IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO FURNACES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cliff, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS
TO FURNACES."
Sealed the 16th May 1856, and dated the 11th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cliff at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
December 1855.
I, JAMES CLIFF, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR
ADDITIONS TO FURNACES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in admitting into and shutting off from furnaces a
supply of atmospheric air through valves or apertures, the opening and closing
of which are regulated by the weight of a liquid, or by a float, piston, or
plunger worked by liquid, whether such admission of air take. place through
the furnace door, over the door,. or through passages opening into. any desired
part of the furnace.
When the admission of air is. to take place through the door, I fit in a
fraine therein two, three, or more vertical plates, with perforations or apertures
otherwise formed therein, but in such manner that the apertures do not come
opposite to each other in a horizontal line, and on the outside of the door. I

page_text: fit a corresponding plate, which is free to rise and fall when worked in the
manner berein-after explained, and so bring the apertures therein wholly or
partially open or shut, to corresponding apertures in the outer plate of the
frame. Or I fit plates into a frame, which I affix to the furnace door in such
manner as to intercept the air entering the furnace through them, and divide it
into stream or jets, and I employ a sliding plate without apertures therein,
worked as hereafter explained, to regulate the admission or shut off the
supply of air through them.
In order to work the outer plates for admitting or cutting off the inflow of
air, I connect them either to a water weight or to a float, piston, or plunger.
When to a water weight, I carry a chain over a pulley or pulleys, attached at
one end to the plate, and at the other to a vessel for containing water, which
when full is of just sufficient weight to keep the plate raised, and in that
position in which the greatest amount of air can pass through or under it.
By the shutting of the furnace door, this vessel is so constructed and con-
nected that it will rise charged out of a reservoir. It is fitted with a cock at
bottom, by opening which the water will run out of the vessel, and as it
becomes of less weight than the sliding plate, this latter will gradually descend
by its own gravity until it entirely shuts off the passage of air through it into
the furnace. On opening the furnace door, the weight vessel will descend
into the reservoir, and by means of a valve in it opening inwards will become
charged, and on closing the furnace door will be raised charged, and will work
the sliding plate, as herein-before described.
When the sliding plate is worked by a plunger or float, I employ a vessel
separated into two compartments, one for containing water under pressure,
and the other for containing a piston, plunger, or float, which is made to fit it
accurately; both compartments are connected through a pipe, carried from the
bottom of one to the bottom of the other, and provided with a stop-cock;
another stop-cock is fitted to the plunger compartment. A balance lever is
connected. at one end to the piston or float rod, and at the other to a chain
passing over pulleys and attached to the sliding plate; it also carries at that end
a balance weight to assist in raising the sliding plate. A chain from the furnace
door is attached to the handle of the cock, commanding the passage from one
compartment of the water vessel to the other, and is carried on over a pulley to
a weight. Supposing the sliding plate to be down, and so closed to the admis-
sion of air, the furnace door closed, the water vessel charged under pressure,
and the piston at the bottom of its stroke, and communication between the
compartments of the water vessel closed: now, on opening the furnace door,
the weight will draw back the handle of the stop-cock, which will allow water

page_text: to flow under the float or piston, raise it, and, through the balance-lever, the
sliding plate; then, on shutting the furnace door, the stop-cock will be closed,
and on opening the second stop-cock, the water will flow out of the plunger
compartment, the plunger will follow it down, and the sliding plate will
consequently fall, and shut off the admission of air through it into the furnace.
When these plates are not connected to the furnace door, it will be obvious
that they must be raised by hand or other suitable means, and only closed by
the regulation of the weight of water or pressure or level of water, as herein-
before described.
By regulating the outflow of water from the water weight, or from the
plunger compartment, or the level of the water in the regulating vessels, the
time during which the sliding plates are to remain open or partially open can
be nicely adjusted and regulated, according to the requirements of the furnace
to be supplied with air. For instance, in addition to the ordinary means of
admitting air to furnaces, the air compartments, herein-before described, may
be applied to regulate the admission of air immediately after placing a freshi
supply of fuel into the furnace, when a greater quantity of air will be found
necessary to effect perfect combustion, or as nearly so as may be, than after
the fuel has been some time under distillation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filcil
by the said James Cliff in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CLIFF, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Cliff, Her special licence that I, the said James Cliff, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Cliff, 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 OR ADDITIONS TO

