IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNB
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph William Corbett, of Basford, in the
County of Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KILNB."
Sealed the 19th November 1875, and dated the 26th May 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph William Corbett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th May 1875.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM CORBETT, of Basford, in the County of Not-
tingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KILMS," to be as follows:-
In the kilns at present in use a large proportion of heat is wasted.
This loss is twofold; first, during the burning of the bricks the air which
has passed through the fuel and among the heated bricks, together with
the gaseous products generally, passes from the kiln nearly at a red
heat; secondly, the great store of heat that now burnt bricks contain is
entirely thrown to waste. In my Invention an economy of fuel is
effected by saving the twofold loss of heat above mentioned.

page_text: filed by the said Joseph William Corbett in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WILLIAM CORBETT, of Basford, in the County of Nottingham, Brick-
maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph William Corbett, Her special
license that I, the said Joseph William Corbett, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph William
Corbett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agreo with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In.
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KËяs," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph William Corbett, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or

page_text: one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph William Corbett, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the kilns at present in use a large proportion of heat is wasted.
This loss is twofold; first, during the burning of the bricks the air which
has passed through the fuel and amongst the heated bricks, together
with the gaseous products generally, passes from the kilns nearly at a
red heat; secondly, the great store of heat that newly burnt bricks
contain is entirely thrown to waste. In my Invention an economy of
fuel is effected by saving this twofold loss of heat above mentioned.
First. My Invention saves the heat of the gaseous products of com-
bustion and unconsumed air passing through and away from the burning
bricks by drawing, by means of a draught, the before-mentioned gaseous
products of combustion and unconsumed air over fresh bricks (known in
the trade as "green bricks"), thus raising them to an incandiscant
temperature, and in consequence only a very slight addition of heat
from the ignited fuel in the grates is required to complete their
burning.
Secondly. I save the heat of the newly burnt bricks by drawing the
heat contained in and by them away from the same, and passing this
heat over fresh bricks burning or drying.
I accomplish the drying (as subsequently described) by means of an
"up-draught," that is, one in which the heat rises from the bottom of the
kiln to the top.
The manner in which I accomplish this part of my Invention is as
follows:-The outside view of the kiln is similar to those ordinarily in
use, though it is preferable to build them in long lengths, assuming
then the appearance of several kilns joined together ends to ends.
In the Drawings A is a sectional elevation; B a plan of my improved
kiln. The bottom of the kiln is perforated (the fire being placed under

page_text: A
the level of the floor), the perforations being caused by bricks placed
alternately, as shewn, leaving a free, passage under all the floor of the
kiln. The top of each chamber is covered with a perforated arch, whose
perforations are enclosed from the atmosphere by a casing of brickwork,
piping, or other arrangement. Between each chamber is placed a 5
hollow wall a, a, which acts as a flue for the draught.
Flues are also
formed at the ends of the kiln, as at b, b, b; all these are connected with
chimney draught or flue.
It can be seen from the above description and the annexed Drawings
that the form of my improved kiln is that of a series of rectangular 1
chambers, each having openings for supply and delivery placed side by
side and end to end, or they may only be placed end to end. They are
divided from one another by having in their longest direction, that is,
from C to D, a narrow wall of about eighteen inches wide, but which
may vary on circumstances. In the transverse direction they are 1
divided by a hollow wall, which acts as a flue, and is connected with the
chimney.
The method of working the said kilns is as follows:-The chamber
No. 1 is filled as in the usual way with green bricks, the fire is started
below the surface of the floor in the grates shown, the damper at e is 2
opened in the direction indicated, and the products from kiln 1, and
which are by far the larger proportion only damp steam or vapour,
allowed to pass down the middle wall and from thence to the chimney,
as it is found that the steam would not be beneficial if passed through
green bricks (generally). After this has gone on some time, i.e., 2
when steam has ceased to be given off, the communications at e with
the chimney are closed, and the heat from No. 1 taken by means of
the draught into chamber No. 2, by an up-draught through the perforated
bottom, drying the bricks placed there, and then the heat with the
steam passes out by the flues b, b, at the end A to the chimney, or if 3
there are (as is generally the case) more than two chambers in the kiln,
then down the dividing wall, as before described, into the chimney. This
is how I accomplish the first part of my Invention.
The second part of my Invention is accomplished as follows:-After
the fires are damped or put out in No. 1 and the bricks are burnt, by 3
continuing the draught, as before described, and drawing the heat away
as given off from the then cooling bricks, I can also by my arrangement

page_text: reverse the draft, as by making No. 2 chamber No. 1, I can thus
start from either end or any compartment, and which compartments
may be extended to any length; also by simply arranging dampers the
ordinary open kiln may be altered to my Invention. The top requires
to be covered with what is called "smudge," or damp clay and mud,
and a perforated bottom built, the object of the perforated bottom being
to distribute the heat.
In conclusion I claim as my Invention the general arrangement of
the kilns, and the method of the up and down draught, as described in
the first and second part of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph William Corbett, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
JOSEPH WILLIAM CORBETT.
(L.S.)
Witness;
GEORGE E: WEBSTER, C.E.,
Patent and Engineering Office,
Market Street,
Nottingham.