Improvements in Tank Furnaces used in the Manufacture of Glass.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th M r., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tank Furnaces used in the Manufacture of Glass.
We, CHANCE BROTHERS AND CO. LIMITED, of West Smethwick, in the
County of Stafford, Glass Manufacturers, and JOSEPH EDWARD SCOTT, of
No. 3 High Street, West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Works Manager
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
•
In order that the said invention may be the better understood we remark that
a tank furnace used in the manufacture of glass consists essentially of a shallow
burnt fire clay tank about four times as long as it is broad, the said tank being
divided into two compartments by a cross division called a bridge situated at a
distance from one end of about one third the length of the whole tank. The said
bridge separates the two parts of the tank from each other excepting at the lower
part of the said bridge where there are one or more openings through which the
glass formed by melting its components in the longer or melting part of the furnace
runs into the shorter or working end of the furnace. The materials charged into
the melting part are so strongly heated that the glass formed is so liquid that it
readily permits of the rising of gaseous bubbles and unfused matter contained in it
to the surface or upper part of the melted glass, the lower portion of melted glass
practically free from bubbles running through the channel or channels in the
bridge into the working part of the furnace the temperature of which is lower than
that of the melting part of the furnace. The melted glass is taken from the working
part to be made into sheets, plates and the like.
The bridge of the furnace is subject to great wear and tear and its reparation
is troublesome the furnace requiring to be allowed to cool to nearly ordinary
atmospheric temperature before the worn bridge can be removed and replaced by
a new one.
The said invention consists in constructing the said tank furnaces in the following
manner. Instead of making the tank furnace of one chamber divided by a bridge
as described we make the tank furnace of two chambers the combined dimensions
of which are about equal to those of the divided tank furnaces ordinarily
employed.
The longer or melting chamber and the working chamber of the furnace are in
The two
line with one another and are situated at a short distance apart.
chambers are connected by one or more tubular fire clay channels which connects
or connect the said chambers together at their lower part so that the melted glass
can flow through the said channel or channels from the melting chamber to the
working chamber of the compound tank furnace. By this method of construction
the maintenance of the tank furnace in good repair is much facilitated as the
channel or channels described can be removed when worn and replaced by new ones
without the necessity of allowing the furnace to become cold and the loss of time
consequent thereon.
Dated this 28th day of March 1894.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Tank Furnaces used in the Manufacture of Glass
We, CHANCE BROTHERS AND CO. LIMITED, of West Smethwick, in the
County of Stafford, Glass Manufacturers and JOSEPH EDWARD SCOTT, of
No. 3 High Street, West Bromwich in the County of Stafford, Works Manager,
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:—
In order that the said invention may be the better understood we remark that
a tank furnace used in the manufacture of glass consists essentially of a shallow
burnt fire clay tank about four times as long as it is broad, the said tank being
divided into two compartments by a cross division called a bridge situated at
a distance from one end of about one third the length of the whole tank. The
said bridge separates the two parts of the tank from each other excepting at the
lower part of the said bridge where there are one or more openings through which
the glass formed by melting its components in the longer or melting part of the
furnace runs into the shorter or working end of the furnace. The materials
charged into the melting part are so strongly heated that the glass formed is
so liquid that it readily permits of the rising of gaseous bubbles and unfused
matter contained in it to the surface or upper part of the melted glass, the
lower portion of melted glass practically free from bubbles running through
the channel or channels in the bridge into the working part of the furnace the
temperature of which is lower than that of the melting part of the furnace.
The melted glass is taken from the working part to be made into sheets, plates
and the like.
The bridge of the furnace is subject to great wear and tear and its reparation is
troublesome, the furnace requiring to be allowed to cool to nearly ordinary
atmospheric temperature before the worn bridge can be removed and replaced by
a new one.
The said invention consists in constructing the said tank furnaces in the
following manner. Instead of making the tank furnace of one chamber divided
by a bridge as described we make the tank furnace of two chambers the combined
dimensions of which are about equal to those of the divided tank furnaces ordinarily
employed.
