IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND BURNING BRICKS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Cuthbert Greenwood Johnson, of Middlesbrough,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND BURNING BRICKS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Sealed the 9th April 1872, and dated the 9th November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Outhbert Greenwood
Johnson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 9th November 1871.
I, CUTHBERT GREENWOOD JOHNSON, of Middlesbrough, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND BURNING BRICKS AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
The nature of this Invention is as follows:-First, with respect to
drying bricks and other articles preparatory to burning, I construct a
flue or oven with a fire-place at one end and a chimney at the other,
with one or more doors, preferably of sheet iron, leading into such

page_text: chambers, the floor being formed of plates of iron or of quartz or other
suitable material, having slits or holes through them so that the heat
from the fire-place being led by a flue under the said floor the said heat
may find its way up through the floor and be drawn through the
chamber up the chimney. The goods to be dried being then placed
upon the floor and also on shelves provided for that purpose come in
actual contact with the products of combustion evenly distributed
amongst them, and having also a free current of air and a large space for
escape of the steam generated, are rapidly and economically dried ready
for the burning processes.
Suitable dampers may be provided to regulate the heat, and also side
dampers to draw off or shift to adjoined stoves or ovens whilst any oven
is being drawn or re-set. In some cases I arrange to have the goods to
be dried set on boggies or carriages running on wheels or sliding on
rollers, which, when filled, are moved into the stove. The heat acts
through the top of the carriage in the same manner as herein described
with reference to fixed floors.
It is not contended that there is any novelty in dyeing bricks or other
articles in flues having the product of combustion in actual contact, but
the novelty consists in the manner in which this is carried into effect as
herein described.
The second part of my Invention relates to kilns for burning bricks or
other articles, and is as follows:-I construct a flue running along the
back end of a range of end firing arched kilns or ovens, known as
Newcastle kilns, and instead of placing chimneys on the end farthest
from the fire I place it at the end next to the fire. A communication
having been formed between each kiln by the said flue, regulated by
suitable dampers, it is so arranged that when firing any kiln in a range
the heat is drawn through any other from back to front by the chimney
placed for that purpose on the front end of that other. The chimney
mentioned, on the one being fired, is closed with a suitable damper.
It will thus be seen that after a range has been started that the waste
heat from any kiln is allowed to pass through some other kiln, which as
soon as the moisture is observed to have passed off will in turn be fired,
and the waste heat from it be passed through another kiln.
In some cases also I prefer to set the articles to be burnt on a suitable
carriage fitting the kiln, and having its top protected from the heat by

page_text: bricks or other suitable material; the said carriage can then be run on
wheels or rollers into the kiln and burnt as before described. This is
especially preferable in the case of bricks moulded sufficiently dry to
enable them to be set for burning without previous drying.
It is not advanced that there is any novelty in passing waste heat
forward from one chamber to another in burning bricks and other
articles, but the novelty of this Invention consists in the mode in which
the operation is performed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Outhbert Greenwood Johnson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, OUTHBERT
GREENWOOD JOHNSON, of Middlesborough, in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Outhbert Greenwood Johnson, Her
special license that I, the said Cuthbert Greenwood Johnson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Cuthbert Greenwood Johnson, 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 APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND
BURNING BRICKS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Cuthbert Greenwood Johnson, 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

page_text: supports . Bricks to be dried should be set on their ends on these
shelves and also on the floor e. h, a damper which shuts off the com-
munication between the fire hole c and the body a. This damper can
be shut when the bricks or other articles are being withdrawn so as to
stop off the heat and divert it to any other stove. i, a flue provided
with a damper, by which, when the damper h is shut, the products of
combustion pass from the fire hole c of the one stove to that of another.

