IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS OR OVENS FOR BURNING OR BAKING BRICKS, PRO
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Postill, of Nelson Street, Scarborough,
in the County of York, Brick Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS OR OVENS FOR BURNING OR BAKING BRICKS,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Postill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1868.
I, FRANCIS POSTILL, of Nelson Street, Scarborough, in the County of
York, Brick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS OR OVENS FOR BURNING OR BAKING
BRICKS, EARTHENWARE, LIMESTONE, POTTERY, AND OTHER CERAMIC ARTICLES,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that description of kilns or ovens in which
the firing or baking of bricks, earthenware, and other articles is carried
on as a continuous process by causing the hot gases resulting from the
combustion of fuel in one kiln or compartment to pass into another kiln

page_text: or compartment before escaping into a chimney so as to dry and heat
the fresh goods contained therein while the air required for the com-
bustion of fuel in the kiln that is being fired is made before entering
the kiln to pass through other kilns or chambers containing hot goods
that have been fired so as to take up and utilize the heat from the
same.
In
I construct a kiln divided by permanent division walls into four or
more chambers arranged round a central chimney, the sides of each
chamber being however straight, so that in plan the entire kiln has
either a square or polygonal form. These chambers communicate at one
or more points with the central chimney by means of separate flues or
passages to each chamber provided with dampers, and they also inter-
communicate by means of flues or openings formed through or beneath
the division walls at a point as close as practicable to the outside wall
of the kiln, which flues are provided with dampers. Doorways or
openings are formed in the outside wall through which the goods to be
fired are introduced, which openings are temporarily closed when the
kiln is at work. The fuel for firing the kiln is introduced through
openings in the roof of the kiln provided with valves or covers.
firing the fuel is first fed in and ignited in one chamber close up to one
of the division walls, and the fire is gradually carried forward to the
other division wall by introducing fuel at different points. During this
time the flue communicating with the chimney is at first opened for the.
passage of the draught, while the flue in the division wall is closed.
When the firing has advanced- somewhat however the chimney flue is
closed and the flue in the division wall is opened so as to cause the hot
gases resulting from the combustion to pass through one or more of the
other chambers in advance before escaping into, the, chimney, in order to
heat the fresh goods contained therein preparatory to firing. At the
same time the air, required for the combustion, of the fuel in the chamber
that is being fired passes in through the side openings of the chamber in
the rear thereof, which chamber contains highly-heated goods that have
just been fired. The air in passing among them takes up the heat
therefrom before passing through the flue in the division wall into the
chamber that is being fired. By making the walls of the chambers
straight, and by placing the flues or openings through which. they inter-
communicate in the position described, the great disadvantage, of: kilns.
of a circular or curved form is obviated, in which kilus the goods or
other articles situated near the outer wall of the kilu are only imperfectly.

page_text: fired owing to the tendency of the draught to creep round the inner
circumference of such kilns; whereas by my arrangement the draught is
forced to pass along close to the outer wall of the chamber in order to
reach the flue in the division wall, and the goods are thus fired equally
throughout the chamber.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Postill in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I, FRANCIS
POSTILL, of Nelson Street, Scarborough, in the County of York, Brick
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Francis Postill, Her special licence that I, the
said Francis Postill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Francis Postill, 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 KILNS OR OVENS FOR BURNING
OR BAKING BRICKS, EARTHENWARE, LIMESTONE, POTTERY, AND OTHER CERAMIC
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis
Postill, 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 Francis Postill, 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, reference being had to the accompanying

page_text: is to say-
My Invention relates to that description of kilns or ovens in which
the firing or baking of bricks, earthenware, and other articles is carried
on as a continuous process by causing the hot gases resulting from the
combustion of fuel in one kiln or compartment to pass into another kiln
or compartment before escaping into a chimney so as to dry and heat
the fresh goods contained therein, while the air required for the com-
bustion of fuel in the kiln that is being fired is made, before entering
the kiln, to pass through other kilns or chambers containing hot goods
that have been fired, so as to take up and utilize the heat from the
same.
I construct kilns divided by permanent division walls into four or
more chambers arranged round a central chimney, which chambers
therefore constitute so many distinct kilns, the sides of each chamber
being however straight, so that in plan the entire kilns have either a
square or polygonal form. These chambers or kilns communicate at one
or more points with the central chimney by means of separate flues or
passages to each chamber or kiln provided with dampers, and they also
intercommunicate by means of flues or openings formed through or
beneath the division walls at a point as close as practicable to the outside
walls of the kilns, which flues are provided with dampers. Doorways or
openings are formed in the outside wall through which the goods to be
fired are introduced, which openings are temporarily closed when the
kilns are at work. The fuel for firing the kilns is introduced through
openings in the roof of the kilns provided with valves or covers. In
firing the fuel is first fed in and ignited in one chamber or kiln close up
to one of the division walls and the fire is gradually carried forward to
the other division wall by introducing fuel at different points. During
this time the flue communicating with the chimney is at first opened for
the passage of the draught while the flue in the division wall is closed.
When the firing has advanced somewhat however the chimney flue is
closed and the flue in the division wall is opened, so as to cause the hot
gases resulting from the combustion to pass through one or more of the
other. chambers or kilns in advance before escaping into the chimney in
order to heat the fresh. goods contained therein preparatory to firing.
At the same time the air required for the combustion of the fuel in the
chamber.or kiln that is being fired passes in through the side openings