The longer or melting chamber and the working chamber of the furnace are
in line with one another and are situated at a short distance apart. The two
chambers are connected together at their lower part by a tubular channel or neck
so that the melted glass can flow through the said channel or neck from the melting
chamber to the working chamber of the compound tank furnace.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal vertical
section a portion of a tank furnace constructed according to one arrangement
of the said invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same, and Figures 3
and 4 are cross sections on the dotted lines w, w and, respectively of
Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a tank furnace
constructed according to a modified arrangement of the said invention; Figure 6 is
a horizontal section of the same and Figures 7 and 8 are cross sections on the
dotted lines Y, and, respectively of Figure 5.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
We will first describe the arrangement Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
a is the melting chamber of the furnace into which the materials to be melted
and formed into glass are introduced in the ordinary way. h is the working

page_text: chamber from which the melted glass is taken for manufacture into sheets, plates
and the like. The two chambers and are connected by the channel or neck e so
that when the materials in the melting chamber a have been melted the lower
stratum of the liquid glass formel, which is free or practically free from bubbles,
flows into the working chamber b.
By the construction described and represented space is provided betwee
the two chambers so that the repair of the adjacent ends a², 63 of the respective
chambers a, b and also the sides and top of the channel e, which latter are subjecte!
to great wear and tear in the working of the furnace, may be effected from the
outside of the said furnace instead of from the inside as in tank furnaces of the
ordinary construction.
C
The neck or that part of the furnace in which the channel ce is made is composed
of the same material as the other parts of the furnace.
In the modified tauk furnace Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 the height of the neck or
channel e is equal to that of the two chambers a and b which it connects, the roof
or crown of the said neck c being a continuation of the roof or crown of the two
chambers a and b (see Figures 5, 7 and 8). The mouth of the channel or neck c
opening into the melting chamber a is open from top to bottom but the mouth of
the said channel or neck e opening into the working chamber is contracted or partly
closed by the brickwork at d (see Figures 5 and 8) for the purpose of preventing
the gases of the melting chamber entering the working chamber.
Floats e and similar to those used in ordinary tauk furnaces are employed in
the furnace Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 and are represented in Figure 6 to prevent
unmelted or only partially melted material from entering the working chamber.
The float e is situated at the entrance to the channel or neck c and the float fis
situated at or near the exit end of the said channel or neck c (see Figure 6). Th
said neck is cut away at the parts marked c², e² for the purpose of providing a
bearing surface for the edges of the said float f. The float e may be introduced
into and taken out when worn and replaced by a new one through an opening
at y or in the sides of the chamber a of the furnace the said opening being
afterwards closed by a fire clay stopper or brickwork. The float is introduced
through the opening i ork in the sides of the neck c which opening is afterwards
closed by a stopper. The said float may be removed and replaced by removing
the closing stopper of the opening i or k.
We prefer to make the bed of the channel or neck c and working chamber b
about a foot above the level of the bed of the melting chamber a and in
Figure 5 we have represented the bed of the neck c and working chamber b so
raised.
The length of the channel or neck e in
will provide sufficient room between the two
in the repair of the furnace to remove and
or neck c.
both constructions is only such as
chambers for the workman employed
replace the ends a², 62 and channel
In both the constructions described and represented the maintenance of the
tank furnace in good repair is much facilitated as the whole of the repairs of the
said furnace, excepting the bed and crown, can be effected from the outside of
the furnace. Consequently the cooling of the furnace which is necessary when the
repairing is to be effected from the inside of the furnace is not required and the
period of cessation of work of the said furnace for repair is reduced from about
three weeks to about three days.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
we claim as the said invention of "Improvements in tauk furnaces used in the
manufacture of glass'
"
Separating a short distance apart the melting and working chambers of tank
furnaces used in the manufacture of glass and connecting the adjacent ends of the

page_text: said chambers by a tubular channel or neck substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twenty-third day of January 1895.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.