Improvements in Furnaces for Smelting Metals.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar.. 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1886
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Smelting Metals.
I LOUIS ROUSSEAU of 56 Rue St. Sabin, Paris in the Republic of France
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention relates to various improvements, the principal feature of which
consists in the addition to smelting furnaces or crucibles (whether stationary,
oscillating or portable) of an upper piece or ring of the same inner diameter as
the crucible, which rests on the latter and which is provided with oblique apertures
arranged at a certain distance from the upper part of this piece.
This arrangement compels the flames to return and penetrate far into the
interior of the crucible where, by the stirring up and the complete combustion of
the gases, a high temperature is developed which causes the metal to melt:
consequently time and fuel is saved.
The fireproof annular cover which closes the top of the furnace is provided
with apertures closed by plugs. By means of these apertures the supplying of
fuel is accomplished, while formerly a sheet iron cone was placed on top of the
crucible with its apex uppermost, and on this cone the fuel was placed which so
spread over the circumference of the grate.
The invention also relates to several improvements more especially applicable to
rotary furnaces; for this reason this system of furnaces has been chosen for the
Specification.
The rotation of the furnace, instead of being caused by a lever, is effected by
means of a wheel with an endless screw, and in addition by means of a fly-wheel,
an arrangement by which an easy and sure handling is rendered possible.
The furnace does not rest on the soil, but in a pit, with its tap hole slightly
extending beyond the ground; whereby an accident to the furnace or to the crucible
will cause the melting metal to escape without danger to the attendants.
The ladle, which is suspended underneath the tap hole, rests in a vertical
position during the rotation of the furnace for the efflux of the metal.
The two axle ends of the furnace are placed on two supports which rest on
a cylindric cast iron plate which latter is slotted in the middle to let the air pass
through.
In order to let the furnace rotate, it is at first, to avoid friction, slightly raised
above its supports by means of an arm or lever, which is attached to each support;
it is then possible to let the furnace, with the aid of a wheel with an endless screw,
make, in case of need, one complete rotation about itself, which is useful for
examining all parts of the furnace.
Movable plates form the upper part of the pit.

page_text: Improvements in Furnaces for Smelting Metals.
I, LOUIS ROUSSEAU of 56 Rue St. Sabin, Paris in the Republic of France
Manufacturer 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 :-
My invention relates to the addition to furnaces or crucibles for melting metals
(whether stationary, oscillating or portable) of an upper piece or ring of the same
inner diameter as the crucible which reposes on the latter and which is provided
with oblique apertures through which the gases produced by combustion are forced
to pass, the inclination of the openings directs and sends the gases into the
interior of the crucible, which serves as combustion room and where a very high
temperature is developed, in contact with which is the metal to be melted.
Fig. 1 in the annexed drawing is the longitudinal section and Fig. 2 the plan view
of an oscillating furnace.
This furnace is cylindrical and surrounded by a plate a (Fig. 1) in the inside of
the plate is a refractory coating of masonry 6 this coating is itself provided on its
inside with a thinner coating c of plumbago or refractory clay easily renewable
and which is in direct contact with the gases produced by the combustion, a
block d of plumbago is placed in the centre of the grate t and supports the
crucible e which is fixed by wedges ƒ and g of plumbago to the number of at least
3 of each.
The grate is supported by two bars h which traverse the plate a and the angle
iron around it.
The furnace is carried on the two supports i (Figs. 1 and 2) by means of two
gudgeons. To enable the furnace to oscillate the two supports rest upon a
cylindrical cast iron plate n and the lower edge of the plate a which surrounds the
furnace takes the form of the plate nas in the section of two cylinders but without
touching in order to avoid friction during the rotation of the furnace to which
if necessary for inspection or otherwise a complete revolution may be given by
means of worm wheel and worm, the shaft of which is operated through the hand
wheel m.
The plate n is hollowed in the middle for the passage of the air from
the tube p.
The furnace is represented as sunk in a pit in the ground lined with the cast iron
plates grs, to avoid overflow of the molten metal and danger to the attendants in
case of an accident to the furnace or to the crucible.
Upon these plates are fixed the bearings of the vertical worm shaft. u is a plate
closing the lower part of the pit below the furnace the closing of this part is
completed by another plate v provided with a door x.
Two other movable plates y and z close the pit above and allow of movement
round the furnace up to the moment when the metal is run off through the tap
hole f¹.
The plate y is then removed to give place to the ladle which is supported by
the brackets e¹ e¹.
The construction of the furnace being now described we pass to its characteristic
.part. The piece al is put on the upper border of the crucible and it is provided
with the openings 6' usually of semicircular form and to the number of four though
their size may vary and their number also with the size of the ring a¹.
openings are bored obliquely and tend to converge to the lower part of the
crucible.
These
Upon the ring a¹ rests a cover ring c¹ in refractory clay which closes annularly
the upper part of the furnace.
It is provided with openings closed by plugs d¹.

page_text: These openings may be of rectangular form (Fig. 2) and of any size and their-
number may vary with the size of the furnace.
Through these openings the fuel is supplied. Formerly before addition of the
ring a a cone of sheet iron was placed upon crucible with its apex uppermost
and the fuel was placed upon this cone and in this manner spread over the
circumference of the grate.
Examination of the course taken by the burnt gases will show by the arrows.
(Fig. 1) that these gases first rise vertically then, forced by the cover ring c¹ to
fall back, they enter the interior of the crucible through the openings b' and
afterwards they rise vertically and escape, if the ring a' did not exist they would
leave directly through the central hole in the cover ring c¹.
This new course for the gases transforms the upper part of the inner crucible-
into a combustion chamber where the gases are mingled and burnt completely..
A high temperature is therefore developed in the interior of the crucible and
the metals in direct contact with this temperature fuse much quicker and with less
quantity of fuel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a furnace for melting metals the combination with the crucible e of an:
upper ring a' provided with oblique openings 6' and a cover ring e' provided with
holes g¹ for the supplying of fuel substantially in the manner and for the purpose
described.
2. In a furnace for melting metals the combination with the crucible e of an upper-
ring a provided with oblique openings arranged at the upper part of the said
crucible substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
3. In a furnace for melting metals the combination with the crucible e of a cover
ring c¹ provided with holes g for the supply of fuel and forming a cover substan-
tially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. In a furnace for melting metals the combination of an upper ring a' provided
with oblique openings with another cover ring c¹ provided with holes of for the
supply of fuel these rings a¹ and c¹ being arranged on the upper part of the crucible.
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 13th day of December 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,.
Agents to the Applicant.