IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ezra Riley, of Pontnewynydd, in the County
of Monmouth, Iron Works Manager, and William Thomas Henley,
of North Woolwich, in the County of Essex, Telegraphic Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES AND IN
APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH.”
Scaled the 8th April 1873, and dated the 22nd January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ezra Rilcy and
William Thomas Henley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd January 1873.
WC, EZRA RILEY, of Pontnewynydd, in the County of Monmouth,
Iron Works Manager, and WILLIAM THOMAS HENLEY, of North
Woolwich, in the County of Essex, Telegraphic Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PODDLING
FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as
follows

page_text: :―
at the same time to improve the quality of the iron so produced to
increase the yield or per centage, to increase the mass of iron worked
upon at a time and to reduce the time occupied in puddling. For this
purpose we make the puddling furnace of the following construction :-
The body or hearth of the furnace, which ordinarily contain the
materials to be treated we make in the shape of a circular revolving pan
with the sides by preference slanting. This pan or bottom we cause to
revolve by any well-known suitable mechanical means, and work it by
steam or other power. We prefer however to mount the revolving pan
on a vertical shaft which is caused to revolve by bevel gear, and we
support the vertical shaft in a footstep and in a collar or neck bearing
arranged in a cross shaped bracket, which also at its four legs or arms
stays the bottom of the two opposite outer furnace plates back and front
together. The driving gear for this revolving pan has two or more
motions or speeds worked by frictional clutches, and may also if desired ]
be worked from a separate engine or other prime mover, the speed of
which is under the direct control of the puddler or man in charge of the
furnaces. The pan is at the top formed with a hanging lip, collar, or
flange all round either cast on or cast separately and fastened on or
formed of wrought iron and fastened on. This hanging lip or flango 2
dips into a circular trough or cistern constantly kept supplied or filled
sufficiently with water, thus forming a water lute and keeping the air
from entering into the furnace or pan at any part of the circumference
of the latter, the outside of the pan at the samo time being exposed to a
full current of air especially while the pan is revolving, if required an 2
artificial current of air may be applied, the fettling of the pan is preserved
thereby.

page_text: This puddling furnace is with exception of the revolving bottom and
the appliances described in connection therewith built up and stayed by
bolts and plates like the ordinary puddling furnaces, only that the plates
at the back and front of the revolving bottom are cut short below so as
to admit the air freely there. An ordinary puddling furnace can thus
casily be converted according to this Invention. We also employ the
usual furnace door with rabble hole inserted, and that either at one or
both sides. The brickwork all round the top edge of the pan projects
so as thereby to protect pan and the fettling against the heat.
We employ several tools or appliances which we will now describe
in connection with the mode of working our puddling furnace. During
the first stage of the process we purpose using a tool somewhat similar
to the ordinary rabble, but having a hook or pin which is caused to rest
against the inside of the rabble hole in order to obtain a hold against the
revolving mass of iron in the pan; the iron is thus agitated rapidly
while on the boil. During the "boiling" of the iron a blast may be
used consisting of a thin broad flat current of air to be diffused across
the surface of the iron by preference in a slanting direction towards the
neck of the furnace and from the side opposite to the rabble hole.
When the iron begins to "form or “drop into nature" the speed is
reduced as required, and the puddler then makes use of another tool
which may be called the plough (or puddle) because it is formed some-
what in the form of a ploughshare and causes a complete turning over,
breaking up, and clearing of the iron. When thus sufficiently worked
the iron is balled in the usual manner, and that either from one or both
sides and in balls of any required size.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ezra Riley and William Thomas Henley in the
Great Scal Patent Office on the 22nd July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, EZRA
RILEY of Pontnewynydd, in the County of Monmouth, Iron Works
Manager, and WILLIAM THOMAS HENLEY, of North Woolwich, in the
County of Essex, Telegraphic Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
3 Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Ezra Riley and William
Thomas Henley, Her special licence that we, the said Ezra Riley
and William Thomas Henley, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Ezra Riley and William Thomas
Henley, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
timo agreo 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 PUDDLING FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES
CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Ezra Riley and William Thomas Henley, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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
performed, and cause the samo to be filed in the Great Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Ezra Riley and William Thomas
Henley, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked 2
thereon, that is to say :—
The object of this Invention is to reduce the extreme manual labour
now attending the production of wrought iron in the puddling process,
at the same time to improve the quality of the iron so produced, to
increase the yield or per centage, to increase the mass of iron worked 3
upon at a time and to reduce the time occupied in puddling.
And in order that the nature of this our Invention may be fully
ascertained, we will now proceed to describe the same with reference to
the accompanying Drawings of which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the
puddling furnace; Figure 2 a horizontal section; Figure 3 a longitudinal 3
section; Figure da vertical section, and the rest of the Figures refer to
details connected with the furnace and tools for working it. Similar

