IMPROVEMENTS IN OVENS OR MUFFLES, AND FURNACES FOR HEATING SAME." PROAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Marie Stoffel, of 39, Adelaide Road, Regent's Park,
and James John Shedlock, of Uxbridge, both in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OVENS OR MUFFLES,
AND FURNACES FOR HEATING SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Maric Stoffel and
James John Shedlock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st
May 1879.
LOUIS MARIE STOFFEL, of 39, Adelaide Road, Regent's Park, and JAMES JOHN
SHEDLOCK, of Uxbridge, both in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineers.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OVENS OR MUFFLES, AND FURNACES FOR HEATING SAME."
This Invention consists in improvements in ovens or muffles, and the method
adopted for heating them, the object being the treatment of metallic or other articles
for their protection from oxidation or corrosion, or it may be their decoration by
means of enamels, japans, or pigments, prepared from the salts or oxides of the
metals, some of which are deposited on the surface of the article in a metallic
state.
In order to carry the said Invention into effect, the ovens or muffles, which may
be of any desired section and area, are heated by suitable furnaces, and so arranged
that the articles to be treated are made to pass through them at varying gradations
of temperature, commencing at a low heat, rising to the highest required, and then
passing through a decreasing temperature until they are in a condition for further
manipulation.
The ovens or muffles, which may be placed either horizontally or vertically, are
open at both ends, but provided with suitable doors or covers, and they may, if
required, be divided in their length into chambers by means of doors actuated from
the exterior of the construction. The heated gases from the furnace are directed to
the desired parts of the exterior of the oven or muffle by means of flues, and regu-
lated by dampers. In arranging the ovens or muffles horizontally they may be
placed side by side, or one over the other, and any required number may be heated
by one furnace, or, if necessary, two or more furnaces may be arranged to heat the
ovens or muffles. When the ovens or muffles are vertical_ they may be arranged

page_text: either singly or in sets, and heated by one or more furnaces, but in all cases the
furnace gases must be carefully excluded from the interior of the oven or muffle.
Where a number of ovens or muffles are heated by one furnace, they may be so
arranged that the furnace gases, after heating the first, shall pass on to the next in
succession throughout the whole series, and by which means each oven or muffle
will be heated to a different degree. The walls of the furnaces are constructed
with channels, so that atmospheric air in passing through them will become heated,
in which state it is made to combine with the furnace gases at such points where it
is desired to maintain a high temperature, and the furnace doors are arranged so
that the supply of air for the combustion of the fuel may be regulated as required.
The interior of the ovens or muffles may be provided with grooves or rails in or on
which the frames or carriages holding the articles to be heated are made to run,
thus maintaining them in their proper position, or, if desired, an endless chain
properly supported and fitted with carriers may be employed to convey the articles
through the ovens or muffles. The frames, carriages, or endless chain are driven at
the required speed through the ovens or muffles by any suitable power. A pyro-
meter may be used for ascertaining the temperature of the interior of the oven or
muffle, or suitable sight holes and covers may be arranged so that an uninterrupted
view of the interior of the oven or muffle may be obtained without inconvenience.
In treating metallic or other articles under this Invention they are first coated with
the enamel, japan, or pigment, and when placed upon the frame carriage or endless
chain it is set in motion, carrying the articles through the gradations of temperature
from a low one to that at which the operation is perfected, and then gradually
passing them through lower temperatures until they are in such a condition to
receive, if desired, a further covering of enamel, japan, or pigment, whether for their
complete preservation or decoration.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Louis Marie Stoffel and James John Shedlock in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th November 1879.
LOUIS MARIE STOFFEL, of 39, Adelaide Road, Regent's Park, and JAMES JOHN
SHEDLOCK, of Uxbridge, both in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineers.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN OVENS OR MUFFLES, AND FURNACES FOR HEATING SAME."
The object of this Invention is the construction and arrangement of ovens or
muffles for the treatment of metallic and other articles for their preservation and
ornamentation by means of enamels, japans, and pigments. In order thoroughly
and effectually to treat such articles they must be subjected to the necessary heat,
commencing at a low one and gradually increasing to that at which the enamel,
japan, or pigment is fixed, after which the articles in passing through the ovens or
muffles are by degrees reduced to the necessary temperature for completing the
process and further manipulation. The reasons for so treating the metallic or other
articles are, first, that their expansion and contraction shall be uniform and regular,
thereby avoiding injury and possible fracture of the articles; and, second, when the
pigments are prepared from the salts or oxides of metals, and it is desired to deposit
them in their metallic state, the careful regulation of the temperature to which they
are subjected will ensure perfect and uniform results. The ovens or muffles for the
above purposes are placed either vertically or horizontally, and may be of any
desired size or section, and heated to the required temperature by a suitable furnace.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawings will serve to illustrate the Invention.
