A New or Improved Domestic or other Fire Grate, and Block or other Fuel for Use therewith.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
A New or Improved Domestic or other Fire Grate, and Block or
other Fuel for Use therewith.
GEORGES JUSTIN JOSEPH LEGRAND, of 343, Holloway Road London N.
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In domestic and other fire grates boiler grates, etc., blocks or briquettes of any
shape and size of compressed or adhering material composition or substance made
of any required shape or form and with or without perforations projections, etc., and
made of any inflamable composition or material or substance are fed preferably
from underneath or sides, etc., by screw or other mechanical means working a plate
perforated or with longitudinal cuts with a slide covering such cuts, etc., or a fork
with prongs to push up blocks with lever and ratchet attached or use both fork
and plate described that fit exactly in a box or tunnel of any shape under fire place
pushing up said blocks in front thereof vertically if for domestic grates and sideways
first then vertically afterwards if for use in a boiler or brewer's copper, etc., etc.,
and gradually as required or is also actuated by the means of levers working such
plate or plates or a drawer underneath fireplace being drawn out by usual handle
said drawer having a false bottom which is worked upwardly by means of screw,
handle, lever, or any other mechanical means in this case bottom of fire place
being supplied with bars that slide in to hold up burning fuel when drawer is
pulled away from under fire place to replenish same the said bars on drawer being
pushed into place again sliding out and away from fuel into recesses in sides or back
of the fire place or a fork mechanism can be pushed in by hand to hold up the
fuel hoppers underneath or at sides of fire place may be used for the purpose of
supplying blocks made in shape so as to be properly contained in said hoppers
drawers or tunnel, etc., etc., and also with such shapes, projections deflections
perforations or cuts, etc., etc., into them so that the incoming air from front and if
needed, all around fire bars, as also if needed from perforated plate with the slide
or from fork system alone or from through both of them will properly activate the
combustion of the same dampers from drawer, tunnel, hoppers, etc., may be arranged
The fire
to. supply air or shut it off so as to slow or activate combustion.
lighters and blocks or briquettes to burn in fire places are preferably composed of
wood, wood sawdust coal and coal dust, coal tar, and pitch and resin or any other
inflamable material or substance and flour or meal or ground bran, etc., diluted with
water or inflamable liquid to make it into a convenient paste to mix up with
and cause the wood sawdust, coal and coal dust, coal tar, pitch and resin to adhere
firmly together on being compressed and made in a whole or in parts of any shape
or form for ignition to take place on a match being applied, such briquettes or
blocks being further coated on one or more points with shellac, resin pitch, paraffin
or other inflamable materials or substances and they can have a hole or cavity in
which wood shavings, tallow or any other inflamable substance may be placed, if
made in parts, shellac, resin, coal tar, or any other adhesive substance can be used
to put them together; the composition is mixed in proper quantities and four or
meal or ground bran, etc., diluted is also added in proper quantities so as to
make the whole when mixed up and compressed adhere firmly together when dry,
and such blocks or briquettes will not fall to pieces when dry nor when burning in
the fire grate. The composition as explained may be cased up with wood or other

page_text: inflamable material coated with resin shellac, pitch, or any other inflamable material
and substance having sufficient openings or perforations or projections, etc., therein
for the composition to properly ignite and burn this preferably to be used as fire
lighters and in the case of ordinary blocks or briquettes to be used for cheapness
of fuel the blocks or briquettes, etc., as described may be used as common fuel
without said casing of wood or other covering and would thereby take the place of
expensive hard steam or other coal, or even of very cheap and common coal but
they can also be used in combination with any kind of coal or coke, wood, and
any other kind of fuel or oils or fatty substances and inflamable liquids or substance
injected into boiler furnaces or otherwise supplied. Instead of such blocks alone
coals or any kind of fuel may be used in combination such fuel blocks coming
up automatically by means of a weighted lever or spring or counter weight, etc., etc.,
or not under the incandescent coals or vice versa. Hollow fire bars or sides may be
used to supply heated air over or into or through burning fuel so as to consume
all smoke and a hollow arch with corrugations or projections or openings may be
used through which or in contact with which the products of combustion will pass
and burn, said arch is provided with dampers so as to cause air and products of
combustion to take a different course from that of the usual damper atop of the
fire place. Incandescent blocks or briquettes can rest upon the usual fire bars
direct and other briquettes would be thrown in usual manner on top of these or
coals or any other kind of fuel mixed with such blocks or briquettes can be used
whose smoke and fumes would be caused to go through the fire thus getting
