Im- PRARDNERS TV Ton Moing AND METHOD EMPLOYED FOR BURNING BRICKS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel William Shaw; of Bower Hill House,
Maidstone, in the County of Kent, for the Invention of "Im-
PRARDNERS TV Ton Moing AND METHOD EMPLOYED FOR BURNING BRICKS."
THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel William Shaw
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th November 1869.
I, SAMUEL. WILLIAM SHAW, of Bower Hill House, Maidstone, in the
County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND METHOD EMPLOYED FOR BURNING BRICKS," to
be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is. to. burn bricks with about half the
quantity of coal that it takes in the ordinary Scotch kiln and in other
kilns of the usual construction. For a kiln holding, say, 100,000 bricks
it generally requires at least 20 fire holes on each side, whereas a
kiln employed on my improved plan has no fire holes along the sides,
but merely 4 or 5 at one end, the flues being arranged to run longi-

page_text: tudinally through the same. In "setting" the bricks in the kiln flues
are formed leading from the bottom to the top of the kiln, through which
the coals are put. The tops of the flues are covered over by means of
metal caps, which the burner lifts off with a look when he wants to feed.
As soon as the kiln is filled with the bricks to be burned, which are set
in a proper manner to form the flues, it is covered over with two or more
courses of burnt bricks; these are again closed or carthed in on the top
with earth to keep the kiln air-tight. The fires are then lit at the end
of the kiln, and as soon as there is sufficient heat to ignite the coals,
which have been put in from the top, the fire holes are closed, and the
remainder of the burning is carried on. by the fresh supplies of coal put
in from the top at intervals. At the end of the kiln opposite the fire
holes a flue is formed which runs into a shaft placed a short distance
from the kiln; this shaft ensures the required draught through the
kiln. I propose to fit along the side of the kiln wickets, the number.
of which would vary according to the size of the kiln. For instance, in
a kiln holding 100,000 bricks about 3 wickets would be necessary. As
soon as the kiln is "burnt off" and ready to be drawn a gang of men
can commence drawing, and as soon as they have passed the first wicket
others can commence setting, and so on throughout the kiln ; whereas
in the ordinary kiln with the wickets at the ends the whole of the kiln
must be drawn before the men can commence setting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel William Shaw in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 12th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
WILLIAM SHAW, of Bower Hill House, Maidstone, in the County of
Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letter's
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel William Shaw, Her special licence
that I, the said Samuel William Shaw, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel William Shaw, my

page_text: 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 THE MEANS AND METHOD EMPLOYED IN BURNING BRICKS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel William
Shaw, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Samuel William Shaw, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :--
The object of my Invention is to burn bricks with about half the
quantity of coal that it takes in the ordinary Scotch kiln and in other
kilns of the usual construction. For a kiln holding, say, 100,000 bricks
it generally requires at least 20 fire holes on each side, whereas a kiln
employed on my improved plan has no fire holes along the sides, but
8 (more or less) at one end, the flues being arranged to run longitu-
dinally through the same. In "setting" the bricks in the kiln flues
are formed leading from the bottom to the top of the kiln through
which the coals are put. The tops of the flues are covered over by
means of metal caps, which the burner lifts off with a hook when he
wants to feed. As soon as the kiln is filled with the bricks to be burnt,
which are set in a proper manner to form the flues, it is covered over
with two or more courses of burnt bricks; these are again closed or
earthed in on the top with earth to keep the kiln air-tight. The fires
are then lit at the end of the kiln, and as soon as there is sufficient_heat
to ignite the coals which have been put in from the top the fire holes
are closed, and the remainder of the burning is carried on by the fresh
supplies of coal put in at the top at intervals. At the end of the kiln
opposite the fire holes a flue is formed which runs into a shaft placed a
short distance from the kiln. This shaft ensures the required draft

page_text: through the kiln. I propose to fit along the side of the kiln wickets,
the number of which would vary according to the size of the kiln. For
instance in a kiln holding a hundred thousand bricks about. three
wickets would be necessary. As soon as the kiln is burnt off and
ready to be drawn a gang of men can commence drawing, and as
soon as they have passed the first wicket others can commence setting,
and so on throughout the kiln; whereas in the ordinary kiln with the
wickets at the ends, the whole of the kiln must be drawn before men
can commence setting.
The Invention will be well understood by referring to the accompany-¨
ing Drawings of which Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a double
kiln as I prefer to construct them, and before the green bricks are
placed therein. It will be seen that I erect two side walls A, A, and
two end walls B, B, to make the kiln of rectangular form, these are made
of sufficient thickness to stand alone, the connection being only at the
corners. The green bricks to be burnt are laid in rows upon the ground
to form channels or flues as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2,
which is a plan view of two double kilns with a central flue C for
carrying away the vapour, sulphurous gasses, et cetera, that are thrown
off from the bricks during the burning and leading them into the uptake
or chimney D. The walls at one end are provided with a series of
openings or fire holes for first starting the heat within the kilns. These
holes lead into horizontal channels or passages between the vertical
layers of bricks, and as the heat from the fires is taken up by the
bricks they become sufficiently hot to ignite coal. These holes are then
shut or closed as far as supplying fuel is concerned, but they serve to
admit air to the channels to support the combustion of the fresh coal
which is afterwards inserted through the apertures in the covering in
of the kiln as before mentioned, which apertures are kept closed by
metal caps let into the earth surrounding the sockets, except at the
moment of firing when the cap is lifted by an attendant whose duty it
is to attend to the kiln. The apertures in the covering lead from vertical
spaces left between the bricks at the time of placing them in the kiln
as well as the flue spaces before referred to into which they lead. The
covering is. as before mentioned composed of old burnt bricks preferably
in two courses, over which a quantity of loose earth is placed not only
to prevent the escape of heat from the inside but also to prevent the
entry of cold air from the outside.

page_text: When the kiln is constructed in pairs or double pairs as above
described I prefer to lead the products of combustion from one kiln to
another, so that all the heat is taken up by them before it arrives at the
chimney flue; and I have found such a course of great advantage as
the most heat is utilized in the first kiln before it passes to the next, by
this means while the bricks in the first kiln are being burnt those in
the second kiln are being heated and prepared for after firing, when the
third one will receive the heat from the second one in like manner. In
this mode the supply of fuel to the first kiln can be stopped and the
bricks allowed to become cold, when they can be removed or "drawn
by the workmen through the wickets E, E, in the usual manner.
"
Figure 3 represents an end view of the kiln; Figure 4 is a sectional
end view showing the divisional wall; and Figure 5, a detached view of
one of the end walls with the apertures leading to the back flue F.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,
Firstly. The mode of burning bricks in the manner described.
Secondly. The general construction of kilns in the manner and
for the purpose herein-before described and represented in the annexed
Drawings.
Thirdly. The mode of forming flues or passages through the tiers of
bricks for the purpose of leading the products of combustion through
them before passing off to the chimney, in the manner herein-before
described.
And, fourthly. Feeding open kilns from the top or burning bricks by
feeding from the top in kilns that have no fixed roof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samual William Shaw, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
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