IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH DRYING LETTERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Clark, of Alexandria, in the County
of Dumbarton, North Britain, Turkey Red Dyer and Printer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH DRYING
LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Clark, of Alexandria, in the County
of Dumbarton, North Britain, Turkey Red Dyer and Printer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH DRYING
STOVES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TURKEY RED YARNS AND WOVEN
FABRICS."
+
Sealed the 13th January 1874, and dated the 19th July 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th July 1873.
I, MATTHEW CLARK, of Alexandria, in the County of Dumbarton,
North Britain, Turkey Red Dyer and Printer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH
DRYING STOVES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TURKEY RED YARNS AND
WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
:-
This Tention has for its chinats to lesson the sick form

page_text: in the drying stoves employed in the manufacture of Turkey red yarns
and woven fabrics.
Hitherto these drying stoves have generally been heated by means of
furnaces, flues, and pipes, constructed and arranged in the floor or base
of the stove building, the flames and fire-gases or products of com-
bustion from the furnaces passing along the flues and pipes, and it has
been found extremely difficult and troublesome to maintain the flues
and pipes in a tight and perfect condition, whilst a large amount of heat
has been absorbed by the sides of the flues.
By the present Invention the furnace is placed externally to and
detached from the stove building, and is constructed for heating air
which is led through pipes in the furnace and thence to a system of
piping, by preference of cast iron, arranged in the flooring of the
stove building beneath the usual iron gratings. The system of piping
consists, by preference, of a central longitudinal main pipe having
connected to it on each side a series of branches of various lengths
arranged to distribute the hot air over the area of the stove, the ends of
the main pipe and of the branches being open for the escape of the hot
air into the stove. The air is forced through the piping by a fan or
other suitable blower or pump. The furnace may be constructed and
arranged like any suitable known furnaces for heating air for iron
furnaces. A fusible plug or valve may be fitted in the piping between
the furnace and the stove building so that if the air should at any time
approach a dangerous temperature the melting of the plug or valve will
allow it to escape outside of the building.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
· filed by the said Matthew Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
CLARK, of Alexandria, in the County of Dumbarton, North Britain, 3
Turkey Red Dyer and Printer, send greeting.

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Matthew. Clark, Her special licence
that I, the said Matthew Clark, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Matthew Clark, 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 lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
CONNECTED WITH DRYING STOVES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TURKEY RED
YARNS AND WOVEN FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Matthew Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 YẺ, that I, the said Matthew Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:―
My said Invention has for its objects to lessen the risk from fire, and
to obtain increased efficiency and convenience in use, and economy of
fuel in the drying stoves employed in the manufacture of Turkey red
yarns and woven fabrics.
Hitherto these drying stoves have generally been heated by means of
furnaces, flues, and pipes constructed and arranged in the floor or base
of the stove building, the flames or fire-gases or products of com-
bustion from the furnaces passing along the flues and pipes, and it has
been found difficult and troublesome to maintain the flues and pipes in
a tight and perfect condition, whilst a large amount of heat has been
wasted and loss of time has occurred in heating up the stove to the
requisite temperature, and when the stove has to be cooled for
removing the yarns or fabrics operated upon the heat taken up by the
sides of the flues is inconveniently given out again.

page_text: By my present Invention the furnace is placed externally to and
quite detached from the stove building, and is constructed for heating
air which is led through pipes in the furnace and thence to a system of
piping arranged in the lower flooring of the stove building. Provision is
also made for automatically preventing the air introduced into the
stove building from being of a dangerously elevated temperature, the
means which I employ for that purpose being suitable for regulating
the temperature of the air within convenient limits.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood I hereunto append two Sheets of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and representing an
example of my improved arrangements as at present being practically
carried out. In these Drawings the same reference numerals are
used for marking the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
.
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings are vertical and
horizontal sections showing a Turkey red drying stove building 1 and
the heating apparatus connected therewith. The air heater or furnace 2,
which is shown in transverse vertical section in Figure 1, in horizontal
section in Figure 2, and in longitudinal vertical section in Figure 3 (this
last Figure being on Sheet 2) is entirely detached from the stove
building 1, and is constructed and arranged more or less like heaters in
use in some localities for heating air for iron smelting furnaces.
A small steam-engine and a fan or other suitable blower or pump are
arranged in a small building 3 for forcing fresh air through an inlet
air pipe 4 into the system of arched piping 5 in the heater 2. The hot
air leaves the heater 2 through a large pipe branch 6 communicating
with a valve chest 7 and passes thence by a pipe 8 into the stove 1.
The pipe 6 is formed with a flanged branch 9 for the attachment of a
second line of piping to lead hot air to a second stove building, but this
branch is shown as closed with a cover.
The valve chamber 7 is shown in vertical section in Figure 4 on
Sheet 2. The hot air enters a space 10 between a pair of discs 11 fixed
on a spindle 12, and forming what is known as a double heat or
equilibrium valve, and the air passing these valves proceeds by the
passages 12, 13, to the pipe 8 leading into the stove 1. The valve
spindle 12 passes through a hole in the cover of the valve chest 7, its
lower end being guided by passing through a hole in the bottom thereof,