consumed air being admitted through front of fire place by a plate perforated and
pipes placed in such perforations at an angle inwardly, another plate outwardly
sliding over perforations of before described plate or by forced draught in the case
of a boiler or air induced in the case of fire place to support combustion atop of fuel
or through it and the draught of chimney or of the shaft would create the proper
suction for the combustion of such fuel; the briquettes may be fed from under
fire place or through ashpit of boiler or under copper as previously described such
briquettes, etc., being ablaze the other briquettes or other fuel placed atop from
inside fire place or furnace burn with them and the smoke and fumes arising from
the combustion of both are caused to pass down and through the burning fuel thus
consuming them, in the case of a boiler or a brewer's or other copper, the fire bars
and fork system and plate described may have water circulation through them into
boiler, etc., or air through same in a rush to keep them cool or in the case of fire
grate domestic one the fire bars, fork, plate, etc., may also be hollow with air
continually going or rushing through them on being sucked in by the action of the
fire which it helps to activate and such air having become highly heated in its
passage through said systems and casings of fire place when coming into contact
with the fire it will consume the smoke and gases, the pipes, bars, forks, plates
or other equivalent parts may be encased or covered with a non-heat conductor
so as to prevent their being eaten through by action of fire and to ensure their
durability.
In fire grates the beat passes through fire and fire bars and then at back and
sides through casings or partitions giving up all heat before going away through
the chimney. In boilers one or more fire bridges from top of flues and resting upon
the fire bars, forming combustion chambers, and hollow with air or water circulation
in them to impinge upon the smoke and gases force the smoke and gases to descend
through the fire bars with water or air circulation in them having therefore passed
through the fire such smoke and products of combustion are destroyed. One or more
fire bridges from bottom of ash pit to level of fire bars underneath may cause gases
to take a tortuous course thus getting better consumed. The fire bars, grate fork
or other system can be tilted to remove ashes.
Dated this 7th day of February 1894.

page_text: A New or Improved Domestic or other Fire Grate, and Block or
other Fuel for Use therewith.
1, GEORGES JUSTIN JOSEPH LEGRAND of 343 Holloway Road London, N.
Engineer, 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 fire grates of practically all types and has for its object
firstly to so construct and arrange such grates that a more complete combustion of
the fuel will result to provide means whereby the fuel may be fed in a novel mauuer
into the combustion chamber and to provide an improved form of fuel for con-
sumption in such grates. For the purpose of my invention I use fuel in the form
of blocks or briquettes of any suitable size and shape and with or without
perforations, projections or the like. These blocks or briquettes I form of wood,
sawdust, coal, coal dust, pitch, resin or any other inflammable material to which is
added flour, bran or meal moistened with water or other liquid in a sufficient
quantity to convert the whole into a paste of sufficient consistancy to allow of it
being compressed or otherwise moulded into blocks of the desired shape and size.
The proportions by weight of the ingredients 1 find most suitable are four parts of
sawdust to one part of coal or coaldust a sufficiency of pitch or coal tar, resin
or other inflammable material being added to saturate the mixture without making
it sticky and the whole is then mixed with the necessary quantity of water to which
has been added about part of flour, bran or meal. Such blocks when formed are
partially or wholly coated with shillac, pitch, resin, paraffin or other inflammable
material or provided with a casing or partial casing of wood or the like partly or
wholly covered with such inflammable material to enable them to be ignited or
may have formed in them one or more cavities which may be filled or partly filled
with shavings, tallow or the like for this purpose. Blocks or briquettes thus
formed combine in one a fire lighter and fuel but it will be perfectly obvious
where this combination is found desirable the means of igniting the fuel may be
dispensed with. The grate in which blocks or briquettes formed as above described
are to be consumed I so construct that said blocks may be fed from the bottom
For
upwards or from one or both sides inwards into the combustion chamber.
this purpose I use a perforated or slotted plate when necessary with a slide for
covering said perforation or slot, or a fork with prongs operated to a lever and
ratchet, lazy tongs, weighted lever spring or any other equivalent mechanism so
that said plate or fork may be propelled upwards or forwards to feed the blocks
from the bottom or sides of the grate into the combustion chamber. Said plate or
fork may be arranged, if found desirable, to slide in a box or tunnel of the desired
size and of any suitable length or capacity and in this case the blocks may be so
perforated and provided with such projection that air may be supplied through such
tunnels or boxes to the combustion chamber or the plate or fork may from the
false bottom of a drawer, capable of being drawn out, when said false bottom has
been lowered so that the fuel may be more easily placed thereon.
