Improvements in Plant for Burning Special Charcoal for the Manufacture of Gunpowder.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1890-Accepted, 6th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Plant for Burning Special Charcoal for the
Manufacture of Gunpowder.
We, JOSEPH SAMUEL TAYLOR and STEPHEN WILLIAM CHALLEN both of Derwent
Foundry, Constitution Hill Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the manner in which we construct and arrange the furnaces
for burning, and drums, cases or holders containing the special charcoal used for the
manufacture of gunpowder whereby we are enabled to obtain greater economy of
manufacture than is at present possible with the existing plant.
We also by one part of our invention construct a more efficient holder or revolving
drum for containing the special charcoal, so that when it is to be renewed the main
bearing spindles or gudgeons which carry the drum are capable of being again con-
tinuously used instead of being cast away with the old worn or damaged drum, case
or holder as in the apparatus and plant at present used for special charcoal for
gunpowder.
In carrying our invention into effect we arrange a furnace in any ordinary well
known manner so far as regards its general outline and the means of supplying
ordinary fuel, also the method of giving up its heat to the charcoal revolving drum or
holder; but we give to the furnace by our improved process of manufacture a supple-
mentary supply of fuel in the form of the gas which we collect from off the carbonizing
material that is to say we utilize the escaping gases arising from the wood or
material during the period of its carbonization, and these gases by means of suitably
arranged tubes and pipes we convey into the furnace so that we thereby obtain
additional fuel or another source of heat supply without any additional or extra
cost being incurred so far as the manufacture of the special charcoal itself is
concurred.
One method which we adopt with advantage in our improved process is as
follows: We construct a circular metal drum and mount it upon hollow shafts or
gudgeons which project from each side of the drum, the gases evolved from the
carbonizing material we allow to escape by means of the hollow gudgeons; and we
lead a pipe from one or both of these gudgeons to the furnace chamber or mouth or
grate and then consume them, so that the heat thus obtained supplements and saves
the main supply of fuel.
Another method we adopt for more effectually collecting the gases from the
revolving drum, and also for making a more durable form of gudgeon or shaft for
carrying the revolving drum is as follows:-We cause a hollow shaft for carrying the
revolving drum to pass right through its centre, and we form a fixed flange or
shoulder at one side for the purpose of bolting or connecting the revolving drum to
the shaft or gudgeon; the opposite side we also connect to the shaft by means of a
flange or collar which is free to be moved along the shaft and thus when disconnected
from it to allow of the revolving drum passing freely over the shaft. We secure the
loose collar or flange in any position by means of set screws, cotters or other ordinary
appliances and thereby keep the cylinder rigidly connected at both sides to the shaft
itself.
'
We pierce holes within the central portion of our hollow shaft that is within the
drum or cylinder for the purpose of collecting the gases within the cylinder, and then
lead these gases off from one or both sides to the fire grate or chamber, there to be
consumed and utilized for further heating the cylinder.
When we desire to remove the cylinder from the shaft we are enabled readily to do

page_text: this by releasing the connections between the flanges and drawing the cylinder off
along the shaft.
The shaft may thus be used continuously after several cylinders have become worn
out or have been burnt through.
Dated this 17th day of October 1889.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Plant for Burning Special Charcoal for the
Manufacture of Gunpowder.
We, JOSEPH SAMUEL TAYLOR and STEPHEN WILLIAM CHALLEN both of Derwent
Foundry, Constitution Hill, Birmingham in the County of Warwick Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to the manner in which we construct and arrange the furnaces
for burning, and drums cases or holders containing the special charcoal used for the
manufacture of gunpowder whereby we are enabled to obtain greater economy of
manufacture than is at present possible with the existing plant.
We also by one part of our invention construct a more efficient holder or revolving
drum for containing the special charcoal, so that when it is to be renewed the main
bearing spindles or gudgeons which carry the drum are capable of being again
continuously used instead of being cast away with the old worn or damaged drum,
case or holder as in the apparatus and plant at present used for special charcoal for
gunpowder.
In carrying our invention into effect we arrange a furnace in any ordinary well
known manner so far as regards.its general outline and the means of supplying
ordinary fuel, also the method of giving up its heat to the charcoal revolving drum or
holder; but we give to the furnace by our improved process of manufacture a
supplementary supply of fuel in the form of the gas which we collect from off the
carbonizing material; that is to say we utilize the escaping gases arising from the wood
during the period of its carbonization, and these gases by means of suitably arranged
tubes and pipes we convey into the furnace so that we thereby obtain additional fuel
or another source of heat supply without any additional or extra cost being incurred
so far as the manufacture of the special charcoal itself is concerned.
One method which we adopt with advantage in our improved process is as
follows: We construct a circular metal drum and mount it upon hollow shafts or
gudgeons which project from each side of the drum the gases evolved from the
carbonizing material we allow to escape by means of the hollow gudgeons; and we
lead a pipe from one or both of these gudgeons to the furnace chamber or mouth or
grate and then consume them so that the heat thus obtained supplements and saves
the main supply of fuel.
Another method we adopt for more effectually collecting the gases from the revolving
drum, and also for making a more durable form of gudgeon or shaft for carrying the
revolving drum is as follows:-
:-
We cause a hollow shaft for carrying the revolving drum to pass right through its
centre, and we form a fixed flange or shoulder at one side for the purpose of bolting
or connecting the revolving drum to the shaft or gudgeon; the opposite side we also
connect to the shaft by means of a flange or collar which is free to be moved along
the shaft and thus when disconnected from it to allow of the revolving drum passing
freely over the shaft.
We secure the loose collar or flange in any position by means of set screws, cotters,
or other ordinary appliances and thereby keep the cylinder rigidly connected at both
sides to the shaft itself.

