An Improved Method of Making Incandescing Elements for Gas Burners.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Making Incandescing Elements for Gas
Burners.
I, CHARLES BARNETT HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 153 West
23rd Street New York, State of New York, U.S.A., Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement;-
My invention relates to that class of gas burners in which hydrogen or water-gas is
burned to render incandescent an element or body of material hung in the flame.
Usually the incandescing element of such burners has been composed of filaments or
fine threads or pencils formed by expressing the compound of which they are composed
through suitable dies. As this class of burners is now well known further reference
to the state of the art is unnecessary. The material employed in making such elements
may be varied, a large number of refractory substances or earths being suitable
for the purpose, such for instance as magnesia, zircona, strontia &c. In their
preparation they are mixed with some vehicle which gives the compound the capacity
of being formed into the required shapes; for instance it is common to employ a
mixture of starch and magnesia in making incandescing pencils and also a mixture of
magnesia and glue either with or without starch for the same purpose and also for
making threads or filaments which may be wrought into the desired shape. Afterwards
they are burned and are then ready for use.
In those burners in which pendant pencils are hung in the flame the pencils are
each separately formed and are held in a head or holder with a cement preferably of
the same material. This is a difficult operation since the pencils are very delicate
and breakage is large. Where the thread or filament is formed through a die it
must be wrought into the shape required and then burned the method of operation
requiring care and considerable time.
My invention comprehends a method of making incandescing elements unlike either
of those mentioned, and consists, generally speaking, in forming the compound into a
sheet of the thinness, and delicacy required and then cutting out, perforating or
slitting the sheet so as to obtain the shape or pattern which is desired.
In practising my invention I preferably mix with the refractory material a portion
of glue or like substance as above suggested so as to give the compound toughness
and flexibility. I then form it into sheets preferably by passing it between rolls.
From the sheet thus formed I may cut blanks, and then cut, slit, perforate or otherwise
form the blank to give the desired pattern. After which the element is burned and
is then ready for use.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figures 1 indicates rolls with a sheet of material passing between them.
Figure 2 shows a sheet of compound, the dotted lines indicating the shape of the
blanks which may be cut from it.
Figures 3 and 4 show blanks that have been punched cut or slit to form the
incandescing element; and
Figure 5 indicates the blank shown in Figure 4 bent into circular form.
Figures 6 and 7 are like views of another pattern.
Figure 8 a view of a circular incandescing element somewhat like that shown in
Figure 5.
Figure 9 illustrates a head or holder with three clements such as shown in figure 3
hung in it.
Figure 10 shows an assemblage of three elements and interposed washers ready to
be inserted in the head shown in figure 9.
• of anothan hood with three elements secured therein.

page_text: :
י
Figure 12 represents an ordinary gas bracket and burner with a head like that
shown in figure 9 suspended above the burner.
Figure 13 shows a different form of elements.
Figure 14 indicates a pair of such elements hung above a circular burner.
Figure 15 shows three curved or loop-shaped elements mounted upon a gas
burner.
A, A, are pairs of rolls for rolling the compound B into sheets. B¹, figure 2,
represents a thin sheet of the material. If an element such as that shown, in
Figs. 9 10, 11, and 12, is to be made, the sheet may be cut into blanks as indicated
by the dotted lines b, and these blanks be cut or punched as shown in Fig. 3; that is
with a solid portion or web C at one end and thin strips or ribbon c extending there-
from. If a circular burner is to be used the sheet of material may be cut with
parallel slots so as to leave solid top and bottom edges D, D, connected by thin
strips (Fig. 4), and such a blank may be bent into circular form as in Fig. 5:
. Or the sheet may be perforated with a large number of circular or other shaped holes
and then bent up in same manner, as in Figs. 6 and 7.
As represented in Fig. 8 a circular element may be formed having an upper edge D
with pendant ribbons or strips d, the element being like that shown in Fig. 5 except
that there is no lower edge; Or as shown in Figs. 13 and 14 I may form the
element of a relatively long and narrow strip or ribbon E preferably narrower at the
middle e and punched out or perforated as shown. Such an element may be bent in
the middle and suspended at that point so as to hang down on each side of the support.
and a number of them may be arranged upon the same support or pin that may pass
through an aperture in the middle of the element as seen in Fig. 14, where two
elements are arranged above a circular burner F which is merely indicated and may
be of any desired construction; Or as shown in Fig. 15 loop shaped or how shaped
elements G may be cut from the sheet of material and supported vertically upon a gas
burner in any suitable manner as indicated, three such elements arranged in parallel
planes being shown in the figure.
Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 show burners having elements similar to those shown in
Fig. 3. In Fig. 10 three such elements are arranged together with spacing pieces C¹
of the same material arranged between the parts C. The parts C and the spacing
pieces C¹ may be fastened together by pins c¹ passing through apertures therein. At
about the middle of this assemblage of elements a hole x may be left so that when the
assemblage of elements is slipped into the head or holder Y, Figs. 9 and 12, a pin x¹
may be passed through to retain it in place.
In figure 11 a straight holder Y is shown having inwardly bent sides y. Of course
the upper edge of the parts C and C₁ should be straight and may be given a dovetail
form by side pieces c³. The assemblage of elements may therefore be slipped into the
head and will be retained in place by the dovetail joint.
In the drawings I have shown all the parts as thicker and heavier than they need
be in practice; and of course I have shown only a few of the many designs into which
the sheet of material may be formed. After the material has been cut or stamped
into the desired shape or design for the incandescent element it is burned, as is usual,
and is then ready for use.
By my improved method of operation I may readily make any required form of
incandescing element, and am enabled to produce them economically and rapidly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The herein described method of making incandescing elements for incandescent
gas burners which consists in preparing a compound of the refractory material and some
vehicle, such as glue, forming the compound into a sheet, and then cutting or
punching from the flat sheet an incandescing element of the required design.
2. The method of forming incandescing elements of open-work designs, such for
instance as shown in Fig. 3 and 13-which consists in preparing a compound of the

page_text: refractory earth or material and some vehicle, such for instance as glue, then rolling
it into a thin sheet, then cutting or punching from the sheet an element of the desired
design, and then burning the element to burn out the material mixed with the
refractory earth or material substantially as set forth.
Dated this 31st day of July 1889.
CHARLES BARNETT HARRIS.