Improvements in the Construction of Inverted Gas Lamps.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 16th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 16th Dec., 1887
Improvements in the Construction of Inverted Gas Lamps.
I DAVID WILLIAM Sugg of Vincent Street in the City of Westminster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
-
The object of this invention is to simplify the construction of inverted gas lamps,
and to allow for a more efficient supply of comparatively cool air to the upper side
of the flame than heretofore.
The apparatus consists of an annular body, which is placed in an inverted position
and is carried by two hollow arms which connect the body with a chimney, and
The centre
serve as flues to conduct the products of combustion to the chinney.
of this body forms an air channel to the burner, and is open to the external air,
except that an adjustable outer guard is employed to ensure an even and proper
supply of air passing to the air channel to feed the flame and produce proper
combustion.
The gas supply pipe passes down the air channel, and is provided at bottom with
a suitable burner. The inner wall of the annular body is formed with a flange on
its inner side, which supports a deflector of steatite, plumbago, or other suitable
material, the object of which is now well known.
Externally, and at about half its height, the body is formed with a flange, to
which is pivotted the frame carrying the glass globe. This flange is perforated with
a number of holes by which the air supply for the underside of the flame enters,
and the air, which is drawn in with considerable velocity, is projected well down
into the globe by the portion of the casing below the flange, which, in combination
with the globe, forms a guide to direct the air below the flame.

page_text: The products of combustion pass to the chimney round the edge of the deflector.
The above described arrangement of lamp is suitable for a suspended lamp, but
when adapting the lamp as a ventilating bracket lamp, I lengthen somewhat the
body, and round its upper end I form a chamber in which the products of combustion
are collected before they pass to the laterally placed bracket chimney. In this way
I ensure an even suction of the products to the chimney.
The gas supply pipe is placed centrally of the central air space, which is directly
open to the air as before explained, and at a point above the chimney.
D
1
. 11
Th1
1007
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Inverted Gas Lamps.
I, DAVID WILLIAM SUGG of Vincent Works, Vincent Street in the City of
Westminster, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction and
manufacture, and improve the working of that class of gas lamps in which the body
of the lamp is above the flame, and the flame issues in a more or less horizontal
direction.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a sectional elevation of a lamp constructed according, to my
invention, and adapted to burn six cubic feet of gas per hour, the said lamp being
drawn to a scale of the original size; and,
Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line x, x, of Figure 1 of the body only of
the lamp.
Figure 3 Sheet II is an elevation partly in section taken at right angles to
Figure 1.
Figure 4 Sheet III is a sectional elevation of a bracket lamp of the inverted
form constructed according to my invention.
Figure 5 Sheet IV is a half section of an inverted lamp (three quarter full size)
constructed to burn 10 cubic feet of gas per hour.
Figure 6 is a similar view of a lamp on the same scale constructed to burn
15 cubic feet of gas per hour.
The same letters of reference apply to corresponding parts in all the Figures.
A is the body of the lamp, which is of so simple a construction that it may be
readily cast in one piece, and consists of an inverted annular trough A having the
inner wall slightly shorter than the outer wall, and being provided with an external
perforated rib or flange B situate at about half its depth. Extending from the bottom
of this trough A, and open to the same, are two hollow arms or branches C, which
centre in a common chimney C².
Cast with the body A, and centrally of and concentric therewith, is a burner socket
or tube D, and into the upper end of this socket D is screwed the gas supply pipe D¹,
which also carries or supports the lamp, the burner D' being screwed into the
lower end of the socket or tube D. I may sometimes prefer to have the gas supply
independent of the lamp body, say through the globe, in which case the socket or
tube D would be unnecessary. The inner wall of the trough A is formed with a
flange, or it may be three or more pegs or projections A¹ A¹ at its inner edge to
support a deflector E, which consists preferably of a ring of fireclay and asbestos
fibre. In order to get this deflector E into position when the flange is used, I find
it most convenient to form the inner cylinder or wall of the trough in two parts, the
lower portion, after the deflector has been strung upon it, being screwed into or

page_text: otherwise secured to the upper portion, but if the pegs are used, the inner wall will
be preferably in one with the rest of the body, and the deflector E will be made
with three vertical grooves, so that it may be pushed up into its place, and then
turned round, after the manner of a bayonet joint.
