IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING BRICKS, TILES, DRAIN PIPES, LIME, EARTHENWARE, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES OR MATERIALS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Radford, of Harrogate, in the County of York,
Brickmaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING
BRICKS, TILES, DRAIN PIPES, LIME, EARTHENWARE, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS
ARTICLES OR MATERIALS."
Sealed the 4th June 1878, and dated the 22nd March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Radford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1878.
WILLIAM RADFORD, of Harrogate, in the County of York, Brickmaker.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING BRICKS, TILES, DRAIN PIPES, LIME, EARTHEN-
WARE, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES OR MATERIALS."
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of kilns in which the method
or system known as continuous firing is employed for burning bricks, tiles, drain
pipes, lime, earthenware, and other analogous articles or materials.
According to my Invention the continuous kiln instead of being circular or oval
is of oblong form, with a central space or opening, and consists of a number of
chambers rectangular in plan in communication with each other and with a chimney
placed within the central space or opening.
Two series or rows of chambers placed side to side form the sides of the improved
kiln, and two similar chambers somewhat longer than the others placed end to end
form each end of the kiln. The chambers communicate with each other through
vertical openings in the lower part of the partition walls which divide the chambers,
and each chamber communicates through a separate flue or passage placed near the
floor level of each chamber with the vertical shaft or chimney.
Ordinary dampers are provided to each of the flues, so that communication with
the chimney may be cut off from any of the chambers at will, and dampers of sheet
iron withdrawable endwise from the sides of the kiln are also provided for inter-
cepting communication between one chamber and another. The arrangement of
flues and dampers is such that if a fire be kindled in one chamber the hot air and

page_text: products of combustion may be caused to pass through one, two, or more of the
other chambers in succession before being finally discharged into the vertical shaft
or chimney. Thus the bricks or other materials when burnt may be allowed to cool
and be removed from one of the chambers, which may be refilled with new material
without interfering with the cooling, burning, and drying successively going on
in the other chambers forming the rest of the continuous kiln.
The roofs of the chambers are vaulted or arched over, the arches being arranged
side to side instead of end to end, as generally constructed in continuous kilns. The
arches spring from the partition walls, and thereby form abutments for the support
of each other. A number of apertures provided with lids are pierced through the
roof of each chamber, and through the apertures fuel is supplied.
I will now proceed to describe the action of my improved kiln :-Assuming the
direction of the draught and the course of the hot air and products of combustion
through the chambers to be from right to left, and the operation of emptying or
refilling one of the chambers (which would therefore be out of action) to be going
on, all the flues or passages to the chimney would be closed except that in the
chamber to the right of the one out of action. A sheet-iron damper, as herein-above
described, would be caused to close the openings in the lower part of the partition
wall to the right, whilst the corresponding openings in the partition wall to the loft
.would remain open for the admission of air to supply combustion. If the number of
chambers in the kiln be increased so as to consist of two or more sets of chambers
instead of one, as above described, the same process may be going on in more than
one portion of the kiln at once.
The object in having the openings in the lower instead of in the upper part of the
walls is that the lower bricks may be dried before the upper ones, thus counteracting
the tendency of the lower bricks to “settle" under the weight of the load above
them.
Access to the chambers for the purpose of filling is from the side of the kiln
through suitable openings or "wickets," which are built up when the interior is
under the action of fire. These wickets or openings may be sufficiently large to
pérmit of a cart being backed into the chambers, thus affording improved facilities
especially advantageous when the improved kiln is used for burning lime for filling
and emptying the chambers.
When the kiln is employed for firing drain pipes, sanitary tubes, or other articles
requiring a glazed surface, suitable openings are provided both from the outside of
the kiln and from the central space or opening in the middle of the kiln for the
supply of salt to the sides and interior of the chambers, so that the fuines from
the salt may be more equally distributed than if supplied from the top of the
kiln, as is usually practised. The upper portion of the kiln nay be covered
in by a suitable roof constructed in any convenient manner.
By my improved arrangement the cost of construction of a continuous kiln and
the expenditure of fuel relatively to its effective power are materially reduced
as compared with other constructions of continuous kilns with which I am
acquainted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Pate. t filed by
the said William Radford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
September 1878.
WILLIAM RADFORD, of Harrogate, in the County of York, Brickmaker. Iar-
PROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING BRICKS, TILES, DRAIN PIPES, LIME, EARTHEN-
WARE, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES OR MATERIALS."
