IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING, HEATING, AND OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL. AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lewis Nicklin, of the Firm of William
Millington and Company, of Summerhill Iron Works, Tipton, in the
County of Stafford, Ironmasters, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PUDDLING, HEATING, AND OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES USED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL. AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 9th February 1866, and dated the 6th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lewis Nicklin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th December 1865.
I, THOMAS LEWIS NIOKLIN, of the Firm of William Millington and
Company, of Sumnierhill Iron Works, Tipton, in the County of Stafford,
Ironmasters, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING, HEATING, AND OTHER REVERBERATORY FURNACES USED'
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL,. AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing or arranging, in the manner herein-
after explained, the parts of puddling, heating, and other reverberatory
furnaces used in the manufacture of iron and steel and for other purposes,

page_text: whereby the air which is heated between the outer walls or plates and the
jamb and back wall plates of the furnaces is utilized by conveying it to the
fire-grates of the said furnaces.
In constructing a furnace according to my Invention, I fix hollow or per-
forated bearers in the ends and sides of the fire-grate, the said hollow or
perforated bearers being in communication with the hollow passages made
between the outer walls or plates and the jamb and back wall plates of the
furnace. Cold air is admitted to the last-mentioned passages where it is
heated by the plates, and the said plates thereby kept cool and preserved; the
air thus heated is conveyed by the hollow or perforated bearers, through which
bearers it passes on every or any side of the grate to support the combustion
of the fuel on the said grate. I also supply air heated in the way described
immediately above the grate and to the under side of the roof of the furnace
by means of pipes or hollow bricks in the bridge of the furnace and through
the hobs on the ends of the bridge. I also supply hot air through the fire
hole and staff holes or other convenient part of the furnace, the air being
beated in contact with the heated sides of the furnace; the hot air may also
be admitted to the grate through hollow grate bars and the bearers carrying
the same.
By constructing furnaces according to my Invention, the hot air which is
ordinarily allowed to pass from the furnace is made use of to support the com-
bustion of the fuel on the fire-grate; economy in the consumption of fuel
thereby results as well as perfect and regular combustion. By the use of the
hollow or perforated bearers around the fire-grate the clinkers are in. a great
measure prevented from adhering to the sides and ends of the fire-grate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Lewis Nicklin iu the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LEWIS NICKLIN, of the Firm of William Millington and Company, of
Summerhill Iron Works, Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Ironmasters,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, in the year of our
Lord 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

page_text: unto me, the said Thomas Lewis Nicklin, Her special licence that I,
the said Thomas Lewis Nicklin, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Lewis Nicklin, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 PUDDLING, HEATING, AND OTHER
REVERBERATORY FURNACES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Lewis Nicklin, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe 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 Thomas Lewis Nicklin, 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 thereof, that is to say :--
My Invention consists in constructing or arranging, in the manner herein-
after explained, the parts of puddling, heating, and other reverberatory furnaces
used in the manufacture of iron and steel, and for other purposes, whereby the
air which is heated between the outer walls or plates and the jamb and back
wall and bridge plates of the furnace is utilized by conveying it to the fire-.
grates of the said furnaces and to the interior of the said furnaces.
In constructing a furnace according to my Invention, I fix hollow or per-
forated boxes or bearers in the ends and sides of the fire-grate, the said hollow
or perforated boxes or bearers being in communication with the hollow
passages made between the outer walls or plates and the jamb and back wall.
plates of the furnace. Cold air is admitted to the last-mentioned passages
where it is heated by the plates, and the said plates thereby kept cool and
preserved. The air thus heated is conveyed to the hollow or perforated boxes
or bearers, through which boxes or bearers it passes on every or any side of
the grate to support the combustion of the fuel on the said grate. I also
apply air heated in the way described immediately above the grate, and to the
under side of the roof of the furnace, by means of pipes or hollow bricks. in
the bridge of the furnace and through the pillars or hobs on. the. ends. of the
bridge. I also supply hot air through the fire hole and staff holes or other,