page_text: We pierce holes within the central portion of our hollow shaft that is within the
drum or cylinder, for the purpose of collecting the gases within the cylinder, and then
lead these gases off from one or both sides to the fire grate or chamber, there to be
consumed and utilized for further heating the cylinder.
When we desire to remove the cylinder from the shaft, we are enabled readily to do
this by releasing the connections between the flanges and drawing the cylinder off
along the shaft.
The shaft may thus be used continuously after several cylinders have become worn
out, or have been burnt through.
In order that our invention may be properly understood we hereunto append one
sheet of explanatory drawings in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of our improved gunpowder carbonizing furnace and
Figure 2 is a plan partly in section while Figure 3 shows another arrangement of
the drum or cylinder which we sometimes use.
In Figures 1 and 2, A is the drum mounted on the hollow shaft B above the
furnace C and having its lower part within it, the shaft B being carried upon
bearings D which are capable of being raised by the arms D' in any well known
manner, thus allowing of the drum being raised for emptying it of its contents of
charcoal and recharging it, as required. During the time the drum is withdrawn
from the furnace for this or other purposes the lid E is shut down to cover the hole
usually occupied by the drum A.
The drum or cylinder A we construct preferably of iron plates or other metal
having a feeding door or lid a. The hollow shaft B is closed at one end B' and has
within it the holes or perforations b, b which serve to lead off the gases from the
interior of the drum A by means of the pipes F to the furnace C, where they are
consumed, helping to heat up the drum A, after which the resultant gases pass from
the furnace by the flue G to the chimney H the draught of which is controlled by the
damper J.
The drum A is attached to the shaft B by means of the collar or flange K which is
attached to the said shaft, the collar L on the other side being a loose one and
attached by means of set screws, cotters or in any other ordinary manner; the drum A
after releasing the connections of the loose collar is thus free to slide along the shaft B
and may be taken off when worn out or burnt through and replaced by another, thus
enabling one shaft to be used a number of times.
The shaft B and with it the drum A is rotated by a belt on the cone pulley M or in
any other convenient manner.
The furnace C may be of any ordinary construction, that shown has the mouth at N.
O is the bars and P the fire bridge.
Figure 3 shows another form of drum A', which we sometimes adopt, this form is
mounted upon hollow gudgeons or trunnions R, but which do not pass through it as
in the other form. Or one only may be hollow and the other solid without departing
from the essential feature of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. The construction of a drum or revolving holder such as A, for containing charcoal
for the manufacture of gunpowder, mounted upon a hollow or perforated shaft such
as B, substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
2. The construction of a drum or revolving holder for gunpowder charcoal having
independent shafts or gudgeons such as R as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
3. In a charcoal burning furnace the use of collecting pipes such as F for conveying
the escaping gases or fumes from the interior of the fixed or revolving holder or drum
and directing them to the furnace chamber such as C for combustion.

page_text: 4. The combination and arrangement of a revolving drum charcoal holder, with
side collecting pipes or a side collecting pipe for conveying the escaping gases to the
furnace; and with loose or independent central shafts or gudgeons, substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
5
Dotod thin 17th J
CT1 1000
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicants.