Improvements in Heating and Roasting Furnaces for Ores
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th. Oct., 1897- Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in Heating and Roasting Furnaces for Ores."
(A communication by WILLIAM EMANUEL ROBERTS, JARED E. GAYLORD and
FRANCIS P. DAVIDSON, all of Butte City, in the County of Silver Bow and
State of Montana, United States of America.)
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool & 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, & 322 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, 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 improvements in heating and roasting, furnaces, and
more particularly to the class of furnaces for calcining, desulphurizing or
chloridizing ores, in which either a single roasting oven is employed, or a series
of ovens or heating chambers one above another, and which communicate through
alternate passages at their ends, each hearth being provided with a rake mechani-
cally operated, for agitating or propelling the ore or material along the hearth
towards the discharge opening.
Its object is to construct a furnace wherein each oven or heating chamber is
provided with a longitudinal slot or opening throughout its side walls from end
to end, through which the ends of the rake shaft may project, so that the
rake may be operated by mechanism outside the oven away from
the heat, and to provide means for supporting the hearth, roof and sides
of the oven, and a track for the ends of the rake shaft outside the walls or masonry
of the heating chamber in order that no part of such support shall be subjected
to the heat used in calcining and desulphurizing the ores.
In the case of a series of superimposed ovens, the structure is such that the rake
may travel entirely through and out of one oven or heating chamber and into the
next.
It consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts, herein-
after described in the specification, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in
the claims.
In the accompanying drawings in which like letters indicate like parts:-
Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section of this furnace showing the roof, sides,
hearth and track, carried and supported by brackets secured to vertical columns
ranged along the side walls of the furnace."
Fig. 2, is a similar view showing the supporting brackets resting one upon another
against a vertical column, which serves as a brace or buckstay to take the lateral
strain caused by the side thrust of the arches.
Fig. 3, is a similar view showing a multiple integral bracket performing the
same function.
Fig. 4, is a side elevation of this furnace, partly in section, constructed with
a series of superimposed heating chambers.
Referring more specifically to the drawings by letter-A, represents the hearth

page_text: of the oven, and B the arch or roof. C are horizontal |-beams which receive the
ends of the hearth and roof arches. D), are brackets carrying and supporting
the horizontal-beams, and may be bolted to the vertical columns E, as shown in
fig, 1 or may rest upon and be supported by a similar bracket beneath, as shown
in fig, 2 or it may consist of a single multiple bracket as shown in fig, 3. In the
latter case separate bracket projections d, d for carrying the hearth and roof
arches, are provided.
F is a track, supported upon the brackets outside the walls of the heating chamber,
along the horizontal opening, to carry the end of the rake shaft which projects
through such horizontal slot."
G represents an upward extension of the hearth on each side, which forms the
lower portion of the side wall of the furnace oven, and is supported and carried
by the-beams which support and carry the ends of the hearth arch.
His a channel beam bolted to the lower flange of the I-beam which carries the
ends of the roof arch..
It depends therefrom and serves to form part of the side of the oven, and
partially close the longitudinal slot between the hearth and roof.
I is the rake, the ends of the shaft of which project through the side walls of
the ovens and are supported on the track F. This shaft may be tubular for the
purpose of admitting air or other cooling fluid throughout its interior, and is pre-
vided with teeth or plows on opposite sides adapted to operate upon the ore on the
hearth, and it is propelled over the hearth by chains or wire ropes passing over
drums or pulleys at the ends of the furnace, actuated by any suitable mechanism
or motive power.
In the case of a single oven the rake is made to reciprocate, or move back and
forth over the hearth, but in the case of a series of superimposed ovens the rake
is propelled forward over one hearth, and back over the next.
It is obvious that by this construction a furnace of any desired length or height
may be built, as the longitudinal |-beams which receive and carry the ends of
the hearth and floor arches, and the side walls, are supported at frequent intervals
along the sides of the furnace by the brackets, hence they may be of short lengths
to avoid the liability of warping or sagging caused by the heat, a defect neces-
sarily encountered when they are of any considerable length and supported only
at the ends: Moreover in the latter case it would be impossible to provide longi-
tudinal slots throughout the sides, open at the ends for the passage of the rake
out of one hearth into another without providing bracket supports for the arches
and side walls.
The horizontal slot may be closed to confine the heat, by any well known means,
such as a series of shingled plates pivoted at their upper ends whereby they will
rise or slide over the rake shaft, and drop back into place as soon as it has passed.
As this is not claimed as any part of this invention, it has not been deemed
necessary to show such in the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to.
me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is: —
1st, A furnace or heating oven having a longitudinal slot throughout each
side wall, and brackets ranged along the side walls carrying and supporting the '
roof and hearth arches on the inner ends thereof, substantially as described.
2d, A furnace or heating oven provided with horizontal slots or openings
throughout its side walls, brackets ranged along the side walls adjacent to the
slot or opening, adapted to receive and support the ends of the arches of the
hearth and roof of the oven, and a track upon said brackets adapted to carry the
end of a rake shaft extending through the longitudinal openings in the side walls,
substantially as described.
3d, A furnace or heating oven provided with longitudinal slots or openings
throughout its side walls, brackets ranged along the side walls adjacent to the