page_text: convenient part of the furnace, the air being heated in contact with the heated
sides of the furnace; the hot air may also be admitted to the grate through
hollow grate bars and the bearers carrying the same.
By constructing furnaces according to my Invention, the hot air which is
ordinarily allowed to pass from the furnace is made use of to support the
combustion of the fuel; economy in the consumption of fuel thereby results,
as well as perfect and regular combustion. By the use of the hollow or per-
forated boxes or bearers around the fire-grate the clinkers are in a great
measure prevented from adhering to the sides and ends of the fire-grate.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents a front elevation, and Figure 2 a back elevation of a
puddling furnace constructed according to my Invention; Figure 3 is a
longitudinal section of the furnace; Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the
same taken through the line a, b, Figure 3; Figure 5 is an end elevation of
the furnace, and Figure 5 A is a transverse section taken through the bridge
of the furnace; the other Figures represent portions of the fire-grate, as
herein-after explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts
in each Figure. c is the bed of the puddling furnace; d, the reverberating
arch; e, the fire-place, and f the chimney or stack. The jamb plates of the
furnace are marked h, i, the back wall plate k, and the bridge plates l..
Between the plates h, i, k, l, and the outer plates m (or walls) of the furnace
hollow.
marked n are made. Cold air is admitted to these passages n
through the openings p, p, in the outer side plates or walls and through the
vertical passages 9 opening at bottom below the furnace, as in furnaces of the
ordinary construction. r are the fire-bars of the grate, immediately above
and around which are hollow or perforated boxes or bearers marked re-
spectively s, t, u, the said hollow or perforated boxes or bearers being built in
and supporting the walls of the fire-place in the manner best seen in the
section, Figure 3. The behind bearers is represented separately in elevation
and section in Figure 6; the bridge bearer t is represented separately in
elevation and section in Figure 7, and one of the side bearers is represented
in elevation, plan, and cross section in Figure 8.
.passages
The construction of these hollow or perforated boxes or bearers, and their
respective positions around the fire-gratė r, will be readily understood, without
further explanation by an examination of Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The hollow or perforated bearers s, t, u, are in communication in the manner
represented with the hollow passages n, n. The cold air in its passage

page_text: through the hollow flues n, as indicated by the arrows, is heated in contact
with the heated plates h, i, k, and bridge plates 1, and the air thus heated is
admitted through the perforated or hollow boxes or bearers s, t, and u imme-
diately above the fire-bars r of the grate to support the combustion of the
fuel on the said grate. The air heated in contact with the jamb plate i
nearest the grate passes through the staff holes and the fire hole w to the
grate. The hollow or perforated boxes or bearers s, t, u, for supplying hot
air to the fire-grate also serve to prevent the adhesion of the clinkers to the
sides and ends of the fire-grate. The bridge of the furnace I make hollow
in the manner represented, the said hollow bridge being in communication
with the side flues or passages n of the furnace. The hollow bridge x may,
if desired, open by means of perforated bricks or other openings into the fire-
place e and convey the heated air above the fire-grate 1. I supply the heated
air from one of the side passages n to the interior of the furnace by means of
a horizontal flue or pipe y made in the column or pillar a situated on one end
of the bridge (see Figure 5 A); or the bridge may be provided with a pillar
on either end, in each of which a horizontal flue or pipe is made for conveying
the hot air to the interior of the furnace.
Instead of supplying the grate with heated air in the manner described
and represented, the fire-bars and the bearers, carrying them may be made
hollow and perforated, and be placed in communication with the hollow
passages n, and in this way convey the hot air to the grate; I prefer, however,
to employ the arrangement of parts described and represented.
In applying my Invention to heating and other reverberatory furnaces used
in the manufacture of iron and steel and for other purposes, the parts of the
said furnaces are constructed and arranged essentially in the manner described
with reference to a puddling furnace.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in puddling,
heating, and other reverberatory furnaces used in the manufacture of iron
and steel, and for other purposes herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, constructing and arranging the
parts of the said furnaces, substantially in the manner described and illus-
trated for the purpose of utilizing the air which is heated between the outer
walls or plates and the jamb, back wall, and bridge plates of the furnace by
conveying the said heated air to the fire-place of the furnace and also to the.

page_text: interior of the furnace, by the use of which said heated air economy in the
consumption of fuel as well as perfect and regular combustion result..
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lewis Nicklin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness, .
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
THOMAS LEWIS NICKLIN. (L.S.)