page_text: FURNACES," upon the condition. (amongst others) that I, the said James Cliff,
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 James Cliff, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in admitting into and shutting off from furnaces a
supply of atmospheric air through valves or apertures, the opening and closing
of which are regulated by the weight of a liquid, or by a float, piston, or
plunger worked by liquid, whether such admission of air take place through
the furnace door, over the door, or through passages opening into any desired
part of the furnace.
When the admission of air is to take place through the door, I fit in a
frame therein two, three, or more vertical plates, with perforations or apertures
otherwise formed therein, but in such manner that the apertures do not come
opposite to each other in a horizontal line, and on the outside of the door I fit
a corresponding plate, which is free to rise and fall when worked in the manner
herein-after explained, and so bring the apertures therein wholly or partially
open or shut to corresponding apertures in the outer plate of the frame. Or
I fit plates into a frame, which I affix to the furnace door in such manner as
to intercept the air entering the furnace through them, and divide it into
streams or jets; and I employ a sliding plate without apertures therein, worked
as hereafter explained, to regulate the admission or shut off the supply of air
through them.
In order to work the outer plates for admitting or cutting off the inflow of
air, I connect them either to a water weight or to a float, piston, or plunger:
When to a water weight, I carry'a chain over a pulley or pulleys, and attach
one end of the chain to the plate, and the other to a vessel for containing water,
which when full is of just sufficient weight to keep the plate raised, and in
that position in which the greatest amount of air can pass through or under it.
By the shutting of the furnace door, this vessel is so constructed and con
nected that it will rise charged out of a reservoir. It is fitted with a cock or
screw at bottom, by opening which the water will run out of the vessel, and

page_text: as it becomes of less weight than the sliding plate, this latter will gradually
descend by its own gravity, diminishing as it descends, and finally shutting off
the passage of air through it into the furnace. On opening the furnace door,
the weight vessel will 'descend into the reservoir, and by means of a valve in it
opening inwards will become charged, and on closing the furnace door will be
raised charged, and will work the sliding plate, as herein-before described.
a
When the sliding plate is worked by a plunger or float, I employ a vessel
separated into two compartments, one for containing water under pressure,
and the other for containing a piston, plunger, or float, which is made to fit it
accurately; both compartments are connected through a pipe, carried from the
bottom of one to the bottom of the other, and provided with a stop-cock;
another stop-cock is fitted to the plunger compartment. A balance lever is
connected at one end to the piston or float rod, and at the other to'a chain
passing over pulleys and attached to a sliding plate; it also carries at this end
a balance weight to assist in raising the sliding plate. A chain from the
furnace door is attached to the handle of the cock, commanding the passage
from one compartment of the water vessel to the other, and is carried on over
pulley to a weight. Supposing the sliding plate to be down, and so closed to
the admission of air, the furnace door closed, the water vessel charged under
pressure, and the piston at the bottom of the stroke, and communication
between the compartments of the water vessel closed: now, on opening the
furnace door, the weight will draw back the handle of the stop-cock, which
will allow water to flow under the float or piston, raise it, and, through the
balance lever, the sliding plate; then, on shutting the furnace door, the stop-cock
will be closed, and on opening the second stop-cock, or that under the plunger
compartment, the water will flow out of the plunger compartment, the
plunger will follow it down, and the sliding plate will consequently fall,
and shut off the admission of air through it into the furnace. When these
plates are not connected to the furnace door, it will be obvious that they must
be raised by hand, or other suitable means, and only closed by the regulation of
the weight of water, or pressure or level of water, as herein-before described.
By regulating the outflow of water from the water weight, or from
the plunger compartment, or the level of the water in the regulating vessel;
the tune during which the sliding plates are to remain open or partially
open can be nicely adjusted and regulated, according to the requirements of
the furnace to be supplied with air. For instance, in addition to the ordinary
means of admitting air to furnaces, the air compartments. herein-before
described may be applied to regulate the admission of air immediately after
placing a fresh supply of fuel into the furnace, when a greater quantity of air

page_text: will be found necessary to effect perfect combustion, or as nearly so as may be,
than after the fuel has been some time under distillation.
Figure of the annexed Drawings is a front view of a furnace door, con-
structed according to the first-mentioned arrangement, that is to say, provided
with an outer plate formed with apertures, raised and lowered for admitting
and shutting off air from the furnace by the action of a water weight. Figure 2
is a transverse section through the furnace door; and Figure 3, a section of
the water weight or water bucket detached. A, A, is the brickwork of the
furnace; B, the door; C, C, C, vertical plates, fitted in a frame D, fixed in the
door. These vertical plates are so placed in the frame that a small space is
left between each, and they are formed with horizontal openings or slots
a, a, a, extending nearly the whole breadth of the door; the slots are so con-
trived that the spaces or openings in one plate do not come directly opposite to
those in the other plate in a horizontal line. E is a plate on the outside of the
door, sliding in guides b, b. This plate is also formed with horizontal open-
ings or slots c, c, c. F is a chain, attached at one end to an eye d in a bar on
the back of the plate E, and passing over a pulley e, mounted in a swivel e',
fixed at the top of the door, and free to turn to the right or left, so as to allow
the chain play when the door is opened and shut. The chain F passes over
another pulley e, mounted on a standard G, fixed to the cover f of a reservoir
of water H, placed in a suitable position with respect to the furnace door. In
this cover f is an orifice g, through which the chain passes, and from its extre-
mity a water bucket or water weight I, placed within the reservoir, is suspended.
This weight I consists of a vessel having at bottom a valve h opening inwards.
i is a regulating tap fixed to the bottom of the vessel. There is an opening j
in the side of the reservoir, through which an attendant may insert his arm to
regulate the tap. A sufficient quantity of water to fill the bucket should be
kept in the reservoir H, but not sufficient to rise above the level to which the
vessel descends when the chain is tightened by the closing of the door, as to be
presently explained. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-On opening
the furnace door the chain F is slackened, and the vessel I will descend in the
reservoir by its own gravity, and fill itself through the valve h, opening inwards.
On closing the door the chain becomes tightened over the pulleys, and draws
the vessel up out of the water. The vessel thus charged, being of greater
weight than the sliding plate E, raises the latter. When the door is quite closed,
the vessel I and plate E are raised to their. full extent, and according to the
outflow through the tap i, so will the vessel become gradually of less weight
than the sliding plate, which will consequently as gradually fall, until it com-
pletely shuts off the passage of air through it into the furnace.

