IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES, FIRE-GRATES AND FIRE-BARS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSEPH WRIGHT 5 Oxley Road Winshill, in the borough of Burton-on-Trent
in the county of Stafford Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES, FIRE-GRATES AND FIRE-BARS to be as
follows:-
My invention consists firstly in constructing Furnaces with moveable fire-bars
in the following manner :-
I support the alternate bars at the front end of the furnace on a rocking-shaft,
and the said bars at the back end of the furnace on an inclined plane or roller.
When motion is given to the front rocking-shaft, the working bars are lifted out of
their horizontal position and at the same time move towards the front of the
furnace. This has the effect of breaking up the clinker or slag, and leaving the
spaces clear to admit the oxygen. For small grates a light hand lever applied
when necessary by the fireman is quite sufficient to give motion to the bars.
My invention consists secondly in a mechanical arrangement connected with a
shaft by means of which the bars are moved at stated times. It may be worked
from the steam-engine without the attention of the fireman or engineer being
required.
This motion can be regulated to act at any given time, according to the amount
and quality of coal consumed, and the shaft can also be thrown in and out of gear
at any time, by the fireman or engineer, thus enabling them to clear everything
off the Bars without using the ordinary fire-rakes.
Instead of an ordinary dead-plate, I make the front plate with a series of slots
so as to admit oxygen to the fire with a view to consuming the smoke,-these can
be closed by a slide when required.
Dated this fourth day of January 1884.

page_text: I JOSEPH WRIGHT, formerly of Winshill in the Borough of Burton-on-Trent, in
the county of Stafford but now of Branstone, near Burton-on-Trent, aforesaid,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES, FIRE-GRATES AND FIRE-BARS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention consists firstly -
In constructing Furnaces with moveable Fire-bars in the following manner :-
I support the alternate Bars at the front end of the Furnace on a Rocking
Shaft and the said bars at the back end of the furnace on an inclined plane or
roller. When motion is given to the front rocking shaft, the working bars are
lifted out of their horizontal position and at the same time move towards the front
of the furnace-this has the effect of breaking up the Clinker or Slag and leaving
the spaces between the Fire-bara clear and free to admit the oxygen.
For small
grates and where firing is not heavy a light hand lever attached to the rocking-
shaft, applied when necessary by the fireman is quite sufficient to give motion to
the Bars.
My invention consists secondly:
In making the front plate with a series of slots, so as to admit oxygen to the
fire with a view to consuming the smoke instead of an ordinary dead-plate,―the
slots can be closed, when required, with a slide.
My invention consists thirdly :-
In a mechanical arrangement for giving motion to the Bars at stated times,
without the attention of the engineer or fireman, in the following manner :-
I fix on a shaft driven by the engine and working over the boilers, a wheel or
pulley from which I drive a counter shaft fitted with gearing. From this, motion
is given at stated times to a connecting rod attached to the front rocking shaft.
This throws itself out of gear after sufficient revolutions to clear the fire of refuse.
The arrangement is under the control of the engineer, so that it can be used,
when required, either to clear the fire, or to remove everything off the bars, without
applying the fire-rakes.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention acts :-
Figure 1, represents the end elevation, Figure 2 the longitudinal section, Figure 3
represents the detail side elevation, and Figure 4 the detail plan of my, first two
.clauses.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures. A is the
horizontal shaft, situated over the boilers & worked by suitable mechanism. B is
the eccentric fixed on this shaft through which motion is communicated to the bars.
C.is the crank fixed on the first rocking shaft D. E is the clutch by which the
motion of the shaft D may be directly communicated to the bars. F is a toothed
segment, G is also a toothed seginent fixed to the second rocking shaft H. Jis the
moveable bar, & J' is the stationary bar.
The action is as follows :-
When the shaft A revolves it causes the eccentric B to rotate, this eccentric
communicates its motion to the crank C which is keyed on to the shaft D. The
length of the crank C is greater than the throw of the eccentric B, this causes the
crank C to rock instead of rotating. The clutch E is fixed by a feather key &
revolves with the shaft D, it is controlled by the handle K. The segment Ę runs

page_text: loose on the shaft D. The motion of the shaft D is therefore communicated to the
segment F at will by the attendant. The segment F runs into the segment G by
means of teeth. This segment G is cast on the rocking shaft H & thus a rolling
motion is given to the alternate bars J.
Figures 5, 6, 7, & 8 shew my mechanical arrangement for automatically actuating
the bars, instead of by the handle K.
The letters in these figures represent the same parts as in the previous figures.
The motion of the crank C is communicated by the pin O to the lever P, and thence
to the catch Z: this catch and lever are so arranged as to move the rack-wheel Q
one tooth (of a revolution) for each stroke of the eccentric. This rack-wheel Q
is in communication with the cam S by means of the toothed gearing R. R¹ R²
R R R* & is so arranged as to tap the lever T once in a given time lever T
disengages the catch U & so frees the collar V which is joined by means of two
tie-rods to the clutch E. When the collar D is freed it is immediately thrown
forward by the spring W, & so forces the clutch E into gear. The return of the
catch to its place is effected by means of a lug X (cast on to the rack wheel Q)
which bears against a segment Y, cast on to the collar V & thus forces the spring
back until the catch U drops over its bearing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my invention, but
I declare that what I claim is :-
I. The Improvement in Furnaces, Firegrates and Firebars heretofore described,
that is to say, the arrangement by which every alternate Bar is connected at the
front end with a Rocking Shaft, & at the back end rests on an inclined plane or
roller.
II. The improvement in Dead-plates, heretofore described, that is to say, the
arrangement of slots in the front plate with slides to close when required.
III. The mechanical arrangement for giving motion to the Bars at stated times,
with or without the attention of the engineer.
Dated this twenty-second day of December 1884.