Improved Device for Automatically Lighting Gas of Incandescence Burners.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Device for Automatically Lighting Gas of Incandescence
Burners.
I, MAX BERNSTEIN, of 74, Blumenstrasse, Berlin, in Germany, Merchant, 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:-
It is well known that incandescence mantles, when impregnated with platinum
salts, have the property of igniting the gas and air mixture supplied to them
from a Bunsen burner when suitably heated, that is to say by means of a
special automatic igniting device in the form of a ball or by means of a separate
igniting strip of platinum, iridium, palladium or other metal of this group.
Such mantles, impregnated with platinum salts, after a short time lose this
property, the reason being that the commercial metal is not perfectly chemi-
cally pure.
The consequence is that hard ignition surfaces are soon produced in the
porous impregnated mantle which breaks or becomes defective on ignition.
This invention is intended to remedy the above drawbacks and relates to
mantles which are not impregnated with a platinum salt.
It consists in the arrangement of preferably two balls or pieces containing
iridium or platinum black, or a mixture of them, on the outer surface of the
mantle in such manner that they rest loosely against the latter and are each
secured to a wire, said wires being twisted together above the mantle where
the joint may be covered with asbestos. One of these wires is made of pure
platinum and the other of platinum with a coating of one of the earth-metals
or a metal of the alkaline earths. When such an arrangement is used, the
iridium or platinum black balls on the outside of the mantle soon become
incandescent, and cause the wires connected to them to also become incan-
descent so that the ignition of the air and gas mixture can take place at the
top portion of the mantle. The wires which at first lie a slight distance away
from the sides of the mantle, gradually come close to it, whereby after the
device has been used for some time, an additional advantage is attained, that,
whereas the coated platinum wire remains unaffected, the pure platinum wire
gradually produces a deposit of metallic platinum on the corresponding side
of the mantle, which deposit further assists the lighting of the gas.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated by way of example a construction
of the device according to this invention.
Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the device and mantle before use.
Fig. 2 is a view of the same after repeated use,
Fig. 3 is a view of the device Fig. 2 when turned through an angle of 90°
and
Fig. 4 shows a modification.
Two wires a and b are suspended over the mantle, the, wire a being of pure
blatinum and the wire 6 of platinum on which some of the earth metals or

page_text: metals of the alkaline earths have been deposited. Both wires may be either
directly twisted together (Figs. 1-3) or they may be surrounded at the joint
with asbestos or connected to a cross wire covered with asbestos (Fig. 4).
To the ends of these wires are secured balls or knobs" conaining iridium
―or platinum black or mixture of these substances, in such manner that they
rest loosely against the outer surface of the mantle.
When the gas is turned on, the balls c (Fig. 1) soon become incandescent,
and render the wires a and b also incandescent so that when this incandescence
has reached to the top B of the mantle A, the ignition of the gas is effected
at this point.
The incandescent state of the wires a and b causes them to draw close to the
mantle A and the wire a forms, after continued use, a deposit of metallic
platinum on the side of the mantle in the shape of a strip of a flat elliptic
cross-section, whereas the wire b remains unaltered. This deposit becomes
incandescent together with the wires and considerably accelerates the ignition
of the gas. As the junction of the wires remains exposed to the flame for long
periods, it is advisable to protect it by a sheathing of asbestos as indicated in
Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A device for automatically lighting gas from a burner provided with
an incandescence mantle consisting of two wires carrying at their ends balls or
knobs containing iridium- or platinum-black, or a mixture of said substances,
said wires being suspended over an incandescence mantle, in such manner that
they loosely rest against the mantle, one of said wires being of pure platinum
and the other of platinum covered with a coating of one of earth-metals or
a metal of alkaline earth.
2. Means for automatically lighting gas from burners provided with incan-
descence mantles substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of October 1898.