page_text: of the chamber in the rear thereof, which chamber or kiln contains
highly heated goods that have just been fired. The air in passing among
them takes up the heat therefrom before passing through the flue in the
division wall into the chamber or kiln that is being fired. By making
the walls of the chambers or kilns straight, and by placing the flues or
openings through which they intercommunicate in the position described,
the great disadvantage of kilns of a circular or curved form is obviated,
in which kilns the goods or other articles situated near the outer wall of
the kiln are only imperfectly fired owing to the tendency of the draught
to creep round the inner circumference of such kilus; whereas by my
arrangement the draught is caused to pass along close to the outer wall
of the chamber or kiln in order to reach the flue in the division wall, and
the goods are thus fired equally throughout the chamber or kiln.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is shown the construction
of my before described improved kilns arranged with four firing
chambers or kilns.
Figure 1 shows a part plan and part sectional plan of the same;
Figure 2 shows a part front elevation and section on line X, X,
Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of part of the kilns on
line Y, Y, Figure 1, and Figure 4 shows a transverse section on
line Z, Z, Figure 1, the last two Figures being drawn to an enlarged
scale. Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of the
Figures.
The kilns A are of a rectangular shape on plan as shown and are
divided by the four diagonal walls B1, B2, B3, B4, into four separate
firing chambers or kilus C1, C2, C3, C', surrounding a central chamber D
containing the flues E¹ to Es, by which the chambers or kilns C
communicate with the chimney F; of these flues E, E, E³, com-
municate with the chamber or kiln C, E with C, E, E, E', with C³,
and Es with C. Each flue is provided with a damper or slide G worked
by means of a rod or chain G¹ from the roof for cutting off the communi-
cation with the chimney. In the outer walls of the kilns are formed the
openings or doorways M, M, through which the goods to be fired are
introduced and removed and which are bricked up during the process
of firing, and in the roof are formed vertical fuel apertures H provided
with covers I which may or may not be provided with a sand lute
through which fuel apertures the fuel for effecting the burning or baking
of the goods is introduced. The chambers or kilns C are made to inter-.

page_text: communicate by means of flues or passages J', J, J, J, passing
respectively from the floor of one chamber or kiln beneath the division
wall B to the floor of the adjoining chamber or kiln, the opening of the
flue on the one side of the wall being provided with a cover K actuated
by means of rods or chains L from the roof of the kilns for the purpose
of closing the communication when desired.
Assuming that the chamber or kiln C is being charged with green
bricks or other goods, that C' has just been fired, that C is being fired,
and that the goods in C are being dried preparatory to being fired, the
operation of the kilns will take place as follows:-Fuel is introduced
among the goods in the chamber or kiln C through the fuel
apertures H, in the first instance nearest the partition wall B³ and is
ignited and burnt by highly heated air passing in from the chamber
or kiln C through the flue J, such air being for this purpose made
to enter the chamber or kiln C through the fuel apertures H in the
roof thereof, as also through the side openings M, and in passing among
the burnt goods on its way to the flue J' to take up heat from such
goods, whereby these are gradually cooled preparatory to being removed.
The flue E' is at the same time closed in order to prevent the hot air
from escaping up the chimney. At the commencement of the firing
of the chamber or kiln C³ the flues E, E, E7, are opened so as to allow
of a direct draught from the chamber or kiln into the chimney for the
purpose of carrying off the moist vapour that is first driven off from the
goods. When this has been effected to a sufficient extent the dampers
of these flues are closed consecutively as the firing is advanced in the
chamber by the introduction of fuel through the fuel apertures in
advance of those near the wall B', and at the same time the flue J³
establishing a communication between C³ and C is opened, and the
hot gaseous products of combustion are caused to pass from C into C'
so as to impart their heat to and thus dry the goods contained in this
chamber or kiln; from C the gases escape into the chimney F in the
first instance through the flue E', but when the filling in of the green
goods in the chamber C¹ has been completed and the doorways M
closed the flue J is opened, so as to cause the gases to pass from C*
into C and impart the greater portion of their remaining heat to the
goods contained in this chamber or kiln before escaping to the chimney
through the flue E. The flue J¹ remains closed during this time so as
to prevent any communication between C¹ and C². When the goods
contained in C have been sufficiently cooled by the passage of cold air

page_text: as before described, the goods are removed and replaced with green
goods, at the same time the firing of C³ having been completed, the
firing of C is commenced for which purpose the fuel is introduced
through the fuel apertures H of that chamber or kiln, and the air
required for supporting combustion is now caused to pass in through the
fuel apertures of C, and thus it will be seen that each of the chambers
or kilns are in rotation charged, dried and heated, fired, cooled, and
discharged. It will be seen that by the arrangement of the flues J
near the outer walls of the kilns, and by the straight form of the
chambers, the draught is made to pass very equally through the entire
contents of the chamber or kiln, and the goods are by this means very
uniformly burnt. If required at any time, either for effecting repairs
in some of the chambers or otherwise, the intercommunication between
the chambers or kilns may be closed, and each chamber be worked
as a separate kiln, the combustion taking place at one end while the
other end is in communication with the chimney in a similar manner
to the Newcastle kiln.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not claim the various details of construction of my improved kilns
as forming separate and apart from their combination as described any
part of my present Invention; but what I claim under the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the before described improved
construction of kilns divided by permanent division walls B into a
number of straight sided firing chambers C constituting separate kilns
surrounding a chimney F with which they communicate by means of
separate flues E, each chamber or kiln being made to communicate with
the one adjoining by means of a flue J situated near to the outer walls
of the kilns, and the introduction of fuel being effected through vertical
fuel apertures H in the roof of the kiln.
In witness, whereof, I, the said Francis Postill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-night
FRANCIS POSTILL. (L.S.)