Improvements in Drying Floors or Plant for Drying Bricks and other like Articles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Drying Floors or Plant for Drying Bricks and
other like Articles.
I, HENRY ROBERT VAUGHAN of 88 New Chester Road New Ferry in the
County of Chester Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
--
This invention has for its object a drying shed that can be used with the
greatest economy of space and steam. Usually the steam is injected into a chamber
below the floor, and this chamber has for its lower surface the bare earth. This
earth quickly gets sodden, retains the water and requires much heating each
morning. I therefore floor this chamber with brick. The cross walls of this
chamber, I form with perforated brick, so that the steam which is introduced at
several points by pipes controlled with valves, can pass freely from one compart-
ment to another. The drying floor is in the passages of brick, but under the racks
of metal plates, preferably having strengthening and heat radiating vertical flanges.
By this means a floor less pervious to heat is between the racks, and on this a
layer of bricks is upended, but the main radiation of heat comes up under the high
racks of bricks, just where the heat is most needed.
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
323, High Holborn, London,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Drying Floors or Plant for Drying Bricks and
other like Articles.
I, HENRY ROBERT VAUGHAN of 88 New Chester Road, New Ferry, in the
County of Chester, Manager of Works, 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 :—
This invention relates chiefly to drying sheds for bricks, tiles and other articles,
made from clay, although applicable for drying other material. I will describe it
with reference to brick drying sheds.
Its object is to provide a shed wherein the drying can be effected with the
greatest economy of space and steam.
It is usual to construct the shed with a chamber below the floor into which
steam is injected for the purpose of heating; and it is chiefly to improve the con-
struction of this heating chamber that my invention is designed. In its present
formn this chamber has for its lower surface the bare earth or rough concrete, which
quickly gets sodden, retains the water and absorbs a great amount of heat each
time the steam is turned into the chambers or flues. The upper surface of the
chamber forming the floor of the drying shed, is made of uniform layer of brick
or other material, and the chamber is divided into smaller chambers or compartments,
by walls of brick.
This invention consists essentially in constructing the chamber with a flooring
of paving bricks laid in cement, building the dividing walls with steam passages
through or between the bricks, and forming the upper surface of the chamber,
which is the floor of the drying chamber, in part, of iron plates or other good heat
conducting material so that a greater amount of heat may be radiated from the
floor at some parts than at others.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of drying shed.
Figure 2 plan of shed on reduced scale.
Figure 3 perspective view of divisions and compartment of the heating chamber.
A is the air or drying space in the shed. B racks erected at intervals, (say of
4' 10" apart) on which the articles to be dried may be placed. Other of the articles
are placed on the floor between the racks. I find the most economic way of con-
structing the shed is with racks and floor space alternately, on which to place the
articles to be dried. O is the heating chamber. D compartments therein with
division walls E which support the weight of the floor F and the articles placed
thereon, and on the racks B. G is earth or ground upon which the shed is erected.
The earth G I cover with a layer of paving bricks set in cement or mortar, or it
may be covered with concrete or other material which is a bad conductor of heat,
and which will not absorb much water from the condensation of the steam by
which the chamber is heated. The steam is introduced by perforated pipes H from
the exhaust of the engine or from a steam generator as may be required. The
division walls E are built so that the steam can freely pass and circulate through

page_text: These
them, preferably of plain bricks with spaces left between the ends, as shown in
Figure 3, though instead thereof perforated bricks may be employed. The floor F
is constructed between the racks B of "raveted" edge paving bricks or paving
stones, concrete or other suitable material and under the racks of metallic plates I,
which are much better conductors of heat than are the bricks or concrete.
plates are preferably made of the form shown in the drawings, in order to present
as great a radiating surface as possible though they may be made convex, concave,
or flat if desired. By this arrangement of floor the bricks placed on the racks. are
dried in about the same length of time that those placed on the floor are, by reason
of a greater amount of heat passing through the metal plates, than through the
brick or concrete floor. The bricks are dried in a shed so built more evenly and
with less unequal contraction. A greater portion of the heat is transmitted through
the metal plates beneath the racks, than through the other parts of the floor, the
one in the shed being heated, thereby without the bricks coming in contact with a
more highly heated floor surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The construction of drying floors for bricks or other articles, part being of
brick or similar material, and part of metal or good heat conducting material
substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. In drying floors or plant, a heating chamber having a lower surface of paving
brick or non-conducting and non-absorbent material, and division walls or parti-
tions with apertures or openings through which the steam may freely pass from one
compartment to another, substantially as described.
3. A shed or plant for drying bricks or other articles, with drying chamber
having a lower surface of poor conducting and absorbent material, perforated
division walls and floor, formed in part of brick and part of metal, substantially as
and for the purposes described.