IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Coupland, of Haggerstone, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES."
Sealed the 29th September 1859; and dated the 2nd April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Coupland at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
.2nd April 1859.
I, MICHAEL COUPLAND, of Haggerstone, in the County of Middlesex,.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS,
IN FURNACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in furnaces. For these
purposes, in constructing furnaces wherein a part or parts of the fire bars are
made to rise as the fuel is burned, in place of the hand mechanism for raising
and lowering such part or parts of the fire bars, I apply hydraulic mechanism:
or the pressure of steam. It is preferred that the centre portion of the bars
of a single furnace should be moveable, and that those bars should be arranged.
longitudinally of the furnace, also that on either side of such moveable bars:
there should be a set of fixed fire bars arranged in a direction transversely.
across the furnace, and inclining towards the centre of the furnace. Below
the moveable portion of the fire bars there is, as heretofore, a chamber, into.:

page_text: which the moveable fire bars descend when they require to have fresh fuel
supplied thereto, and provision is made for transverse bars to slide across the
opening, which would otherwise be left where the moveable fire bars descend,
and such transverse fire bars uphold the burning fuel till the moveable fire
bars are again raised with the fresh fuel thereon, when the sliding transverse
bars go out of the way till the moveable bars again descend to be again
supplied with fuel. The moveable fire bars are actuated by levers, which
receive their motion from the movement of the ram or piston of an hydraulic
cylinder, which is supplied with water by a pump or by a head of water, or in
place thereof by the pressure of steam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Coupland in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
COUPLAND, of Haggerstone, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing. date the Second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Michael Coupland, Her special licence that I, the said
Michael Coupland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Michael Coupland, 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 FURNACES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Michael Coupland, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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 Michael Coupland, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be:

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in furnaces. For these
purposes, in constructing furnaces wherein a part or parts of the fire bars are
made to rise as the fuel is burned, in place of the band mechanism for raising
and lowering such part or parts of the fire bars, I apply hydraulic mechanism
or the pressure of steam. It is preferred that the centre portion of the bars
of a single furnace should be moveable, and that those bars should be arranged
longitudinally of the furnace. Also, that on either side of such moveable bars
there should be a set of fixed fire bars arranged in a direction transversely
across the furnace, and inclining towards the centre of the furnace. Below
the moveable portion of the fire bars there is, as heretofore, a chamber, into
which the moveable fire bars descend when they require to have fresh fuel
supplied thereto, and provision is made for transverse bars to slide across the
opening, which would otherwise be left where the moveable fire bars descend, and
such transverse fire bars uphold the burning fuel till the moveable fire bars are
again raised with the fresh fuel thereon, when the sliding transverse bars go out
of the way till the moveable bars again descend to be again supplied with fuel.
The moveable fire bars are actuated by levers, which receive. their motion from
the movement of the ram or piston of an hydraulic cylinder, which is supplied
with water by a pump or by a head of water, or in place thereof by the pressure
of steam.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will procced niore
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a double furnace constructed with my
improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section; Figure 3
a transverse section; and Figure 4 a plan in section. In each of theso
Figures the same letters are used to indicate the same parts.
A and B are the two compartments of the double furnace, and they are
separated by a fire-brick partition; C and D is the bridge at the back end of
the furnace. The arrangement shown is suitable for a brewer's copper. The
two fire-places A and B are similar to each other, and they are each composed
of two sets of fixed or stationary inclined fire bars e, e, having between them
a box or rectangular shaft f, f, in which a moveable frame of fire bars g is.
used, and these moveable frames of fire bars are alternately lowered to be
supplied with fresh coal, and then lifted by hydraulic or steam power into
their upper position.
:

page_text: In the Drawings the moveable frame of bars g is at the highest position in
the fire-place A, whilst the moveable frame of bars 9 is in its lowest position
below the fire-place B, and it is when in this position that fresh coal is supplied
to the moveable frames of bars. When either of the moveable frames of fire
bars g is about to be moved down from under the ignited fuel thereon, a frame
of bars h is moved across the shaft or rectangular box, and under the ignited
fuel on the fire bars g, and such supporting bars h will support the ignited
fuel whilst the bars g descend, and until coal has been supplied thereon and
they have been again raised. E, E, are two carriages, which are run under
the bars 9 to catch any small coal which may fall through. The double
furnace is arranged to run in and out of the fire-place on the wheels F, F,
and there are rails laid down for such wheels to run on, as is shown in the
Drawing; but the hydraulic apparatus requires to be first detached and
removed before the carriage can be run out from under the boiler.
The peculiarity of this Invention consists in combining with moveable
frames of fire bars, such as are shown and described, hydraulic or steam
machinery to raise them, in place of simply using manual power, which in large
furnaces cannot be done with convenience. It is preferred to employ hydraulic
power, and to have a supply of water constantly ready at the requisite height,
according to the diameter of the cylinder used, and the weight of firo bars
and charge of coals to be raised. G is a cylinder, having a piston therein,
which is worked by water which is admitted and run off therefrom by means
of cocks actuated by quadrants H, H, or other convenient means. The piston
rod G' is connected at its upper end with the sliding frame I, which is formed
with toothed racks J, J, on either side, which take into and gear with one or
other of the pinions K, which are arranged to slide and turn on fixed studs or
axes by levers, so that one may be moved into and the other out of position in
respect to the racks J; and these pinions give motion by other pinions to the
axes L, L, on which there are toothed wheels at each end, which take into
necks M, affixed to the frames of supporting bars; and it is by these means
that one or other set of the supporting bars h are brought under the ignited
fuel on the bars g, which are next to descend in order to have coal supplied
thereto. The frame I is guided in its movement up and down by having a
slot through it, in which is a fixed stud having an enlarged head N, as shown.
Each of the moveable frames of bars g has an axis O, with arms P, which, by
connecting rods or links Q, support and move the frames of bars 9, and motion
is alternately given to the axes O by means of the piston rod G', on which
there is a stud G2, and according as the arm R of one or other of the axes O.
is acted on by the stud G³, so will be the set of bars g, which for the time will

page_text: be actuated by the hydraulic cylinder, or it might be steam cylinder G, and it
would be convenient to use a steam cylinder when the furnace or furnaces are
applied to a steam boiler furnace. The arms Rare cach made with a slot
therein, and they are made to fold in hinges; hence, when the stud G¹ is in
position one of the arms R may be folded away from the stud and the other
folded to the stud in such manner that the stud will pass through the slot
therein, and then the hydraulic cylinder will, on the cocks being turned, move
the set of bars g in connection with that arm R; the other set of bars 9 are
to be retained in their position in any convenient manner.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts of the mechanism separately; but what I claim is,-
First, the combining hydraulic apparatus with moveable fire bars of furnaces
such as are herein described.
And, secondly, I claim the combining steam apparatus with moveable fire
bars of furnaces such as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Coupland, have bercunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
MICHAEL COUPLAND. (L.S.)