Figure 1 is the end view, and Figure 2 is the side view partly in section of an
oven or muffle placed horizontally. The same letters of reference indicate corre-
sponding parts where such parts appear in each Figure. The ovens or muffles A, A,
are divided into chambers or divisions A, A, A", by means of the doors C, C, D, D,
the opening and closing of which are arranged by means of the chains passing over
the pulleys 0, 0, 0, and the balance weights N, N. The centre part of the oven or
muffle A is heated to the highest degree required by the furnace gases from the
furnace B, which are conveyed to and round the ovens or muffles by the flues E, E,
fitted with dampers F, F. The furnace gases, after heating the ovens or muffles, are
conveyed to the chimney shaft by the flue R; G, G, are rails placed in the ovens or
muffles, and intended to serve as guides for the carriages or trays H, H, H, in their
passage through the ovens or muffles; endless chains I, I, are carried by the grooved
pulleys J, JJ, J, and V, V, and pass through the ovens or muffles, returning through
the tunnels Z, Z. The links of the endless chains I, I, are so constructed that the
carriages or trays H, H, H, may be readily attached thereto or removed without
stopping the apparatus. The chains I, I, receive their motion from the grooved
pulleys J, J, which are attached to the same spindle as the conical pulleys K¹, K¹,
and are driven by means of the belts P, P, from the conical pulleys K, K, attached
to the main shaft W. Motion is given to the main shaft W through the drum I,
which may be driven by any available power. The passage of the carriages or trays
H, H, H, through the ovens or muffles A, A¹, A", is regulated by means of the
endless chains I, I, which are made to pass over the grooved pulleys J', J', at
greater or less speed. This is effected by means of the levers X, X, working the
bars Y, Y, the forks on which enclose the belts P, P, and cause them to pass from
end to end of the conical pulleys K¹, K³, and K, K, when the levers X, X, are set in
motion. A pyrometer M is placed in the ovens or muffles for the purpose of indi-
cating the temperature of their interiors, and serving as a guide for the proper
regulation of the furnace.
Figure 3 is an end view, and Figure 4 is a side view, partly in section, of a rect-
angular oven or muffle designed to treat large sheets or plates of metal or other
substance. The oven or muffle is divided into chambers A, A¹, A", by means of the
doors C, C, D, D, which are worked from the outside of the construction by levers.

page_text: The heated furnace gases from the furnace B are conveyed to the outside of the
oven or muffle by the flues E, E, and regulated in their passage to the shaft S by
means of the damper F. Endless chains I, I, driven and supported by the drums
J, J, J, J, pass through the oven or muffle, and are kept in position by means of
the vertical bars H, H, H, to which are attached studs N, N, on which the trays or
shelves R, R, are placed. The position of the shelves or trays R, R, may be varied
so as to suit any size of sheet or plate which it is desired to pass through the oven
or muffle.
The speed of the endless chains is regulated by means of the conical pulley K¹,
which receives its motion from the pulley L through the belt P. The belt T serves
to connect the upper and lower drums on which the endless chains are supported,
causing them to travel at an uniform speed. The plates or sheets to be treated are
passed through the oven or muffle, and upon their arrival at the opposite end from
which they entered are removed; other plates or sheets are then placed on the
trays, and the direction of the endless chains is reversed. A pyrometer M is used
to indicate the temperature of the oven or muffle.
Figure 5 is an end view partly in section, and Figure 6 is a side view, also partly
in section, of a set of vertical ovens or muffles, in which one furnace is employed to
heat them. The oven or muffle A. receives the greatest heat from the furnace B,
from which the furnace gases are conveyed by the flues E, E, after which they are
made to pass round the oven or muffle A', and thence to the shaft S, being regulated
by the damper F. The articles to be treated are placed on the shelves H, H, H,
which are attached to the endless chain I, I, and which may be made to travel in
either direction by regulating the action of the drum J', which receives its motion
through the conical pulleys K and K and the drum L. The endless chain I, I, is
kept in position by the friction rollers U, U. A pyrometer M is used to indicate
the temperature of the oven or muffle.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, we wish it to be under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details as delineated in the
Drawings, but that which we claim and desire to have secured to us is the arrange-
ment of ovens or muffles, whereby the articles passing through them are subjected
to varying degrees of heat in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James John Shedlock, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
JAMES JOHN SHEDLOCK. (LS.)