Improvements in Furnaces for Heating Metal Plates, Sheets, or Bars.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Heating Metal Plates, Sheets, or Bars.
We, FRANCIS EDWARD Ross, of 17, Morland Road, Addiscombe, in the County
of Surrey, Civil Engineer, and ALEXANDER JAMES GIBSON, of Cornish Villa, Sutton,
in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to furnaces for heating large numbers of metal plates,
sheets or bars, for stamping, pressing or bending, & has for its objects the more
convenient handling of the materials & the more efficient application of heat.
According to this invention, the furnace is constructed with a fireplace & a com-
bustion chamber, contained in one casing, & communicating by ports or openings,
in the manner hereinafter described.
The combustion chamber is divided vertically by a number of transverse parallel
firebrick walls, into a series of narrow cells opening from a common chamber at
one end, & into a common flue, leading to the chimney, at the other.
Each cell is of dimensions suitable for containing one or two of the plates or
other articles to be heated, with sufficient clearance between the articles & the
firebrick walls on each side of them, for the passage of flame from the aforesaid
common chamber to the flue.
The aforesaid common chamber having also openings or ports communicating
with the fireplace, (which is preferably situated below it) the ignited gases from
the fire will enter the said chamber & traverse the cells, bringing to a
high tem-
perature, the dividing walls & the articles placed between them, & will issue
through ports or passages into the flue, & from thence into the chimney.
For the insertion & withdrawal of the plates or other articles, a narrow opening
is provided at each end of each cell, the openings being no wider than is necessary
for the handling of the plates, & being covered with hinged doors of suitable con-
struction.
The plates or other articles are charged into the cells on one side of the furnace &
drawn out hot on the other, a cold plate being put in as soon as a hot one is with-
drawn.
The fireplace may be constructed with a grate for the use of solid fuel, either with
chimney or forced draught, or it may be adapted for burning liquid or gaseous
fuel. In any case arrangements are made for admission & admixture of sufficient
air to the fireplace & combustion chamber to ensure the complete combustion of
the fuel.
Dated this 9th day of May 1898
FRANCIS EDWARD ROSS.
ALEX. G. GIBSON.

page_text: Improvements in Furnaces for Heating Metal Plates, Sheets, or Bars.
We, FRANCIS EDWARD Ross, of 17, Morland Road, Addiscomb, in the County
of Surrey, Civil Engineer, and ALEXANDER JAMES GIBSON, of Cornish Villa, Sutton,
in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, 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:
-
This invention relates to furnaces for heating metal plates, sheets or bars to
prepare them for stamping, pressing, bending or the like and has for its objects the
more convenient handling of the materials to be heated and the more efficient
application of heat thereto.
According thereto the furnace is constructed with a fire place and with a com-
bustion chamber in which hot gases proceeding from the said fire place complete
their combustion in proximity to the articles to be heated, both the fireplace and
combustion chamber being contained within one casing and communicating one
with another by ports or openings (or an opening) in the manner hereinafter
described.
The combustion chamber is divided vertically by a number of transverse parallel
firebrick walls into narrow cells opening from a common chamber at one end and
communicating at the other end with a common flue leading to the chimney. Each
cell is of dimensions suitable for containing one or two or a few of the plates or
other articles to be heated with sufficient clearance between the articles and the
firebrick walls on each side of them to allow of the passage of flame from the afore-
said common chamber to the flue.
The aforesaid common chamber has also openings or ports (or an opening)
communicating with the fireplace (which is preferably situated below it) so that
ignited gases from the fire will enter the said chamber and traverse the cells, bring-
ing to a high temperature the dividing walls and the articles placed between them,
and will issue through ports or passages into the flue and from thence into the
chimney.
For the insertion and withdrawal of the plates or other articles, a narrow open-
ing is provided at each end of each cell, the openings being no wider than is neces-
sary for the handling of the said articles, and being normally covered with doors
of suitable construction.
The plates or other articles to be heated are charged into the cells on one side
of the furnace and drawn out hot on the other, a cold plate being put in after a hot
one has been withdrawn. The fireplace may be constructed with a grate for the
use of solid fuel either with chimney or forced draught; or it may be adapted for
burning liquid or gaseous fuel. In any case suitable arrangements are made for
the admission of sufficient air to the fireplace and combustion chamber and for its
admixture with the combustible gases therein, so as to ensure as nearly as may be
the complete combustion of the fuel.
