IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING HIGH TEMPERATURES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Herbert Gossage, of Widnes, in the
County of Lancaster, Soap Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING HIGH TEMPERATURES."
Sealed the 20th April 1866, and dated the 28th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Herbert Gossage
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th October 1865.
I, FREDERICK HERBERT GOSSAGE, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster,
Soap Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING HIGH TEMPERATURES,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in an improvement upon apparatus already known
for indicating high temperatures. According to the method referred to rods
are placed within vessels containing metals, alloys of metals, or other substance
which melt at certain temperatures. When, therefore, sufficient heat is
present a rod so situate will be moveable in the metal which surrounds it, and
thus the presence of a certain temperature is indicated.

page_text: My Invention consists, firstly, in so arranging the apparatus that the
oxidizing influence of air upon the metal shall be prevented. With this
view I propose to place the said metal in a tube extending above its surface,
and to fill the space with carbonaceous or other matter which will not impart
oxygen or be affected by the heat to which it is submitted. According to
another plan I adapt a trap similar to a gasometer to the tube and rod, the
said trap being supplied with glycerine, oil, or other suitable fluid.
Secondly, my Invention consists in registering the temperature present by
applying a tracer to the rod above mentioned, and which acts against and
marks a card or other suitable surface, moving by means of any motive power
at a known speed. The fluidity or solidity of the metal, and consequently
the presence or absence of a certain temperature may thus be registered. I
have above spoken of one rod only, but several may be employed situate in
different metals, alloys, or other substance. In applying the second part of
my Invention to blast furnaces, I propose to use the blast as a motive
to drive the surface on which the aforesaid registration is effected.
power
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Herbert Gossage in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
HERBERT GOSSAGE, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, Soap Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Herbert
Gossage, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick Herbert Gossage, my
executors, administrators, and 'assigns, or such others 'as I, the said Frederick
Herbert Gossage, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at-all times thereafter
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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING HIGH TEMPERATURES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Frederick Herbert Gossage, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 Frederick Herbert Gossage, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in an improvement upon apparatus already known
for indicating high temperatures. According to the method referred to
rods are placed within vessels containing metals, alloys of metals, or other
substance which melt at certain temperatures. When, therefore, sufficient
heat is present a rod so situate will be moveable in the metal which surrounds
it, and thus the presence of a certain temperature is indicated...
My Invention consists, firstly, in so arranging the apparatus that the
oxidizing influence of air upon the metal shall be prevented: With this
view I propose to place the said metal in a tube extending above its surface
and to fill the space with carbonaceous or other matter which will not
impart oxygen or be affected by the heat to which it is submitted. According
to another plan I adapt a trap similar to a gasometer to the tube and rod,
the said trap being supplied with glycerine oil or other suitable fluid.
Secondly, my Invention consists in registering the temperature present by
applying a tracer to the rod above mentioned, and which acts against and
marks a card or other suitable surface, moving by means of any motive power
at a known speed. The fluidity or solidity of the metal and consequently
the presence or absence of a certain temperature may thus. be registered.
I have above spoken of one rod only but several may be employed situate in
different metals, alloys, or other substance.
In the accompanying Drawing Figs. 1 and 2 represent the two parts of
my Invention combined, but I will in the first instance describe the first
portion thereof separately. In this instance it is supposed to be desired to
ascertain the temperature of steam passing through a pipe, a portion of
which is shewn at a, Fig. 1. This pipe is provided with a cap b, to which is
attached a tube c containing from d to e a metal (bismuth, for instance) the
melting point of which is at the temperature it is required to keep the steam;
resting upon this metal is a column g of carbon, powdered lime, or other such
substance which will not impart oxygen or be decomposed by the temperature
to which it is to be submitted, at h is a rod passing down the tube c through
the protecting material g and into the fusible metal d, e.
At present I will

page_text: suppose that the rod h is discontinued at h*, and that the mouth of the tube c
is open.
When the steam in the pipe c is at the required temperature the
metal d, e, will be in a molten state, and the rod h may, therefore, be lifted,
but if a lower temperature exist then the metal d, e, will become solid and
the rod h will be fixed, and by these means it may at any time be ascertained
whether the desired temperature exists, and the material 9 will prevent the
access of air to the metal d, e, and so protect it from oxidation. I have
hitherto supposed the mouth of the tube c to be open, but as another means
of preventing the oxidation of the metal d, e, I fix a vessel i around the said
tube, and place therein oil, glycerine, or other fluid, which will not readily
évaporate, and within it another vessel k attached to the rod c, and passing
into the fluid, and forming a hydraulic trap for arresting the passage of air,
but although I have shewn two methods of effecting that object the material g
or the trap k may be used by itself. The material of which the pipe c is.
constructed will depend upon the temperature to which it is to be subjected,
as it must, of course, in all cases be able to resist such temperature. In
Fig. 2 three pipes c are shewn, supposed to be charged with three different
metals d, e, say bismuth, lead, and zinc, the other parts are as above described.
This arrangement provides for the indication of a range of temperature,
which range may be increased to any desired extent by multiplying the
number of fusible metals employed. The object supposed has been to
ascertain the temperature of steam, but the apparatus will be precisely the
same as applied to hot blast furnaces or other cases in which the tube c and
its contained metal can be plunged into the generated heat.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, namely,
the mode of recording high temperatures. For this purpose I employ the
apparatus above described, with additions thereto. The rods h are continued
upward, and pass through a guide l, carried by a plate m, which is supported
in any convenient manner, and the upper ends of the said rods pass through
another guide n, square in form, so as to prevent them from turning. At o is
a shaft, to which rotatory motion is communicated from any convenient motive
power, and provided with tappets p formed by light projecting springs, which
as they revolve pass into slots q formed in the rods c, and by arriving in
contact with the upper ends thereof lift the said rods if the metal d, e, in
which they are plunged be in a molten state, but if it be solid from deficient
temperature then the tappets p will be unable to raise them, and will yield
by their elasticity. In the plate m is formed a groove, within which is a
sliding pieces, caused to travel at an uniform speed by any ordinary
arrangement of clockwork. To this pieces a card is attached, pressing

page_text: gainst which are pencils t, carried in tubes attached to the rods c, and forced
forward by springs. As the shaft o revolves it lifts or fails to lift the rods,
and consequently the pencils t, as before described. Should the metal in the
tubes be solid then the pencils t will simply inscribe straight horizontal lines
upon the travelling card, but if it be fluid then the lifting of the rods, or any
one of them, will mark a vertical line on the card, and thus the temperatures
represented by the melting points of the several metals will be recorded, and
if the card on which the pencils act be divided by lines representing periods
of time the makings will shew at what hour the temperature fell below a
certain point, or again rose. The speed of the shaft o of course will be
As the
regulated by first determining how frequently the pencils shall act.
rods c are moved upward they carry with them the traps k, but they will be
prevented from leaving the fluids by arriving in contact with the casing u.
It will be seen that the pencils t are placed in the starting position, at
different levels, and the series of registrations are therefore kept distinct.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
and for the purposes above set forth,-
Firstly, protecting from oxidation the surfaces of the fusible metals, or
alloys, or other such substance by superincumbent carbon, lime, or other
such material as aforesaid; also by the employment of a hydraulic trap
adapted to the vessels containing the said metals or alloys.
Secondly, causing the fluidity or solidity of the indicating metals to be
recorded upon a travelling surface.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Herbert Gossage, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
FRED. H. GOSSAGE. (L.D.)