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of kilns in which the method
or system known as continuous firing is employed for burning bricks, les, drain
pipes, lime, earthenware, and other analogous articles or materials.
According to my Invention the continuous kiln is of oblong form, with a central
space or opening, and consists of a number of chambers rectangular in plan in com-
munication with each other, and with a vertical chimney placed within the central
space or opening.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a sectional end
view; and Fig. 3, a sectional plan of my improved kiln.
Two series or rows of chambers a, a, placed side to side, form the sides of the
improved kiln and two similar chambers b, b', somewhat longer than the others
placed end to end form each end of the kiln. The chambers a communicate with
each other through vertical openings c in the lower parts of the partition walls
which separate the chambers, and each chamber communicates through a separate
flue or passage e placed near the floor level of each chamber with the vertical shaft
or chimney f; e, el, show the position of underground flues in two of the end
chambers, the openings in this case being near the front of the chamber instead of
at the back. This arrangement is designed to cause the fire more effectively
to traverse the entire area of the particular chambers in which they are so
placed.
Ordinary, dampers g are provided to each of the flues, so that communication with
the chimney may be cut off from any of the chambers at will, and dampers of sheet
iron withdrawable endwise from the sides of 'the kiln, or preferably a row of
ordinary dampers h, h, moving vertically and placed side to side are provided at tho
bottom of each partition wall for intercepting communication between one chamber
and another. I prefer to employ a row of vertical dampers placed side to side, as
shewn in the Drawings, as by raising one or more of the dampers h I am enabled
the better to regulate and control the direction and amount of the draught. By
the arrangement of flue e and dampers g, g, and h, h, as shewn, if a fire be
kindled in any one of the chambers the hot air and products of combustion may be
caused to pass through one, two, or more of the other chambers in succession before
being finally discharged into the vertical shaft or chimney f. Thus the bricks or
other material when burnt may be allowed to cool and be removed from one of the
chambers, which may be refilled with new material without interfering with the
cooling and burning successively going on in the other chambers forming the rest of
the continuous kiln.
The roofs of the chambers a are vaulted or arched over (see Fig. 1), the arches
being arranged side to side. The arches spring from the partition walls and thereby
form abutments for the support of each other. Apertures i, i, provided with lids
are formed through the roof of each chamber, and through the apertures fuel is
supplied.
The action of my improved kiln is as follows:-Assuming the direction of the
draught and the course of the hot air and products of combustion through the
chambers to be from right to left, and the operation of emptying or refilling
one of the chambers (which would therefore be out of action) to be going on, all tho
flues or passages to the chimney would be closed except that in the chamber to the
right of the one out of action. A sheet-iron damper, or a row of vertical dampers,
as herein above described, would be caused to close the openings c in the lower part

page_text: of the partition wall to the right, whilst the corresponding openings in the partition
wall to the left would remain open for the admission of air to support combustion.
If the number of chambers in the kiln be increased so as to consist of two or more
sots of chambers instead of one, as above described, the same process may be going
on in more than one portion of the kiln at once. When the dampers to the flues e
in the chambers 61 are open to the chimney, the dampers to the flues e in the
adjoining end chambers b are closed.
The object in having the openings c in the lower instead of in the upper parts of
the walls is that the lower bricks may be dried before the upper ones, thus counter-
acting the tendency of the lower bricks to "settle" under the weight of the load
above them.
Access to the chambers for the purpose of filling is from the side of the kiln,
through suitable openings or wickets, which are built up when the interior is under
the action of fire. These wickets or openings may be the full width and depth of
the chamber, as shewn in the Drawings, so as to be sufficiently large to permit of a
cart being backed into the chambers, thus affording improved facilities by providing
a side delivery, especially advantageous when the improved kiln is used for burning
line, for filling and emptying the chambers.
In Fig. 2 the chamber a to the right is shewn built up or closed, the chamber a
to the left being shewn open.
When the kiln is employed for firing drain pipes, sanitary tubes, or other articles
requiring a glazed surface, openings are provided both from the outside of the kiln
and from the central space or opening in the middle of the kiln for the supply of
salt to the sides and interior of the chambers, so that the fumes from the salt may
be equally distributed. The upper portion of the kiln may be covered in by a suit-
able roof constructed in any convenient manner.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming it, I would have it understood that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the constructing continuous kilns, as herein-before
described, and shewn in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Radford, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM X RADFORD. (L.S.)
mark.
Witness to the mark of the
within-named William Radford,
YATES W. BOOTH,
Patent Agent,
Preston,
Lancashire.