IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING OF GLASS MELTING Furnaces
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Siemens, of No. 12, Queen
Anne's Gate, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING OF
GLASS MELTING Furnaces.”
Scaled the 18th June 1875, and dated the 28th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William
Siemens at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 28th April 1875.
1 I, CHARLES WILLIAM SIEMENS, of No. 12, Queen Anne's Gate,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING
OP GLASS MELTING FURNACES," to be as follows :—
This Invention has reference to the melting and working of glass in a
continuous manner, and is in several respects similar to the furnace and
process described in Letters Patent granted to me on the 25th May 1870,
No. 1513, and on the 21st November 1872, No. 3478.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention in accordance to the description given
in the Specifications to the above-named Patents considerable difficulty
has been experienced in cooling the exterior surfaces of the tank bricks
in a uniform and sufficient manner, and when, owing to the failure of
the tank bricks at any point the metal has leaked out it has choked the
ventilating flues, and thus given rise to considerable inconvenience.
Moreover in placing the working-out holes at one end or side of the
furnace they give rise, owing to their proximity to each other, to practical
inconvenience. The usual mode of charging furnaces of this description
by shovelling in the materials or batch gives rise to the formation of a
considerable amount of dust, which attacks the sides and roof of the
furnace, and is partly deposited in the regenerators, causing them to
clog up.
According to my present Invention I remedy these evils in tho
following mannor:-I place the regenerators not under but on one side
of the melting chamber, and I cause the combustible gases to enter and
the products of combustion to leave the melting chamber from the same
side. The remaining sides are then made available for working holes,
which may be placed at such distance apart, and arranged in the manner
most suitable for the work to be donc. By this means the melting
chamber may receive in plan the shape of a horse-shoe or of a circle
having a segment cut off, upon the straight side of which the regene-
rators are placed, while the working holes are situated in the curved
sides facing the regenerators.
Instead of the floating bridges mentioned in my last-named Patent I
employ fixed bridges, with hollow spaces running through them from
end to end for the passage of a current or currents of air. When the
horse-shoe form of furnace is adopted the bridge is arranged parallel to
the furnace chamber, sufficient space or spaces being left between the
bridge and the wall in which the working-out holes are placed for the
accumulation of the fined metal.
The raw material or batch is charged into the furnace through a door
situated over the regenerators, and between the inlet and outlet passages
of the combustible gases and products of combustion, and when melted
it flows towards the bridge or bridges, and thence through orifices left
between the same and the bottom of the tank into the compartment or
compartments provided for the accumulation of the fined metal under

page_text: the working-out holes. The bridge or bridges may be raised to any
desired extent, so as to screen the working-out compartment or compart-
ments from the direct action of the flame, and it may be found advan-
tageous to raise the bridge opposite each working hole, and to leave
more flame space between them.
The material or batch for charging into the furnace is placed into a
large scoop or receiver at one side of the furnace, which is passed by
mechanical means to the charging door, and through the latter into the
melting chamber, where its contents are quietly discharged near the
centro. The quantity of material charged cach time is sufficient for
several hours' work, and by these means the inconvenience arising from
the production of dust is virtually avoided, and the labour of charging
greatly diminished.
The regenerators being removed from below the melting chamber to
one side, a large open space can be formed below and around that
chamber for the circulation of atmospheric air, which also permits of
inspection and access to overy part of the exterior of the tank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles William Siemens in the Great Soal Patent
Office on the 28th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WILLIAM SIEMENS, of No. 12, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, hearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles William Siemens, Her
special license that I, the said Charles William Siemens, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
William Siemens, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING OF
GLASS MELTING FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Charles William Siemons, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles William Siemens, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascortained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, ]
that is to say:
-
This Invention has reference to the melting and working of glass in a
continuous manner, and is in several respects similar to the furnace and
process described in the Specifications of Letters Patents granted to me
on the 25th May 1870, No. 1513, and on the 21st November 1872, 2
No. 3473.
In carrying out the Invention in accordance with the description
given in the Specifications to the above-named Patents considerable
difficulty has been experienced in cooling the exterior surface of the
tank bricks in a uniform and sufficient manner, and when owing to the 2
failure of the tank bricks at any point the metal has leaked out it
has choked the ventilating flues, and thus given rise to considerable
inconvenience. The usual mode of charging furnaces of this description
by shovelling in the materials or batch gives riso to the formation of a
considerable amount of dust which attacks the sides and roof of the 3
furnace and is partly deposited in the regenerators, causing them to
clog up.
According to my present Invention I remedy these evils in the
following manner :-I place the regenerators, not under but on one side
of the melting chambers, and I cause the combustible gases to enter 3
and the products of combustion to leave the melting chamber from the
same side, the remaining sides arc then made available for working holos
which may be placed at such distance apart and arranged in the manner

