An Improved Smoke-consuming Fire-bridge for Steam Boilers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 26th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Smoke-consuming Fire-bridge for Steam Boilers.
THOMAS DALE Engineer 200 High Street Kirkcaldy Scotland do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
. My invention relates to an appliance for consuming the smoke in flued & other
steam boilers by admitting air through the bridge or flame wall at the back of the
fire bars.
The chief feature of my invention is that I construct the fire-bridge of fire brick or
cast iron & instead of admitting air behind or in front of the bridge only in the usual
way, I admit the air through the bridge which is made partially or entirely hollow &
is provided with a suitable number of apertures or perforations for that purpose; by
means of my improvement the air after passing below the fire bars passes up through
the fire bridge coming into contact with flame & smoke in front, above, & at the back
of the fire bridge.
A grating or regulater may be combined with the perforated fire bridge.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Smoke-consuming Fire-bridge for Steam Boilers.
THOMAS DALE Engineer 200 High Street Kirkcaldy, 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 an appliance for consuming the smoke in flued and other
steam boilers by admitting air through the bridge or flame wall at the back of the
fire bars.
Hitherto it has been usual to build the fire bridges in steam boilers of common fire
bricks roughly cut to the required shape & built together with fire clay, the object of
this invention is to make a specially shaped brick for the purpose, which at the same
time shall effect a consumption of smoke.
According to the said invention 1 employ fire bricks of any suitable form having
grooves in one or both sides, preferably in one side only, and made so that when built
together to form the fire bridge or flame wall appertures shall be left between the bricks
for the passage of air from below the fire bars into the furnace and flue, and in con-
junction with this arrangement I construct a grating with a shutter which shall be
regulated from the front of boiler, automatically or otherwise, to admit the proper
quantity of air.
The bricks may be formed with perforations to effect the same purpose, but I prefer
to make them as above described.
The bridge may be formed of cast iron of suitable shape & grooved or perforated in
the same manner & for the same purposes.
In the accompanying drawing A A A are the suitably shaped bricks, built together
to form the fire bridge. B. B. B. are the air passages or appertures. C is the grating
or bearer supporting the fire bridge. D is the shutter or regulator containing oblong
holes, corresponding with similar holes in the bearer. E is a lever by means of which
the shutter is moved by the handles & rod F.
Having thus fulley described the said invention, I wish it understood that I
claim.
1. A brick of special & suitable shape for the fire bridge or flame wall of a

page_text: boiler furnace, grooved with air passages, substantially as & for the purposes
described.
2. A fire bridge built of grooved or perforated bricks, substantially as & for the
purposes described.
3. In combination with the fire bridge built of bricks as described, an arrangement
consisting of a sliding shutter for regulating the admission of air substantially as &
for the purposes described.
4. A fire bridge of cast iron perforated in a similar manner to that already described
& containing appertures for the passage of air.
1960