For the smaller lamps, such for example as four feet lamps and under, the separate
deflector will be dispensed with, and the deflector, which will in that case be of
comparatively small dimensions, may be cast with the inner wall of the trough, and
will be simply a flange of greater or less width according to the size of the lamp.
The office of the deflector has been fully described in the specification of Letters
Patent granted to me and dated 21st February 1884 No. 3707.
F is a ring, which is hinged to the flange B, and carries studs a, a, to which a
wire for supporting the glass globe G is attached, as described in my former patent.
A catch Fis also provided to secure the ring.
Outside the body of the lamp I secure a hood H, which extends downwards below
the edge of the trough, see Figure 3, and is of such a diameter as to leave an annular
space between it and the trough A, by which the external air supply for the top of
the flame can pass, the said hood being intended to prevent draughts from affecting
the steadiness of the flame, and also to ensure that the flame shall readily reverse
when the gas is first lighted. It may be well here to explain how the reversal of
the flame is ensured by the hood H. The gas, when first lighted, naturally burns
up the central air space, and if the hood were not there, it would have a free exit,
and would so continue to burn until the lower parts of the chimney were sufficiently
heated to ensure an upward current in the chimney, but as the hood is there, the
volume of air confined therein rapidly expands, and the pressure thereby occasioned
causes the air to pass down the central air space, carrying with it the flame, which is
thereby reversed, and the draught is set up in the right direction up the chimney.
As in the lamp described in my former patent above referred to, the present lamp
has two separate and distinct air supplies, one entering by the central space to supply
the top side of, and beat down or deflect the flame, and the other entering by the
perforated flange B to supply the under side of the flame, which is thus maintained
in equilibrium.
The central space is quite open and free for the ingress of air, which reaches the
flame in the form of an unbroken annulus, or a solid cylinder of comparatively cool
air, and bears down upon it with an even pressure, so that an even, steady flame
is the result.
The second current of air also enters the lamp in a comparatively cool state as it
passes direct from the external air. This second current is projected well down below
the flame in the manner described in my former patent, that is to say, by means of
that portion of the outer wall of the trough below the flange B which in combination
with the globe forms a kind of injector or nozzle to project the cool air entering by
the holes in the flange B down to the bottom of the globe G and below the flame,
thereby obtaining a perfect combination of the oxygen of the air with the carbon
of the gas.
The depth of the trough will be such that the draught up the chimney shall not
cause horns of flame to form at the parts immediately below the openings to the
hollow arms C, but will leave the flame even all round. The proportionate dimensions
of the lamps are shewn in the drawings.
By the above described construction of lamp clear ways or passages are provided
upwards to the chimney for the products of combustion, and of a comparatively large
area. The inlet passages for the air are also open and without obstruction,
consequently the resistance to the passage of the air is minimised, and a high speed
of draught to overcome the resistance is rendered unnecessary; thus I am enabled to
reduce the length of the chimney from 14 or 18 inches to 6 or inches without
increasing the diameter.
The clear passages also permit of a brush being
remove any deposits of carbon or other matters that
The remarks above made as to resistance will be
passed freely up the chimney to
may be formed therein.
more readily understood from a

page_text: knowledge of the ordinary mode of constructing these lamps, and the advantages of
the new construction will at once be apparent.
Upon reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the outer wall of the trough
is only slightly distant from the edge of the deflector E. This is a feature of
considerable inportance in the proper working of inverted lamps.-The space left is
ample for the products of combustion to pass up, but it is sufficiently restricted to
prevent the outside air current passing away without coming into contact with the
underside of the flame; consequently the air which enters by the perforated ring B
is bound to come into and remain a longer or shorter time in contact with the flame
before it can pass away to the chimney..
is
Referring now to Figure 4, Sheet III, in which the inverted lamp is shewn as
applied to a hollow ventilating bracket, it will be seen that the form of the lamp
slightly modified to suit the altered circumstances; thus the depth of the trough A
is considerably increased, and it is formed at its upper end with an external annular
passage A³ in connection with the bracket chimney A³, which is by preference placed
laterally of the body. In the wall of the trough A, two or more openings A* are
made, by which the products of combustion can pass to the annular passage A³, and
thence to the chimney. Instead of an annular passage, I may employ a semicircular
passage open to opposite sides of the body, and also to the chimney.
The object of lengthening the body is to ensure an even and steady draught all
round, whereby the flame will be even and steady.
