With this
object the bars are preferably arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the
furnace and a metal pipe or tube of small diameter is passed transversely through
holes formed in the bars at the upper part of the grooves. This tube is perforated
with a suitable number of small lateral holes at each bar and being connected with a
suitable supply of water delivers the liquid in thin streams which flow down the
grooves and cool the hars by cooling or absorbing heat from the webs. The con-
ductibility of the metal causes this cooling of the webs or lower part of the bars to
lower the temperature of the whole mass of metal including that which is in direct
contact with the fuel. At the same time the narrow openings or spaces between the
bars are kept clear this being a point of the utmost importance in furnaces where dusty
or pulverulent fuel is consumed."
According to another arrangement a current of cold air is applied to cool the webs
of bars made with deep or wide webs such as the bars described in the Specification
herein before referred to. When air is employed as the cooling medium it is necessary
to expose a very large area of surface to the action of the air. This increased surface
may be obtained without greatly aumenting the weight of the bars by extending the
webs downwardly in the form of an openwork or trellis like structure presenting a
considerable area of surface to the air, the cooling action of the latter being still further
promoted by the friction and resistance resulting from the passage of the air through
the openings in the trellis work.
This arrangement is especially suitable for furnaces for marine boilers and locomo-
tives where the motion constitutes a serious difficulty in the application of a fire grate

page_text: with bars partly immersed in water as described in the former Specification herein-
before referred to. In certain cases it will be advantageous to combine the two
methods hereinbefore described air being employed to cool the bars while the engine
is running and water or water and air being applied when the engine is not working.
The improvements herein before described are generally applicable to all descriptions
of furnaces in which the bars are liable to become rapidly destroyed by the high
temperature to which they are exposed and in particular to the furnaces burning
coke which are frequently preferred on account of their comparatively smokeless
combustion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In furnaces or fireplaces for locomotives marine boilers and the like arranging
the fire bars perpendicularly to the axis of the furnace in combination with a pipe
delivering water through suitable perforations in its sides at or near the upper part of
the webs of the bars so as to maintain the latter at a relatively low temperature
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. Fire bars for furnaces for locomotives, marine boilers and tbe like the said bars
being provided with webs or extensions presenting a large area of surface resulting
from a perforated or trellis like construction or arrangement of the said webs or
extensions producing friction or resistance to the passage of the air employed to
support conibustion and augmenting the cooling action thereof substantially as herein-
before described.
3. Fire bars for furnaces for locomotives, marine boilers and the like the said bars
being arranged perpendicularly to a perforated pipe passing through the bars and
supplying cooling water as herein before described and claimed in combination with
openings or perforations or grooves or channels formed in the bars and presenting a
relatively large area of surface and resistance to the passage of the air employed to
support combustion in such a manner as to cause the said air to cool the bars sul-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.