An Improved Furnace for Treating Ingots, Blooms, or Billets of Iron or Steel.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1894-Accepted; 26th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Furnace for Treating Ingots, Blooms, or Billets of
Iron or Steel.
I, WILLIAM DANIEL ALLEN, of Bessemer Works, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Steel Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to an improved construction of furnace adapted for
heating cold ingots blooms or billets or for keeping hot and equalizing the
temperature of ingots blooms or billets introduced into the furnace whilst yet hot
and which furnace may be constructed to be worked with solid fuel or with gas.
Within a chamber that resembles a flue of suitable length with fire place at one
end and chimney at the other, there are upon longitudinal walls or ridges two (or
more) pipes or hollow bars arranged longitudinally of the furnace but not parallel
to one another, their distance apart varying gradually so that ingots blooms or
billets of iron or steel placed transversely upon and caused to slide or travel along
within the furnace upon the said pipes or hollow bars will be heated all over being
caused to constantly present fresh portions of their surfaces to the said pipes or
hollow bars in such wise that whilst on the one hand by circulation of water
through the pipes or hollow bars the latter and the walls or ridges will be protected
from excessive heating on the other hand appreciable cooling of any parts of the
ingots bloons or billets, such as would be likely to result from given portions of
their surfaces remaining too long in contact with the comparatively cool supporting
pipes or hollow bars will be obviated.
The pipe or bar surfaces that support the ingots blooms or billets may be
horizontal or inclined the higher ends being furthest from the fire place; and the
ingots blooms or billets may either of their own gravity slide forward or be by
hydraulic or other apparatus or by hand power caused to travel along within the
furnace as ingots blooms or billets are removed from the exit end thus making room
for the introduction of fresh ones at the other end. It will be understood that
with such a furnace as described hot gases will have had access practically to
the entire surface of each ingot bloom or billet before it arrives at the delivery
end of the furnace.
1
1 1004

page_text: An Improved Furnace for Treating Ingots, Blooms, or Billets of
Iron or Steel.
I, WILLIAM DANIEL ALLEN, of Bessemer Works, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Steel Manufacturer, 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 has reference to an improved construction of furnace adapted for
heating cold ingots, blooms, or billets or for keeping hot and equalizing the
temperature of ingots, blooms, or billets introduced into the furnace whilst yet hot
and which furnace may be constructed to be worked with solid fuel or with gas.
Within a chamber that resembles a flue of suitable length with fire place at one
end and chimney at the other, there are upon longitudinal walls or ridges two (or
more) pipes or hollow bars arranged longitudinally of the furnace but not parallel
to one another, their distance apart varying gradually so that ingots, blooms, or
billets of iron or steel placed transversely upon and caused to slide or travel along
within the furnace upon the said pipes or hollow bars will be heated all over,
being caused to constantly present fresh portions of their surfaces to the said pipes
or hollow bars in such wise that whilst on the one hand by circulation of water
through the pipes or hollow bars the latter and the walls or ridges will be protected
from excessive heating, on the other hand appreciable cooling of any parts of the
ingots, blooms, or billets, such as would be likely to result from given portions of
their surfaces remaining too long in contact with the comparatively cool supporting
pipes or hollow bars, will be obviated.
The pipe or bar surfaces that support the ingots, blooms, or billets may be
horizontal or inclined, the higher ends being furthest from the fire place; and the
ingots, blooms, or billets may either of their own gravity slide forward or be by
hydraulic or other apparatus or by hand power caused to travel along within the
furnace as ingots, blooms, or billets are removed from the exit end, thus making
room for the introduction of fresh ones at the other end. It will be understood
that with such a furnace as described, hot gases will have had access practically
to the entire surface of each ingot, bloom, or billet before it arrives at the delivery
end of the furnace.
