IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Thoms Gordon, of Dundee, in the County of
Forfar, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES."
Sealed the 27th February 1880, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
and dated the 18th June 1879.
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Thoms Gordon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th June 1879.
DAVID THOMS GORDON, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain.
IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES."
This Invention has reference to particular constructions and arrangements of the
bars and their bearers for the purpose of giving a free ingress of air to and egress
of the ashes from the furnace, so as to save fuel and maintain a cleaner and clearer
or better burning fire in steam boiler and other furnaces than has heretofore been
the case with ordinary constructions and arrangements of fire grates.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consists, first, in making the furnace
bars, preferably of malleable iron, parallel in depth and thickness, longitudinally,
so that they may be rolled as ordinary bar iron, simply cut-off into lengths to form
bars, but rolled or made angled or tapered as usual in their cross section, that is,
thicker along the upper edge than along the under edge for the free admission of
air up the spacos between them and the free descent of the ashes, which spaces are
formed by punching holes through their sides at proper intervals for the rivetting
in of single headed studs which form the distance pieces on the one side, but rivetted
flush on the other; or the studs might be made with heads on both sides of each
alternato bar, the other alternate bars being plain without rivets or holes, and,
when desired, these alternate bars with rivets or holes might be parallel in cross
section, sufficient angle being left on the alternate bars without the distance studs in
them for the ashes to fall freely down through; it will thus be evident that these
bars cannot be reversable in consequence of being so angled or tapered. These
projecting distance pieces on one or both sides of the bars (instead of being formed
of inserted rivets) might be formed while rolling them by cutting semi-circular
hollow grooves across the compressing surface of the roller, into which the hot
metal of the bar would be compressed, and form them out of the solid iron. These
improved constructions of furnace bars are arranged side by side longitudinally on
Prins S21

page_text: their transverse or cross bearers or carring bars, having the distance stud heads of the
one bar always turned towards the plain side of its adjacent bar; or in the case of
the stud heads being formed on each side, then the bars are alternate with plain
bars between them without distance studs. A further improvement consists in a
new or improved construction of box shaped cross bearer or bar for carrying the
adjacent ends of two sets of the said improved furnace bars arranged on them
side by side longitudinally as stated. This bearer is formed preferably of malleable
iron in a rectangular or box shape in plan, open above and below, but closed in
along the two carrying sides or edges, and at the ends of the middle or body part,
with short fitting plates screwed or rivetted to their sides for fitting and resting
on the sides of the flue or rests or shoes made for them; or otherwise U shaped
ends for the like purpose may be screwed or rivetted to the deep ends of the box
bearer instead of the four end sido plates before described for the like purpose of
fitting, and carrying the bearer within the flues or furnaces much otherwise as other
bearers are secured. A further improvement in the construction of this box bearer
consists in fitting a deep central portable bar in a slot made for it in the cross ends
of the box part; this loose portable bar being made parallel, and of nearly the full
height of the longitudinal bars so as to seperate them, and at the same time is
reversable, that is, the under edge can be turned up when the upper edge gets
partially burned away by the action of the fire. When these bearers are secured
to each other at their proper distance apart by longitudinal stay bars or bolts,
these might pass through snugs formed by them in the lower part of the end
carrying plates, or these might be made a little deeper than the box body part of
the bearer to have these stay holes formed in them below the central portable bar,
for retaining the ends of the furnace bars in proper position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said David Thoms Gordon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
February 1880.
DAVID THOMS GORDON, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES."
My said Invention has reference to particular constructions and arrangements of
the bars and their bearers for the purpose of giving a free ingress of air to and
egress of the ashes from the furnace, so as to save fuel and maintain a cleaner and
clearer or better burning fire in steam boiler and other furnaces than has hereto-
fore been the case with ordinary constructions and arrangements of fire grates.
The nature, novelty, and mode of performing my said Invention consists as
follows: I make the furnace bars, preferably of malleable iron, parallel in deptlı
and thickness, longitudinally, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings, so that
they may be rolled as ordinary bar iron simply cut off into lengths to form bars A,
but rolled or made angled or tapered as usual in their cross sections, as seen in

page_text: Figures 3 and 4, that is thicker along the upper edge a than along the under edge a',
for the free admission of air up the spaces 6, b¹, between them, and the free descent
of the ashes, which 'spaces b1, b2, are formed by punching holes c through their sides,
as shown dotted in Figures 1 and 2, at proper intervals for the rivetting in of
single headed studs C which form the distance pieces on the one side, but rivitted
flush on the other, as seen in Figure 3; or the studs C might be made with
heads C, C¹, on both sides of each alternate bar A, as seen in Figure 4, the other
alternate bars A¹ being plain without rivets or holes; it will thus be evident that
these bars cannot be reversible in consequence of being so angled or tapered.
Figure 5 is an end view showing the bars A with single headed studs C arranged
in a set; and Fig. 6 shows an end view of the bars A with double headed studs or
distance pieces C, C', fitted with alternate tapered bars A' without rivets or holes,
and arranged in a set resting on their bearing bars D, sufficient angle being left
between the bars A and A', with the heads of the distance studs C, C', between
them for the ashes to fall freely down through.
•
These projecting distance pieces C, C', on one or both sides of the bars (instead
of being formed of inserted rivets) might be formed while rolling them by cutting
semi-circular hollow grooves across the compressing surface of the roller into which
the hot metal of the bar would be compressed, and form them out of solid iron, as
shown at B, B; in plan,- Figures 7 and. 8, and in end clevation in Figure 7A.
These improved constructions of furnace bars A or B are arranged side by side
longitudinally on their transverse or cross bearers, or carrying bars D, D', having
the distance stud heads C, C', of the one bar always turned towards the plain side
of its adjacent bar, as seen in Figure 5, or in the case of the stud beads being formed
on each side then the bars are alternato with plain bars A between them without
distance studs, as seen in Figure 6.
.
A further improvement.consists in a new or improved construction of box shaped
cross bearer or bar D, D', for carrying the adjacent ends of-two sets of tho said
improved furnace bars arranged on them sido by side longitudinally as stated, as
shown in the side and end clevations, Figures 9 and 10, and in plan in Figure 11.
This bearer is formed preferably of malleable iron of a rectangular or box like shape
in plan, as shown in Figuro 11, open above and below, but closed in along the two
carrying sides or edges D, D, and at the ends D₁ of the middle body part D with
short fitting plates Du screwed or rivetted to their sides D for fitting and resting
on the sides of the flue or rests or shoes made for them at d, d, as shown in
Figures 9 and 11; or, otherwise, U shaped ends D³ for the like purpose, as shown
in side and end elevation in Figures 12 and 13 respectively, and in plan in
Figure 14, may be screwed or rivetted to the deep ends D₁ of the box bearer
instead of the four end side plates before described, for the like purpose of fitting
and carrying the bearer D, D¹, within the flues or furnaces much otherwise as other
bearers are secured; and these end pieces D", D³, can be easily removed and
replaced by similar pieces which may be shorter or longer to enable the complete
bar to be readily adjusted to suit any slight variation in the size of flue into which
they are fitted, or any alteration of their position in the flue without having to
employ different lengths, and consequently make different patterns of bearing
bars D, D', for each case.
A further improvement in the construction of this box bearer D, D', consists in
fitting a deep central portable bar E, shown detached in Figure 13A, in a slot E¹
made for it in the cross ends D1, D2, of the box part; this looso portable bar E
being made parallel and of nearly the full height of the longitudinal bars A above
the bearer D, D³, so as to separate them, and at the same time this bar E is loose
or reversible, that is, its under edge can be turned up when the upper edge gets
partially burned away by the action of the fire. When these bearers D, D', aro
secured to each other at their proper distance apart by longitudinal stay bars or
bolts these might pass through snugs D formed by them in the lower part of
the end carrying plates D", or these snugs D might be made a little deeper than
the box body part D, D¹, of the bearer to have these stay holes formed in them

page_text: below the central portable bar for retaining the ends of the furnace bars in proper
position.
Figures 15 and 10 are respectively a sectional elevation and horizontal section of
the furnace end of a boiler Z, showing an arrangement of my improved furnace
bars A and bearing bars D applied thereto. The bearing bars D are here shown
held together by stay rods F and cottars F¹, but this mode of retaining the bearers
of furnace bars in position has already been in public use, and I do not claim it as
forming any essential part of my said Invention.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I am aware that it is not new to
make fire bars angled or tapered in section, having their alternate bars parallel
in section (as A¹, in Figure 6, made parallel), such bars having been manufactured
and sold by myself prior to the date of my application for the said Patent. I
therefore wish it to be distinctly understood that I lay no claim to bars of the said
construction when taken alone or separately, but what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefor claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The construction and use of furnace bars which are tapered in section, and
consequently not reversible, or in other words, are thicker along the upper edge
than the under edge, having single or double distanco pieces or studs between the
said bars, all constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein described
in reference to and shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Second. The construction and use of malleable iron tapered furnace bars rolled
tapered in transverse section with parallel distance ridge pieces across them, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein described in reference to and shown in
Figures 7, 8, and 7A of the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The construction and arrangement of box shaped cross bearers or bearing
bars with or without portable or looso division or dividing bars, substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein described in reference to and shown in
Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A, and 14 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. The combination of the said tapered furnace bars with the bearing bars
aforesaid in furnaces, substantially as herein described and shown in Figures 15
and 16 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Thoms Gordon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
DAVID THOMIS GORDON. (L.S.)