page_text: Figure 4 is a section, and Figure 5 an elevation, of a modification of an
arrangement for admitting air into a furnace. Figure 4", a section through the
line a, b, of Figure 4. A, A, are horizontal plates, fitted in or attached to a
furnace door or other suitable part of a furnace; B, B, are a series of vertical
bars or rods, fixed between the plates, and so arranged with respect to each
other, that the spaces a, a, between the rods in each row do not come exactly
opposite the spaces between the rods in the next row.
Figure 6 is a section, and Figure 7 an elevation, of another arrangement.
C, C, are the sides of a frame, between which two rows of louvre-shaped bars
or plates D, D, are fixed horizontally, having spaces or apertures a, a, between
them. The bars of the inner row are placed at a different angle with respect
to the side frames from those in the outer row, so that the spaces or openings
in each row do not come exactly opposite to each other.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a furnace, provided with air plates above
the door, from which the air is admitted and excluded by a sliding plate with-
out apertures, raised and lowered by the opening and shutting of the door
through a float, piston, or plunger acting in a water vessel.
Figure 9 is a vertical section of the water vessel; and Figure 10, a transverse
section through the frame of the air plates. A, A, is the brickwork of the
furnace; B, the door; C, the frame, fitted or formed above the door; D, D,
are two rows of plates or louvres, fixed in the frame, and extending across it
from end to end, the distance between the inner and outer rows being the same
as that between each separate louvre of the same row. The rows of plates are
placed, with respect to each other, as shewn in the cross section. E is a sliding
plate, fitted in guides a, a, formed in the sides of the frame, on the outside of
the furnace. This plate is suspended by a chain F, attached at one end to the
top of the plate E at the centre, and carried over pulleys b, c. From the pulley
c, the chain is attached to one end of a beam or lever G, free to move on its
centre at d. The further end of the beam G is attached to the rode of the
piston I. e' is a counterpoise, connected to the inner end of the beam; H is
the water vessel, divided into two compartments h', h2; the compartment h¹ is
that in which the piston I works; the compartment h² contains water under
pressure, and is closed at top. Pressure may be exerted on the surface of the
water in this compartment by admitting steam through a pipe i, attached to its
N is a discharge pipe, leading from the bottom of the compartment b²,
and provided with a stop-cock n;. J is a pipe, leading from the pipe N to the
bottom of the compartment h2, and thereby connecting the two compart-
ments; k is a cock, in the pipe J, between the two compartments, with a lever
bandle, on the end of which a swivel m is mounted; K is a chain, connected
cover.

page_text: at one end to the door of the furnace.. This chain is attached to the swivel m
on the handle of the cock k, and then brought.over. a pulley L. M'is a weight,
suspended from the end of the chain nearest the Jast-mentioned pulley. The
action of the apparatus is as follows:-Suppose the door of the furnace to be
closed, and the piston I at the bottom of its stroke, and the stop-cock n closed,
then on opening the door B, the chain K will be drawn back. by the weight M,
and, being attached to the handle of the cock k, will open the cock, and thus
allow the water under pressure in the compartment h² to flow through the pipe
.J, raise the piston I, and consequently the sliding plate E, through the beam
G.and chain F. As long as the cock n is closed, the sliding-plate E will
remain raised. Now, to shut off air entering through the plate F into the
furnace, the cock n is opened, when the water will flow out, the piston will
descend, and consequently the sliding plate will fall by its own gravity. The
lescent of the plate, and consequent admission and exclusion of air, are
governed by the rapidity of the descent of the piston, and this again is regu-
lated by the extent to which the regulating cock n is opened.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I wish it to be understood
that I am aware it has been proposed to shut off the supply of air by means of
a piston acting against water in a close cylinder, and that I do not claim as of
the Invention whereof the exclusive use is intended to be secured by the said
Letters Patent, the parts of the apparatus herein-before described, when taken
separately, or except when combined and applied in the manner herein-before
described and represented; and I hereby declare that I claim as my Invention,
the regulating the admission of air to furnaces by the weight of a liquid, or by
a float, piston, or plunger, adapted and applied as herein-before described, by
reference to the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cliff, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.
JAMES CLIFF. (L.S.)