The accompanying drawings are views of a furnace constructed according to this
invention and adapted to be worked with solid fuel;
Fig. 1 being a side elevation;
Fig. 2 a left-hand end elevation with the hydraulic apparatus used for propelling
the ingots, blooms, or billets omitted;
Fig. 3 a right-hand end elevation;
Fig. 4 a sectional plan and
Figs. 5 and 6 sections on the lines x x and y y respectively of Fig. 4, Fig. 5
showing a bloom in position on the pipes or hollow bars.
Figs. 1 and 4 are drawn to a smaller scale than the other figures.
a is the fireplace; b, the chimney; and c the flue-like chamber connecting the
said fire place and chimney and within which are arranged the longitudinal walls
or ridges d the said chamber in the example shown being inclined. e e' are pipes
or hollow bars arranged longitudinally on the said walls or ridges so as to directly
support the ingots, blooms or billets of iron or steel above the floor of the
chamber c and allow flame and heated gases to pass under them as well as over
them whilst they are passing through the said chamber. These pipes or hollow
bars are arranged in two sets longitudinally of the furnace, the two sets viz. e and e
meeting at e (Fig. 4), where they are connected by means of flanges (Fig. 1)

page_text: arranged below the chamber c. The pipes or hollow bars e' composing the upper
set arranged at the entering end of the chamber c, may be arranged parallel to one
another as shown, but those of the lower set e are disposed in such a manner that their
distance apart gradually varies, for which purpose they are in the example shown,
arranged to gradually diverge from each other as they proceed downward so that
ingots, blooms, or billets placed transversely upon and sliding or travelling along
the said pipes or bars will be caused constantly to present fresh portions of their
surfaces thereto. When there is an odd number of pipes or hollow bars e, for
instance three, as in the example shown, the intermediate pipe or bar must also be
so arranged as to cause fresh portions of the ingots, blooms or billets passing over
it to be constantly presented thereto. For this purpose it may be inclined to
each of the other pipes e, or to one only of them and parallel with the other as in
the example shown. Water is arranged to be admitted to the pipes e and e¹ at eª
and and the pipes el are bent at their upper ends as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so
that the water issuing therefrom shall fall into the mouth of a pipe e. is a door
closing an opening through which the ingots, blooms, or billets are supplied to the
furnace chamber c. f is a platform carried by a ram working in a hydraulic
cylinder so as to permit of the ingots, blooms, or billets being conveniently
raised to the height of the said opening. y is a hydraulic cylinder provided with
a head for forcing the ingots, blooms, or billets off the platform f¹ and into the
chamber c, and for aiding gravity in propelling the said ingots blooms, or billets
towards the fire place a along the inclined pipes or hollow bars e e¹. j is a space in
the furnace to receive the ingots, blooms, or billets as they are thrust forward and
roll or fall off the pipes or bars e; and k is a door closing an opening through
which the ingots, blooms, or billets are withdrawn from the furnace when heated.
In the construction of furnace now being described the fire place a is adapted to
burn solid fuel and the ash pit is closed at the front by doors, air being induced to
flow into the ash pit through air inlet pipes a' by means of steam jets issuing from
the pipes a². The furnace may obviously however be constructed to burn gaseous
fuel if desired.
The inclined chamber is supported by arches c' and the whole structure is
strengthened by means of double-headed railway-rails bound together by bolts ",
the roof of the chamber c being composed of removable sections each held in an
angle iron clamp c by which it can be readily lifted off when necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A furnace for heating or for keeping hot and equalizing the temperature of
ingots, blooms, or billets, in which the ingots, blooms, or billets are supported on
pipes or hollow bars through which water is caused to flow and which are arranged
fongitudinally of the furnace in such a manner that as the ingots, blooms, or billets
slide or travel along upon the said pipes or bars they will be caused constantly to
present fresh portions of their surfaces to the said pipes or bars, substantially as
herein described for the purposes specified.
2. For treating ingots, blooms or billets of iron or steel, my improved furnace
constructed with water pipes or hollow bars arranged substantially as described and
shown.
W. Lloyd Wise,
WM. DL. ALLEN.
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.