page_text: most suitable for the work to be done. By this means the melting
chamber may receive in plan the shape of a horse shoe or of a circle
having a segment cut off, upon the straight side of which the regenerators
are placed, while the working holes are situated in the curved sides
facing the regenerators. Otherwise by placing the regenerators not
under but at the sides of the tank an open cave is formed below the
tank communicating with air spaces on cach side thereof, for the
purpose of cooling the bottom and sides, and of receiving such metal
as may leak through in an open accessible space.
Instead of the floating bridges mentioned in my last named Patent
I employ fixed bridges with hollow spaces running through them from
end to end for the passage of a current or currents of air. When the
horse-shoc form of furnace is adopted the bridge is arranged parallel to
the wall of the furnace chamber, sufficient space or spaces being left
between the bridge and the wall in which the working out holes are
placed for the accumulation of the fined metal.
The raw material or batch may be charged into the furnace through a
door situated over the regenerators and between the inlet and outlet
passages for the combustible gases and products of combustion, and when
melted it flows towards the bridge or bridges and thence through orifices
left between the same and the bottom of the tank into the compartment
or compartments provided for the accumulation of the fined metal under
the working out holes. The bridge or bridges may be raised to any
desired extent so as to screen the working out compartment or compart-
ments from the direct action of the flame, and it may be found
advantageous to raise the bridge opposite each working hole and to
leave more flame space between them.
The material or batch for charging into the furnace is placed into a
large scoop or receiver at one side of the furnace, which is passed by
mechanical means to the charging door, and through the latter into the
melting chamber, where its contents are quictly discharged near the
centre. The quantity of material charged each time is sufficient for
several hours work, and by these means the inconvenience arising from
the production of dust is virtually avoided and the labour of charging
greatly diminished.
P131
hains unmound from holow the melting chamher ก

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews a longitudinal section of
onc arrangement of my before described improved construction of glass
furnace taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2, which shows a sectional plan
on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows on the right-hand side a transverse
section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, and on the left hand a transverse section
on the line 3-3ª, Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 shew part sections taken
respectively on the lines 4-4, and 5-5, of Fig. 2.
A. is the melting chamber, at one side or end of which are placed tho
four regenerators B¹, B³, B³, B', of which the one pair of air and gas
regenerators B¹, B³, communicate with the melting chamber A through
the passages b¹, 63, situated one above the other, while those B³, B³, com-
municate with A through the corresponding passages 6³, 6*. Thus the 1
gas and air passing into the chamber A through the one set of
passages b¹, b, and being ignited, sweep round the melting chamber and
cscape through the passages 63, 64, to the other pair of regenerators.
In order to secure a more complete sweep of the flame over the tank
the middle wall M may be extended towards the bridge. By this 2
arrangement the two sides and the semicircular end of the furnace are
rendered available for working holes C, C, and for the charging doors D, D,
the latter being placed near the regenerators. E is the fixed bridge with
a passage e formed right through it to a flue at one side, acting as a
chimney for the circulation of air, and with apertures e¹, e¹, at the 2
bottom, through which the fined metal passes from the melting
chamber A into the compartment A', whence it is worked out through
the opening C. A passage F is formed beneath the throats of the
regenerators communicating with a vertical passage F between the
throats for keeping the brickwork cool by the circulation of air. The 3
working-out holes may be provided with hoods or muffles O³, as described
in my former Specification above referred to.
Fig. 6 shews a sectional plan of another modification in which the
melting chamber A and bridge E are made of horse-shoe form, with
working-out compartments A' arranged all round the semicircle, each 3
such compartment communicating by a passage e¹ under the hollow

page_text: bridge E. In this case the gas and air from the one pair of regenerators
enter by one or other of the passages 6º, 6ª, and being ignitod the flame
sweeps round the furnace and issues by the other of these passages to the
other pair of regenerators. Between the passages 6 and b³, is situated
the feeding door G with rails g whercon the feeding truck is run forward
to the door.
According to another modification, shewn in longitudinal section
at Fig. 7, and in part transverse section at Fig. 8, the section being
taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 7, A is the melting compartment separated
from the working-out compartment A' by the bridge E, which is formed
with an air flue e for cooling, and with passages e for the molten metal.
A pair of regenerators B¹, B³, are placed at each side of the furnace,
communicating with it by the flues b¹, b*, between which cooling air
flues are formed in the side walls, thesc flues rising from a cold air
chamber or cave H formed beneath the tank. D is the feeding door;
O, the working-out holes, and in other respects the furnace shown
in Figs. 7 and 8 resembles those described in my former Specifications
above referred to.
The tank above described may be divided by longitudinal partitions
into compartments for glass of different qualities or colours.
Fig. 9 is a plan and Fig. 10 a side view of a scoop for feeding, made of
semicircular form, as shewn in the cross section, Fig. 11. The scoop K
is fixed at the end of a bar k, which is jointed to the front part of a
truck L, the back end of the bar being kept down by a pin l. The
scoop K being charged with the raw materials the truck is run forward
till the scoop is introduced through the feeding door, whereupon the
pin is removed, and by means of the bar & the scoop is canted to an
inclined attitude, allowing the materials to slide gently therefrom into
the melting chamber.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I claim, —
-
First. The construction of regenerative gas tank furnaces for melting
glass, with the communications or throats to and from the regenerators
situated at one and the same side or end of the tank so as to leave the
other sides or ends free for accommodating working out and feeding
doors, substantially as herein described in reference to Figures 1 to 6
inclusive of the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Second. The construction of a regenerative gas tank furnace for
molting glass, in the form of a horse-shoc or semicircle, with the feeding
door and the regenerator throats arranged on the flat side and the
working-out doors arranged round the curved side thereof, sub-
stantially as horein described in reference to Fig. 6 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Third. Arranging regenerative gas tank furnaces for melting glass,
with their regenerators at one or two sides of the tank so as to leave a
space under the tank frco as a cave or cooling chamber, substantially as
herein described.
Fourth. The use for feeding raw materials to a glass melting tank of
a scoop constructed and operating substantially as herein doscribed in
reference to Figs. 9, 10, and 11 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles William Siemens, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five.
Witness,
JNO. A. HEAD,
12, Queen Anno's Gate,
Westminster,
S.W.
C. WILLIAM SIEMENS. (L.S.)