IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Atherton, of Saint Helen's, in the County of Lan-
caster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS,
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Sealed the 11th August 1876, and dated the 6th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Atherton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1876.
JOHN ATHERTON, of Saint Helen's, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
1st. In the ordinary Siemens glass furnace the air and gas come up at one end of
the furnace and down the other end. Between these points the pots are set as close
as possible. Now my plan of doing it is to have three or more points in the length
of the furnace at which the gas and air openings are placed, I prefer three. At
each of these points instead of one oblong opening for gas and air I frequently
prefer two or more, extending nearly the whole breadth of the furnace. By this
arrangement I can make the gas and air come up the centre, and when burned down
one or both ends, or up the centre or centres and one end, and down one or both
ends. Thus one half the furnace can have the direct flame turned away from it
while the pots are being withdrawn or worked out, and the other can be in operation
as usual.
2nd. In annealing large sheets of glass it is frequently difficult work piling them
in the annealing kiln without bending or breaking them. I therefore employ
machinery as follows:- -Each plate is first pushed into the flattening part of the
kiln, where the glass is set and cooled down to about a raspberry red heat, it is
then slid into the piling chamber. This chamber is arranged with heating furnaces
at one side only, and one or two apertures for gas in the centre for the purpose of
bringing the kiln to its heat sooner, and which are closed when they have fulfilled
that purpose; the glass as it is pushed into the chamber just misses the furnaces.
Outside the chamber in front of the furnace is a line shaft. The floor of this
chamber opposite the flattening chamber is moveable, and constructed of flat iron
bars; these rest on and are fastened to transverse bars or angle irons at intervals,
arranged in couples two or three inches apart. Between these I fix a wrough but
preferably cast-iron bar called a "rack bar," fitting in between the transverse bars,
to the transverse bars on which the floor is laid, and hinged to them at the end
[Price Gd.]

page_text: furthest from the furnace, the transverse bar lying on the rack bar throughout its
length. The latter is armed with teeth on its lower face through its entire length
forming a rack, and rests by means of projections in two light girders on each side
of it, upon the lower ribs or projections of which its own projections are free to
slide. There are usually four or five of these rack bars in the length of the floor,
and they usually extend two thirds the breadth of the moveable floor which itself
occupies only two-thirds the breadth of the chamber from the furnaces to the
opposite wall. The moveable floor lies ordinarily close to the furnaces, the rack
bars can however begin some distance from them. A line shaft is placed under the
moveable floor. When the moveable floor is right up against the furnaces this line
shaft is just beneath the further end. On this shaft are the toothed wheels that
gear into the racks aforesaid. It is driven by chain or other gearing. A pulley
outside the kiln, armed with a crank handle, and a ratchet and pawl to hold it
rigidly when desired. The ends of the transverse bars or angle irons supporting
the floor which are nearest the furnaces have a quadrant bar projecting downwards
in an are of a circle, having the hinge joining the angle irons to the rack bar for a
centre. To the other end of the quadrant bar a chain is attached, which runs over
a pulley attached to the end of the rack bar immediately below the point of junction
between the quadrant and the angle irons. The chain from each of these quadrant
passes over pulleys on the line shaft outside. The glass being shoved on to the
moveable floor the cog-wheel at the back is put in motion till the floor is run back
against the far wall or glass already piled. The pulley is then clutched fast by the
ratchet and pawl, or the racks made rigid in position in any other convenient
manner, and the pulleys working the quadrant chains are brought into action.
These tilt up the floor into a vertical position, carrying the glass with it, which is
then secured in the vertical pile in the usual manner, and the floor is let down and
traversed back for a fresh supply of glass. After half-a-dozen or so sheet are thus
piled one against each other I pile a drosser against them, and go on again till all
the space between the moveable floor and the wall is filled. When the glass has
cooled down sufficiently it is removed in the usual manner.
In the foregoing description I have described one form of gearing only, for
running the cog-wheels and the quadrant chains, but the main idea of the Inven-
vention once grasped any ordinary mechanic could scheme half-a-dozen modes of
driving it.
This machine is equally applicable to to the ends of the piling kilns as well as
the fronts.
The machine may bo raised and the glass piled by means of chains from the arch
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Atherton in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 4th
September 1876.
JOHN ATHERTON, of Saint Helen's, in the County of Lancaster.
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS, AND IN APPARATUS THERE.FOR."
'IMPROVEMENTS
1st. In the ordinary Siemens glass furnace the air and gas come up at one end of
the furnace and down the other, and there being separate regenerators at each end,
between these points the pots are set as close as possible. Now my plan, shewn in
detail in Figs. 1 and 2, consists in having three or more points in the length of the
furnace (four are shewn) at which the gas and air openings are placed. As in the
ordinary furnace each of these has its separate regenerators beneath. In the
Drawing A, A, are the gas vents; B, B, the air openings raised a few inches as usual
above the floor or siege of the furnace. Sometimes instead of one pair of openings
in the breadth I have two or more, so as to equalize the current. By this arrange-
ment I can make the gas and air come up the centre vents, and when burned
descend at one or both ends, or up the centre or centres and one end, and down