page_text: letters refer to like parts in all the Figures. The body or hearth of
the furnace which ordinarily contains the charge of materials to be
treated, we make in the shape of a circular revolving pan a with the
sides 6 by preference slanting as shown. This pan or bottom ɑ we
cause to revolve by any well-known suitable mechanical means, and
work it by steam or other power; we prefer however to mount the
revolving pan a on a vertical shaft c which is caused to revolve by means
of bevel gear d, d, and to support the vertical shaft c in a step e, and in
a collar or neck bearing g arranged in a cross shaped bracket, the
bearing being provided with and supported by four legs or arms h, h, h, h,
which stay the lower part of the two opposite back and front outer
furnace plates together. The driving gear for this revolving pan has
two or more motions or speeds worked by friction clutches, and may
also if desired be worked from a separate steam engine or other prime
3 movor, the speed of which is under the direct control of the pud ler or
man in charge of the furnace. The pan a and parts connected therewith
are shown on a larger scale at Fig. 12. The pan a is at the top formed
with a hanging lip, collar, or flange all round, cither cast on or cast or
forged of a separate picce and fastened on. This hanging lip or flange k
> dips into a circular trough or cistern i which is constantly kept supplied
or filled sufficiently with water, thus forming a water luto and preventing
the air from entering into the furnace or pan at any part of the circum-
ference thereof, the outside of the pan at the same time being exposed
to a full current of air, especially while the pan is revolving, if required
5 an artificial current of air may be applied; the fettling of the pan is
preserved thereby.
In order to prevent air from rushing into the pan from between the
trough and the surrounding brickwork we fasten a flange m with a
banging lip m¹ to the brickwork all round the trough i, the hanging lip m'
o dipping also into the said trough i and forming a lute joint there. The
trough may be made to revolve in order to diffuse the heat better.
The upper edge of the pan a may be cast hollow to form a water
compartment all round, or a water pipe may be placed against it, the
water compartment so formed being connected to a central tube with an
5 internal tube and having swivel tube joints at the bottom of the vertical
shaft, and so arranged as to cause a continual circulation of water.
The water trough i may be made to rise and fall, and to turn by
hand in order to clear out any cinders or scorim that may fall into it
-

page_text: when the pan is revolved rapidly. For this purpose the arrangements
shown on a larger scale at Figures 5, 6, and 7, may be applied, Figure 5
being a horizontal section through the furnace plates that bind the
brickwork of the furnace together, the other parts of the furnace being|
left out for the sake of clearness; L is a girder or bracket going across
outside over the top of the furnace, and has bearings L' for the shaft M
which carries a pinion N at each end, these pinions gear into racks R
which are guided up and down, as shown at Figures 6, and 7, which are
detail views respectively in plan and elevation of these parts. Each
rack R is fastened on to a circular rim picco P which with its four
rollers 1º, r, r², r¹, bears against the under side, and against the outer side
of the trough i, thus carrying it at two opposite sides, the trough i is
indicated by two dotted circles on Fig. 5; it simply rests on the lower
rollers 7, r, in the rim pieces P and can thus casily be turned by hand;
it is raised or lowered by turning the spindle M by means of a handle on
one or both ends, the pinions N revolving and thereby raising or
lowering the racks which are fastened to the rim pieces P.
This puddling furnace, with exception of the revolving pan or
bottom a, and the appliances described in connection therewith, is built
up and stayed by bolts and plates like the ordinary puddling furnaces,
only that the plates at the back and front of the revolving bottom are
cut short below so as to admit the air freely. An ordinary puddling
furnace can thus casily be converted, fitted, and constructed according
to this Invention. We also employ the usual furnace door with rabble
hole inserted, and that either at one side (as shown here on Fig. 5), :
or at both sides. The brickwork all round the top edge of the revolving
pan projects as shewn so as thereby to protect the pan and its fettling
against the heat.
We employ several tools or appliances which we will now describe in
connection with the mode of working our puddling furnace :-During 3
the first stage of the process we use a tool somewhat similar to the
ordinary rabble, but having a pin which is caused to rest against somo
part of the inside of the rabble hole in order to obtain a hold against the
revolving mass of iron in the pan; this tool is shewn in side view and
plan at Figures 8 and 9; p is the pin which is put into one of the 3
holes & (Fig. 5) in the rabble hole. The iron is thus agitated rapidly
while on the boil. During the boiling of the iron a blast may be used
consisting of a thin broad flat current of air to be diffused across the