page_text: slot or opening, adapted to receive and support the ends of the arches of the hearth
and roof of the oven, a track upon said brackets adapted to carry the ends of a rake
shaft extending through the longitudinal openings in the side walls, and a rake
extending across the hearth, the supporting ends of which project through the
slots in the side walls and are supported and carried upon said track, substantially
as described.
4th, A furnace or heating oven provided with longitudinal slots or openings,
throughout its side walls, brackets ranged along the side walls adjacent to the slot or
opening adapted to receive and support the ends of the arches of the hearth and
roof of the oven, means for taking the lateral strain or side thrust of the arches,,
a track upon said brackets, and a rake shaft extending through the longitudinal'
openings in the side walls, substantially as described.
5th, A roasting furnace or heating oven having a longitudinal slot or open-
ing extending throughout its side walls; vertical columns ranged along the side,
walls, brackets supported thereon carrying and supporting on their inner ends
the roof and hearth arches of the oven, a track supported by said brackets out-
side the walls of the furnace, and a rake extending across the hearth having its
supporting ends projecting through the slot and supported upon said track, sub-
stantially as described.
6th, A furnage comprising a series of vertical columns, Brackets, on said
columns; tracks on said brackets; side-walls and arches carried by said brackets
and having longitudinal slots in said side walls extending from end to end past
said vertical columns, substantially as described.
7th, A furnace comprising a series of vertical columns, brackets supported
on said columns, tracks on said brackets, side-walls and arches carried by said
brackets, the side-walls having longitudinal slots extending past said columns,
and rakes having supports passing through the slots and carried by said tracks,
substantially as described.
8th, A furnace or oven provided with longitudinal slots throughout its side
walls, longitudinally disposed beams adapted to carry and support the masonry
of the oven or furnace, vertical beams or columns along the walls adjacent to the
longitudinal openings, brackets secured to the vertical beam supporting and carry-
ing the longitudinal beams on their inner ends, and a track carried upon the
brackets outside the walls, adapted to support and carry the ends of a rake shaft,
substantially as described.
9th, A furnace or oven provided with longitudinal slots throughout its side
walls, longitudinally disposed beams adapted to carry and support the masonry
of the oven or furnace, vertical beams or columns along the walls adjacent to the
longitudinal openings, brackets secured to the vertical beams supporting and carry-
ing the longitudinal beams on their inner ends, a track carried upon the brackets
outside the walls adapted to support and carry the ends of a rake shaft, and a
rake, substantially as described.
10th, A furnace or heating oven having longitudinal openings throughout
its side walls, a plurality of brackets resting one upon another ranged along the
side walls adjacent to the slot or opening, supporting and carrying the masonry
of the furnace on their inner ends, and means for taking the lateral strain or
side thrust of the arches, substantially as described.
11th, A furnace provided with longitudinal slots extending throughout its
side walls, a plurality of brackets supported one upon another ranged along the
side walls carrying and supporting the hearth, roof, and side walls, means for
taking the lateral strain or side thrust of the arches, and a track upon said brackets
adapted to support and carry the ends of a rake shaft; substantially as and for the
purpose described.
12, A furnace provided with longitudinal slots throughout its side walls;
a plurality of brackets supported one upon another and carrying and supporting
its side walls, roof, and hearth; means for maintaining said brackets against
the side thrust of the arches, tracks upon said brackets, and a rake, the ends of the

page_text: shaft of which extend through the slots in the side walls and are supported on said
track; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
13th A furnace comprising a series of superimposed heating, ovens, each
provided with a longitudinal slot or opening throughout its side walls; a series
of superimposed brackets ranged along the side walls, either integral or separate
and resting one upon another, supporting and carrying upon their inner ends
the roof, hearth arches, and sides of the heating ovens, a track upon said brackets
outside of said ovens adapted to support the ends of a rake shaft; and means for
supporting said brackets against the side thrust of the arches composing the heat-
ing chambers; all arranged and combined, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
14th, A heating or roasting furnace comprising a series of superimposed ovens
provided with a longitudinal opening throughout its side walls; a series of
multiple bracket supports provided with bracket projections, ranged along the
side walls, carrying and supporting the masonry of the furnace; on their inner
ends; tracks upon said bracket projections; and a rake designed to travel over
the hearths of the ovens and having its ends projecting through the slots or
openings in the side walls and supported and carried on the track, all arranged
and combined substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 18th day of October 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.
Agents.