page_text: one or both ends, the plurality of openings, and each having its own valves and
regenerators, so as to work independently of the others, enabling me to thus
regulate the heat exactly. Also by this arrangement one half of the furnace can
have the direct flame turned away from it while the pots are being withdrawn or
worked out, and the other can be in operation as usual. The furnaces can also bo
made much longer, even to the length of two or more ordinary furnaces, and yet
work with a gas current from end to end.
2nd. In annealing large sheets of glass it is frequently difficult work piling them
in the annealing kiln without bending or breaking them, I therefore employ
machinery as follows, see Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 to 8:-Each plate is first pushed
into the flattening part of the kiln C, where the glass is set on a perfectly level bed,
and cooled down to about a raspberry red heat. In this respect my process does
not differ from the usual practice. It is now slid into the piling chamber D. This
chamber is arranged with heating furnaces E, E, at one side only, and one or two
apertures F, F, for gas from gas pipe or flue G, in or near the centre of the kiln for
the purpose of bringing the heat up quicker to the requisite temperature at starting
when these orifices are closed. The glass as it is pushed into the chamber just
misses the said furnaces. The floor of chamber D is moveable, and constructed of
flat iron bars H, H. These rest on and are fastened to transverse bars or angle
irons J, J, arranged in couples two or three inches apart; between these I fix iron
(preferably cast) bar called the rack bar I, fitting in between the transverse bars J,
and hinged to them at the end furthest from the furnace, the flange of the trans-
verse bar lying on the rack bar throughout its length. The rack bar I is armed
with transverse teeth on its lower face, forming a rack, and rests by means of
projections on two light girders K, K, on each side of it, upon the lower ribs or
projections of which it is free to slide. I also usually place a guide roller at the
end furthest from the furnaces, which runs on a rail or beading O¹. There are
usually four or five of these rack bars in the length of the floor, and they usually
extend two-thirds the breadth of the moveable floor, which itself only occupies about
two-thirds the breadth of the chamber from the furnaces to the opposite wall. A
line shaft L is placed under the moveable floor when the latter is right up against
the walls of the furnaces E, E. The line shaft L is just under the other end of the
rack bars. On the line shaft is a toothed wheel L' gearing into the rack bars.
The line shaft can be driven in any convenient manner; I prefer chain gearing
connected with a pulley shaft and crank handle outside the kiln (and not shown in
the Drawing), with a ratchet and pawl to hold all rigid if desirable, though these
latter are hardly requisite. The ends nearest the furnaces E of the transverse bars
or angle irons J, J, have a quadrant bar M projecting downward in an arc of a
circle, having the hinge N (hinging the angle iron J to the rack bars I) for its
centre. The quadrant bar is toothed like a rack on one side, into which works the
pinion P¹ on the shaft P, or a chain is attached to the end of the plain quadrant
and passes over, a pulley in the place of a pinion is pulled up from the outside of
the kiln when desired, I prefer the former plan as the best. The glass being shoved
into the moveable floor and cooled down sufficiently the shaft L, and the pinions
L', L', are set in motion till the floor is run back against the far wall. The shaft
P set in motion tilting up the table with the glass upon it till it assumes the
vertical or slightly inverted position, when the glass is secured in a vertical pile as
usual, and the table being let down and drawn back is ready for a fresh charge.
When about half-a-dozen sheets have thus been piled against each other I pile a
drosser against them, and go on again until all the space between the moveable
floor and the wall is filled, it is then left to gradually cool down.
To enable the carriage to be drawn out for repairs, or for use in another kiln, I
construct a door in the back of the kiln furthest from the flattening portion; I place
the table on three axles R, R, with flanged wheels R¹, R¹, running on rails R2,
which extend through the doorway above described. The quadrants are pinned on
to the angle irons with one fixed axis and a removable pin; when the two are in
place the quadrant is rigidly fixed, but if one be removed the other quadrant turns

page_text: on the other as an hinge, and can be lifted up so as not to impede the motion of
the table in being drawn out on wheels R', R', through the doorway aforesaid.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, be it known that what I beleive to be new and desire to protect and
claim under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
1st. Arranging a glass furnace with three or more sets of openings for gas and
air in its length, and one or two or more in its width, each set of openings being
provided with independent valves and generators, for the purposes described.
2nd. The mode of piling plate glass in the annealing chamber by means of a
moveable table or frame upon which the plate is shoved or laid, and tilting both
up together mechanically.
3rd. The combination of the table or platform H, capable of a horizontal move-
ment, and also of a motion of rotation (both of limited extent), with the annealing
kiln D.
4th. The special arrangement of tipping table, substantially as and for the
Witness,
EDWARD G. COLTON,
Clerk to W. P. Thompson,
Patent Office,
6, Lord St.,
Liverpool.
JOHN ATHERTON. (L.S.)