AN IMPROVED OVEN FOR ANNEALING CAST IRON
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Tildesley, of Penn Fields, Wolver-
hampton, in the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED OVEN FOR ANNEALING CAST IRON."
Sealed the 4th October 1872, and dated the 6th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Tildesley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th April 1872.
I, MATTHEW TILDESLEY, of Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, in the
County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention.
for "AN IMPROVED OVEN FOR ANNEALING CAST IRON," to be as follows:-
I construct a chamber having a furnace on each side but on the
outside of the said chamber. The said chamber is lined on all sides and
top and bottom with iron plates (wrought iron by preference). Outsidė
the said plates and between them and walls or casings of brickwork
acting as a protection to the plates I use from one to three inches
thick of fine coal ashics or dust. I seal the joints of the said plates with

page_text: fire-clay, clay, or grindstone dust. The heat from the said furnaces flows
into an arched chamber above the top plate, and from thence down the
front plate and under the bottom plate, rising up a flue at the back, and
thence away so that all parts of the lined chamber are exposed to the
heat from the furnaces.
With this arrangement of oven no cans are required, but the articles
to be annealed are embedded in the lined chamber as in a can.
The top and back plate are removed to fill or empty the chamber.
I prefer to use grates known as "Tildesley and Bird's smoke
preventers" in conjunction with the said oven, as they enable me to
anncal with fine slack instead of coal. The heat from the furnaces is
regulated by a damper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Matthew Tildesley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
TILDESLEY, of Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
send greeting.
+
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Matthew Tildesley, Her special licence
that I, the said Matthew Tildesley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Matthew Tildesley, 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 "AN IMPROVED
OVEN FOR ANNEALING CAST IRON," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Matthew Tildesley, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and

page_text: 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 YE, that I, the said Matthew Tildesley, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing (that is to say) :-
My Invention has for its object the construction of an annealing oven
which shall avoid the necessity of using annealing cans, or prevent as
much as possible waste of the cans when used, and consists in con-
structing a chamber having a furnace on each side but on the outside
of the said chamber. I line the said chamber when used without cans
on all sides and top and botton with iron plates (wrought iron by pre-
ference). Outside the said plates, with the exception of the top plate
and between them and walls or casings of brickwork, acting as a
protection to the plates, I use from one to three inches thick (preferably
about one inch thick) of fine ashes or dust. The top I cover with about
six inches deep of ashes, and on them a layer of grindstone dust. I seal
the joints of the said plates with fire-clay, clay, or grindstone dust.
The heat from the said furnaces flows into an arched chamber acting as
a reservoir of heat above the top plate, and from thence down the front
plate and under the bottom plate, where I form another reservoir for
heat. The heat then passes up a flue at the back, and thence away, so
that all parts of the chamber are exposed to the heat from the furnaces.
The top and back or front plate (preferably the front plate) are removed.
to fill or empty the chamber.
I construct the chamber with fire-brick alone when cans are to be
employed. I prefer to use grates known as "Tildesley and Bird's
smoke preventors" in conjunction with the said oven, as they enable
me to anneal with fine slack instead of coal, though ordinary grates.
may be used. The combustion in the furnaces and consequently heat
therefrom is regulated by a damper.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same, with
reference to the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a cross section through chamber and furnaces; Figure 2,
a longitudinal section through chamber; and Figure 3, a part sectional
plan through chamber, and above furnaces.
A is the chamber, and B, B, the furnaces (Tildesley and Bird's
Patent furnaces are shewn). The heat rises from the furnaces B, B,
into the arched space C above the chamber, thus forming a reservoir
of heat, the excess being drawn down the fluc D at the front of the
chamber A, and thence through the flue E underneath the said chamber
A. By allowing the inlet and outlet openings into the flue E to join
it at the bottom leaving the roof recessed upwards as shewn, I have
thus another reservoir of heat under the said chamber A. The heat is
then carried up the flue F at the back of the said chamber A, and
away through a flue G to the chimney or stack; H is the damper for
the regulation of the heat, and may be fixed in any convenient position.
K is an arched opening in the outer casing for convenience of removing
the flue D and getting at the chamber A. The flues F and G and the
damper H are not shewn on the plan for the convenience of making
the Drawing to a scale of one inch to a foot, but the arrangement will
be readily understood. The flue F would appear similar to the flue D
on plan, and the flue G may be carried in any convenient manner.
It is recommended to allow a greater space C above the chamber A. for
greater convenience in getting at the top of the chamber.
away
The remaining details of construction will be readily apparent from
the Drawing. The articles to be annealed are imbedded in the lined
chamber as in a large can, but for small articles a chamber may be
constructed of brickwork only, and the cans containing the small articles
may be imbedded in coke dust within the chamber, as considerable waste
of the cans is thus prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same may be performed, I
declare that I claim, the construction of ovens for annealing iron castings
to make them malleable with the arrangement of furnaces B, B, arched
space C, and flues D, E, and F, in conjunction with the lined or unlined
chamber A, as described and shewn on the Drawing, and as various
modifications follow obviously from the description of this Invention

page_text: I declare that I do not limit myself to the exact arrangements as
shewn, but claim such arrangements and modifications as are in harmony
with the general description of this my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Tildesley, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
set my
of our
Witness,
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Patent Office,
Wolverhampton.
MATTHEW TILDESLEY. (L.S.)