page_text: and 7. In Figure 7 the section is taken partly on the line 3, 4, and
partly on the line 5, 6, Figure 5; and in Figure 5 the section is taken
on the line 7, 8, Figure 7.
In these Figures a is the body of the kiln, where the bricks are
stacked on a plane floor%; b is a flue that connects any two or more
kilns with each other, the communication being regulated by means of
dampers 6, 6; o are chimnies, with dampers c¹; d is an archway for
setting and drawing the kilns; it is made up with bricks daubed with
mud or clay, so as to seal it air-tight whilst the bricks are burning;
e, e, e, e, are holes for cooling off the kiln after ceasing to fire, or when
the bricks are completely burnt; these holes are closed up whilst the
firing is proceeded with; f,f,f, are sight holes to watch progress of the
burning; 9, 9, are firing holes; h, h, and j, j, are stoke holes for stoking
the fires and breaking up clinkers; k, k, are flue holes for spreading the
draught, which is carried through dampers 6¹ into the flue b, thence on
to any other kiln as required.
The system of firing is the same as in the ordinary end firing ovens.
The fire is first made up in the bottom holes j, j, and gradually worked
up until it reaches the top of the hole g; the heat passes through the
bricks (which have been previously dried by the heat from any other
kiln) and through the dampers b¹ into the flue 6, and then it is directed
by means of the dampers 61 and 6" to any kiln in the range set with
green bricks; the heat traverses this kiln, and thence escapes through
the chimney c on the said kiln. Care is taken that the damper c¹ in
the chimney o of any kiln that is being fired is closed.
The mode of working is as follows:-No. 1 kiln upon being fired is
put in communication with No. 2, this latter having previously had the
opening in front closed up and the damper in the chimney opened.
Thus No. 2 kiln acts as a chimney to No. 1 during the time that the
moisture is being driven off the bricks in No. 1; whilst this operation a
is going on No. 3 kiln can be set, and as soon as the moisture is expelled
from No. 1 communication with No. 2 kiln can be closed and that with
No. 3 opened; the waste heat from No. 1 will then pass into No. 3
and be drawn through the green bricks by the chimney in front, the
damper in it being opened; No. 1 is now finished off by firing in the a
usual way.
The moisture in No. 3 kiln having been driven off by the
waste heat from No. 1 the damper in its chimney is closed and com-

page_text: munication effected with any other kiln in the range set with green
bricks. Thus it will be seen that the waste heat is constantly passed
forward, and that the only coal expended on any kiln is that required
to finish off the burning after all the moisture has been expelled, and
it is found that about one-half the coal consumed in ordinary end kilns
is expended in effecting this.
It will be seen that there is no difficulty in timing the operation so
as always to have a kiln ready to receive waste heat, as it is competent
to direct the waste heat from any one to any other, or to be firing more
than one and passing waste heat through one only, or firing one and
passing the heat through more than one, or burning several and passing
waste heat through several at once, according to the quantity of work
being turned out; it will also be seen that in these kilns there is no
danger of driving moisture from the burning bricks to the green ones,
as in the case of other designs which have been introduced with the
object of economizing waste heat, and that the well-known value of end
kilns for producing the soundest articles is therefore unimpaired. The
fresh stacked bricks in these kilns not being immediately exposed to
the direct action of the fires are less liable to crack, as the moisture
remaining in the bricks when taken from the stoves is gradually
expelled by the waste heat from one or more of the other kilns, and
consequently the bricks are sounder and there is less waste than in
ordinary kilns.
In some cases I prefer to set the articles to be burned on suitable
carriages fitting the kilns, and having their tops protected from the
heat by bricks or other suitable material; the said carriage can then be
run on wheels or rollers into the kiln and burnt, as before described;
the front end of the kiln is then temporarily built up and daubed each
time, or by preference is constructed as a door or doors of iron lined
with bricks or other material.
The use of carriages is especially advantageous for articles moulded
sufficiently dry to be set ready for burning without previous drying.
It is not advanced that there is any novelty in passing waste heat
forward from one chamber to another in burning bricks and other
articles, but the novelty of this Invention consists in the mode in which
the operation is performed.

page_text: 2nd. The construction of kiln, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Cuthbert Greenwood Johnson, have 5
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
C. G. JOHNSON. (L.S.)