page_text: and it is connected by means of an adjustable screw coupling 14 with
a wire or band 15 of copper or other suitable metal sufficiently acted on
by changes of temperature. This wire 15 is led over pulleys into the
stove 1, and is stretched backwards and forwards therein so that a
sufficient length of it may be exposed to the temperature of the air in
the stove in order that its elongation by increased heat, or contraction by
diminished heat may impart to the valves 11 a movement that will have
the effect of correcting the temperature.
To assist in the correction of the temperature referred to, a branch 16
from the cold air inlet pipe 4 is made to communicate with the valve
chest 7 through a small pair of equilibrium valves 17, the spindle 18 of.
which is adjustably connected to a lever 19 arranged to be acted on by
discs or weights 20 on the main valve spindle 12. With these arrange-
ments. it will happen that if the temperature within the stove 1 should
become appreciably higher than what the parts are adjusted for, the
wire 15 will become elongated, which will allow the main valves 11
to descend and so diminish the outlet spaces for the hot air (or in
extreme cases altogether shut off the hot air) whilst at the same time
the lever 19 will open the smaller valves 17 and admit some cold air
from the pipe 4 to mix with the hot air passing into the stove. . Besides
acting on the air valves 11, 17, the wire 15 is also connected to the
lever 21 of a damper 22 in the outlet flue of the air heater or furnace 2,
and closes or opens that damper when it closes or opens the main air
valves 11. The wire 15 may also be connected to a bell or steam
whistle so as to audibly indicate when the temperature in the stove
exceeds a predetermined degree.
As a further guide to the person attending to the air heater 2 a
pyrometer 25 is inserted into the outlet part of the piping in the heater
so that the temperature of the air as it leaves the heater may be known,
and this pyrometer 25 is arranged so that its indicating dial is plainly
visible at the firing door end of the heater.
The air entering the stove 1 is distributed therein by a system of
piping which is by preference arranged as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The entrance pipe 8 communicates with a central longitudinal main
pipe 23, and this main pipe has connected to it a series of smaller
branch pipes 24 of various lengths.
The hot air may be allowed to issue from the ends of the pipes 23, 24,
any one of which may be more or less closed if required to equalise the

page_text: distribution of the hot air over the extent of the stove. If preferred the
pipes 23, 24, may be made with openings at different parts of their
lengths, and the openings may be covered with wire gauze or perforated
sheet metal.
The flooring of the stove is by preference constructed with the usual
iron gratings, and the pipes 23, 24, being beneath these gratings the air
currents become further subdivided and their distribution equalized by
passing up through them.
When the yarns or woven fabrics are first put into the stove large
quantities of moisture are driven off, but after a time the quantity 1
becomes much reduced and finally is entirely driven off, it will then
tend to economise fuel if the air blown through the heater is taken from
the stove itself instead of from the outside. For this purpose a pipe
with a suitable valve may be arranged to lead air from the interior of
the stove to the blowing apparatus.
The working of the stove as regards opening and closing the windows,
&c., is to be conducted in the usual way.
1
I proposed employing a fusible plug in the piping leading the air from
the heater to the stove 1 as a means of averting danger from an excess
of temperature, but I now believe the arrangement of the valves 11 2
actuated by the wire 15, as herein-before described, will be found in
practice to be a more efficacious and convenient means of availing of
the increase of the heat itself to stop or diminish the entrance of too
highly heated air. A fusible plug may be used as well as the
valves 11.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that
what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The heating of drying stoves employed in the manufacture of
Turkey red yarns and woven fabrics by hot air supplied by apparatus
arranged and combined in the improved manner substantially as herein
described and delineated.
2
3
2. The preventing of a dangerous excess of heat, and the regulation of 3

page_text: arranged and combined in the improved manner substantially as herein
described and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Clark, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
MATTHEW CLARK. (L.S.)