Where the fuel is fed upwards by means of a perforated plate or a fork so
operated, the grate is provided with a false bottom which may be slid into position
to prevent the fall of the burning fuel when lowering the perforated plate or fork
in order to place more fuel upon it said false bottom being slid out of position into
a recess in the block or other portion of the grate when not required. Or instead
of such false bottom a forked piece may be provided which may be passed through
the front bars of the grate and so hold up the burning fuel when the slotted plate
or fork is lowered. When found desirable the bars of the grate may be made

page_text: hollow and so arranged that air may pass through them and become heated before
passing into the combustion chamber whilst suitable dampers may be propelled to
regulate the supply of air through the bottom and sides of the grate or through the
tunnels, boxes or drawer. In the case of brewers coppers, steam generater, furnace
or other grates the hollow arches and other improvement set forth in Patent
No. 2284, granted to me on the 5th day of February 1892 may be used.
In order that my invention may be more thoroughly understood I will now
proceed to describe it by the aid of the accompanying drawings of which Fig. I is
a front elevation and Fig. II a side sectioned elevation on line A-A, Fig. 1 of an
ordinary kitchen range arranged that the fuel may be fed upwards into the com-
bustion chamber. For this purpose the grate proper is provided with a false bottom a
consisting of two perforated and slotted plates arranged one on the other so that
the upper one may be moved by a handle on the front edge thereof and the
perforations in it caused to register or not accordingly thus allowing it to be used
as a damper.
This false bottom is arranged to slide in the recess beneath the grate and is
operated so that it can be raised or lowered by means of compound levers b
arranged in a similar manner as in lazy tongs. These levers are operated by a lug c¹
projecting from a spindle c mounted to revolve in suitable bearings and from which
projects a second lug connected to one end of a lever d to the opposite end of
which is hinged one end of a rod e whose upper end is hinged to one end of a
lever by means of which the whole is operated and which is held in any adjusted
position by a rod g sliding on the lever and engaging with a tooth sector said
rod being operated by handle k. The false bottom a may consequently be lowered
to allow of fuel being placed upon it when it may be again raised and fuel carried
into the combustion chamber.
To prevent the partly consumed fuel in the combustion chamber falling when
the false bottom a is lowered a plate sliding in suitable guides is provided,
this plate normally projects into a recess at the back of the fire place as shown in
Fig. II but may be drawn forward by means of rod to take the place of the
false bottom when the latter is lowered. It will be obvious that many other forms
of mechanism other than that above described may be used to feed the fuel from
the bottom of the grate upwards or from the sides inwards and I wish it understood
that I do not confine myself to this particular mechanism as this has only been
described to more clearly illustrate the manner in which my invention may be
carried into practical effect. Fig. III of the accompanying drawings in a perspective
view of a fuel block or briquette instructed according to my invention. This is
composed of the ingredients previously described or is perforated with a number
of holes whilst arround it are secured by bands n a number of sticks o which
sticks may be saturated or coated with a highly inflammable substance to enable
the whole to be more easily ignited. The shape of the briquettes and the nature
of the means for enabling this to be more easily ignited may be modified as already
mentioned. When found desirable ordinary coal or coke may be used in com-
bination with my improved block fuel this being fed into the combustion chamber
in the usual manner.
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:
I. Domestic or other fire grates having an opening at the bottoms or sides
thereof through which fuel may be fed into the combustion chamber by means of
false bottoms or a false or sides operated by suitable mechanism substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
II. Fuel formed by mixing wood, sawdust, coal, coal dust pitch or resin or one
or more of these with flour, bran or meal moistened with water or other liquid
compressing or otherwise forming the whole into blocks or briquettes substantially
as described.

page_text: III. Fuel blocks or briquettes coated or partially coated or having recesses
therein filled with or partly filled with a highly inflammable material as and for the
purpose described.
IV. Fuel blocks or briquettes incased or partly incased in wood paper or other
inflammable material or substance said wood being coated or partly coated with a
highly inflammable material substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of November 1894.
GEORGES JUSTIN JOSEPH LEGRAND.