Referring to the accompanying illustrative drawings, Fig. 1 shows in central
vertical section, Fig. 2 in vertical section on the line of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 in
horizontal section on the line y y of Fig. 1, a construction of furnace according to
this invention suitable for heating plates or sheets.
1 is the fireplace provided with fire bars 2, poking orifice 3, fire doors 4, fuel
charging openings 5 and air inlet orifices 6 (situated above the fuel level). 7 is
a common chamber communicating with the fire place 1 by ports or openings 7°

page_text: and with the inlet ends of a series of parallel cells 8 which, in the example now
being, described, are six in number and are formed transversely in the mass 8" of
refractory brickwork constituting the upper part of the furnace. 9 are openings
formed in the side walls of the furnace opposite the ends of each cell, each opening
being adapted to be closed by a suitable door 10 that may as shown, be hinged or
may be otherwise mounted so as to be easily opened. 12 is a flue connected at
the top by ports 12ª to the outlet ends of the heating cells 8 and at one end to a
chimney 13. 8b are removable bricks that may be laid along the bottom of each
cell S to take the wear caused by the edges of the plates or other articles that rest
upon them whilst being heated.
Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive illustrate a modified construction of furnace according to
this invention, Fig. 4 being an end elevation, Fig. 5 a plan partly in section on
the line of Fig. 6, Fig. 6 a front elevation partly in central vertical section,
and Fig. 7 a vertical section on the line y¹y of Fig. 5.
In this modified construction of furnace, which can advantageously be employed
for heating small articles, there are two parallel series of narrow transverse heating
celis 8 arranged back to back with the common longitudinal chamber 7 connected
to the cells and to the fireplace 1 arranged between them so that the flame and hot
gases divide at the said chamber and pass in opposite directions through to the
two series of cells to the end chambers 12 whence the hot gases are led over the
mass of brickwork in which the cells are formed to the chimney 13 at the base of
which the two streams re-unite. The top of the chimney may be provided with
a damper 13 of ordinary construction for regulating the action of the furnace. In
this construction the articles to be heated are inserted and withdrawn through the
same openings 9 which are closed by vertically movable doors 10 that are in part
counterbalanced and may, if desired, be raised when desired by operating with the
foot a treadle 14 to which each door is connected through a flexible connector 15
passing over a guide pulley 16.
In each of the constructions of furnaces described and illustrated, the openings 9
through which articles are introduced or withdrawn from the furnace and the cover-
ing doors for the same are shown as being of rectangular form in end view but they
might in some instances be of circular or other shape if desired.
The doors or closures for the openings 9 may be placed within orifices or sup-
ported by ledges, sills, hinges, chains or other suitable means, or they may in
some cases be dispensed with altogether, as for instance when a portion only of
each of the articles, as for example one end of a rod, is to be heated.
By the construction described it will be seen that metal plates, indicated in dotted
lines at A in Figs. 2 and 6, or other articles can be readily inserted into any one
of the cells 8 and removed without materially affecting the heating of articles in
other cells and without admitting air to such cells & consequently oxidizing the
articles therein, and that articles placed in the cells will be quickly, uniformly
and economically heated to the desired temperature by the heat of the flames and
hot gases that pass through the cells and which will be brought into close and
effective contact with all parts of such articles and by heat radiated from the walls
of the cells which will be raised to a high temperature by the flame and hot gases
flowing past them.
As will be obvious furnaces according to this invention can be variously modified
so long as they do not obviate the possibility of the individual and independent
use of each of the several cells or heating chambers. Thus flame and hot gases
may be admitted to the cells through chambers at their outer ends and leave the
cells through a chamber at their central portion. Or in the case of long cells for
heating long articles, the flame and hot gases may be admitted to each cell at
various points along the top or bottom thereof and caused to escape at
various points along the bottom or top thereof respectively, so as to ensure as
uniform heating as possible. Also the number of cells may be varied to suit
different requirements.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A furnace for heating metal plates, sheets or bars, constructed with separate
cells each having an independent inlet from the fire place, an outlet to a flue, and
charging opening or openings, the arrangement being such that any cell can be
opened for charging or removal of heated articles therefrom whilst heating of
articles in other cells of the furnace is going on, substantially as described for the
purpose mentioned.
2. The improved furnaces for heating metal plates, sheets or bars, substantially
as shown in and described with reference respectively to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive,
and to Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1899.
For the Applicants.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.