The inner wall of the trough may also be prolonged beyond the bottom of the
trough, and its upper end closed as shown in the Figure, the requisite number of
holes being formed in the wall of this extension to permit of the entrance of a full
supply of air to the centre of the lamp above the flame. A wind guard applied
outside these holes as and for the purpose before explained. The air to supply the
under side of the flame enters holes in the flange B external of the body, as before
described.
In constructing this bracket lamp, I may form the body proper in one piece, and
the part which forms the annular passage may be afterwards screwed on or otherwise
secured to the body, or I may form the body with two hollow arms (see Figure 1)
connected with a laterally projecting chimney.
In applying my invention to the construction of lamps adapted to burn ten feet
and upwards of gas per hour, it has been found that the speed of the draught up the
chimney becomes so great as to cause the air supplying the top of the flame to gyrate
in the central space, which produces unsteadiness in the flame. A portion of the
supply of air to the underside of the flame, also, instead of passing well down below
the flame, is immediately drawn towards the chimney, with the result that it renders
the flame unsteady, and sometimes gets on the top of the flame and beats it down
into the glass.
Now in order to prevent the gyration of the air in the central space, I screw into
the centre space a hollow truncated cone K. This cone, which will reach nearly to
the top of the central space, will, in addition to the open top, have a number of
holes in the wall thereof. The number of these holes will of course depend upon
the size of the lamp and the amount of air required to effect the proper combustion,
but for a ten feet lamp, twenty four holes of three sixteenths of an inch diameter, and
arranged in two rows (see Figure 5), will be found sufficient for the purpose.
To ensure that the outside current of air shall pass well down below the flame, and
to avoid the lengthening the outer wall of the body producing this effect, I form
the holes in the flange B at an inclination outwards, that is to say, away from the
body of the lamp, so that the direction which the entering current of air will receive
will be away from the lower part of the body, and towards the glass globe in the
direction of the arrow, see Figure 5, instead of parallel with the body and glass, as
seen in the previous Figures.
In addition to the inclined holes, the body may be bevelled outwards at its lower
edge, as suggested at Figure 6.
In large burners of 10 feet and upwards, it has been found that the flame gives

page_text: the best results if it is allowed to curl up slightly round the edge of the deflector,
but in doing this, the illuminating power of the tip of the flame (the tip being a
highly luminous part of the flame) is lost, as the tip is hidden by the projecting
lower part of the body. To obviate this, the most natural way is to increase the
distance between the outer wall of the body A and the deflector E, but to do this
would leave a large space through which the outside current of air would rush to
the chimney, and its effect on the flame would thus be lost. To prevent this loss
of air, and at the same time to obtain the full advantage of the luminous tip, 1
form the lower part of the body, which I will here call the guide L, separate from
the main body A (see Fig. 6). This guide L is made of steatite or other suitable
material, of an enlarged section at its lower part, and it is screwed into the body of
the lamp, as shown, or otherwise attached thereto. The underside of this guide is
bevelled upwards to a point level with the edge of the deflector E, and the relative
distance between the edge of the guide and the edge of the deflector is the same as
between the deflector and the wall of the body under the ordinary circumstances.
The guide, in fact, fills up the space that would otherwise have been left for the free
passage of the air, and acts so as to keep the air in contact with the flame, and also
to ensure the tip receiving a proper quantity of air to support combustion.
A comparison of Figs. 5 and 6 will show the difference between the two forms
of guides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
1. A lamp body for inverted gas lamps consisting of an annular inverted trough
connected by two hollow arms, or an annular or semicircular passage with a chimney,
and provided externally with a perforated flange, substantially as herein shown and
described.
2. The combination with a lamp body in which is a central air space directly open
to the external air, of a perforated truncated cone, as K, placed in the central air
space, for the purpose of preventing the gyration of the air supply, substantially as
shown and described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.
3. In an inverted gas lamp having an inner and outer air supply, the use of
inclined holes in the external flange B to give direction to the outer current of air, as
and for the purpose set forth.
4. The inverted gas lamp as shown and described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5
and 6. of the drawings.
5. The inverted ventilating bracket gas lamp substantially as shown and described
with reference to Fig. 4. of the drawings.
6. The combination with the body of an inverted lamp constructed as referred to
in claim 1, of a guide L of the section shown, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this 16th day of November 1887.